Swamp Loggers (2009) s01e04 Episode Script
Only The Strong Survive
Narrator: ON THIS EPISODE OF "SWAMP LOGGERS" OH! As the economy continues to put Bobby goodson between a rock and a hard place Bobby: PERILOUS TIMES WE'RE IN, FELLAS.
Dangers mount Man: WATCH IT! PRESSURES RISE I'm getting sick of paying people to do stuff, and they don't do it.
Now what? It ain't lined up.
I can't get the pin in.
Narrator: AND THE UNCERTAIN FUTURE finally takes its toll.
I've been trying to avoid this.
Narrator: THE HAZARDOUS SWAMPLANDS of north Carolina are considered too dangerous to most loggers.
But Bobby goodson and his crew have not only survived, they've thrived in these extreme conditions.
We're going to need those pontoons over there.
A fourth generation logger, Bobby has spent a career sidestepping danger Oh, God.
Battling fatigue, and overcoming constant mechanical breakdowns.
All right, we got it out.
Now he's facing the biggest challenge of his career.
Always something.
The failing economy has sent unprecedented shockwaves into the timber industry, causing mill after mill to suddenly close.
Let's go! With few timber buyers left, Bobby is fighting to simply survive.
Every buyer's just cutting back, trying to cut costs.
The only thing we got going right now is corbett logs, and they'll probably load up some trucks that we can get off Monday.
Of course, the sawmill we carry wood to, they're not buying anything on Friday.
It's getting slim, slim pickings, but we'll keep doing what we can do to keep the trucks rolling.
Bobby: HOW MANY HAVE YOU ALL LOADED SO FAR? Man: THREE.
THAT'LL WORK.
Narrator: WITH ONLY TWO REMAINING MILLS accepting wood for a limited time, Bobby knows he needs to use every man and piece of equipment in his arsenal before the window of opportunity closes completely.
[ Horn honks .]
Hurry back.
But two weeks ago, he lost one of his key pieces of equipment.
That's the hydraulic coil, look.
His main skidder went down for the count.
See that right there? That's a crack.
Got about an 8-inch crack.
A huge crack in the brake housing meant it had to be disassembled Whoa, yeah! And sent to the shop for significant repairs.
We need all the skidders running, especially this one.
This was the main skidder, the one that we used every day.
The one we're running now is the backup.
And whenever you're having to go across the tract of wood picking out just the logs, you cover a lot of ground real fast, and the only way to do that is you need all the skidders running.
Narrator: Bobby SEN THE WHEELBASE TO HIS MECHANIC, Steve Robinson, who runs a tractor repair shop along with his assistant, James.
It's still tight.
Though the wheelbase's repairs are almost completed, it's taken much longer than Bobby had hoped.
It's been about two weeks now then, I think, since we took it out that Friday.
Getting that broke bowl out, oh, that took a couple days to get that broke bowl out.
Narrator: EVERY DAY Bobby'S MAIN SKIDDER IS IN THE SHOP costs him about $1,000.
The two-week loss is huge.
Robinson: WELL, WE'VE GOT EVERYTHING put together now except for the two halves here, and we're trying to get them lined up so we can get them over.
We're having problems doing that.
We just got to figure out how to get it picked up straight so we can get it put in place.
Then we'll be able to bolt her together and get it to the woods and under the tractor.
Narrator: BUT PUTTING THE AXLE BACK TOGETHER is easier said than done.
We'll pick it up from the tire and all and see if I can move it.
All right.
Each half weighs over six tons.
Littleton: IT'S GOING TO BE A LITTLE TRICKY.
Two heavy pieces trying to get them back together.
You know, it's just an awkward way to hook on to them.
You have to have something under it so it'll be level.
Ease -- ease -- well, ease it up a hair.
Oh.
All right, down.
Narrator: IF THE TWO HALVES ARE EVEN SLIGHTLY MISALIGNED, bolts could be stripped or the seal ruined, causing Bobby a costly delay he can't afford.
It's hitting the housing in the front.
How about now? I'm moving it.
It's up against it.
She's getting there.
That got it.
Get it? Yeah.
Success.
Just like that.
They tighten down the bolts, and after two long weeks of extensive repair, the wheelbase is finally good to go.
Axle, whole.
Get it loaded on a trailer and back to the woods.
Bobby: LOOKING GOOD? Bobby shows up to lend a hand.
The faster he gets the main skidder back in operation, the quicker they can generate income from the specialty timber the mills are still calling for.
Push this side here around.
Bobby: Steve GOT THE BUGGY BACK TOGETHER.
Hopefully, we can get it on the lowboy and back to the deck and see if we can get it back under the tractor.
Narrator: WITHIN AN HOUR, THE WHEELBASE HAS ARRIVED.
That chain's on the back of the truck.
I'm going to take the bucket and roll it off.
All right, watch out.
Littleton: HEY, GET IT CHASING ME.
Come on, get it chasing me down.
Hey, just watch out for that thing.
Narrator: THE WHEELBASE IS NOW READY TO BE REINSTALLED, but first, they'll have to deal with one last problem.
There ain't no oil in it.
Unless they've done something.
Hydraulic oil in there.
The skidder has been sitting idle for almost two weeks and will require new oil and hydraulic fluid.
A lot of moving parts in this thing, and it's a lot of stuff to keep a check on.
But if you maintenance properly and keep an eye on it, I mean, it'll do what it'll take three other tractors to do.
Don't want no lack of lubrication.
I got some more good news when I was going out to get the oil.
We had two places to haul wood to, and one of them just called me and said that they're going to shut down for two weeks.
Oh.
So now we're down to corbett.
The mill's not going to buy wood but Monday and Tuesday.
He'll buy Monday and Tuesday and that's it.
Monday and Tuesday.
So we got corbett and whatever pine logs are left, which I was talking to Justin on the radio a while ago, and he's coming out now to fuel up 'cause he's got up all the pine that he can find.
Yeah, Camille called me.
"How bad's it gonna affect you if we don't buy logs?" "Yeah, that's gonna hurt pretty bad, but I don't want you to go broke on my account.
" It's a domino effect.
It's amazing how intertwined we all really are.
You know, you got those crooks in Washington that caused this crap.
They're the only ones laughing, laughing all the way to the bank.
Pour it in there.
Leave a little bit left in it.
Perilous times we're in, fellas.
You got to persevere to endure.
Narrator: WITH THE SKIDDER FILLED WITH ESSENTIAL FLUIDS, it's time to reassemble the wheelbase to the main chassis.
All right, cripple, get out of the way.
But the six-ton rig isn't going easy.
Ah.
Piece of chain there.
Littleton: THAT'S WHA I've BEEN RISKING my life around hauling tires? Every moment they spend repairing equipment keeps them from logging and chews into the bottom line.
Want me to just take the bucket and just push it over there? Yeah, probably be about as well.
So to speed things up, Bobby moves the wheelbase into position the old-fashioned way.
Bobby: ALL RIGHT, WATCH OUT.
The wheel chassis has to line up perfectly with the skidder's main frame.
It needs to go like that.
Let me push on that side over there.
All right.
It takes equal parts raw horsepower and finesse.
LITTLE BIT MORE.
Bobby: HOW'S THAT LOOK? Hold her right there.
That's it.
Looks like it's too high up.
Tractor's too high up now.
We got to get that block out.
Narrator: BUT WORKING WITH SUCH HEAVY EQUIPMEN presents a risk that can strike at any time.
Robinson: ALL RIGHT, LET IT DOWN.
Oh! Damn! Vibrate your arm? Yeah.
[ whistles .]
I know what that feels like.
Well, no, not exactly, but I've had it been bounced.
You've been there before.
That thing was -- something was caught under there, and it dropped all of a sudden, and about sprained my wrist there.
The biggest thing now, we got to put the back plates on, belly pan, the driveline.
Still got a lot to do, but the stuff we was worried about, we got it done.
James, find me them bolts.
So we can finally get this thing back over with the rest of the equipment.
It actually went smooth for a change.
So that part's good.
Narrator: THE MAIN SKIDDER IS FINALLY BACK IN BUSINESS.
Bobby: THERE'S A PINE OVER THERE IF Y'ALL NEED IT.
But with only one mill now accepting logs, it seems that Bobby can't catch a break.
Bobby: IT'S JUS TOUGH RIGHT NOW.
Our options is just running out.
You know, I really don't know what the answer is other than just get what we got here and stack it up, and hopefully, the mill will get straightened out pretty soon.
You loaded one load of corbett logs, didn't you? 10-4.
We're still working on the corbett logs, and then whatever pine pulp wood, saw logs we can get.
We'll keep working on that.
And low production, lot of costs right now.
What logs we get now, if the costs gets higher than what's coming in, we're going to have to stop.
Narrator: Bobby CAN' CONTINUE TO LOSE MONEY, but getting to his break-even point of 20 loads is getting harder every day.
How many loads we getting back? Got 14, considering.
Look, I -- I never thought we'd get that many, really.
And what we're having to deal with.
It surprised me.
I don't know how y'all are doing it, but y'all keep doing what you're doing 'cause it ain't great, but it's really good for the conditions that we're in and having to pick through everything like we are.
I don't like having to tell you at the end of the day we only got 13, 14 loads.
Look, I'm happy with that right now.
I bet you are.
I'm happy to be here.
[ chuckles .]
Well, look, y'all keep 'em going, all right? All right.
We'll see you, man.
Bobby: EVERYBODY'S DOING THEIR JOB.
I'm proud of everybody.
I mean, I just hate the news I'm going to have to give them later on, I'm afraid.
But we'll hang in there and see what happens.
Narrator: NEXT, UP AGAINST THE CLOCK, tensions run high It's going the wrong way.
WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?! Narrator: AND TEMPERS FLARE.
Now what? It ain't lined up.
I can't get the pin in.
Narrator: WITH THE MILLS NOW BUYING virtually no hardwood at all, and some mills shutting down altogether, things have gone from bad to worse for goodson logging.
Unsold lumber is piling up, and so are Bobby's expenses.
With little money coming in, but still with machines to maintain and crews to pay, Bobby is now losing money every day.
For the first time in their history, goodson all-terrain logging is in danger of shutting down.
Okay.
But fourth generation logger Bobby goodson is going to hang on as long as he can.
His crews keep busy filling the few small orders that are trickling in, knowing that at any minute, even those orders could be pulled back.
I hear you.
For the loaders, the pressure is on to send only premium wood, hoping they don't get rejected by the increasingly selective mills.
A rejected load can cost up to $1,000 in lost fuel and wages, something Bobby can't afford right now.
Bobby: TIME IS MONEY, AND I SPENT A LOT OF IT LATELY.
Narrator: SO Dave IS PLAYING IT EXTRA SAFE with what he's putting on a truck.
David just called me on the radio, and we got a log up there he's got some questions about.
I want to look at it to make sure we're not going to be sending a log 150 miles up the road for them just to turn around and send it back to us.
What I would look at is how much useable lumber it is.
They said they didn't want any rot in it.
Narrator: RIGHT NOW, THE MILLS HAVE a diameter limit on cypress.
This one's over the limit.
I would take a chance on it.
It's a heck of a piece of timber right there.
You could round it off and still have lumber there.
If I was in the saw business, I would buy it.
Me, too.
Bobby: REALLY, IT'S A TREMENDOUS-SIZE CYPRESS LOG.
You know, it's one of them calls that, if they bring it back, I've just lost money, but it's good enough that I'm willing to take a chance on it.
Narrator: ALL MORNING LONG, the skidders drag small handfuls of logs to the already huge piles of timber the mills don't need right now.
And out in the swamp, more trouble -- Justin's shovel logger is down.
The problematic hydraulic cylinder is leaking again.
Justin: THE CYLINDER THAT Bobby WELDED ON has got another pinhole in it.
Narrator: THE FRONT ARM OF THE MACHINE IS USELESS.
The very rig that's critical for gathering the few logs they're getting calls for has to be taken out of action for repairs.
If Bobby can't fix the cylinder by welding it, it'll cost him about $3,000.
Justin: TRY IT.
This cylinder's becoming my Nemesis.
Every time I turn around, it's leaking.
But I'm going to grind it down and put a flat weld on it, turn the heat up a little bit more and see if I can get some good penetration.
With 5,000 pounds of pressure, it'll blow it right out, then you got a leak.
Let's try that.
[ Chuckles .]
Hey, you work on it a few more times, you'll get good at it.
Yeah, this one cylinder's taught me how to weld.
[ Laughter .]
I guess it'll hold till it leaks again.
Narrator: WITH THE CYLINDER WELDED, the only thing left to do is put back on the shovel's arm.
But that may be easier said than done.
Close? Little farther? Yeah, about half an inch.
It's not moving anymore.
It's caught on something.
We got to hook the lines up and run the cylinder rod out.
Narrator: Bobby'S JUST NO CATCHING A BREAK TODAY.
Bobby: JUST PICK THE MAIN BOOM UP A LITTLE BIT.
All the pressure and frustrations are starting to put everybody on edge.
Come up.
It's going the wrong way.
What do you want me to do?! Go the other way! You ain't gonna be able to reach it if I keep going up.
Roll the heel down.
Hey, is it caught on something? No, it's got air.
I ain't never seen one do this before.
All right, lower it down.
Is it too high? It ain't lined up.
I can't get the pin in.
Now what? [ chuckles .]
Narrator: Bobby'S JUST ABOUT HAD IT WITH THIS WHOLE SITUATION.
It's 10 feet off the ground.
Bobby grabs a skidder and wheels it into a position that will help him get better access to the hinge pin they can't get lined up.
It's jammed in there.
Give me that.
Tap that wrench.
I don't know what's holding the thing out, y'all.
It's got air in it is what it is.
Narrator: ONCE Bobby FIGURES OU AIR IN THE HYDRAULIC LINES is causing the problem, it doesn't take long till everything's ready to go, but the cost of not having the shovel logger pulling wood for over two hours will be brutal.
Aggravating.
We needed to move back a half inch, and it just sat there, wouldn't move, but it's done.
Nobody's hurt, no blood flying, so it's all good.
Narrator: HOURS WORKING ON THE SHOVEL MACHINE has translated into a 12-truckload day, far below what they need.
Bobby: I WISH WE COULD HAVE GOT MORE because we're going to be stacking pulp wood for a couple more days.
Justin: I'll TRY WHAT MY DAD DOES.
He goes to sleep, and hopefully, everything's better when he wakes up.
Maybe it'll work.
Narrator: NEXT, WOOD PILES UP, MILL ORDERS DISAPPEAR.
The two-and-a-half-week date is going to be longer.
Narrator: Bobby GETS ONE LAST CHANCE.
See all that good-looking armour wood out there -- it looks good.
Narrator: WITH TIMBERS STACKED UP and the region down to only one mill accepting wood, Bobby goodson's income has taken a dramatic hit.
I don't like to see wood stacked up like that 'cause I'm not making any money.
Narrator: WITH OVER $50,000 A WEEK IN EXPENSES, Bobby's net losses are almost $4,000 a day.
Bobby: THE WOOD INDUSTRY IS JUST LIKE THE STOCK MARKET.
I mean, it changes from day to day.
It goes up and down.
The loggers that will make it through this time will be in a position to where we can make some money because there's not going to be a lot of us left, but the whole thing is we got to make it through this time here, and that's the battle that me and my family's facing now is just try to hunker down and hang on.
Narrator: AND THERE'S NEVER ANY SHORTAGE of trouble on the ground.
Today has started with an overheated loader.
Bobby: WHAT DO YOU GOT? Justin: GOOD MORNING! MORNING.
I think the thermostat's messed up.
Is that all you need, a thermostat? And I need a piece of radiator hose, some antifreeze.
What kind of hose? I think it's 2-inch, about 4 to 6 inches long.
Just straight hose? Yeah, straight.
You sure it's 2 inches? Pretty sure.
All right.
While Bobby tries to find the right hose, corbett representative Lesley Davis stops by with more mill updates.
What's up, bud? How you doing today? I'm doing fine, doing fine.
Got any good news for us? Uh Unfortunately, Lesley doesn't have much good news these days.
The two-and-a-half-week date is probably going to be longer.
The mill they were hoping would open soon is going to be closed even longer.
'Cause at that date that we were talking about, they're only going to start using what they got.
They got 40 railcars lined up full of hardwood chips, plus what's already piled up in the mill and what they got.
So that's the day they're going to crank the mill back up.
That's one reason I come down this morning.
I got a tract of pine, and it's 40, 50 loads of wood, but, hey, I mean, if you can make it the rest of the week Yeah, anything's better than what we're doing right now.
Bobby: PINE LOGGING, I ALWAYS REFER TO IT AS "TENNIS SHOE," and any other time, I probably wouldn't even, you know, consider cutting a pine tract because there is a price difference, but this is very good news for the situation that we're in.
Well, the biggest thing now, we're just trying to keep everybody busy so we don't have to draw unemployment.
Yeah.
It's sad when it's got to this point.
I mean, damn.
Narrator: THIS IS A BIG CHANGE FOR Bobby, who's made his career as one of the few remaining swamp loggers.
Now he'll be competing with conventional loggers on dry land.
Well, I appreciate you bringing me the news, man.
Yeah.
Okay, man.
Bobby: ALL I'm TRYING TO DO RIGHT NOW is I'm trying to keep the ball rolling, just something that daddy always taught us.
You know, you just keep going.
I mean, there's got to be a breaking point where, you know, okay, enough's enough, we can't lose no more money.
We're close to that, but we're not there yet.
Narrator: Lesley AND Bobby GO TO SURVEY the 25 acres of the new pine tract.
Tennis shoe loggers never get their feet dirty, but they also pay a heavy price.
Bobby will have to work this pine tract for almost half of what he normally makes.
And it's going into tracts running back this way? It's running this way and this way.
All right.
Bobby: IT'S A SMALL TRACT.
Considerably small for our job, but being it's so close to us, and we've got nothing else to do, that we're going to take a loader, skidder, and a stomper, and we're going to run around there and start working on that.
It definitely needs a track machine and duals, but it's, you know, 25, 30 acres.
You can't get nobody to come cut one that size.
In an emergency though, we're happy to come and cut it for you.
It looks good, doesn't it? See all that good-looking armour wood out there? It looks good.
Bunch of Spears down here.
Bobby: EVEN THE THOUGHT OF HAVING to work at a reduced rate is bad.
And this is nothing more than a band-aid on a hemorrhage, but all we can hope for -- I mean, I'm too far in it to back out now.
What kind of quota we gonna have? Any or just haul till they cut us off.
The pine pulp wood, we're gonna be on a quota, but we're going to haul as hard as we can.
We're gonna haul till they're squealing.
Hopefully, the pine quota will last long enough to get us a good bit of this out of here.
For the most part though, any -- even like this old maple here behind us, or in front of us.
Anything that we can leave, as far as hardwood, leave it.
Just leave the pulp wood standing -- the hardwood.
It's going to look ugly.
Well, me and it's got a lot in common real fast.
[ Both laughs .]
All right.
Okay, bud.
Let's go back.
I'll get the permits and see what we can do about getting simitrio over here.
Okay, sounds good.
Lead the way.
Narrator: SELECT CUTTING ONLY THE PINE will take much more precision and time, but Bobby knows that right now it's his only option.
Bobby: THANKFULLY, HE COME UP WITH THIS because I keep the men off unemployment, and that was the biggest thing right now is just try to keep everybody working.
I'm going to get them together and kind of go over what our situation is and what's fixing to happen.
Guys, I know y'all know what kind of situation we're in.
Y'all been walking through the woods picking up logs out of the pulp wood.
The mill was going to be down for a week.
Got word that the mill's going to be down an additional week.
You know, I never even considered unemployment, but I think this is the closest I ever come to it.
I've been logging 22 years, and I've never had to contemplate this ever.
I don't think my daddy ever did.
But then Lesley called today, and we got a tract of pine, we're going to be tennis shoeing it for a little while.
It's right up the road about six miles.
It's not a good tract, but it's about a 25-, 30-acre tract of pine, and it's actually a reverse from what we normally do.
We're going to leave what hardwood pulp wood is there, and we're going to try to cut the pine.
And we'll have a split crew.
We'll probably carry one skidder, simitrio, and one of the loaders over there, and leave whatever else we got here to clean up what we got here.
And hopefully, when we get through that tract, the mill will be straightened out.
But I just want to kind of give you a heads-up of where we're at, what's going on.
Thanks for sending that chill up our spines.
Man: YES, SIR.
[ Laughter .]
You're all doing a fine job.
And I'll keep you off the soup line as long as I can.
We'll see y'all.
Narrator: THE GUYS KNOW THEY'RE SAFE FOR THE MOMEN but that the crisis is far from over.
Fisher: I've NEVER SEEN THE LOG INDUSTRY like this here, myself.
You know, it's a shock to me.
When Bobby brought up the subject about unemployment, it kind of hit hard, but I've never had to draw unemployment as long as I've been working, nowhere.
What am I going to do, you know? You file unemployment.
When are they going to pay you, you know what I mean? There ain't no jobs right now 'cause the economy's gone.
I mean, it's Most of everybody out here works paycheck to paycheck, so it's just, you know, it's scary.
You just don't know.
It's day by day.
Just have to wait and see what -- see what falls through for us, you know.
Narrator: NEXT, THE MILLS ARE FILLED UP.
What you bringing these back for? Bobby: "FILLED UP?" Or is that another abbreviation? Narrator: AND Bobby'S PATIENCE RUNS OUT.
Bobby: I'm GETTING SICK OF PAYING PEOPLE TO DO STUFF, and they don't do it.
Narrator: IT'S MOVING DAY FOR A SHORT CREW OF GOODSON LOGGING.
Because of low demand for the hardwood on Bobby's current tract, simitrio's cutter has to be moved to a new pine tract as quickly as possible.
We got to get simitrio over there, get him cutting, hopefully try to get a cut out, get some wood down.
Narrator: YESTERDAY'S MECHANICAL BREAKDOWNS HAVE MADE a bad situation even worse.
If Bobby's going to meet payroll, he's got to get some pine loads out soon.
Equipment moves are risky, time-consuming, and generate no income.
Every minute the cutter isn't doing its job, it costs Bobby money.
Man: WATCH IT! Bobby: WHAT'D YOU DO? Spin around and catch your finger? The air wrench fell off the top and hit his finger on the pry bar.
Mashed his -- knocked his nail off.
The air wrench weighs more than 40 pounds.
If simitrio hadn't been wearing his hard hat, who knows what would have happened.
Bobby: I'm GLAD THAT WE HAVE a medic out here to take care of stuff like this, save a trip to the hospital.
Would it be better to take the nail off now or let it come off? No, I'd rather not take anything off here.
At least it gives it some protective barrier on the finger pad.
Okay, there you go.
That's it.
Narrator: SIMITRIO'S INJURY REMOVES HIM from most of the prep work needed on his cutter, further delaying the move to the pine tract.
Out in the swamp, as skidders gather the few specialty logs that are still being called for, Bobby gets a call to the deck to meet a truck that's returning from a hundred-mile run.
A good portion of a critical load of logs has been rejected by a mill.
What you bringing these back for? I reckon they're too knotty.
Too knotty? Bobby: ARE THEY LETTING US KNOW THEY'RE "FILLED UP"? Yeah.
Or maybe something else? Is that another abbreviation? Yeah, I seen the manager.
The sales manager said, "that's a mighty big wood.
" "Yeah, don't you want it?" He said, "I can't do nothing with it.
" I couldn't get it off the truck.
Bobby: TAKE THEM OFF AND LOOK AT IF YOU CAN SALVAGE ANYTHING.
Just try to get in all the cypress we can while we got it.
Narrator: BO FINALLY ARRIVES WITH THE LOWBOY TRAILER that'll haul the feller buncher to the new location, but like everything else that's happened this week, there's a problem.
The shop that put new tires on the trailer put the wrong locking wedges on a couple of rims, and that mistake could destroy some tires.
See those nuts? If you don't tighten it right, as soon as you mash the brakes, that center piece will stop, but the tire will just keep on spinning around, and it'll break all this and bust the valve stems and everything else.
Bobby: I JUST PAID HIM $900 TO PUT FIVE TIRES ON MY LOWBOY, and we've moved one tractor.
I'm getting sick of paying people to do stuff, and they don't do it.
Narrator: ALMOST NONSTOP MECHANICAL BREAKDOWNS are taking a toll on Bobby.
In his truck, where nobody can hear the fireworks, he calls the owner of the tire shop and gives him a piece of his mind.
Just carry it by there Monday or tomorrow morning, and let him check it, but from now on, I don't want no tire work on any of these trucks and trailers done nowhere but in these woods.
We're going to do it out here because if it's going to cost me $800, $900, I'd rather do it, so if it ain't done right, then I can't kick nobody but me.
Go ahead, turn around.
Let's load the stumper up.
We got six miles to go.
Maybe we can make it six miles.
Bobby: YOU KNOW, IT KILLS ME THAT PEOPLE charge good money, and they don't do nothing.
Nobody don't care, but if it was their money, they would care then.
I'm sick of it.
Every time I need my stuff, it's broke.
Narrator: THE 25-TON FELLER BUNCHER is usually not a problem for a 35-ton-capable lowboy trailer.
But that's with all the tires in tip-top shape.
If one tire fails, the weight distribution on the others becomes huge.
A chain reaction of tire failures would be devastating.
Justin: ONE OF MY DAD'S COUSINS was going to stick his foot in there with the blade just doing that right there, was going to stop it, and his Uncle grabbed him, and he stuck a piece of wood in like that, and it just splintered the piece of wood.
It would have took his foot clean off.
Narrator: AS BO GETS READY TO GO, it's not without some apprehension.
[ STATIC ON RADIO .]
Narrator: STRAIGHTAWAYS ARE TOUGH ENOUGH ON A TRAILER hauling a load like a cutter, but turning is brutal.
Truck coming out between the Gate and the highway.
Narrator: AN INCREDIBLY HEAVY MACHINE LIKE THE CUTTER sitting on top of a lowboy has such a high center of gravity that the load shifting and swaying on even the slightest turns raises the strain on the trailer to dangerous levels.
[ Tires squeal .]
Bo: Bobby.
Bobby: GO AHEAD.
Narrator: TO STAY ON SCHEDULE, Bobby makes a tough decision to push on to the new site with a damaged and weakened trailer, risking an even more catastrophic breakdown.
Bo begins the critical last turn.
Narrator: IF MORE TIRES BREAK OFF, Bobby's half-a-million-dollar feller buncher could possibly dump over on its side, doing extensive damage to it.
The turn goes off without a hitch.
But now it's too late in the day to get a load out.
The move has cost Bobby dearly.
Bobby: I SHOULD HAVE FIXED I OVER THERE, but if I had, we might not have made it up here today, and if we'd stopped on the side of the road, it would still be broke, and we'd be tomorrow before we got it over here.
I don't care, what's a couple more hundred dollars when you're broke? We didn't lose but one, that's all.
That was one too many.
[ Chuckling .]
It's been a action-packed day.
Bustin' some tires.
Just unhook it, and we'll fix it in the morning.
On a good note, we found some extra markets for the cypress, and I've been told I could get 15 to 20 loads of pulp wood, which would be a big help.
So is this Lesley's favor? Giving us a crap, wanting to buy what's cut? It is a favor right now.
How'd y'all do over there? Well, we didn't do what I quite wanted to.
I promised you yesterday -- well, I didn't really promise you -- got nine today.
Yeah, I took it as a promise.
[ Laughing .]
I didn't want to let you down any more than -- I'll reflect that in your check this weekend.
But we'll try to get some stuff over here, hopefully, tomorrow, get a little wood stacked, then we'll start loading.
We'll figure it out in the morning.
I'm tired, my head hurts, I'm ready to go home.
Bobby: IT'S A GROUP THING, IT'S A TEAM, and if everybody pulls together and works and they do their job, we can do this.
We can make it through this rough time that we're in right now.
And that's all we're trying to do, is survive until things get a little better.
Narrator: NEXT Bobby moves to the pine tract.
Craft: COMIN' IN.
Narrator: BUT THERE'S A HITCH.
Bobby: WORST FEARS, AGAIN.
Narrator: WITH LUMBER MILLS SHUTTING DOWN LEFT AND RIGHT, Bobby goodson, swamp logger, is forced to try his skills at conventional logging.
He's logging pine, a cheaper wood, bringing in reduced income.
Bobby: Lesley HAD BOUGH A PINE TRACT, which we don't normally cut pine.
But it's going to mean keeping the guys working and keep 'em off of unemployment.
Narrator: BECAUSE THEY'RE ON DRY LAND, SIMITRIO WON'T NEED to lay down a shovel road here.
Whatever he cuts gets hauled right away.
Bobby: I USED TO CUT PINE WITH MY DAD.
The work's too easy, and because there is so much competition in it, the pay rate's not the same.
But it's really, it's a blessing.
In the situation we're in now, there's nothing open but pine pulp wood.
And this tract, that's what it is.
Narrator: WITH THE LESS CHALLENGING pine tract, Bobby will need to haul 25 to 30 loads a day to make the same amount of money he was making in the swamp.
That's a 40% increase in production with half the crew.
I never thought I'd be happy to cut pine.
If the mill buys the wood like they said they are, it'll be a good thing -- it'll keep us out of the soup line for a little while.
Narrator: BACK AT THE OTHER SITE, Dave and Jose continue to sort through the stacks for specialty logs, while bo prepares to cart the bogie skidder over to the pine tract so they can start picking up wood and bringing it to the mill.
Narrator: BUT UNFORTUNATELY, THE BOGIE SKIDDER, which can drag 20 loads a day, is too long to carry on this trailer.
Bobby's going to have to make do with the less efficient baby skidder.
Another day! Narrator: BECAUSE TIME IS CRITICAL, the baby skidder shows up at the trailer in just a few minutes.
I think we'll be all right.
Narrator: IT'S 6 SHORT MILES TO THE PINE TRACT.
But in that time, as experience has shown, anything can happen.
Man, on radio: LET'S ROLL.
Narrator: IF THEY CAN MAKE I INTACT, THEY'LL BE READY to join the two-man crew, cutting and de-limbing pine.
Bobby: WE GOT SIMITRIO ON THE FELLER-BUNCHER, and then we got Abraham here with the saw, trying to cut some of these limbs off.
Narrator: THE MILLS WON'T ACCEP PINE LOGS WITH ANY BRANCHES or defects, and as dangerous as it is, this is the way tennis-shoe loggers do it.
It's the fastest way to de-limb.
Once Abraham has trimmed them up Man, on radio: GOOD, COMIN' IN.
The baby skidder, which has safely arrived, will get out into the woods to grab and drag.
Bobby: LOGGING IS DANGEROUS, IN GENERAL.
The thing I don't like is having a man on the ground, especially when you're trying to get a deck set up.
Because you're in a confined area, and anytime that he gets within a tree-length or two of that tractor, a limb could pop up, a tree could pop up, and, you know, if he's not ready for it, it, potentially he could cut himself with the saw or the limb could hit him and break his leg or even worse, kill him.
So we gotta be careful there.
Narrator: BUT JUST AS THEY'RE UP AND RUNNING, Bobby is hit with more bad news.
[ Man on phone, indistinct .]
All right, man.
Bye.
Bobby: CALLED Lesley, AND HE SAID we got four loads of wood to haul next week.
We can haul four one day, and we don't know, after that.
Narrator: WITH $50,000 A WEEK IN EXPENSES, a four-load quota won't be enough to keep all of his crew working.
Bobby: ALL I KEPT HEARING WAS 100% WOOD ORDER, we can get over there and roll.
And now we've took all the expense of, we've been over there, and it appears that corporate had overrun their quota from last week, so they took it from them this week.
So now, because I'm the new guy on the block, in the pine, I don't get no quota this week.
SoYou know, my worst fears -- the whole point with doing all this is not even an issue of making money.
It's trying to keep the men working, and we're not going to be able to do that.
Narrator: IT'S TIME FOR Bobby TO PRIORITIZE and make some difficult choices.
He and Justin have a father-and-son meeting to discuss their best strategy, given the new blow.
Bobby: IF WE CAN GE FOUR OR FIVE TOMORROW, that ought to be enough to make payroll, pay the fuel.
We'll check tonight and see, maybe -- we're supposed to paid, paying off David's loader this week.
That'd be a big help, get that thing paid for.
That's probably what we'll do -- finish this up, load what little bit we got there up, wait for the mill to open up.
Bobby: I'm TIRED OF FIGHTING AN UPHILL BATTLE ALL THE TIME.
You know, costs us money every day we're out here, and they've strung us on for three weeks now, saying, "it's going to change, it's going to change," and it never does, you know.
I mean, we've got thousands and thousands of dollars in piles of wood on three different tracts, and can't hold none.
You know, I'd been better off to shut down three weeks ago and not done nothing.
At least I wouldn't have created any expenses.
I mean, you can only lose so much money, you know, that there's any more to be lost.
Narrator: COMING UP THE CREW COMES TOGETHER for one final push.
How many loggers does it take to change a tire? Narrator: BUT IT MAY BE TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE.
Bobby: WE'RE HERE with the ultimate situation that I've been dreading.
Despite being shut down at every turn, Bobby goodson and his crew are fighting to keep the business going.
Jose: YEAH.
Narrator: THE SITUATION COULDN'T BE WORSE.
Bobby's company has mountains of valuable hardwood just sitting around.
We probably got 30, 40 loads stacked already.
How much longer is he going to let us stack it? We're not the mill.
We're hauling to the mill.
They're supposed to have it stacked up like this, not us.
And yesterday, after spending precious money to move to a dry pinewood block, the mill drastically cut its order to almost nothing.
I just get tired -- if they don't want the wood, say, "listen, we don't need the wood.
Y'all go home for two months.
" I don't care if it's six months, just go home, because we waste money when we're out here, doing nothing.
Man: 10-4.
Narrator: WHILE WAITING for the hardwood mill to reopen, Bobby must pull the crew together for one last push.
Bobby: IF WE CAN GET FIVE LOADS OF LOGS OUT TODAY, I think that'll be enough to put us over the top to where we can pay for the 250 track loader.
Narrator: FIVE LOADS ISN'T MUCH.
But it'll help cover payroll and pay off one of the loaders, ridding Bobby of a majorebt.
Knowing the dire situation, everyone bands together to help the company stay afloat.
Foy: BUT I'm THE FIRST TRUCK TO LOAD this morning -- it's already 10:00, so you know things are slow.
I think all the trucks are here, so everybody will get a load out today.
I think this'll help Bobby make his last payment on the loader that Dave is running right now, so I guess that'll be a good day for him.
Narrator: IT'S ALSO A GOOD DAY TO FIX THE BROKEN LOWBOY, the main trailer that can move heavy equipment around.
And since he's spread out over three tracts, Bobby may need to get it up and running soon.
How many loggers does it take to change a tire? [ Laughing .]
FIVE.
Once we get it done, we won't have that problem with the tire slipping and sliding and cutting valve stems, and tires falling off.
Narrator: IN THE BACK OF THEIR MINDS, the crew knows if the mills don't open up soon, some very rough times could be ahead.
Malpass: WE JUST TAKE ONE DAY AT A TIME.
It worries you, you know.
Everybody got a house payment, raising young'uns.
It's, it's a lot to think about -- what's gonna be the outcome of it all, but -- Narrator: ALL THEY CAN DO IS TROD ALONG and send out the five loads for Bobby.
Justin: WE'RE A TEAM.
WE DO IT TOGETHER.
We've gone through times, and we'll make it through this one.
Craft: ALL RIGHT, HON.
Craft: THIRD LOAD OF THE DAY.
Things are really slow, but it could be worse.
We could all be sitting at home, not doing nothing.
Mueller: OKAY.
Craft: ALL RIGHT, HON, THANK YOU.
[ Truck horn honks .]
Narrator: FINALLY, SOME GOOD NEWS -- THE CREW HAS WORKED HARD as a team and managed to push five loads through to a single open mill.
What's up, buddy? Oh, not too much.
They hauled -- they just left, and they loaded the fifth load, and that was gonna be enough to make the last payment on your loader.
So if all in alls, you can have that for a yard ornament, because the bank can't come and get it now.
[ Both chuckling .]
I, I know that's a breath of fresh air for you.
Yeah, it's about $5,000 a month I got to come up with.
Bobby: IT REALLY TURNED OU to be a good day.
We got the lowboy fixed, we got our loads in, we got David's tractor loader paid off.
So, all in all, it was good.
Narrator: EVEN THOUGH THE LOADER IS FINALLY PAID OFF, the extra $5,000 won't alleviate the damage the economy has already done.
Bobby must finally accept the harsh reality that is in front of him.
Bobby: WE'RE HERE with the ultimate situation that I've been dreading for the past two or three weeks -- is just mountains of pulp wood.
The mills has got to start buying, and so far we don't know when that day's gonna come and you know I'm, I'm gonna have to put the guys on unemployment.
It's something I've been trying to avoid but there's no way around it.
Well, guys, I brought everybody back over here so y'all can see exactly where I'm coming from.
We got wood stacked everywhere.
We got wood cut down, dropped down, and we've worked three weeks now and for the most part all the money's been coming out of what little bit we had saved and what little bit of wood we've hauled.
And I'm at a point now where I've been trying to avoid this, is putting everybody on unemployment, but I really have no other choice right now.
You know our economy is messed up, no fault of our own.
I just want all of y'all to understand that this country's great and this country was built from crews just like y'all doing the kind of work we do every day.
And I don't want y'all to give up on me because I surely ain't gonna give up on y'all.
We come from Carolina.
We got a nickname, "the tar heels," that's because we don't give up, we're gonna hang in there, and we're gonna continue to hang in there even through these tough times that we're in now.
I'll see y'all later.
I've got the best crew of men that any logger could ever want.
I mean these guys, they give me 110%, and I'm not giving up on them by no means.
It's just something that I've never had to do but I've got to do to stay in business.
All of us are trying to survive to come out the other end, to be a better company and the only way I know to do that is to put those guys on unemployment so that I can save the company.
And I'm, I'm sure I'm gonna be here when it turns around and I'm gonna get the guys back and we're gonna hit it running and we're gonna turn everything around.
Narrator: ON THIS EPISODE OF "SWAMP LOGGERS" Tarheels are back, baby.
That's right.
Narrator: Bobby GOODSON IS BACK IN THE MUCK All right, boys, let's go ahead and get the wood out here.
Logging trees and terrain so treacherous and muddy other loggers refuse the job.
E.
J.
! With a new man on board That's two strikes.
He's battling the elements.
What we need is to push that road that way and get it flat.
And problems at the mills And you're losing 1,000 more feet per load.
He'll need every man at his best to keep his company afloat.
Bobby: SAY IT AGAIN? It's what we didn't need to hear.
-- Captions by VITAC -- captions paid for by discovery communications Narrator: THE SWAMPS AROUND THE CAPE FEAR River in north Carolina have been quiet for weeks.
After successfully wrestling high-quality timber from these snake-infested wetlands for over 10 years, 4th-GENERATION LOGGER Bobby GOODSON faced one challenge he couldn't overcome.
Thing's pretty tough.
With the economy slumping and lumber sales way down, the overstocked mills stopped taking wood.
I've been trying to avoid putting everybody on unemployment, but I really have no other choice right now.
I don't want y'all to give up on me because I surely ain't gonna give up on y'all.
Narrator: FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, goodson's all terrain logging shut down, leaving Bobby's loyal crew without their livelihood.
But after weeks of unemployment, the demand for wood is on the rise again.
Didn't Bobby tell me he had a man in Jacksonville who could fix that? Good morning, boss man! Last one come dragging in.
Today Bobby has called his crew back together to resume logging a potentially high-dollar tract of land.
Bobby: IT WAS THE WORST TIME WE HAVE EVER HAD in 22 years of logging -- the turmoil and all that we was going through, but a few weeks after that, the mill started back buying.
They called me up and said that they've got orders coming back in, so we're getting the men back together.
We're back out here doing what we love to do.
Get him over there and just let him get started, see what it's like.
Get them all out and bring them over here and put them in here and just use what you got to have.
When he called me and told me we were going back to work, I was tickled to death.
I really didn't want to go work for nobody else.
Ain't getting much on vacations.
And this kind we get here, we don't like them kind.
We don't get paid for them vacations, and we're glad to be back, got plenty of wood to haul, and we're gonna get out here and make the boss man happy.
Narrator: Bobby'S CREW IS ASSEMBLED AND READY TO GO, except for one straggler.
Here he comes.
High speed.
That boy's got the biggest feet I ever seen.
He weighs 100 pounds and 14-size shoe.
Justin: I HIRED A NEW DRIVER -- E.
J.
Dangers mount Man: WATCH IT! PRESSURES RISE I'm getting sick of paying people to do stuff, and they don't do it.
Now what? It ain't lined up.
I can't get the pin in.
Narrator: AND THE UNCERTAIN FUTURE finally takes its toll.
I've been trying to avoid this.
Narrator: THE HAZARDOUS SWAMPLANDS of north Carolina are considered too dangerous to most loggers.
But Bobby goodson and his crew have not only survived, they've thrived in these extreme conditions.
We're going to need those pontoons over there.
A fourth generation logger, Bobby has spent a career sidestepping danger Oh, God.
Battling fatigue, and overcoming constant mechanical breakdowns.
All right, we got it out.
Now he's facing the biggest challenge of his career.
Always something.
The failing economy has sent unprecedented shockwaves into the timber industry, causing mill after mill to suddenly close.
Let's go! With few timber buyers left, Bobby is fighting to simply survive.
Every buyer's just cutting back, trying to cut costs.
The only thing we got going right now is corbett logs, and they'll probably load up some trucks that we can get off Monday.
Of course, the sawmill we carry wood to, they're not buying anything on Friday.
It's getting slim, slim pickings, but we'll keep doing what we can do to keep the trucks rolling.
Bobby: HOW MANY HAVE YOU ALL LOADED SO FAR? Man: THREE.
THAT'LL WORK.
Narrator: WITH ONLY TWO REMAINING MILLS accepting wood for a limited time, Bobby knows he needs to use every man and piece of equipment in his arsenal before the window of opportunity closes completely.
[ Horn honks .]
Hurry back.
But two weeks ago, he lost one of his key pieces of equipment.
That's the hydraulic coil, look.
His main skidder went down for the count.
See that right there? That's a crack.
Got about an 8-inch crack.
A huge crack in the brake housing meant it had to be disassembled Whoa, yeah! And sent to the shop for significant repairs.
We need all the skidders running, especially this one.
This was the main skidder, the one that we used every day.
The one we're running now is the backup.
And whenever you're having to go across the tract of wood picking out just the logs, you cover a lot of ground real fast, and the only way to do that is you need all the skidders running.
Narrator: Bobby SEN THE WHEELBASE TO HIS MECHANIC, Steve Robinson, who runs a tractor repair shop along with his assistant, James.
It's still tight.
Though the wheelbase's repairs are almost completed, it's taken much longer than Bobby had hoped.
It's been about two weeks now then, I think, since we took it out that Friday.
Getting that broke bowl out, oh, that took a couple days to get that broke bowl out.
Narrator: EVERY DAY Bobby'S MAIN SKIDDER IS IN THE SHOP costs him about $1,000.
The two-week loss is huge.
Robinson: WELL, WE'VE GOT EVERYTHING put together now except for the two halves here, and we're trying to get them lined up so we can get them over.
We're having problems doing that.
We just got to figure out how to get it picked up straight so we can get it put in place.
Then we'll be able to bolt her together and get it to the woods and under the tractor.
Narrator: BUT PUTTING THE AXLE BACK TOGETHER is easier said than done.
We'll pick it up from the tire and all and see if I can move it.
All right.
Each half weighs over six tons.
Littleton: IT'S GOING TO BE A LITTLE TRICKY.
Two heavy pieces trying to get them back together.
You know, it's just an awkward way to hook on to them.
You have to have something under it so it'll be level.
Ease -- ease -- well, ease it up a hair.
Oh.
All right, down.
Narrator: IF THE TWO HALVES ARE EVEN SLIGHTLY MISALIGNED, bolts could be stripped or the seal ruined, causing Bobby a costly delay he can't afford.
It's hitting the housing in the front.
How about now? I'm moving it.
It's up against it.
She's getting there.
That got it.
Get it? Yeah.
Success.
Just like that.
They tighten down the bolts, and after two long weeks of extensive repair, the wheelbase is finally good to go.
Axle, whole.
Get it loaded on a trailer and back to the woods.
Bobby: LOOKING GOOD? Bobby shows up to lend a hand.
The faster he gets the main skidder back in operation, the quicker they can generate income from the specialty timber the mills are still calling for.
Push this side here around.
Bobby: Steve GOT THE BUGGY BACK TOGETHER.
Hopefully, we can get it on the lowboy and back to the deck and see if we can get it back under the tractor.
Narrator: WITHIN AN HOUR, THE WHEELBASE HAS ARRIVED.
That chain's on the back of the truck.
I'm going to take the bucket and roll it off.
All right, watch out.
Littleton: HEY, GET IT CHASING ME.
Come on, get it chasing me down.
Hey, just watch out for that thing.
Narrator: THE WHEELBASE IS NOW READY TO BE REINSTALLED, but first, they'll have to deal with one last problem.
There ain't no oil in it.
Unless they've done something.
Hydraulic oil in there.
The skidder has been sitting idle for almost two weeks and will require new oil and hydraulic fluid.
A lot of moving parts in this thing, and it's a lot of stuff to keep a check on.
But if you maintenance properly and keep an eye on it, I mean, it'll do what it'll take three other tractors to do.
Don't want no lack of lubrication.
I got some more good news when I was going out to get the oil.
We had two places to haul wood to, and one of them just called me and said that they're going to shut down for two weeks.
Oh.
So now we're down to corbett.
The mill's not going to buy wood but Monday and Tuesday.
He'll buy Monday and Tuesday and that's it.
Monday and Tuesday.
So we got corbett and whatever pine logs are left, which I was talking to Justin on the radio a while ago, and he's coming out now to fuel up 'cause he's got up all the pine that he can find.
Yeah, Camille called me.
"How bad's it gonna affect you if we don't buy logs?" "Yeah, that's gonna hurt pretty bad, but I don't want you to go broke on my account.
" It's a domino effect.
It's amazing how intertwined we all really are.
You know, you got those crooks in Washington that caused this crap.
They're the only ones laughing, laughing all the way to the bank.
Pour it in there.
Leave a little bit left in it.
Perilous times we're in, fellas.
You got to persevere to endure.
Narrator: WITH THE SKIDDER FILLED WITH ESSENTIAL FLUIDS, it's time to reassemble the wheelbase to the main chassis.
All right, cripple, get out of the way.
But the six-ton rig isn't going easy.
Ah.
Piece of chain there.
Littleton: THAT'S WHA I've BEEN RISKING my life around hauling tires? Every moment they spend repairing equipment keeps them from logging and chews into the bottom line.
Want me to just take the bucket and just push it over there? Yeah, probably be about as well.
So to speed things up, Bobby moves the wheelbase into position the old-fashioned way.
Bobby: ALL RIGHT, WATCH OUT.
The wheel chassis has to line up perfectly with the skidder's main frame.
It needs to go like that.
Let me push on that side over there.
All right.
It takes equal parts raw horsepower and finesse.
LITTLE BIT MORE.
Bobby: HOW'S THAT LOOK? Hold her right there.
That's it.
Looks like it's too high up.
Tractor's too high up now.
We got to get that block out.
Narrator: BUT WORKING WITH SUCH HEAVY EQUIPMEN presents a risk that can strike at any time.
Robinson: ALL RIGHT, LET IT DOWN.
Oh! Damn! Vibrate your arm? Yeah.
[ whistles .]
I know what that feels like.
Well, no, not exactly, but I've had it been bounced.
You've been there before.
That thing was -- something was caught under there, and it dropped all of a sudden, and about sprained my wrist there.
The biggest thing now, we got to put the back plates on, belly pan, the driveline.
Still got a lot to do, but the stuff we was worried about, we got it done.
James, find me them bolts.
So we can finally get this thing back over with the rest of the equipment.
It actually went smooth for a change.
So that part's good.
Narrator: THE MAIN SKIDDER IS FINALLY BACK IN BUSINESS.
Bobby: THERE'S A PINE OVER THERE IF Y'ALL NEED IT.
But with only one mill now accepting logs, it seems that Bobby can't catch a break.
Bobby: IT'S JUS TOUGH RIGHT NOW.
Our options is just running out.
You know, I really don't know what the answer is other than just get what we got here and stack it up, and hopefully, the mill will get straightened out pretty soon.
You loaded one load of corbett logs, didn't you? 10-4.
We're still working on the corbett logs, and then whatever pine pulp wood, saw logs we can get.
We'll keep working on that.
And low production, lot of costs right now.
What logs we get now, if the costs gets higher than what's coming in, we're going to have to stop.
Narrator: Bobby CAN' CONTINUE TO LOSE MONEY, but getting to his break-even point of 20 loads is getting harder every day.
How many loads we getting back? Got 14, considering.
Look, I -- I never thought we'd get that many, really.
And what we're having to deal with.
It surprised me.
I don't know how y'all are doing it, but y'all keep doing what you're doing 'cause it ain't great, but it's really good for the conditions that we're in and having to pick through everything like we are.
I don't like having to tell you at the end of the day we only got 13, 14 loads.
Look, I'm happy with that right now.
I bet you are.
I'm happy to be here.
[ chuckles .]
Well, look, y'all keep 'em going, all right? All right.
We'll see you, man.
Bobby: EVERYBODY'S DOING THEIR JOB.
I'm proud of everybody.
I mean, I just hate the news I'm going to have to give them later on, I'm afraid.
But we'll hang in there and see what happens.
Narrator: NEXT, UP AGAINST THE CLOCK, tensions run high It's going the wrong way.
WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?! Narrator: AND TEMPERS FLARE.
Now what? It ain't lined up.
I can't get the pin in.
Narrator: WITH THE MILLS NOW BUYING virtually no hardwood at all, and some mills shutting down altogether, things have gone from bad to worse for goodson logging.
Unsold lumber is piling up, and so are Bobby's expenses.
With little money coming in, but still with machines to maintain and crews to pay, Bobby is now losing money every day.
For the first time in their history, goodson all-terrain logging is in danger of shutting down.
Okay.
But fourth generation logger Bobby goodson is going to hang on as long as he can.
His crews keep busy filling the few small orders that are trickling in, knowing that at any minute, even those orders could be pulled back.
I hear you.
For the loaders, the pressure is on to send only premium wood, hoping they don't get rejected by the increasingly selective mills.
A rejected load can cost up to $1,000 in lost fuel and wages, something Bobby can't afford right now.
Bobby: TIME IS MONEY, AND I SPENT A LOT OF IT LATELY.
Narrator: SO Dave IS PLAYING IT EXTRA SAFE with what he's putting on a truck.
David just called me on the radio, and we got a log up there he's got some questions about.
I want to look at it to make sure we're not going to be sending a log 150 miles up the road for them just to turn around and send it back to us.
What I would look at is how much useable lumber it is.
They said they didn't want any rot in it.
Narrator: RIGHT NOW, THE MILLS HAVE a diameter limit on cypress.
This one's over the limit.
I would take a chance on it.
It's a heck of a piece of timber right there.
You could round it off and still have lumber there.
If I was in the saw business, I would buy it.
Me, too.
Bobby: REALLY, IT'S A TREMENDOUS-SIZE CYPRESS LOG.
You know, it's one of them calls that, if they bring it back, I've just lost money, but it's good enough that I'm willing to take a chance on it.
Narrator: ALL MORNING LONG, the skidders drag small handfuls of logs to the already huge piles of timber the mills don't need right now.
And out in the swamp, more trouble -- Justin's shovel logger is down.
The problematic hydraulic cylinder is leaking again.
Justin: THE CYLINDER THAT Bobby WELDED ON has got another pinhole in it.
Narrator: THE FRONT ARM OF THE MACHINE IS USELESS.
The very rig that's critical for gathering the few logs they're getting calls for has to be taken out of action for repairs.
If Bobby can't fix the cylinder by welding it, it'll cost him about $3,000.
Justin: TRY IT.
This cylinder's becoming my Nemesis.
Every time I turn around, it's leaking.
But I'm going to grind it down and put a flat weld on it, turn the heat up a little bit more and see if I can get some good penetration.
With 5,000 pounds of pressure, it'll blow it right out, then you got a leak.
Let's try that.
[ Chuckles .]
Hey, you work on it a few more times, you'll get good at it.
Yeah, this one cylinder's taught me how to weld.
[ Laughter .]
I guess it'll hold till it leaks again.
Narrator: WITH THE CYLINDER WELDED, the only thing left to do is put back on the shovel's arm.
But that may be easier said than done.
Close? Little farther? Yeah, about half an inch.
It's not moving anymore.
It's caught on something.
We got to hook the lines up and run the cylinder rod out.
Narrator: Bobby'S JUST NO CATCHING A BREAK TODAY.
Bobby: JUST PICK THE MAIN BOOM UP A LITTLE BIT.
All the pressure and frustrations are starting to put everybody on edge.
Come up.
It's going the wrong way.
What do you want me to do?! Go the other way! You ain't gonna be able to reach it if I keep going up.
Roll the heel down.
Hey, is it caught on something? No, it's got air.
I ain't never seen one do this before.
All right, lower it down.
Is it too high? It ain't lined up.
I can't get the pin in.
Now what? [ chuckles .]
Narrator: Bobby'S JUST ABOUT HAD IT WITH THIS WHOLE SITUATION.
It's 10 feet off the ground.
Bobby grabs a skidder and wheels it into a position that will help him get better access to the hinge pin they can't get lined up.
It's jammed in there.
Give me that.
Tap that wrench.
I don't know what's holding the thing out, y'all.
It's got air in it is what it is.
Narrator: ONCE Bobby FIGURES OU AIR IN THE HYDRAULIC LINES is causing the problem, it doesn't take long till everything's ready to go, but the cost of not having the shovel logger pulling wood for over two hours will be brutal.
Aggravating.
We needed to move back a half inch, and it just sat there, wouldn't move, but it's done.
Nobody's hurt, no blood flying, so it's all good.
Narrator: HOURS WORKING ON THE SHOVEL MACHINE has translated into a 12-truckload day, far below what they need.
Bobby: I WISH WE COULD HAVE GOT MORE because we're going to be stacking pulp wood for a couple more days.
Justin: I'll TRY WHAT MY DAD DOES.
He goes to sleep, and hopefully, everything's better when he wakes up.
Maybe it'll work.
Narrator: NEXT, WOOD PILES UP, MILL ORDERS DISAPPEAR.
The two-and-a-half-week date is going to be longer.
Narrator: Bobby GETS ONE LAST CHANCE.
See all that good-looking armour wood out there -- it looks good.
Narrator: WITH TIMBERS STACKED UP and the region down to only one mill accepting wood, Bobby goodson's income has taken a dramatic hit.
I don't like to see wood stacked up like that 'cause I'm not making any money.
Narrator: WITH OVER $50,000 A WEEK IN EXPENSES, Bobby's net losses are almost $4,000 a day.
Bobby: THE WOOD INDUSTRY IS JUST LIKE THE STOCK MARKET.
I mean, it changes from day to day.
It goes up and down.
The loggers that will make it through this time will be in a position to where we can make some money because there's not going to be a lot of us left, but the whole thing is we got to make it through this time here, and that's the battle that me and my family's facing now is just try to hunker down and hang on.
Narrator: AND THERE'S NEVER ANY SHORTAGE of trouble on the ground.
Today has started with an overheated loader.
Bobby: WHAT DO YOU GOT? Justin: GOOD MORNING! MORNING.
I think the thermostat's messed up.
Is that all you need, a thermostat? And I need a piece of radiator hose, some antifreeze.
What kind of hose? I think it's 2-inch, about 4 to 6 inches long.
Just straight hose? Yeah, straight.
You sure it's 2 inches? Pretty sure.
All right.
While Bobby tries to find the right hose, corbett representative Lesley Davis stops by with more mill updates.
What's up, bud? How you doing today? I'm doing fine, doing fine.
Got any good news for us? Uh Unfortunately, Lesley doesn't have much good news these days.
The two-and-a-half-week date is probably going to be longer.
The mill they were hoping would open soon is going to be closed even longer.
'Cause at that date that we were talking about, they're only going to start using what they got.
They got 40 railcars lined up full of hardwood chips, plus what's already piled up in the mill and what they got.
So that's the day they're going to crank the mill back up.
That's one reason I come down this morning.
I got a tract of pine, and it's 40, 50 loads of wood, but, hey, I mean, if you can make it the rest of the week Yeah, anything's better than what we're doing right now.
Bobby: PINE LOGGING, I ALWAYS REFER TO IT AS "TENNIS SHOE," and any other time, I probably wouldn't even, you know, consider cutting a pine tract because there is a price difference, but this is very good news for the situation that we're in.
Well, the biggest thing now, we're just trying to keep everybody busy so we don't have to draw unemployment.
Yeah.
It's sad when it's got to this point.
I mean, damn.
Narrator: THIS IS A BIG CHANGE FOR Bobby, who's made his career as one of the few remaining swamp loggers.
Now he'll be competing with conventional loggers on dry land.
Well, I appreciate you bringing me the news, man.
Yeah.
Okay, man.
Bobby: ALL I'm TRYING TO DO RIGHT NOW is I'm trying to keep the ball rolling, just something that daddy always taught us.
You know, you just keep going.
I mean, there's got to be a breaking point where, you know, okay, enough's enough, we can't lose no more money.
We're close to that, but we're not there yet.
Narrator: Lesley AND Bobby GO TO SURVEY the 25 acres of the new pine tract.
Tennis shoe loggers never get their feet dirty, but they also pay a heavy price.
Bobby will have to work this pine tract for almost half of what he normally makes.
And it's going into tracts running back this way? It's running this way and this way.
All right.
Bobby: IT'S A SMALL TRACT.
Considerably small for our job, but being it's so close to us, and we've got nothing else to do, that we're going to take a loader, skidder, and a stomper, and we're going to run around there and start working on that.
It definitely needs a track machine and duals, but it's, you know, 25, 30 acres.
You can't get nobody to come cut one that size.
In an emergency though, we're happy to come and cut it for you.
It looks good, doesn't it? See all that good-looking armour wood out there? It looks good.
Bunch of Spears down here.
Bobby: EVEN THE THOUGHT OF HAVING to work at a reduced rate is bad.
And this is nothing more than a band-aid on a hemorrhage, but all we can hope for -- I mean, I'm too far in it to back out now.
What kind of quota we gonna have? Any or just haul till they cut us off.
The pine pulp wood, we're gonna be on a quota, but we're going to haul as hard as we can.
We're gonna haul till they're squealing.
Hopefully, the pine quota will last long enough to get us a good bit of this out of here.
For the most part though, any -- even like this old maple here behind us, or in front of us.
Anything that we can leave, as far as hardwood, leave it.
Just leave the pulp wood standing -- the hardwood.
It's going to look ugly.
Well, me and it's got a lot in common real fast.
[ Both laughs .]
All right.
Okay, bud.
Let's go back.
I'll get the permits and see what we can do about getting simitrio over here.
Okay, sounds good.
Lead the way.
Narrator: SELECT CUTTING ONLY THE PINE will take much more precision and time, but Bobby knows that right now it's his only option.
Bobby: THANKFULLY, HE COME UP WITH THIS because I keep the men off unemployment, and that was the biggest thing right now is just try to keep everybody working.
I'm going to get them together and kind of go over what our situation is and what's fixing to happen.
Guys, I know y'all know what kind of situation we're in.
Y'all been walking through the woods picking up logs out of the pulp wood.
The mill was going to be down for a week.
Got word that the mill's going to be down an additional week.
You know, I never even considered unemployment, but I think this is the closest I ever come to it.
I've been logging 22 years, and I've never had to contemplate this ever.
I don't think my daddy ever did.
But then Lesley called today, and we got a tract of pine, we're going to be tennis shoeing it for a little while.
It's right up the road about six miles.
It's not a good tract, but it's about a 25-, 30-acre tract of pine, and it's actually a reverse from what we normally do.
We're going to leave what hardwood pulp wood is there, and we're going to try to cut the pine.
And we'll have a split crew.
We'll probably carry one skidder, simitrio, and one of the loaders over there, and leave whatever else we got here to clean up what we got here.
And hopefully, when we get through that tract, the mill will be straightened out.
But I just want to kind of give you a heads-up of where we're at, what's going on.
Thanks for sending that chill up our spines.
Man: YES, SIR.
[ Laughter .]
You're all doing a fine job.
And I'll keep you off the soup line as long as I can.
We'll see y'all.
Narrator: THE GUYS KNOW THEY'RE SAFE FOR THE MOMEN but that the crisis is far from over.
Fisher: I've NEVER SEEN THE LOG INDUSTRY like this here, myself.
You know, it's a shock to me.
When Bobby brought up the subject about unemployment, it kind of hit hard, but I've never had to draw unemployment as long as I've been working, nowhere.
What am I going to do, you know? You file unemployment.
When are they going to pay you, you know what I mean? There ain't no jobs right now 'cause the economy's gone.
I mean, it's Most of everybody out here works paycheck to paycheck, so it's just, you know, it's scary.
You just don't know.
It's day by day.
Just have to wait and see what -- see what falls through for us, you know.
Narrator: NEXT, THE MILLS ARE FILLED UP.
What you bringing these back for? Bobby: "FILLED UP?" Or is that another abbreviation? Narrator: AND Bobby'S PATIENCE RUNS OUT.
Bobby: I'm GETTING SICK OF PAYING PEOPLE TO DO STUFF, and they don't do it.
Narrator: IT'S MOVING DAY FOR A SHORT CREW OF GOODSON LOGGING.
Because of low demand for the hardwood on Bobby's current tract, simitrio's cutter has to be moved to a new pine tract as quickly as possible.
We got to get simitrio over there, get him cutting, hopefully try to get a cut out, get some wood down.
Narrator: YESTERDAY'S MECHANICAL BREAKDOWNS HAVE MADE a bad situation even worse.
If Bobby's going to meet payroll, he's got to get some pine loads out soon.
Equipment moves are risky, time-consuming, and generate no income.
Every minute the cutter isn't doing its job, it costs Bobby money.
Man: WATCH IT! Bobby: WHAT'D YOU DO? Spin around and catch your finger? The air wrench fell off the top and hit his finger on the pry bar.
Mashed his -- knocked his nail off.
The air wrench weighs more than 40 pounds.
If simitrio hadn't been wearing his hard hat, who knows what would have happened.
Bobby: I'm GLAD THAT WE HAVE a medic out here to take care of stuff like this, save a trip to the hospital.
Would it be better to take the nail off now or let it come off? No, I'd rather not take anything off here.
At least it gives it some protective barrier on the finger pad.
Okay, there you go.
That's it.
Narrator: SIMITRIO'S INJURY REMOVES HIM from most of the prep work needed on his cutter, further delaying the move to the pine tract.
Out in the swamp, as skidders gather the few specialty logs that are still being called for, Bobby gets a call to the deck to meet a truck that's returning from a hundred-mile run.
A good portion of a critical load of logs has been rejected by a mill.
What you bringing these back for? I reckon they're too knotty.
Too knotty? Bobby: ARE THEY LETTING US KNOW THEY'RE "FILLED UP"? Yeah.
Or maybe something else? Is that another abbreviation? Yeah, I seen the manager.
The sales manager said, "that's a mighty big wood.
" "Yeah, don't you want it?" He said, "I can't do nothing with it.
" I couldn't get it off the truck.
Bobby: TAKE THEM OFF AND LOOK AT IF YOU CAN SALVAGE ANYTHING.
Just try to get in all the cypress we can while we got it.
Narrator: BO FINALLY ARRIVES WITH THE LOWBOY TRAILER that'll haul the feller buncher to the new location, but like everything else that's happened this week, there's a problem.
The shop that put new tires on the trailer put the wrong locking wedges on a couple of rims, and that mistake could destroy some tires.
See those nuts? If you don't tighten it right, as soon as you mash the brakes, that center piece will stop, but the tire will just keep on spinning around, and it'll break all this and bust the valve stems and everything else.
Bobby: I JUST PAID HIM $900 TO PUT FIVE TIRES ON MY LOWBOY, and we've moved one tractor.
I'm getting sick of paying people to do stuff, and they don't do it.
Narrator: ALMOST NONSTOP MECHANICAL BREAKDOWNS are taking a toll on Bobby.
In his truck, where nobody can hear the fireworks, he calls the owner of the tire shop and gives him a piece of his mind.
Just carry it by there Monday or tomorrow morning, and let him check it, but from now on, I don't want no tire work on any of these trucks and trailers done nowhere but in these woods.
We're going to do it out here because if it's going to cost me $800, $900, I'd rather do it, so if it ain't done right, then I can't kick nobody but me.
Go ahead, turn around.
Let's load the stumper up.
We got six miles to go.
Maybe we can make it six miles.
Bobby: YOU KNOW, IT KILLS ME THAT PEOPLE charge good money, and they don't do nothing.
Nobody don't care, but if it was their money, they would care then.
I'm sick of it.
Every time I need my stuff, it's broke.
Narrator: THE 25-TON FELLER BUNCHER is usually not a problem for a 35-ton-capable lowboy trailer.
But that's with all the tires in tip-top shape.
If one tire fails, the weight distribution on the others becomes huge.
A chain reaction of tire failures would be devastating.
Justin: ONE OF MY DAD'S COUSINS was going to stick his foot in there with the blade just doing that right there, was going to stop it, and his Uncle grabbed him, and he stuck a piece of wood in like that, and it just splintered the piece of wood.
It would have took his foot clean off.
Narrator: AS BO GETS READY TO GO, it's not without some apprehension.
[ STATIC ON RADIO .]
Narrator: STRAIGHTAWAYS ARE TOUGH ENOUGH ON A TRAILER hauling a load like a cutter, but turning is brutal.
Truck coming out between the Gate and the highway.
Narrator: AN INCREDIBLY HEAVY MACHINE LIKE THE CUTTER sitting on top of a lowboy has such a high center of gravity that the load shifting and swaying on even the slightest turns raises the strain on the trailer to dangerous levels.
[ Tires squeal .]
Bo: Bobby.
Bobby: GO AHEAD.
Narrator: TO STAY ON SCHEDULE, Bobby makes a tough decision to push on to the new site with a damaged and weakened trailer, risking an even more catastrophic breakdown.
Bo begins the critical last turn.
Narrator: IF MORE TIRES BREAK OFF, Bobby's half-a-million-dollar feller buncher could possibly dump over on its side, doing extensive damage to it.
The turn goes off without a hitch.
But now it's too late in the day to get a load out.
The move has cost Bobby dearly.
Bobby: I SHOULD HAVE FIXED I OVER THERE, but if I had, we might not have made it up here today, and if we'd stopped on the side of the road, it would still be broke, and we'd be tomorrow before we got it over here.
I don't care, what's a couple more hundred dollars when you're broke? We didn't lose but one, that's all.
That was one too many.
[ Chuckling .]
It's been a action-packed day.
Bustin' some tires.
Just unhook it, and we'll fix it in the morning.
On a good note, we found some extra markets for the cypress, and I've been told I could get 15 to 20 loads of pulp wood, which would be a big help.
So is this Lesley's favor? Giving us a crap, wanting to buy what's cut? It is a favor right now.
How'd y'all do over there? Well, we didn't do what I quite wanted to.
I promised you yesterday -- well, I didn't really promise you -- got nine today.
Yeah, I took it as a promise.
[ Laughing .]
I didn't want to let you down any more than -- I'll reflect that in your check this weekend.
But we'll try to get some stuff over here, hopefully, tomorrow, get a little wood stacked, then we'll start loading.
We'll figure it out in the morning.
I'm tired, my head hurts, I'm ready to go home.
Bobby: IT'S A GROUP THING, IT'S A TEAM, and if everybody pulls together and works and they do their job, we can do this.
We can make it through this rough time that we're in right now.
And that's all we're trying to do, is survive until things get a little better.
Narrator: NEXT Bobby moves to the pine tract.
Craft: COMIN' IN.
Narrator: BUT THERE'S A HITCH.
Bobby: WORST FEARS, AGAIN.
Narrator: WITH LUMBER MILLS SHUTTING DOWN LEFT AND RIGHT, Bobby goodson, swamp logger, is forced to try his skills at conventional logging.
He's logging pine, a cheaper wood, bringing in reduced income.
Bobby: Lesley HAD BOUGH A PINE TRACT, which we don't normally cut pine.
But it's going to mean keeping the guys working and keep 'em off of unemployment.
Narrator: BECAUSE THEY'RE ON DRY LAND, SIMITRIO WON'T NEED to lay down a shovel road here.
Whatever he cuts gets hauled right away.
Bobby: I USED TO CUT PINE WITH MY DAD.
The work's too easy, and because there is so much competition in it, the pay rate's not the same.
But it's really, it's a blessing.
In the situation we're in now, there's nothing open but pine pulp wood.
And this tract, that's what it is.
Narrator: WITH THE LESS CHALLENGING pine tract, Bobby will need to haul 25 to 30 loads a day to make the same amount of money he was making in the swamp.
That's a 40% increase in production with half the crew.
I never thought I'd be happy to cut pine.
If the mill buys the wood like they said they are, it'll be a good thing -- it'll keep us out of the soup line for a little while.
Narrator: BACK AT THE OTHER SITE, Dave and Jose continue to sort through the stacks for specialty logs, while bo prepares to cart the bogie skidder over to the pine tract so they can start picking up wood and bringing it to the mill.
Narrator: BUT UNFORTUNATELY, THE BOGIE SKIDDER, which can drag 20 loads a day, is too long to carry on this trailer.
Bobby's going to have to make do with the less efficient baby skidder.
Another day! Narrator: BECAUSE TIME IS CRITICAL, the baby skidder shows up at the trailer in just a few minutes.
I think we'll be all right.
Narrator: IT'S 6 SHORT MILES TO THE PINE TRACT.
But in that time, as experience has shown, anything can happen.
Man, on radio: LET'S ROLL.
Narrator: IF THEY CAN MAKE I INTACT, THEY'LL BE READY to join the two-man crew, cutting and de-limbing pine.
Bobby: WE GOT SIMITRIO ON THE FELLER-BUNCHER, and then we got Abraham here with the saw, trying to cut some of these limbs off.
Narrator: THE MILLS WON'T ACCEP PINE LOGS WITH ANY BRANCHES or defects, and as dangerous as it is, this is the way tennis-shoe loggers do it.
It's the fastest way to de-limb.
Once Abraham has trimmed them up Man, on radio: GOOD, COMIN' IN.
The baby skidder, which has safely arrived, will get out into the woods to grab and drag.
Bobby: LOGGING IS DANGEROUS, IN GENERAL.
The thing I don't like is having a man on the ground, especially when you're trying to get a deck set up.
Because you're in a confined area, and anytime that he gets within a tree-length or two of that tractor, a limb could pop up, a tree could pop up, and, you know, if he's not ready for it, it, potentially he could cut himself with the saw or the limb could hit him and break his leg or even worse, kill him.
So we gotta be careful there.
Narrator: BUT JUST AS THEY'RE UP AND RUNNING, Bobby is hit with more bad news.
[ Man on phone, indistinct .]
All right, man.
Bye.
Bobby: CALLED Lesley, AND HE SAID we got four loads of wood to haul next week.
We can haul four one day, and we don't know, after that.
Narrator: WITH $50,000 A WEEK IN EXPENSES, a four-load quota won't be enough to keep all of his crew working.
Bobby: ALL I KEPT HEARING WAS 100% WOOD ORDER, we can get over there and roll.
And now we've took all the expense of, we've been over there, and it appears that corporate had overrun their quota from last week, so they took it from them this week.
So now, because I'm the new guy on the block, in the pine, I don't get no quota this week.
SoYou know, my worst fears -- the whole point with doing all this is not even an issue of making money.
It's trying to keep the men working, and we're not going to be able to do that.
Narrator: IT'S TIME FOR Bobby TO PRIORITIZE and make some difficult choices.
He and Justin have a father-and-son meeting to discuss their best strategy, given the new blow.
Bobby: IF WE CAN GE FOUR OR FIVE TOMORROW, that ought to be enough to make payroll, pay the fuel.
We'll check tonight and see, maybe -- we're supposed to paid, paying off David's loader this week.
That'd be a big help, get that thing paid for.
That's probably what we'll do -- finish this up, load what little bit we got there up, wait for the mill to open up.
Bobby: I'm TIRED OF FIGHTING AN UPHILL BATTLE ALL THE TIME.
You know, costs us money every day we're out here, and they've strung us on for three weeks now, saying, "it's going to change, it's going to change," and it never does, you know.
I mean, we've got thousands and thousands of dollars in piles of wood on three different tracts, and can't hold none.
You know, I'd been better off to shut down three weeks ago and not done nothing.
At least I wouldn't have created any expenses.
I mean, you can only lose so much money, you know, that there's any more to be lost.
Narrator: COMING UP THE CREW COMES TOGETHER for one final push.
How many loggers does it take to change a tire? Narrator: BUT IT MAY BE TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE.
Bobby: WE'RE HERE with the ultimate situation that I've been dreading.
Despite being shut down at every turn, Bobby goodson and his crew are fighting to keep the business going.
Jose: YEAH.
Narrator: THE SITUATION COULDN'T BE WORSE.
Bobby's company has mountains of valuable hardwood just sitting around.
We probably got 30, 40 loads stacked already.
How much longer is he going to let us stack it? We're not the mill.
We're hauling to the mill.
They're supposed to have it stacked up like this, not us.
And yesterday, after spending precious money to move to a dry pinewood block, the mill drastically cut its order to almost nothing.
I just get tired -- if they don't want the wood, say, "listen, we don't need the wood.
Y'all go home for two months.
" I don't care if it's six months, just go home, because we waste money when we're out here, doing nothing.
Man: 10-4.
Narrator: WHILE WAITING for the hardwood mill to reopen, Bobby must pull the crew together for one last push.
Bobby: IF WE CAN GET FIVE LOADS OF LOGS OUT TODAY, I think that'll be enough to put us over the top to where we can pay for the 250 track loader.
Narrator: FIVE LOADS ISN'T MUCH.
But it'll help cover payroll and pay off one of the loaders, ridding Bobby of a majorebt.
Knowing the dire situation, everyone bands together to help the company stay afloat.
Foy: BUT I'm THE FIRST TRUCK TO LOAD this morning -- it's already 10:00, so you know things are slow.
I think all the trucks are here, so everybody will get a load out today.
I think this'll help Bobby make his last payment on the loader that Dave is running right now, so I guess that'll be a good day for him.
Narrator: IT'S ALSO A GOOD DAY TO FIX THE BROKEN LOWBOY, the main trailer that can move heavy equipment around.
And since he's spread out over three tracts, Bobby may need to get it up and running soon.
How many loggers does it take to change a tire? [ Laughing .]
FIVE.
Once we get it done, we won't have that problem with the tire slipping and sliding and cutting valve stems, and tires falling off.
Narrator: IN THE BACK OF THEIR MINDS, the crew knows if the mills don't open up soon, some very rough times could be ahead.
Malpass: WE JUST TAKE ONE DAY AT A TIME.
It worries you, you know.
Everybody got a house payment, raising young'uns.
It's, it's a lot to think about -- what's gonna be the outcome of it all, but -- Narrator: ALL THEY CAN DO IS TROD ALONG and send out the five loads for Bobby.
Justin: WE'RE A TEAM.
WE DO IT TOGETHER.
We've gone through times, and we'll make it through this one.
Craft: ALL RIGHT, HON.
Craft: THIRD LOAD OF THE DAY.
Things are really slow, but it could be worse.
We could all be sitting at home, not doing nothing.
Mueller: OKAY.
Craft: ALL RIGHT, HON, THANK YOU.
[ Truck horn honks .]
Narrator: FINALLY, SOME GOOD NEWS -- THE CREW HAS WORKED HARD as a team and managed to push five loads through to a single open mill.
What's up, buddy? Oh, not too much.
They hauled -- they just left, and they loaded the fifth load, and that was gonna be enough to make the last payment on your loader.
So if all in alls, you can have that for a yard ornament, because the bank can't come and get it now.
[ Both chuckling .]
I, I know that's a breath of fresh air for you.
Yeah, it's about $5,000 a month I got to come up with.
Bobby: IT REALLY TURNED OU to be a good day.
We got the lowboy fixed, we got our loads in, we got David's tractor loader paid off.
So, all in all, it was good.
Narrator: EVEN THOUGH THE LOADER IS FINALLY PAID OFF, the extra $5,000 won't alleviate the damage the economy has already done.
Bobby must finally accept the harsh reality that is in front of him.
Bobby: WE'RE HERE with the ultimate situation that I've been dreading for the past two or three weeks -- is just mountains of pulp wood.
The mills has got to start buying, and so far we don't know when that day's gonna come and you know I'm, I'm gonna have to put the guys on unemployment.
It's something I've been trying to avoid but there's no way around it.
Well, guys, I brought everybody back over here so y'all can see exactly where I'm coming from.
We got wood stacked everywhere.
We got wood cut down, dropped down, and we've worked three weeks now and for the most part all the money's been coming out of what little bit we had saved and what little bit of wood we've hauled.
And I'm at a point now where I've been trying to avoid this, is putting everybody on unemployment, but I really have no other choice right now.
You know our economy is messed up, no fault of our own.
I just want all of y'all to understand that this country's great and this country was built from crews just like y'all doing the kind of work we do every day.
And I don't want y'all to give up on me because I surely ain't gonna give up on y'all.
We come from Carolina.
We got a nickname, "the tar heels," that's because we don't give up, we're gonna hang in there, and we're gonna continue to hang in there even through these tough times that we're in now.
I'll see y'all later.
I've got the best crew of men that any logger could ever want.
I mean these guys, they give me 110%, and I'm not giving up on them by no means.
It's just something that I've never had to do but I've got to do to stay in business.
All of us are trying to survive to come out the other end, to be a better company and the only way I know to do that is to put those guys on unemployment so that I can save the company.
And I'm, I'm sure I'm gonna be here when it turns around and I'm gonna get the guys back and we're gonna hit it running and we're gonna turn everything around.
Narrator: ON THIS EPISODE OF "SWAMP LOGGERS" Tarheels are back, baby.
That's right.
Narrator: Bobby GOODSON IS BACK IN THE MUCK All right, boys, let's go ahead and get the wood out here.
Logging trees and terrain so treacherous and muddy other loggers refuse the job.
E.
J.
! With a new man on board That's two strikes.
He's battling the elements.
What we need is to push that road that way and get it flat.
And problems at the mills And you're losing 1,000 more feet per load.
He'll need every man at his best to keep his company afloat.
Bobby: SAY IT AGAIN? It's what we didn't need to hear.
-- Captions by VITAC -- captions paid for by discovery communications Narrator: THE SWAMPS AROUND THE CAPE FEAR River in north Carolina have been quiet for weeks.
After successfully wrestling high-quality timber from these snake-infested wetlands for over 10 years, 4th-GENERATION LOGGER Bobby GOODSON faced one challenge he couldn't overcome.
Thing's pretty tough.
With the economy slumping and lumber sales way down, the overstocked mills stopped taking wood.
I've been trying to avoid putting everybody on unemployment, but I really have no other choice right now.
I don't want y'all to give up on me because I surely ain't gonna give up on y'all.
Narrator: FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, goodson's all terrain logging shut down, leaving Bobby's loyal crew without their livelihood.
But after weeks of unemployment, the demand for wood is on the rise again.
Didn't Bobby tell me he had a man in Jacksonville who could fix that? Good morning, boss man! Last one come dragging in.
Today Bobby has called his crew back together to resume logging a potentially high-dollar tract of land.
Bobby: IT WAS THE WORST TIME WE HAVE EVER HAD in 22 years of logging -- the turmoil and all that we was going through, but a few weeks after that, the mill started back buying.
They called me up and said that they've got orders coming back in, so we're getting the men back together.
We're back out here doing what we love to do.
Get him over there and just let him get started, see what it's like.
Get them all out and bring them over here and put them in here and just use what you got to have.
When he called me and told me we were going back to work, I was tickled to death.
I really didn't want to go work for nobody else.
Ain't getting much on vacations.
And this kind we get here, we don't like them kind.
We don't get paid for them vacations, and we're glad to be back, got plenty of wood to haul, and we're gonna get out here and make the boss man happy.
Narrator: Bobby'S CREW IS ASSEMBLED AND READY TO GO, except for one straggler.
Here he comes.
High speed.
That boy's got the biggest feet I ever seen.
He weighs 100 pounds and 14-size shoe.
Justin: I HIRED A NEW DRIVER -- E.
J.