A huge truck used to transport logs is called a logging truck or wood lorry. Some are standalone tractors, some have flatbeds built in, and some are made to divide a load between the tractors and a dollied trailer pulled behind them. There are frequently several trailers ʜɪᴛched. For simple shipping, trees ᴄʟᴏsᴇ to streams were the easiest to cut down. Loggers used teams of oxen or horses for hauling as the supply diminished and they were forced to travel farther from water. These were replaced by steam-powered locomotives and donkeys. The logging truck was the last innovation.
In 1913, logging in Covington, Washington, involved using a truck. Log trucking was first developed in Washington with the outbreak of World War I and the subsequent deᴍᴀɴd for Sitka spruce from the Pacific Northwest for airplanes. To build roads into western Washington and harvest the scattered stands of the best trees, the United States Army assigned thousands of men to the Spruce Production Division. After the war, logging companies, especially smaller outfits that could afford pricey locomotives, found their adoption to be appealing due to the abundance of surplus military trucks.
In the 1920s and 1930s, the crude trucks were upgraded with more potent engines and stronger braking systems. The older, steel or solid rubber treadless tires were replaced with wider pneumatic tires. Gradated dirt roads replaced the plank ones. Trucks were transporting as much lumber out of the Pacific Northwest by the middle of the 1930s as were railroads.
Modern logging trucks come in two primary categories: those used for transport on regular highways and roads, and those utilized on uneven terrain and forest trails where the trees are felled. The suspension and tires of an offroad truck are particularly important because the routes in forests are rocky and frequently improvised. There have been tires that are sturdy, low pressure, and high pressure. It is possible to use up to nine axles to deliver low ground pressure and excellent traction.
Since timber is frequently grown in hilly terrain that is unsuitable for farming, a log truck’s capacity to climb a gradient is important. Since mud and snow are tougher than other surfaces, the steepness will also rely on the truck’s power. The legal weight restrictions will vary depending on the jurisdiction, but they typically range from 80,000 to 88,000 pounds, or about 40 short tons, in the southern states of the USA. The truck may be equipped with a winch or a crane to load the logs. Commonly, the logs are unloaded by allowing them to roll sideways.
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Video resource: TAT Woodworking