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12 ➤ block with wide open markets and we could move 25 loads a day, we’d be struggling with the old loader,” he admits. “If we could move 25 on a constant basis, we could buy a new loader. But with the quota, the extra 10 loads I miss, I can’t afford to buy a new piece. What happens is you have to just keep going.” The same quota struggle with the loaders is why Tim Con only runs two of the three skidders. He explains further, “Why don’t I run it? I can’t
handle it through the loader and the quotas. It’s not going to be long before it starts stairstepping down the same way it stairstepped up.” Corey says a bump in the market in 2013 allowed him to comfortably make a few trades, but he cautions that the cycle hurts loggers more than it helps. “There are some loggers that are going to have to go out of business because their quota is overpowering their payments. They are going to go broke; that’s the way this cycle works.”
Maintenance Oil is changed in the woods every five weeks, which shakes out to be 300 hours. The crew does smaller maintenance jobs in the woods, led by crew foreman Robby Harris. Tigercat dealer CTW Equipment, does the majority of all work. Corey prefers passing off the maintenance load to the dealer, saying: “I like that I don’t have to have a certified $50 mechanic on the job all the time. I just have to handle oil
changes and hoses, and don’t have to have all the technology.” Corey leans on Colony Tire for new tires, as well as any tire work. He price shops and (usually) ends up with Firestone. The crew keeps a 10,000-gallon fuel tank in the woods, along with a service truck outfitted with hand tools. Corey says that like tires, he price checks fuel, but has found himself using Country Mart for the last 20 years. “They’re very dependable. Prices don’t vary a lot,” Corey says.
Trucking Tim Con runs its own fleet of trucks. Corey says that it’s difficult at times, but it’s still the best way to get wood hauled to the mill. The crew uses 11 trucks (a mixture of Kenworth and International) and all Pitts trailers. Each truck runs with a GPS system. Trucks do not run scales, but do use Fleetmatics, which help Harris and Corey keep up with them. Corey and Harris coordinate the daily truck flow depending on woods production. Lilley International in Williamston, NC or MHC Kenworth in Rocky Mount, NC repair trucks. Corey sends them to the dealership for everything, including greasing. “We have done this for the last three sets of trucks,” he explains. “We think it’s a big plus because I don’t have vendors say ‘if you had done this, this wouldn’t have happened.’” He adds that the initial cost is outweighed by the peace of mind he gets knowing that the trucks’ warranties are still intact. Colony Tire services the trucking fleet, which mainly runs recaps. The trucks do have a shop in Jamesville just big enough for one truck to squeeze in if a quick, simple repair is needed. The shop is mainly used for storage now. Some trucks park at the shop, some go back to driver’s homes, depending on the haul distance.
Staying Ahead Corey says after all his time in logging, he can say with confidence that loggers are the smartest folks in the world. He explains, “They’ve got to be the safety coordinator, their own environmentalist, human resource manager. The mills have six different managers for these departments and [foreman] Robby is six managers all in one. You tell me who is the smartest? Each one of them is perfect in their game; he’s got to be perfect in six games.” He draws a parallel to the saying, “jack of all trades, master of none,” but corrects it: a logger, he be54
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SEPTEMBER 2017 ● Southern Loggin’ Times
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