# d-9 shearblading in alaska...hazerdous fuel reduction



## bill w

this is what i've been up to....the company i work for has a contract with division of forestry in fbks to remove the black spruce that poses the biggest threat for a wildland forest fire.we had 200 acres to remove and got it done today.we were two weeks,just two of us.averaged 20 acres per shift.got some videos on u-tube but can't figure out how to drag them over here...http;//www.youtube.com?v=icmu8Hx6r1I  ....i love my job!!  Bill w


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## muleman RIP

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icmU8Hx6r1I"]YouTube- Hazardous Fuels Reduction[/ame]


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## California

Here's another. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXnXD-Y_GQg&feature=related"]Hazardous fuels reduction 2[/ame] Are there more?


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## pixie

I'm not a 'tree-hugger' or anything; I spend 3 days a week thinning balsam and spruce saplings with a chain saw, but could you explain why the black spruce ( which often grows in swamps) is such a 'threat' ? I don't see any houses nearby ?
Thanks


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## XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

bill w said:


> this is what i've been up to....the company i work for has a contract with division of forestry in fbks to remove the black spruce that poses the biggest threat for a wildland forest fire.we had 200 acres to remove and got it done today.we were two weeks,just two of us.averaged 20 acres per shift.got some videos on u-tube but can't figure out how to drag them over here...http;//www.youtube.com?v=icmu8Hx6r1I  ....i love my job!!  Bill w



Yeah, I think you could charge money to get people to drive around and do that for a day.  Set up something with a hotel and transport and cut me loose.  That would be fun.

Fun job Bill!


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## bill w

pixie...they are loaded with what we call "old mans beard".it's almost like in the swamps where you see the moss hanging off the trees.it burns hot and fast.the trees themselves have almost half dead limbs on them.if you have ever seen a pic of a christmas tree that has dried out that catches fire,these are the same way.then you pack all those trees together and it is a fast-running,hot fire.there are homes within 1/4 mile,and the military has their ammo storage within a mile on the other side.the state of alaska learned the hard way about these trees in 04 when a small fire that started by a lightning strike on blm land(which they don't fight)(and they are in control of ALL the parks)anyways...that small  60 acre blaze grew to 7 million acres before the state of alaska got it put out.we leave as many pockets of birch and aspen as possible as they will seed a very large area.the black spruce just chokes out any other trees.the div of forestry has determined it is much easier to control the direction and fightability of a fire before it even starts.besides,it creates a very nice moose habitat,they don't eat black spruce,but love the grasses and small birch saplings that will appear.we had moose every morning in the new field eating the tops off the small birch that actually did get cleared.we couldn't save them all.i hope this anwered your question and enlightened you as to why we must do this.add in the fact that we have a massive amount of beetle killed spruce,which is throughout alaska,and we can't log it......and it is a potential disaster waiting to happen....bill w


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## bill w

thanks muleman and cali for dragging the videos over to the forum for me..yeah there are five so far.click on more by screwloose and you can see em all..and i give rides for free....lmao...bill w


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## bill w

the dof and our small company are working together to actually put a plan together to chip these trees and use them to make pellets that can be used as fuel to heat schools and power plants in alaska.so eventually it will be a win win situation..and renewable..bill w


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## California

bill w said:


> five so far. click on more by screwloose and you can see em all.



Here's the index listing all the vids.


(unique User Name spelling!)


> screwzloos's Channel    Subscribe


Thanks Bill!


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## bill w

thanks cali...yeah that is the guy that posted the videos to u tube for me....and the name fits....lmao...great guy tho....bill w


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## pixie

Thanks for the explanation, Bill 

I officially have 'bulldozer envy' after working for about a week on 3/4 of a mile of trail with a chainsaw !!
'Course, mine might look better come spring melt !


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## bill w

division of forestry will let it dry further...(till next fall)and then take their small dozer into the two 100 acre pods,and stack them for burning..then it will be two 100 acre fields with ponds and birch outcroppings.if i get some time out of the shop i'll drive out to one of our two year old pods and take some pics,birch grow very quickly...those areas have already produced larger moose populations and are much less prone to fast running forest fires.as a matter of fact the forestry actually looks for stands ...or pods..of birch to try to steer wildland fires to...they do that with fire lines..the fire burns into these areas and lays down because it only burns the leaves off and slows WAY down...if it were to continue thru the spruce it would crown....which is when it jumps to the tops of the spruce and runs.....very scary ......the time to control a fire is way before it even starts.    yeah i made very good wages doing this....but it was ONLY .19 cents an hour more than my boss pays me for working in the shop.but the amount it may have saved the taxpayers and landowners next to this project..it is priceless,i've had landowners that's land has been saved that bordered my fire lines and some  have became very good friends...come up to me and thank me..in my last ten years fighting wildland fires we have only lost ONE house in nenana(which i had to sit and watch burn)because the fire was crowning and forestry wouldn't let the two of us dozers get off the trailers,not even safe....and one blm cabin in the white mountains...which as far as i'm concerned was the blm's fault.thats the boundary fire in 04..it was just taxpayers money...at least not everything that the person in nenana lost...my real reward is knowing i'm making a difference...thanks for viewing this...may other states watch and learn by the forestry here in alaska.we are actually going down to a bourogh meeting tonite to voice our opinion on a woodstove BAN....it would affect most of the fairbanks area.....typical law written by a politicion that has never expierienced -50 below when our one power-plant goes down.....wow..more to come on that one...Bill w


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## grizzer

Yes Yes! A shiny blade is the sign of a good day! 

Feb. is the best month to trail build. Strong sun, mild daytime temps. I have had a JD 350 since '02. The dozer snaps off the trees at ground level leaving it very walkable. The frozen ground holds the root balls back. 

Nothing like a dozer to change the face of your land. Have had spotted fawn in the Spring stare in fascination at the rumbling clanking yellow thing approaches them.


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## bill w

i was back at it again after a week and a half in the shop.we rebuilt the torque converter in the d-9 and put new pads on the d-6.sure glad i don't do that all the time.we started a new project in salcha...thirty miles down the richardson hwy.....grizzer,the blade i have on the d-9 actually comes out flat to the ground,it really shears them off good when they are froze in.Bill w


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## Snowtrac Nome

bill w said:


> i was back at it again after a week and a half in the shop.we rebuilt the torque converter in the d-9 and put new pads on the d-6.sure glad i don't do that all the time.we started a new project in salcha...thirty miles down the richardson hwy.....grizzer,the blade i have on the d-9 actually comes out flat to the ground,it really shears them off good when they are froze in.Bill w


 Bill I'vebeen working on a 9-g simalar to yours ive got a complaint of the transmission kicking out on steep grades and i can't find any info on  the transmission on it called nc for a trans pump they sent the svavaging pump pulled the main pump down and it looked like new also pulled all suction lines and filter housing found no leaks i refilled the transmission with 15w40 and ran it up under load the grade on the pit thet are working on is about 45 degrees. i have had several people tell me the power shifgt transmissoins on the early cats can't work at that angle what is your opinion.


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## EastTexFrank

I'd love to get my hands on that thing for a couple of hours to clear out the "thicket" that I've been working on for 5 years and making little or no headway.  

Some jobs are just more fun that others.


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## bill w

does the converter heat up quickly when you put it in a stall?fire it up cold and put it in 2nd gear about a third throttle...watch your converter temp and make sure it will slowly rise...no rapid climb in temp.sounds like you checked the magnetic screen already and didn't find any aluminum shavings..ours doesn't like 15w40...we run 30 wt only.we push scrapers in the summer and trees in the winter..i run it on some very steep angles with no real problems.charge pump was a good call.but if it still hesitates,hook up a pressure gauge and watch it when it surges.your scavange pump could be letting the converter to be overfull and actually stall.keep me posted....Bill w


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## Snowtrac Nome

bill w said:


> does the converter heat up quickly when you put it in a stall?fire it up cold and put it in 2nd gear about a third throttle...watch your converter temp and make sure it will slowly rise...no rapid climb in temp.sounds like you checked the magnetic screen already and didn't find any aluminum shavings..ours doesn't like 15w40...we run 30 wt only.we push scrapers in the summer and trees in the winter..i run it on some very steep angles with no real problems.charge pump was a good call.but if it still hesitates,hook up a pressure gauge and watch it when it surges.your scavange pump could be letting the converter to be overfull and actually stall.keep me posted....Bill w


 i ordered a charge pump cat sent me a scavenge pump because its 45 miles out of town and a 15 mile ride overland in the snow trac i replaced the scavenge pump anyway there was quite a bit of steel on the magnets but no alumanumin the screens 
 who knows when the oil was changed last.the oil i drained out was aw 32 and streight 30 is a little hard to come by.and the angle i was runing at was so steep it would hardly get enough traction to push a blade of dirt up hill and if i tryed to dig the tracks would just dig in


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## bill w

you will always find fine metal dust on the magnets...we started running ours a couple gallons overfull for steep ground..i will talk with the guy who came over for our torque converter rebuild today and pose the question to him..i'll let you know what suggestions he comes up with...Bill w


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## Snowtrac Nome

thanks Bill also i put in 45 gallons of oil to fill it up and added another 5 wich by the stick wich is the wrong stick puts it about 3 gallons over full does this sound about right.


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## bill w

don....pm me your address...i'll check the parts cat to see if the dipstick is in it..if it isn't i'll pull ours and get the parts #...gotta find the proper amount for the tranny...whats the serial# for the machine..i have lots of parts books..anything i can do to help...Bill w


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