Coal rolled
- Thread starter JRA
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FlatSix911
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Silicon Valley
Stunning view!
Thought you meant a real one.
I retired from forestry. Have worked through the night burning slash to see some great sunrises out in the woods. Slash burning is not done so much anymore here in the U.S. It used to be done to get rid of all the slash so tree planters could find the ground. Now slash isn't quite as thick because second and third growth trees don't have the big limbs, and whole trees are brought into the landing and limbed there.
Broadcast burns could get a bit exciting at times and the excitement made for longer hours than planned. Logs and rocks would roll down the hill, sparks and embers would start fires where we didn't want to start fires, or in one case when a helicopter was to be used, the helicopter torch broke down. It was common to get home in the wee hours of the morning and have a beer while taking a shower. After one too exciting burn, the smoke smell would not wash out of my hair and the smell was there for a couple of weeks.
Good times.
I retired from forestry. Have worked through the night burning slash to see some great sunrises out in the woods. Slash burning is not done so much anymore here in the U.S. It used to be done to get rid of all the slash so tree planters could find the ground. Now slash isn't quite as thick because second and third growth trees don't have the big limbs, and whole trees are brought into the landing and limbed there.
Broadcast burns could get a bit exciting at times and the excitement made for longer hours than planned. Logs and rocks would roll down the hill, sparks and embers would start fires where we didn't want to start fires, or in one case when a helicopter was to be used, the helicopter torch broke down. It was common to get home in the wee hours of the morning and have a beer while taking a shower. After one too exciting burn, the smoke smell would not wash out of my hair and the smell was there for a couple of weeks.
Good times.
JRA
Well-Known Member
The "rolling coal" experience was real enough. Some hillbilly in a lifted Ford thought it was cool at least to dump black diesel exhaust on the bicycle guy climbing the hill....
Not sure how they accomplish it but it is some excavator type deal that roams around clear cuts and piles the slash into big mounds that then get the torch. Most of the terrain I see this is pretty extreme actually with the stumps and slopes that get cut. Actually lots of it going on here in the area. I have been smelling smoke for the last week here which is slightly reminiscent of what it was like here last summer when we had wild fires in the OR and an east wind blew it down here to the coast. Because I live right on the edge the air here is usually as good as it gets but smoke is probably one of the most pervasive smells going I would say. Lots of it has been around this last year for sure in the way west.
Not sure how they accomplish it but it is some excavator type deal that roams around clear cuts and piles the slash into big mounds that then get the torch. Most of the terrain I see this is pretty extreme actually with the stumps and slopes that get cut. Actually lots of it going on here in the area. I have been smelling smoke for the last week here which is slightly reminiscent of what it was like here last summer when we had wild fires in the OR and an east wind blew it down here to the coast. Because I live right on the edge the air here is usually as good as it gets but smoke is probably one of the most pervasive smells going I would say. Lots of it has been around this last year for sure in the way west.
They use the log loader which is built a bit differently than an excavator and has a hydraulic grapple. Trees are yarded or skidded in by some kind of skidding equipment or a yarder. (I loved working around the latter what with all the "challenges") and sounds like they use what is called a processor to limb and buck the trees up at the landing. That makes for huge piles of slash, which are quite fun to torch off. They burn too hot to roast hotdogs on
I also have had the real rolling coal experience while merely biking on a sparsely used road. I hope it reduced their engine life. Karma.
I also have had the real rolling coal experience while merely biking on a sparsely used road. I hope it reduced their engine life. Karma.
JRA
Well-Known Member
I grew up in a logging family, albeit back east in VT where selective cutting is more prevalent, and am pretty familiar with logging practices here in the west as I have lived in the PNW quite a few years and seen lots of the equipment out in the wild, sitting still, and in use, beep beep beep goes the hi lead/skyline. The cabin leveling excavator type units with cutting heads and whole tree falling capabilities that some can also limb and buck from the cab are used in congress with skyline rigs such as seen here taken from close to the shot in the original post just after they finished the cut.
Although there was a huge pile up by the road there are smaller slash piles no where near the header but scattered throughout the cut area. As I said this is part I have not seen being done live but appears that they do use an excavator type machine with a grapple that is perhaps switched out from the cutting head making the machines more versatile.
On the wild fire defense side they use mulchers that actually chip the slash and scatter it about to keep the ground clean of the brush that makes it easier for fire to spread along the ground. Defensible space is a big concern in forested residential areas as seen by the last years fires.....
Although there was a huge pile up by the road there are smaller slash piles no where near the header but scattered throughout the cut area. As I said this is part I have not seen being done live but appears that they do use an excavator type machine with a grapple that is perhaps switched out from the cutting head making the machines more versatile.
On the wild fire defense side they use mulchers that actually chip the slash and scatter it about to keep the ground clean of the brush that makes it easier for fire to spread along the ground. Defensible space is a big concern in forested residential areas as seen by the last years fires.....
pmcdonald
Well-Known Member
Ugh, such a repugnant phenomenon. Typical that some who preach their freedoms the loudest forget the responsibilities half of the equation about not being a d***.
With my lungs I'd probably be in respiratory attack on the road after that sort of experience.
How widespread is this nonsense in the States?
I've been on the receiving end twice. That's all. There was a youtube video of some guys passing a large, strung out group of cyclists and letting them have it. I think this encouraged more of it to occur but it is supposed to be hard on the engine.
kmccune
Well-Known Member
Not much slash hereabouts these days, the local woodcutters usually have chippers and the "Mill" will take the chips of various stages of purity, they installed a "Biomass Boiler" and it cut coal consumption in half. One of my old cronies told me they sold all the excess power they generated at a nice profit, the wood processing has become so efficient, there is hardly any waste to go to the landfill/dump, the byproduct lime is sold, the white liquer, among other things, carbon black, newsprint and "bleached board" Truly the life blood of this area.
And any"ass" that 'Rolls Coal" on a cyclist needs His karma to kick in.
Another thing that bugs me now, the "Jackson river" RR grade trail is open to Hikers, Cyclists ;Horseback( over 12 miles one way-very scenic) the only way you can use an ebike on this trail legally is to have a handicap that actually would prevent you from normal locomotion( golf carts illegal) I think trikes and ebikes would be legal in that case.
In retrospect you can sort of understand, if certain Folks had an ebike capable of 30+Mph by golly thats how it would be used, forget about any bike lanes in this or adjacent towns
Dallant
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
Diesel truck owners...yet another group who often doesn’t give a s*it about your rights but are the first to loudly snivel about theirs. I’ve seen them laughing while they purposely pull that on bikers, joggers, and even once or twice on mothers rolling their kids in strollers.
Taylor57
Well-Known Member
iabob
Member
Common enough. It’s not an everyday thing, but I bet most of us have seen it at least once. A redneck crybaby that thinks us exercising our freedoms to buy what we want, ride what we want, is some kind of offense against his lifestyle. They start with a lifted 4X4 diesel truck and attach a fuel programmer to the engine’s ecu. Under normal conditions the engine operates normally. Under full throttle the controller adds a bunch of fuel to the air-fuel mixture causing it to run very rich, blowing massive amounts of black smoke out the tail pipe. Bicyclists are a target, but I think Prius drivers are their favorite. They’re so insecure in their manhood that their ability to irritate others is how they validate their self worth. So see a Prius...stomp on the accelerator. Can’t find a Prius and feeling like his penis is unusually small...doing it to a bicyclist is his next best option.
pmcdonald
Well-Known Member
Jeez, does anyone bother reporting them? A quick call including the license plate to the relevant bodies here would sort the matter out in short order. Our enforcement agencies alway welcome new revenue streams!
JRA
Well-Known Member
Where I live it might have been an off duty sheriff.....
FlatSix911
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Silicon Valley
Not if they can't keep up with us...
I'd probably get laughed at and chances are it would be one of their friends or good ol' boys. I never could see the plate numbers anyway, they were going too fast, and I was slowing down to get out of the smoke.
