In Need of a Backhoe

I am at wit's end with this log situation, and I'm not sure what to do. We have these two big logs behind our barn that were supposed to be picked up by our neighbor for him to do whatever he wished. I was willing to give the guy the logs and let him keep the boards just to get them out of there, I just don't have the ability to transport big pieces of wood.

Well, he never showed up, and a year has passed, and the wood is sitting there rotting, though I'm told the maple will last a lot longer. Eventually the pine will be useless, so I need to act on this. Another friend with a backhoe and a mill said he'd be happy to come over, get the logs, mill them up and get me the boards. I told him he could keep the pine and I'd pay him for the maple. Of course, here I am, a month later, and he hasn't shown up, though in his defense, his backhoe is broken and in need of repair. I see the guy every week at the market and he feels bad for the delay.

I finally went over to the local mill and asked if he could bring his portable mill over and cut the boards. He said fine, but the maximum they can work with is 20 feet, and that's pushing it. Those logs are easily 30 feet long, meaning someone (your's truly) will have to cut them first, then move them to a location where it will be accessible to the mill.

Seeing that the logs weight hundreds, if not thousands of pounds, I figure I can move them no problem since I have an extra backhoe just lying around the house. What a drag.

I called the original logger about the logs, and he never got back to me after I left several messages, so I finally went over there. I met with his son and he said his dad is not always good about returning calls (an understatement if there ever was one), but he would talk to him and get back to me.

I can't sit around and wait, however. I figured the original guy GC was the best option, because he knew the arborist who cut it down, and he cut it to his specifications. I assumed he knew what to do, but he never showed up. He may still show up, but like all things in life, when you want something done, you just gotta man up and do them yourself, or pay someone else to do them.

My friend is an option, but because he's doing me a favor, I can't force the issue. Finally, I could just let them sit there and rot, but what a shame that would be. Life ain't easy when you're just a real man in training and not an actual real man with a tractor.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Michaela Kobyakov and Joe Zlomek for the pics.