Featured Canadian hybrid logging trucks - Edison Motors

I used to follow this guy on tiktok for years and years until the algorithm realized I can't stand out of control deforestation (aka: sustainable forestry) and stopped showing them to me.

I think the biggest challenge now that they're past the prototype stage and are in the permitting stage is they need to produce alot of these to make them cost effective and that building in this video isn't going to produce very many per year.

The other challenge is that the timber industry in Canada is notorious for being a cut and run operation with near zero interest in long term investing in growing the next forest for harvest so there's not much money available for investing in more expensive equipment with a longer lifespan.

 

According to news broadcasts I've been watching from my home province of BC, the sawmills have been shutting down, not because of the tariffs, but because the best trees have already been clear cut and it will take decades to replace them. I believe the spruce budworm has also led to a significant loss of marketable timber. It seems Chief Dan George's indictment of logging practices in BC and prediction of consequences is being borne out.

 

Excellent analysis... Of course the mainstream media is continuing to pump out the lie that the industry would be fine if not for the tarriffs, which is a lie. And even worse the industry is still getting the politicians to support them in logging off the last rare areas they designated for protection even though that will only keep the industry going for a few more years.

 

Well you can build with aluminum 2 by 4s...oh yea ... they are tariffed too. And not really 2" by 4"

 

They look a lot like the cabover cab designed that went away decades ago due to safety concerns (drivers jumping out) & loosening up on overall length.

 

Wood 2x4s aren't really 2" x 4" either. By volume, a bit over 1/3rd of the wood is missing.

Back in the really old days, circular saw blades (or their replaceable teeth) were 1/2" wide. But the commercial industry norm was that the log carriage was indexed only 2" or 4" per cut, with nothing extra to compensate for the saw kerf.

By the time granddad's final home sawmill was built in the 1930s, blades were thinner, replaceable teeth were 1/4" wide (actually 17/64" for our mill, when new, narrowing slowly with wear and sharpenings). Since this mill's log carriage was indexed in 1/4" increments, we could make real 2x4s for barn construction and other farm use, rough cut (not planed).

I believe modern bandsaws are thinner still, reducing the wastage. Same with the planers used to smooth the boards. But these don't mean the customers gain any more wood in their lumber. Instead, the sawmills get more boards to sell.