timber truck on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
A logging truck or timber lorry is a large
The most convenient trees to cut down were those near waterways for easy transportation. As the supply dwindled and loggers had to go further from water, they used teams of oxen or horses for hauling. These were superseded by steam-powered
There are two main types of modern logging trucks — those used on rough ground and trails in the forest where they are felled and those used for transport on normal highways and roads. Because the roads in forests are rough and often temporary, the suspension and tires of an offroad truck are especially significant. Solid, low pressure and high pressure tires have been used. As many as nine axles may be used to provide low
File:Logging truck - Shaw Island ferry dock 01.jpg, Logging truck on Shaw Island
Log Truck
— the site of New Zealand's Log Transport Safety Council
The Washington Log Trucking Industry: Costs and Safety Analysis
Transport Canada regulations
Transport Alberta regulations
{{Forestry tools Logging Trucks Forestry equipment
A logging truck or timber lorry is a large truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...
used to carry logs. Some have integrated flatbeds, some are discrete tractor units, and some are configured to spread a load between the tractor unit and a dollied trailer pulled behind it. Often more than one trailer is attached.
History
The most convenient trees to cut down were those near waterways for easy transportation. As the supply dwindled and loggers had to go further from water, they used teams of oxen or horses for hauling. These were superseded by steam-powered donkey
The domestic donkey is a hoofed mammal in the family Equidae, the same family as the horse. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a ...
s and locomotives. The final development was the logging truck.
A truck was used for logging in Covington, Washington
Covington is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 20,777 at the time of the 2020 census. Prior to the 2010 census, Covington was counted as part of Covington-Sawyer-Wilderness CDP.
History
The area presently kn ...
, in 1913. The coming of World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and the resulting demand for the Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...
's Sitka spruce
''Picea sitchensis'', the Sitka spruce, is a large, coniferous, evergreen tree growing to almost tall, with a trunk diameter at breast height that can exceed 5 m (16 ft). It is by far the largest species of spruce and the fifth-larg ...
for airplanes "established log trucking in Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
". The United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
assigned thousands of men to the Spruce Production Division to build roads into western Washington to harvest the dispersed stands of the best trees. After the war ended, a plenitude of surplus military trucks made their adoption attractive to logging companies, particularly smaller outfits that could not afford expensive locomotives.
The primitive trucks were improved in the 1920s and 1930s, with more powerful engines and better braking systems. The old "narrow, solid rubber—sometimes steel—treadless tires" were replaced by wider pneumatic ones with treads. Plank roads gave way to graded dirt ones. By the mid-1930s, trucks were hauling as much timber out of the Pacific Northwest as the railroads.
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
saw improved truck designs, and once again these were passed along to logging companies through the sale of surplus military vehicles after the war was over.
Configuration
There are two main types of modern logging trucks — those used on rough ground and trails in the forest where they are felled and those used for transport on normal highways and roads. Because the roads in forests are rough and often temporary, the suspension and tires of an offroad truck are especially significant. Solid, low pressure and high pressure tires have been used. As many as nine axles may be used to provide low ground pressure
Ground pressure is the pressure exerted on the ground by the tires or tracks of a motorized vehicle, and is one measure of its potential mobility, especially over soft ground. It also applies to the feet of a walking person or machine. Ground pre ...
and good traction.
Timber is commonly grown in hilly country unsuitable for farming and so the ability of a log truck to climb a gradient
In vector calculus, the gradient of a scalar-valued differentiable function of several variables is the vector field (or vector-valued function) \nabla f whose value at a point p is the "direction and rate of fastest increase". If the gradi ...
is significant. The steepness depends on the quality of the surface - mud and snow are harder to climb than gravel and soil. For a manageable gradient, the speed will then depend upon the power of the truck. The legal weight limits will vary by jurisdiction but, for example, in the southern states of the USA, they range from — about .
To load the logs, the truck may be fitted with one or more winch
A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in (wind up) or let out (wind out) or otherwise adjust the tension of a rope or wire rope (also called "cable" or "wire cable").
In its simplest form, it consists of a spool (or drum) attache ...
es or cranes
Crane or cranes may refer to:
Common meanings
* Crane (bird), a large, long-necked bird
* Crane (machine), industrial machinery for lifting
** Crane (rail), a crane suited for use on railroads
People and fictional characters
* Crane (surname), ...
. The logs are commonly unloaded by letting them roll off sideways.
Gallery
ferry dock
A ferry slip is a specialized docking facility that receives a ferryboat or train ferry. A similar structure called a barge slip receives a barge or car float that is used to carry wheeled vehicles across a body of water.
Often a ferry intended ...
File:LOGGING TRUCKS MOVE THROUGH PARK FROM CUTTING NEAR PARK BOUNDARY - NARA - 542858.tif, Logging trucks move through park from cutting near park boundary
File:Logging truck and bush taxi accident.jpg, Logging truck and bush taxi accident
File:Logging truck - geograph.org.uk - 902724.jpg, Three axle
An axle or axletree is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to the vehicle, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In the former case, bearing ...
KrAZ-255B logging truck
File:Wood exploitation in Finland 2.jpg, Sisu with a hydraulic crane.
File:Volvo lumber truck Finland.jpg, A 60 ton Volvo FH16
The Volvo FH is a heavy truck range manufactured by the Swedish company Volvo Trucks. It was originally introduced in late 1993 as the FH12 and FH16. FH stands for Forward control High entry, where numbers denominate engine capacity in litres. The ...
with bullbar.
File:Logging Port Chalmers.jpg, Mitsubishi 8x4 unloaded in Port Chalmers, New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
File:Truck load of ponderosa pine, Edward Hines Lumber Co, operations in Malheur National Forest, Grant County, Oregon, July 1942.jpg, Truckload of ponderosa pine, Malheur National Forest, 1942
File:Lolo_Hot_Springs,_Lolo,_MT,_2011_3.jpg, Straight truck with log loader and pup trailer, Montana, 2011
See also
*Flatbed truck
A flatbed truck (or flatbed lorry in British English) is a type of truck which can be either articulated or rigid. As the name suggests, its bodywork is just an entirely flat, level 'bed' with no sides or roof. This allows for quick and easy load ...
*Hayes Truck
The Hayes Manufacturing Company Limited was a Vancouver-based Canadian manufacturer of heavy trucks known for their durability and a revolving bunk system. Founded in 1920, Hayes built both highway and off-road trucks, particularly for the logg ...
* Logging road
*Pacific Trucks
Pacific Truck & Trailer Limited was a Vancouver, Canada based manufacturer of heavy trucks famed for their durability. Pacific built both highway and off-road trucks, particularly for the logging industry, heavy haulers, and fire trucks.
In 1947 ...
References
External links
Log Truck
— the site of New Zealand's Log Transport Safety Council
The Washington Log Trucking Industry: Costs and Safety Analysis
Transport Canada regulations
Transport Alberta regulations
{{Forestry tools Logging Trucks Forestry equipment