Brady Chapman
Participating member
- Location
- Bethel, ME
My good friend Ralph has been a great resource to me over the years. The first year my wife and I started our company we contracted a small woodlot to cut and we hired he and his skidder to help with the project. We have used Ralph and his skidder several times in the last ten years, but six years ago or so he mentioned that he had another piece of equipment that could be used for a small lot clearing project I had him look at. He called it a "tractor" like many of the old timers around here often do (I've even heard them call skid steers tractors, lol). When he said he would bring his tractor to pull out these 90' tall, 28'' diameter White Pines I was skeptical. But being the young buck, I wisely deferred to the old bull's judgement. When I saw him pull up with his 3/4 ton pickup hauling his "tractor" on a meager equipment trailer my skepticism remained, until I saw him winch the first tree. From then on he and his tractor have become my secret weapon for low impact, often times tight spaced logging/lot clearing jobs. I'm grateful to help keep that thing alive as it doesn't get any use other than the time or two a year I call on him to help me with a job. And I'm happy to continue to work alongside a veteran logger who has to much to teach and little interest to insinuate himself enough to do so.
