Oklahoma Man Forging Ahead Where He Sees an Opportunity | Timberline Magazine

by Tim Cox | Mar 30, 2024 | Cut-To-Length Logging, Equipment, Products & Services, Logging

Chance Gros felling cedar with his new Ponsse Ergo harvester.The Oklahoma man started a logging business and invested in aPonsse Ergo harvester and Ponsse Buffalo forwarder.

McCURTAIN, Oklahoma – Chance Gros sees an opportunity in Oklahoma’s cedar trees, and he’s started a logging business with Ponsse machines to harvest them.

Chance, 32, has started up a sawmill to make cedar lumber products, and he’s formed his own logging business to keep it supplied with wood. He started his enterprises in late 2023.

He explained his reason for starting the sawmill and logging operations. “It always bugged me, for years and years…Farmers and ranchers burned cedar trees and timber just to make grazing land for cattle.” The state even paid landowners to clear more land for agriculture. Chance saw an opportunity in cedar timber. “That’s why I decided to get into this.”

Chance grew up on a family farm that raised poultry near the town of McCurtain, which is in eastern Oklahoma, about 40 miles southwest of Fort Smith, Arkansas. He attended a vocational-technical school to become a welder, but after a few years working in the trade grew tired of the travel involved. He returned to the family farm to help his father manage it.

The farm property, 170 acres, contained flagstone, and the Gros family invested in some equipment and began quarry operations in 2015 to produce stone and sell it. The business grew to become one of the leading supplies of flagstone in the U.S., according to Chance.

Chance continues to operate Superior Stone Quarries on 120 acres and also has several other locations. The stone business employs about 20 people.

Chance Gros also operates a quarry business. He saw a business opportunity to tap the region’s plentiful red cedar resource and started a logging company.

His logging business, which he named Mid America Timber, had two employees beside him. Although he divides his time between both ventures, he is spending most of his time tending the logging operations and sawmill.

McCurtain is just west of the Ouachita National Forest, which covers portions of Arkansas and Oklahoma, and the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest in Arkansas. In addition, the region is west of the Ozark Mountains, so the terrain is sloping, rolling hills. Winters are notably wet although summer brings dry conditions.

The dominant species in the region is cedar with some oak and pine, and Chance continues to seek markets for the other species. Some pulp and chip mills in the region have closed.

Chance invested in two new Ponsse machines for his logging business: an Ergo harvester and a Buffalo forwarder.

“I done a lot of research online,” he said, and talked to numerous equipment dealers. He talked to a few logging contractors, although he indicated they were reluctant to share much information, so he relied heavily on conversations with equipment salesmen.

He decided quickly that he wanted to purchase cut-to-length logging machines. “I decided to go with cut-to-length basically because it’s two pieces of equipment instead of three or four pieces of equipment” for tree-length logging, he said. “There’s no way faster in my opinion, from what I’ve seen.”

“I did a lot of research and looking. It seemed like Ponsse was the right thing to do.” He talked with Ponsse representatives and also went to a logging equipment trade show in Hot Springs where Ponsse displayed an Ergo and training simulator.

He didn’t consider other manufacturers after meeting with Ponsse personnel. “They helped me out. I didn’t see no reason to go anywhere else…That’s the way I went.”

The Ergo, an 8-wheel harvester, is Ponsse’s best-selling machine world-wide.It is suited for both thinning and regeneration felling.

The machines were delivered in September. They were idle for two weeks until a Ponsse trainer could make a trip to teach Chance how to operate the equipment. “It was kind of like buying a new car you couldn’t drive. They sat there for two weeks.”

Chance has plenty of experience operating farm equipment and heavy equipment in the quarry business, mainly bulldozers and excavators. “I’ve operated a lot of different equipment,” he noted. However, the Ponsse machines were a whole different ball of wax. “It’s probably the most complex equipment I’ve ever run,” said Chance. “It took me a little bit to get the hang of it,” but then things moved quickly. He learned how to use the equipment by harvesting some timber on the family farm.

The Ergo, an 8-wheel harvester, is Ponsse’s best-selling machine world-wide. It is suited for both thinning and regeneration felling and has proven to be reliable and dependable in hot and cold climates.

The Ponsse Ergo is powered by a Mercedes-Benz stage V engine that generates more than 280 hp. The harvester has nearly 44,000 pounds of tractive force. It is equipped with two hydraulic circuits, one dedicated to the harvester and one for the harvester attachment, and with Ponsse’s OptiControl system

The frame is designed for balance and durability; the reliable frame oscillation lock equipped with hydraulic cylinders is solid and acts as a shock absorber when driving.

A spacious, comfortable cabin and advanced ergonomic controls guarantee working comfort. The Ponsse Opti information system is an advanced and easy-to-use interface for machine and work management.

The Ergo is available with two Ponsse crane options as well as several harvester heads.

The Ergo harvester is equipped with a Ponsse H8 harvester head.It is one of several Ponsse harvester attachments that can be matched withthe machine. Ponsse also offers two crane options for the Ergo.

The Buffalo, which is also an 8-wheel machine, is Ponsse’s best-selling forwarder. It is powered by a Mercedes-Benz Stage V engine that produces more than 280 hp, and the forwarder has more than 41,000 pounds of tractive force. Customers can choose from a load-carrying capacity of 14 to 15 tons, a reach ranging from 7.8 to 10 meters, a long bogie, Active Crane and a number of other options.

The Ponsse Active Frame is available for the Ergo harvester and Bison forwarder.It is a suspension system for eight-wheel machines. It has a simple and functional structure, effectively suspending any sideways movement directed at the operator. The Ponsse Active Frame system makes driving comfortable and reduces stress on the operator. It allows the operator to use higher speeds, particularly when driving with an empty load. Crane operations are more efficient as the system keeps the cabin horizontal even in rough terrain.

Ponsse is a Finland manufacturer with North American operations based in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. The company specializes solely in cut-to-length logging systems. (For more information about Ponsse products, visit www.ponsse.com.)

The performance of the machines has surpassed his expectations, he said. “I’m just in awe.”

“I love it,” said Chance. “I think it’s the best thing” for logging, although he admitted he’s not familiar with other logging equipment.

He’s been very favorably impressed with the fuel economy of the Ponsse harvester and forwarder. “It’s great…They just sip (fuel). “I’m used to burning 100 gallons a day with an excavator. I only burn 40 gallons and run all day.”

“There were a few things I couldn’t figure out. All I have to do is make a phone call (to Ponsse). They help me out every time. They’ve been there for me. They call and check on me to see how things are going even if I don’t have a problem.”

Chance is focused on harvesting red cedar to supply a sawmill he started.

Chance is able to obtain timber from landowners who want to clear property for agriculture. In some cases he doesn’t have to buy the stumpage. “Farmers and ranchers want it gone,” he said. In return, he offers to clean up the slash and stumps. Jobs have varied quite a bit since he started, but they range from as little as 10 acres to 50 or more, depending on the timber. Chance has a company truck to haul the wood to the mill.

Chance will use the Buffalo to pick up logging slash and carry it out to form piles or use other equipment. Stumps will be removed by hiring a contractor with a forestry mulcher.

His crew is currently working on a 2,000-acre ranch. “We’re just removing the cedar. The pine and hardwood stays.”

Chance invested in some new and used equipment to start the sawmill, including a Wood-Mizer band sawmill.

He stays busy with his family in his spare time. Chance and his wife have six children. “I’m usually at a ball field or doing something else with the kids,” he said. In his free time he also enjoys deer hunting and fishing. He previously served on the local school board for five years.