糖心视频

25 November 2019

鈥� Bre Elbourn

Trevor Haywood is a proud father, husband and logger and owner of Trevor Haywood Timber Co. He was awarded 2018 Master Logger of the Year by the Tennessee Forestry Association for his commitment to achieving landowner harvesting goals while keeping in mind his impact on the woods for future generations.

Owner at twenty

Trevor, a fourth-generation logger on his mother鈥檚 side, tells how he was introduced to logging by his grandad. 鈥淏eing the oldest grandchild, my Grandad liked to carry me with him. So, that鈥檚 how I got into it and just never wanted to do anything else.鈥� Trevor鈥檚 great-grandfather, Alvin Sellers, and his grandfather, Billy Sellers were both loggers. In the late 1970s, early 1980s, when the economy struggled and interest rates were high, Billy took a break from logging. The hiatus didn鈥檛 last long. In 1988 Trevor鈥檚 uncle Terry partnered with Billy and together they got back into the logging business.

鈥淚 started working for them in the summers when I was around ten or eleven years old. Then of course, I kept working with them through high school,鈥� Trevor explains. 鈥淢y mother wanted me to go to college and that was fine, but college wasn鈥檛 what I wanted to do. So I just stayed in the woods, and then two years after I graduated high school, my uncle decided to get back into the sawmill business and offered to sell me his logging operation. At twenty years old, I bought his logging operation and I鈥檝e been at it ever since.鈥�

I TELL PEOPLE BUYING A TIGERCAT IS LIKE BUYING FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE ON YOUR VEHICLE.

Operator first

Trevor鈥檚 love for logging hasn鈥檛 dwindled and his favourite part about owning a logging company is operating the machines. He admits, 鈥淢ost people don鈥檛 like the business end of running the business and I鈥檓 no exception.鈥� Trevor used to spend his days in the cab and his evenings in the office doing paperwork. These days, his wife Mandy 鈥� having quit her nursing job to help with the business 鈥� has eased much of that burden, leaving Trevor to focus on what he enjoys most, cutting timber.

When Trevor isn鈥檛 running machines, he鈥檚 looking into contract work for sawmills or searching for new timber to purchase. 鈥淚 run the cutter, but I also do a good deal of the dozer work for road construction. I really enjoy running the machines. I鈥檓 not willing to give that up at this point. I conduct quite a bit of business while I鈥檓 operating. That鈥檚 where Bluetooth comes in handy,鈥� Trevor laughs.

Trevor points out that he is much less fatigued come the end of the day due to the clear sightlines in the LX830D cab.

Operations

Trevor鈥檚 company is based out of Huntingdon, Tennessee. Trevor explains how his area of operation is unique. 鈥淵ou go to the west towards the Mississippi River, and you鈥檒l get those wet bottoms. Then you come east to the Tennessee River and you get into rocky hills and rougher ground.鈥� Trevor runs a five-man logging crew (including himself) with three truck drivers.

The equipment lineup consists of one 糖心视频 LX830D with a 5185 fixed felling saw, two 糖心视频 620E skidders, and two log loaders including one 糖心视频 234. Trevor primarily cuts mixed hardwood on steeper ground. 鈥淲e work a lot in 150 to 200-foot elevation changes, and sometimes that can be steep and rocky,鈥� Trevor explains. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not quite mountainous, it鈥檚 just really rough and cut up.鈥�

In contrast to these rough, hilly areas, Trevor and his team have also worked in small areas of standing water and around rivers. The crew is set up to handle whatever terrain conditions are thrown at them 鈥� aided by a very versatile felling machine.

With the LX830D and 5185, Trevor is able to lay tree butts in any direction that is desired. This allows the skidder drivers to grab a bunch and go.

One machine, three jobs

Trevor鈥檚 most recent purchase, the LX830D with 5185 fixed felling saw, has been the perfect fit for these different terrain conditions. 鈥淲hat it has allowed us to do is not have anyone on the ground. No chainsaws. Very seldom do we use a chainsaw for anything.鈥�

The versatility of the LX830D has been a great asset to Trevor鈥檚 operations. Leveraging the power and response of the track drive system in tough terrain, as well as the bar saw, fixed wrist and grapple arms to fell, limb, shovel and pre-bunch for the skidders, Trevor essentially combines several processes.

鈥淚t is the efficiency of being able to lay those trees how you want them, in the direction you want to, and get them in place so that the skidders don鈥檛 have to pull any cables or anything,鈥� Trevor explains. This extra functionality required Trevor to rethink his operating techniques. 鈥淚t did take me a little while to learn, even coming with the experience I had on other track feller bunchers. It took me a bit to adjust to the different geometry, and the way the machine handled.鈥�

I鈥橫 NOT NEARLY AS TIRED AT THE END OF THE DAY IN THIS MACHINE.

Despite the slight learning curve, he says that the 糖心视频 LX830D has been a much more reliable feller buncher compared to his previous models. 鈥淚鈥檝e ran the LX830D for over a year now, and I鈥檝e had much less trouble with this machine. I鈥檝e been really satisfied with the performance of the machine.鈥�

Trevor also points out that he finds himself much less fatigued operating the LX830D compared with the models he previously owned. 鈥淚鈥檝e had machines before where I鈥檇 go home at the end of the day and my back would be hurting and my legs would be sore. It was due to the lack of visibility on the machine. You spend so much time leaning forward to see your tracks or to look around the engine enclosure. Where on this machine, the sightlines are really good. I can sit back in the seat like I鈥檓 supposed to and I鈥檓 not nearly as tired at the end of the day in this machine as I have been in others.鈥�

Trevor uses the LX830D to fell, limb, shovel and pre-bunch for the skidders.

Efficient operations

Trevor has found many ways to become more efficient. For example, when the operation permits and the tract is large enough, the crew will pre-load the trailers and short-haul them from the landing to a staging area adjacent to the public road. Trevor explains that this serves multiple purposes, 鈥淚 can haul more loads with fewer trucks by having the loads set out. Trucks aren鈥檛 having to wait to get loaded. Plus, we can set out a variety of loads so the drivers, if they鈥檙e smart about it, they can maximize their day because they know who takes lunch at what time, or how far it is to another place and so on. They can kind of pick their day and maximize their loads. The other thing it does is it eliminates congestion on the loading deck.鈥�

The mixed hardwood stands typically yield a high number of sorts. Trevor has the 糖心视频 234 loader dedicated to merchandising and sorting and a second loader that strictly loads trucks. By delegating truck loading to one machine, and allowing the other to focus on the sorts, efficiency on the loading deck is improved.

B & G service

Trevor says that when he first became a 糖心视频 customer, Steve Ballard (B & G Equipment, Iuka) was his salesman. Since then Steve has retired and he now deals with Clint Montgomery. Trevor speaks highly of B & G, 鈥淭hey鈥檙e exceptional. I live 100 miles away from them and I can get better service out of them at 100 miles away than I can at other dealerships that are half as far. It doesn鈥檛 really matter how great the machine is, if you can鈥檛 get service when you need it then it鈥檚 a moot point. I don鈥檛 want to just paint a perfect picture for your readers. If it wasn鈥檛 that way I would tell you that. But it is 鈥� that鈥檚 just the truth. We get good service. And if I call and order parts, Clint, he鈥檒l even bring stuff and drop it off to me at my house. That goes a long way with me.鈥� Trevor also appreciates the service department鈥檚 quick response time. 鈥淭ypically, if I have a problem before lunch 鈥� even if I鈥檓 two or three hours away from them 鈥� they send me a truck that day.鈥�

(L-R) Trevor Haywood, owner and feller buncher operator; Scott Sampson, loader operator; and Patrick Haywood, Trevor鈥檚 father, a recent addition to the crew, is currently operating the 2015 620E skidder. Not seen in photo are Trevor鈥檚 other operators, Willy Bailey (loader operator), who was absent the afternoon we were visiting, as well as, Colin Crossno (operating he 2018 620E skidder).

Do what you love

Trevor is happy with the size and success of his company and does not see himself wanting to grow much larger. 鈥淚f I get big enough that I can鈥檛 work out here in the woods and run these machines, then I鈥檓 getting too big, because this is what it鈥檚 all about for me.鈥� If there鈥檚 one thing we can all take away from Trevor, it is to do what makes you happy.