Swamp Loggers make it look easy

By SiefkesPetit Communications

“We buy equipment to work it, and work it we do,” said Bobby Goodson, owner of Goodson’s All-Terrain Logging, based around Jacksonville, N.C. His logging operation and equipment is so specialized, and worked so hard, only a handful of operators even attempt to do what his company does. It’s called shovel logging, where Goodson’s crew of 10 work land flooded with water; cutting, hauling and delivering wood that no one ever thought possible to harvest. The Discovery Channel named these woodsmen “Swamp Loggers” and the popular show averages nearly 2 million viewers per episode.  
 
Goodson said swamp logging began in Georgia around 1995.  “…Before that, loggers took wood out of swamps with ‘steam donkeys.’ They would winch the logs to rivers and float them downstream.  But, with the Clean Water Act, and logging restrictions within 50 feet of rivers, that all went to the wayside.”
 
That left the new shovel logging, the correct term for the operation – which Goodson adopted in the late ’90s. Using Google(TM) Earth to map out a swath of land to log, Goodson puts his $425,000 feller/buncher piloted by Simetrio Ruiz, to work. The machine’s grapplers hold the tree while its 61-inch diameter rotating blade slips through the lumber like silk. Fallen trees are then placed by a log loader, “or shovel, as we call it,” said Goodson, in front of the feller/buncher.  
 
“The downed trees – Ash, Cyprus and Tupelo – limbs and all, then make a 50-foot wide road to go further into the swamp,” Goodson explained. “Sometimes we’ll have to put two or three trees down on top of each other in real boggy areas. As the process moves forward, we’ll create a log road of up to 1 mile, but generally we’ll go about a half-mile in. Simetrio works down and back twice before the first wood can be loaded and hauled to the mill.”
 
The logs go on the company’s six trucks – five of which are Kenworth W900s (two owned by Goodson, and three by his son, Justin), and they load to the max – a gross combination weight (GCW) of 84,000 pounds.  
 
“To make money we need to average 20 loads a day to the mill,” said Goodson.  “So the reliability of our equipment and Kenworths are critical. It’s really why we bought them, that along with keeping our drivers happy in a premium rig. I’ve been around log trucks enough to know what stands up in tough conditions and what log trucks start to fall apart. We don’t run chain saws out here. Everything is mechanized and dependent upon each other. If one piece of our heavy equipment goes down, or one of our trucks, then it hampers everything.”
 
Built to be rugged, the newer Kenworth W900s are equipped with 475-hp engines rated at 1,850 lb-ft of torque and driven through 10-speed transmissions.  The gear ratio is 3.70 and with differential locks on both drive axles, plus Kenworth’s power divider, help provide equal power to the heavily lugged 11R24.5 drive tires. Dual exhaust and dual breathers, air ride suspensions and a central tire inflation system help complete the package. “We bought the trucks through Cooper Kenworth and they’ve been great to work with,” said Goodson.  “That goes for parts support as well and any emergency repairs we might need.”
  
A third generation logger, Goodson said, “My brother, cousin and uncle all have logging operations in place; traditional logging. They leave the swamp life to me and I love it. Every day and every tract of land is different and each has its challenges. And we have challenges with the economy – last year was the worst we ever had due to the mills not wanting much wood. About 40 percent of the loggers around here quit or went out of business. But there is an upside too. We get a premium for our wood and pulp from the mill.  That’s because we can deliver in any weather condition. When other loggers are down because of the weather, we’re in the swamps cutting and delivering. Sometimes we’ll be the sole provider to the mill, and they know they can depend on us. It’s a win-win.”
 
And the show’s viewers enjoy watching loggers win out over the weather and tough conditions. “When I first got a call from the producer of the show, I thought someone was playing a joke on us. It took me a while to figure out they were on the level and they wanted to do a documentary show. We agreed, really not thinking it would go anywhere beyond a few episodes.” It takes about 135 hours of filming to create one 50-minute episode, but the crew has gotten used to having cameras on site. “It does slow things down on occasion, but for the most part, we work like we normally do and they capture what happens.”
 
The show turns viewers into fans. “We’ve gotten hundreds of letters and emails and not one note has been negative. Last week we even had a woman from Ohio bring her family down to meet us in the woods. We gave them a little tour of our operation and they were thrilled. It made our day too. It’s pretty neat to see so many people enthused about what we do,” Goodson said.
 
To learn more about the show and Goodson’s operation, check out their website at: http://goodsonsallterrainlogginginc.com.
 
Kenworth Truck Company is an industry leader in providing heavy and medium duty trucks equipped with specializations that help increase fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. The company’s dedication to the green fleet was recognized in 2009 as it earned the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Air Excellence award. In addition, Kenworth received the 2009 J.D. Power and Associates awards for Highest in Customer Satisfaction for both Over the Road Segment and Pickup and Delivery Segment Class 8 Trucks.

www.kenworth.com. Kenworth. A PACCAR Company.