Pictured here in 1958 is two Hayes log haulers assisting a 70 metre Douglas fir beginning its journey to Britain all the way from Vancouver Island.
In celebration of the British Columbia Centenary, the 300 year-old tree was destined to be the tallest flag pole at the Kew Gardens, England. It was no small feat by the loggers at the Copper Canyon camp to top-off, cut, delimb and lower the tree without damaging it.
Now, to get this log down the twisting mountain logging roads it took ingenuity combined with years of experience. Once loaded on the two Hayes log haulers it had to traverse more than 35 km of treacherous logging road that took several hours to negotiate. Tight corner turns and a narrow trestle would have made for an ‘interesting’ day for the drivers.
Hayes Trucks Ltd., based in Vancouver, had been around since the mid-1920s, building rail cars, on-highway and their rugged off-road logging trucks. By the early 1970s they were producing more than 500 trucks per year with worldwide markets such as Australia.
Hayes, through this expansion still focused on the logging industry building large hauling units capable of handling log loads of 180 tonnes. Many Hayes trucks are still operating today both on and off-road – a tribute to those who designed and built them.
This article is provided by the Historical Construction Equipment Association (HCEA) Canada.
To see more than 60 restored pieces of vintage construction equipment in action, be sure to attend HCEA Canada’s 2019 events, including the Wheels and Tracks Event held June 8 & 9 and the Last Blast Show, October 19, at the Simcoe County Museum near Barrie, Ont.
HCEA Canada is a Proud Community Heritage Partner of the Simcoe County Museum.
