Moving 160-foot DF Sticks

[Bob Smalser]

From the album of a neighbor ...“Buckshot” Christopher, an 82-year-old retired logger. 160-foot logs hauled on two ton-and-a-half trucks on their way to a saltwater log dump.

http://pic3.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/3075040/61792990.jpg

It's 1929 and the logs are a special order for saltwater pilings in deep water.

The rear rig was kept in neutral and functioned only as a steering trailer.

[Tony Sade]

I sure hope that was a straight run down to the waterl. How on earth would the driver of the rear vehicle know how and when and how much to steer? I can imagine that one wrong move and he'd wind up on the next block, having mowed down women, children and small buildings on his way! Neat picture, Bob.

[Greg Heppeard]

I wanna see the lathe that they plan turning those things on.... :eek:

[Mike Cutler]

Those guys had some big brass ones! Can you imagine doing that today. There's probably a zillion laws they'd be breaking. It was ingenuity and determination that built this country, too bad were trying to legislate it out of existence. Sorry for the slight rant. Nice picture Bob, thank "Buckshot" for me.

[thomas prevost]

Mike,
How True!! We had a contract to cut, saw and deliver 20"X20" 65 ft. white oak timbers to Boston. The permits cost 3X the costs of logs, cutting and delivering. Good thing Uncle Sam was paying.

[Bob Smalser]

I think that's Buck's Dad in the lead rig...will have to go to the nursing home in Shelton to find out what town it is, as I don't recognize it.

This is still done today to move needed big sticks...with permits, of course...which aren't hard to get.

Last time the Hood Canal Bridge got blown away a decade or so ago, the local Hintz Logginf Company got a "need them today" order for a load of 120-foot poles. They cut them and Verne Christopher, Buck's younger brother by 20 years, hauled them from Dewatto to the bridge, 30 miles up the Kitsap Peninsula on his '64 Pete log truck.

No time for a permit, and there wasn't a third trailer available....the log ends dragged on the roadway occasionally.

The cops stopped him, of course....and gave him a flashing-light escort after he explained.

[Jason Roehl]

A little digression here, but in terms of long loads, I just saw some steel girders going down the road a few weeks ago. I'd have to say they were easily 120', probably longer. They were moving slow and had about 8-10 state cops as escorts on a state highway, I think it was 3 different loads total.