LOGGING TRUCK RIDE ALONG | Thrills in the stunning mountains of Canada
Join me on a logging truck ride along with my friend Pat in the beautiful mountains of the Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada. On my ride along we go high into the mountains above Kootenay Lake and the truck the logs down the steep mountain roads, along the lake, and across the scenic ferry ride to the town of Creston, where we unload the logs. Logging truck driving is one of the most interesting trucking careers and Pat explains why. You'll see the kinds of roads the truckers need to drive on as well as how the logs are loaded and secured and some of the protocols for driving on these narrow dirt mountain roads. At the end, you'll see how the logs are unloaded at the mill.
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I live just north of the ferry landing and see the logging trucks go by. I very much appreciate Pat for letting you ride along and you for such an informative video. I’ve had a lot of questions answered about how the logging trucks operate. It was great! Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it Patrick! Yup, Pat is a gem. He lives over on the west arm.
Muy bueno el vídeo el mejor de los que he visto,que zona de Canadá es? Conozco la zona de merritt
@@manuelmitxelena2115 Gracias Manual. No es en la zona de Merritt, pero en la misma provincia. Es en la zona de Lago Kootenay.
Love the smell of the landing first thing in the morning... brings back many memories. Thanks for posting.
Yup, smell is one of the strongest memories. I grew up in the Yukon and whenever I smell diesel equipment starting up at 30 below it brings me right back there.
Fun and games in the summer but winter is a different planet
Yeah, been out with him in the winter too. Chains are your friend.
It's interesting how logging is done different in all countries and how different the equipment is.
Canada has a much higher RTAC weight limit than the lower 48 states
@ Yea I think Canada and Sweden have quite similar weights for our trucks.
Hauled a lot of logs from Michigan to Durham , Ont. C anada. Dave Suntken Woodland , Michigan
Awesome Video your Uncle Cool guy love them kenworth T 800 s
thanks man. Glad you enjoyed it.
The panoramic view of the lake was amazing!
Yeah, it's stunning country up there!
I'll never look at a 2x4 again without a bit of love! Thanks for the video, great drone accents.
Yeah, it's quite a process.
Good video. Big trucks & long logs. I remember logging trucks in the 1950's in and around Everett Washington. Also over the years in central and coastal Oregon. I also now watch long-hall trucking u-tube videos, both in the USA & Canada. Interesting comparing the number of axles, weights etc allowed on the trucks. And the restrictions & legal requirements. Also how they sometimes differ from one province to another as well as from one state to another.
Thanks Wesley. These trucks are GVW around 60,000kg as they need to be able to operate on public highways. It really is a mix between jurisdictions. When they don't have to use public highways, they can go much higher than that. Up to 180 tons GVW! Here's a vid with those trucks. kzhead.info/sun/jZecgc6tjop9n40/bejne.html
I enjoyed every minute of this videos.🇯🇲. Canada looks beautiful
Yup, there are definitely a lot of beautiful spots in Canada!
Beautiful until we had over 500 Forest Fires. This I'd a tiny logging truck. Check out Pacific Truck and Trailer, P 16 logging trucks with V12 Detroit Diesel engine with water tank behind cab to cool down brakes.
Thank you so much for this video :D It's great to see beautiful Canadian nature and awesome old school trucks, I wish I could experience a full day like this at least once in my life
Yes, we're definitely lucky to live in such a beautiful landscape!
Well done!!!
Thanks. Glad I enjoyed.
Good video, informative all natural sounds thanks for the ride!
you're welcome!
Thanks guys. Loved this video... took me back to my youth in the mid 70's, before articulating trailers.. my buddy's dad took us up what was then called Todd Mountain, to bring down a load in a bush model Hayes. Corners were incredible. Having lived, camped, and explored in the Koots for years, and knowing exactly where you were at all times, I got a bit homesick. Living in Southern Portugal now so this little peak was therapeutic. Pat's BMW t-shirt and the 'chicken strips' comment reveal you are both bikers. Have probably met both of you at some point when I worked at Southwest Motorrad in Kelowna years ago. Cheers to you both.
Yup, we both ride. Pat used to help organize the BMW GS Trophy events. And, yes, The koots are certainly special!
Awesome video. I do small scale logging "south of the border" in North Idaho. I have mad respect for everyone in the BC forestry industry, from the fallers and riggers to truckers and mill workers. Even the tree planters and ecologists get a nod from me. Thanks for showing me a quick glimpse at how my neighbors to the North work. Would love to do some cutting up there someday
It has a long tradition. Of course, times are changing and the industry is changing with it. When I was a youngster, there was a steady stream of logs being hauled out of the woods. It was rampant. Much more conscious now. I grew up just north of Bonners Ferry on the Canadian side. spent a lot of time in N. Idaho. Checked out your channel. Looks like you're doing some interesting stuff.
Beautifully filmed, absolutely stunning Well done dude.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. Are you a fan of the mountains?
30 years driving in the oilfields of Alberta, Northern B.C., and South and Eastern Saskatchewan, B.C., and western Alberta had similar roads as those logging roads but not as steep in most places! Yes, chains are your friends!
Sounds like you've seen plenty of amazing terrain.
Great footage! Thanks for the ride along
Glad you enjoyed it!
That was very interesting, especially the fary, I'm a log hauler in Minnesota, no mountains here.
glad you enjoyed it.
“Fkin right buddy, already have” as a professional stick relocator myself I can say, I also have burnt the chicken strips right off
Yup.
Great video.
Thanks man.
Nothing better than riding in a log truck hauling off the west side of the cascades!
Right?! This is further east, in the Kootenays of British Columbia
Sounds good to me , but my favourite is the north end west coast Vancouver Island, driving a Hayes HDX 1000 with 180 tons on my back , looking out over the Pacific Ocean, hit those 3 stage jakes and don’t forget the water on the breaks , man a day in the life slice of fried gold in my books
@@skylarsoper241 I hear ya. Those are some amazing trucks and what a spectacular place.
Selkirk mountains
@@bradjames6748 nice 👍🏻 Campbell river , and port Alice , port alberi, and port renfrew . Me and Mr cat all over Vancouver Island from north to south , we blow minds when we dump at a unfamiliar sort
Awesome video thanks for your time and effort, big thumbs up !
Thanks, I appreciate the props. Glad you enjoyed it.
Excellent job on the video, I like the way you leveraged the drone footage, nice job obviously not your first rodeo
thanks!
Awesome video , one of the best i've seen. i've been in the area many years ago at Kelowna watching a 3-day in the wood's logging equipment show,what an event that was!....treat of a lifetime. i live in New Hampshire USA
The equipment certainly has evolved over the years. In some areas you can still see remnants of old rail grades and log flumes from logging in the 1920s.
Great video. Really enjoyed the drone footage giving larger views. My brother owns the Harfman trucks in the video. He and I drove my fathers truck around that area hauling mine concentrates from Trout Lake area to Ainsworth, New Denver/Sandon Mine to Cominco in Trail. Year round trucking. Winter roads could be something else. That was back in mid 1980’s. Really enjoyed the video.
Cool. Glad you liked it. I went to high school in Creston in the 70's, so have been traipsing around that country for a while as well.
Hats off to you my friend. Anyone who can get a truck like yours up (and down after) get my vote of approval. If I had to drive a truck like that in the mountains I would make a mess in my pants. Well done.......PHB
I'll pass it on to my friend. Also went with him once in the winter. Adds a whole new level of challenge.
@@CamGuerilladid you film the winter run with him?
Hello from Brisbane, Australia. I really liked your video. The whole day on your friends truck was cool, the scenery was awesome. I had a friend in New Zealand that showed me how to drive on a logging truck. I enjoyed every minute going out for a ride. It was cool watching the guys on the skid sites doing the trimming and loading. Getting up speed on the main roads and cruising. The long slow crawling out of some sites was tedious but it is all a lesson that you had to learn, Patience.
An interesting slice of life for sure.
Slow on the roads down and out? Not always. There are some areas where the fully loaded down hill run is done at 70 km/h + on gravel roads. And yes, I'm talking about in BC Canada. Some areas the logging roads are wide enough they are a 4 lane highway, 2 in each direction and those roads are not slow crawls down the mountainside they are full bore haul butt to get the load moved.
B.C. Truckers have the craziest terrain to maneuver on, balls that clank when they walk. Huge respect! Tri drives give you all the traction you need…….
Yup, it's a special talent. And in the winter they need to lace 'em up with chains so they don't slide off the cliffs.
That was right mint Buddy. Your truck driver friend has a lot of wisdom. I have not hauled tree length since 2014. Dont miss it, but sometimes I think I'd like to go back and do it a few times here an there, just for something different. I used to drive a 00/Star, w/a 525Cat, 63kg's treelength in the Thunder Bay area.
Nice country out there too.
It's important to note that 5am is normally the driver's second load. But due to video needing light, departure was delayed a few hours.😂 Man those are some nice poles. Love the care that is taken by the processor operators to not break a bunch of wood.
Great video, lovely place...!!!
Yes, the west is definitely one of the best parts of Canada.
Good job
thanks.
Good job using the stamp hammer:) and showing the timber marks
It's an interesting thing that most people don't know about...
More more more! Please!
Stay tuned...
Good video!
Thanks!
Enjoyed the video.
Good to know.
snowrunner brought me here. what a beautiful shot at 9:05
Yeah, the lake is over 70 miles long. It's a real jewel.
You need to do a video of when he is all chained up, in addition to a nice weather ride. They all are fun. I did 40 years of this in Washington.
Not a bad idea! Maybe I'll do a ridealong with him in the winter. Did one a few years ago, but didn't video much.
It’s called brass balls and a compensator either in the trailer reach pole , or hard core old school like in my 1979 kw lw 924 , it’s in my trucks frame , I also still run water on my breaks , Mr cat has a 3408 15od , protruding radiator butterfly hoods and pacar bush cab , was originally a Columbia 30 ton rigging , but in 03 I got a tri axle trailer just like the one in this vid , I will never change my factory big six suspension it is king in bc bush , a highway truck that mirrors the fat trucks of the off highway variety, my grand dad specked it brand new in 78 - got in in early 79 had directly outfitted at Columbia in bc. I bought off gramps in 1999 , if I’m not pulling logs It’s parked inside a shop
Great info.
Sounds like a beast.Would love to see it
What a great Video, I searched Thai boat engines , and after watching that looked to see what else you had done, we went for a ride on a Thai boat this morning. Back to the logging vid, we live on Vancouver Island and see logging trucks every day, often wonder what goes on in the woods. Loved it , well done and I will subscribe.I know how much work putting a video like that is, I've done one , haha
glad you enjoyed it Nick! Yup those those Thai boats are something else. Look up thai boat drag racing sometime. Unbelievable!
Good video thanks!
Glad you liked it!
Great video bro. I’m a log hauler aswell here in California.
gotta be some beautiful terrain there too!
@@CamGuerilla Yosemite National park is beautiful bro look it up
very impressive.
👍
Awesome 💪.... I did this job 25 jears in Austria and also in Germany, the country look like the same but its very interessting to wath the different workwise and Equipment these guys work with 😊 good job 🌲❤️🍀
I'm glad you enjoyed it. I've spent a lot of time in Germany and Austria. Ich habe Verwandtschaft in der Stuttgarter Gengend.
A single steer tri drive tractor must be a handful on those hairpin bends, the self steering drawbar trailer is really neat.
I think it helps that the roads are gravel and not pavement. The articulating trailer sure makes road building easier. Makes the tighter turns possible.
Wow huge amounts of respect for the Canadian log truckers, they must be the toughest most brave and skilled truckers on the planet. One missed gear or you get to close to the edge and your a gonna. Like i said nothing but respect for these guys.
Yup, it's a whole different world than highway trucking.
Great video, Trent. I’ve always wondered how they get those wheels off the back of the truck. 😊
Was definitely an education for me too.
awesome video, i have to subscribe.
Nice to have you aboard.
Cool video to see. I am a warehouse worker for Kenworth. I meet lots of customers that are out there doing this type of work. But I have never really seen it. It's a cool industry. My wife's father made a great living for his family at a saw mill as a heavy equipment mechanic. And my father made a great living being a millwright at a pulp mill.
Yup, it's nice to see behind the scenes. It was a real treat for me to ride along.
I went on a ride along with a company out of Sweet Home Oregon. I was applying for a job as a log truck driver back in 1979 just as a recession hit the logging industry. So I didn't get the job. Two items on my bucket list for truck driving. Drive a log truck up and down from the landing and a road train in Australia. I had started driving trucks a day or two after turning twenry one years old. My first job was driving from Minneapolis MN to the east coast of the US from Boston down to Baltimore and back to Minneapolis all in a weeks time. Did this route for nearly a year. Just retired a year ago from nearly 40 years as a concrete mixer driver here in the twin cities.
A good life...
Haul logs in eastern Washington north Idaho right below where u guys are at. Haven’t found a job I enjoy more. Been at it 6 years now. Yes shitty hours, conditions and roads and yes some weeks just grind ya but wouldn’t want to go back to any other industry. Grew up in these and I’ll die in them
Yup, familiar with your neck of the woods. Beautiful country.
That's some awesome scenery! Interesting to see how things are done elsewhere. Do they cut these logs to length at mill or do they require them this long?
they cut them to length at the mill for whatever they're milling. There are other types of trucks where they cut them in shorter lengths and the trucks have 2 or three separate racks instead of the one you see in this case.
One of the most interesting videos I've seen in a long time. I used to live in NW Ontario and I often wondered how they did all of this? I just did their income taxes in the Accountants office.
I hear ya. There are so many jobs out there that it would be great to get a behind the scenes view of. Glad you enjoyed it!
I prefer the west coast, bigger trucks, bigger loads and steeper roads. You know your on steep ground when us use all your water (400 gallons) on the brakes on a single trip down the mountain. my favorite truck is the Hayes HDX. ran one for 22 years, best job ever.
Yup those big ol' trucks that don't run on public roads are next level.
Awesome video. Any tips for people wanted to explore some Forest Service Roads shared by logging trucks? Obviously avoid active areas but encountering some is likely
It's pretty common to drive on roads where there is active hauling. The truckers let each other know when they see cars on the road. The main thing is to stay to the right, especially when you don't have a clear line of sight ahead. Keep a safe speed that allows you to react when you encounter a truck. Some people choose to follow a logging truck when on a FSR, but that comes with tons of dust.
@@CamGuerilla thank you. Is there enough room to let them pass or is a quick scramble onto the edge usually required by the recreational vehicle?
@@ratking948 often times it requires a quick scramble to the edge or into the ditch.
Respect for these men. I'll stick to the hard roads. Side note, I'd drive the ferry haha.
Definitely not an easy job.
I know it law up there but for them tight roads I bet it would be nice to get rid of one drives and make it a pusher and when you need traction or to turn you just pick it up
Interesting thought...
Still would have the longer wheel base to contend with they do pivot around the middle drive axle. If they max out the steer axle weight tridrives steer ok, then its up to the road builders to build a decent switchback.
I’m a UK HGV driver (Truck driver) I would LOVE to do this absolutely Crown Jewel of trucking
It's really an amazing experience!
Very enjoyable to watch thank you. How high is the log truck from the tip of the fork the holds the logs to the ground.
I'm not sure. Probably about the same as any normal transport truck since it needs to be able to operate on public highways.
Strong brutal Canadian TRUCK DRIVERS
glad you enjoyed it.
Had a friend who worked for WCB back when it was WCB. Anyways long story short we were taking about different jobs and their risk. In BC the number one death rate per hundred hours (might have been per thousand?) were fallers number two were log truck drivers. I definitely preferred logging over highway driving. Pretty much everyone up there knows the rules and follows them. less government types around. Where I hauled out of Hazelton mainly it was rare I had to go over a government scale. Very little traffic on the roadways. My take home pay at the time was more than the highways guys grossed.
Absolutely. Very dangerous jobs. Significantly more so than firefighting and police work.
Ok😄😄😄
5am is getting up too late, we were up at 2:30
You'd like the Four Yorkshiremen sketch! kzhead.info/sun/ia-Bdr56jIZ3Z6M/bejne.htmlsi=kpEbwqU43cOwEAOj
Actually live out here in Creston and quad these mountains its hard to explain how high and how deep those corners are on video but 1 mistake and its over
You've got that right!
Thank you ! A few questions if I may . Why do they put the trailer on the back while driving empty ? Was the ferry crossing Kootney Lake or ? When the empty trailer is dropped back onto the ground and hooked up to the truck the driven only needs to give the load support upright bars a push and they seem to flip upright on their own . What makes them spring up like that and what are the upright bars called if you can remember . Thank you !!!
No worries. They put the trailer on the back so that it is easier to maneuver up the logging roads and at the landing where they load. . It also saves fuel and tires. Yes, it was kootenay lake. There are springs in the hinges of the uprights. I can't remember what the uprights are called.
A real logger makes REAL COFFEE ☕️ IN THE MORNING!😂 KIDDING MAN.
I know. I take full responsibility! ;-)
I'm gonna take a wild guess and say the logging site was above Balfour? Edit: Nevermind. Lol. I read the description and I'm gonna change my guess to 'in between Balfour and kaslo'. Lol
north end of the lake.
Any idea who he's working with I'm looking at getting into logging I'm from alberta but I spend as much time as I can around the kootney lake area
Harfman out of Salmo.
The only thing that surprise me in that video is how you remove and put the trailer back on the truck, it always thought it was a hydraulic system that got the trailer down instead of the need of another vehicle
Yup, they save the complication of a hydraulic system because there is always a loader that can take the unload the trailer at the log loading site and a crane to load it back on at the sawmill.
@@CamGuerilla make sense, thanks for the video
What is the loaded weight? In my area no one ran triple drive axles on log trucks, although some ran 12' bunks on private roads.
Around 60,000kg.
Cool video! What was the total weight fully loaded?
around 60,000 kg from what I remember
@@CamGuerilla Thanks, don't get triple drives here in UK
Seems like if you had an abrupt stop those logs could punch right through the cab
You're likely right.
How many miles are they driving in a day? It looks like they are driving pretty slowly most of the time and not covering that much actual distance.
This load was a total of 450km from leaving home to getting back home. Only about 30km of this was on logging roads.
The next time you are lumber shopping for that next project, stop and read the stamp or tag and honor those that bust their tales for you. Rarely does an average person witness what goes on in world of logging, mining, construction, shipping, there are people out there making the 3 B's a reality.
True dat. Farming, fishing, utilities etc. All the things that keep the modern world humming along so we can sip our lattes and complain that the internet is too slow.
Now will theses Logs Be turned into Pulp Wood Load R Lumber
These ones are all lumber.
How many loads per day for each truck?
From this area, about 1.5 to 2 depending on which mill they're hauling to.
your famous pat..hahahhah
He's always been famous. ;-)
Jesus what's the wheelbase on them tri drives?
Not sure, but yeah, they're really long!
What State Y’A in.
British Columbia, Canada
How much is the hourly ?
Sorry, I don't know.
Up the Duncan?
Not quite but close. Above Johnson's Landing.
@@CamGuerilla very nice I recognized the Lardeau bridge. Those are some big steep mountains up that way.
@@thricecrazy33 Yeah it gets pretty spectacular up past the north end of Kootenay. Kind of a hidden gem.
@@CamGuerilla The drive to trout lake is well worth it. The Lardeau Valley is stunning.
@@thricecrazy33 absolutely.
Do they make wood chips what ever left over
it depends. unfortunately there's quite a bit of leftover stuff that gets burned.
AWESOME I live on that lake ! Fucking EH boyz! You logging at grey creek?
Great place to live eh? We were up at the north end of the lake across the duncan river.
@@CamGuerilla Fucking cool man! Are you in nelson? I'm closer to the grey creek store on the east shore!
@@andregagnon7044 My buddy lives at 6 mile on the west arm. I'm mostly in Cranbrook now. The grey creek store is a classic.
@@CamGuerilla Nice thanks for the video!
@@andregagnon7044 just happy you enjoyed it.
I enjoyed the video, but why is the engine of the truck that noisy, any fault? European log trucks are much less noisier, especially in the drivers cabin.
The normal noise level is what you hear when I'm narrating in the cab. In some of the clips where I'm not narrating, you can hear the noise of the engine compression brake.
9:00 60 tons???
Yup, 60,000 kg.
I sure do love the TRI DRIVES, the gay drop drive axle trucks that is in Eastern Canada And USA are garbage. Tri drive baby!!!
Yup, the have their place for sure.
Водитель не нужно
😁
Я работал таких технике стаж есть
Stop the logging on remote area and reduce the logging scale we want leave a beautiful natural with many undisturbed also for the environment not the mountain forest with countless cut blocks
Nope
@@sandorkotzeff152 why
@@sandorkotzeff152 logging are now destroying environment natural habitats and many creatures become extinct because of logging and over logging is not a green renewable resources it only cause co2 escape to atmosphere and which severe the global warming and wildfires look at the destruction and deforestation on the what you thought it was a no man’s will protected area look on the map to see which part of earth had deforestation so serious than bc with so few population even India don’t have that logging scale don’t you forgive some big greedy logging companies only had money in their eye and destroying our natural heritage and place to relax and hunters which killed innocent animals
@@sandorkotzeff152 they can use that resource to put off wildfires
Bahahaha he sat up the little cars ass until he pulled over 😂
A little bit of encouragement. ;-)
That’s an interesting 3 axle trailer. It’s like a mule train but with one bunk. There’s a ton of 3 axle long loggers here in Washington but I have seen none like that. It looks like it wouldn’t steer to great..idk? Cool vid though..
go to the spot in the video where it's going around the sharp corner and you will see how the trailer articulates in the middle under the center of the load. that's how they get around sharp corners.
@@CamGuerilla the 3 axle trailer we run steer too but that close to the center seems like it would be an awkward spot to steer..
@@ShystySpokes I think the center might be the optimum spot to get around the tightest corners.