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Louisiana Venture

North Louisiana logger Beau Malone, owner of Beau Malone Trucking and 4M Logging, talks about how he got started, the importance of great after sale support and first impressions of the new 234C loader.

— Paul Iarocci

234C loader delimbing a tree
Based in Plain Dealing, Louisiana Beau Malone grew up in the logging industry. “From the time I hit the ground, my grandpa would come get me in diapers and bring me to the woods,” says Beau. “My daddy and my grandpa had a business for years and years.”

When Beau’s grandfather retired, his father went to work for Beau’s cousin, Hershel Malone. “And when I graduated high school, I went to work for him as well.” Beau left the logging industry for a time and worked in the oil field on a drilling rig. “But I didn’t enjoy it,” Beau explains. He returned to his cousin’s business, working another five years before finally venturing out on his own. “I bought a cutter and went to contract cutting for another cousin of mine. That would be eight or nine years ago.” At the time Beau and his cousin, Greg Malone struggled with reliable log hauling, so Beau purchased a truck and started Beau Malone Trucking. He grew the fleet from a single truck to six, providing the pair self sufficiency in hauling.

WE’RE PROBABLY AT LEAST TWO-AND-A-HALF HOURS FROM THE MIDSOUTH LOCATION, BUT THE SERVICE HAS BEEN SPOT-ON.


— Beau Malone, owner of 4M Logging

“About four years ago, we split on good terms. I already had trucks, so I bought logging equipment and went out on my own, founding 4M Logging.” Beau picked up a used Deere skidder and a low hour loader to get started. He slowly began converting his fleet to Tigercat, first seeking out used machines and then purchasing new iron from MidSouth Forestry Equipment in Caddo Valley, Arkansas. Beau credits his cousin Greg for helping him get the logging business established. “He helped me out tremendously. If it weren’t for him, I probably wouldn’t be where I’m at.”
The 4M Logging crew. (L-R) Trey Malone, Beau Malone, Bobby Jackson, Chucky Demoss and David Young.
The 4M Logging crew. (L-R) Trey Malone, Beau Malone, Bobby Jackson, Chucky Demoss and David Young.

Best support

What factors made Beau switch to Tigercat? “The number one thing is the resale. They hold value more than anything. Second is the service. We’re probably at least two-and-a-half hours from the MidSouth location, but the service has been spot-on.” Beau relates that early into his venture, he purchased a second-hand 2014 model Tigercat loader. “Two days after I bought it, it started messing up. It was the only piece of Tigercat equipment I had on the job, and I didn’t buy it from MidSouth. I called them and the next day they had a guy out there changing injectors, getting it going.” Beau was impressed by the level of service and attention that he received from MidSouth, even though he wasn’t yet a customer of the dealership.

On another occasion a planned repair on a Tigercat feller buncher was taking longer to complete than expected. His crew had put a lot of wood on the ground in anticipation of the downtime, but the skidders were catching up fast. Beau called his MidSouth salesman, Mathew Smith and explained the situation. The next morning a lowbed pulled up with a loaner machine. “We were back down here cutting wood and we never missed a lick. That right there in my opinion, carries a lot of weight. That goes a long way; somebody willing to do that to keep a customer rolling.” From that day forward, Beau has worked with MidSouth on all his new machine purchases.
Tigercat skidder
Two Tigercat skidders pull to two Tigercat loaders.
These days, Beau runs one crew with two skidders (Tigercat 630H and 620H models), one feller buncher (a 720G with a 5702 felling saw) and 234B and 234C loaders both equipped with pull through delimbers and ground saws for merchandising logs. The crew is optimized for clear falling. However, Beau finds himself on second thinning jobs from time to time – especially during rainy winter when there is less good ground to choose from. Beau says that his crew will travel up to a one-hundred-mile radius from home to find dry ground.

On big clear fell jobs, the skidders pull to both loaders which merchandise and load trucks. On tighter job sites or during wet winter conditions, he might set up one loader for delimbing and a second machine closer to roadside for truck loading. Beau finds the 5702 saw to be a very high performer in clear fell and well matched to most second thinning jobs.
Tigercat 720G feller buncher
Beau’s Tigercat 720G equipped with the 5702 felling saw working in second thinning in north Louisiana.
Beau cuts on private land, contracting to two wood buyers, Trey Maxwell Logging and S & C Operating Inc. Beau’s trucks haul ply logs to Emerson, Arkansas. Chip-n-saw goes to the Bienville Lumber Company in Taylor. Pulpwood goes the Weyerhaeuser OSB mill in Arcadia or the WestRock pulp mill in Hodge. Beau likes the reliability that comes with having control of trucking as opposed to the uncertainty of contract hauling. “All this pretty yellow equipment doesn’t mean anything without a truck. If you can’t get rid of what you’ve got in a pile, then it’s doing you no good,” he says.

First impressions 234C loader

Beau has some good things to say about his new 234C loader. He likes the through-tip hose routing to the grapple a lot. “On every other loader the hoses make a loop and they’re exposed. It is not uncommon that they will get nicked and cut. With the 234C, they are well protected and I really like that.” Beau figures that over time, the improved hose routing will increase uptime and machine availability.
Tigercat loader grapple
Beau appreciates Tigercat’s through-tip routing, offering excellent protection for the hydraulic hoses supplying the grapple.
Beau likes the feel of the hydraulic system, especially the pilot controlled boom functions. Beau and his 21-year-old son Trey both put in a lot of time on the loaders, offering up a true operator’s perspective. “I don’t know how much bigger you made the cab, but you can tell a big difference in it,” says Beau. “It is noticeably bigger and more comfortable. My operators noticed it right away. The seat feels comfortable, and the visibility is good. It has a good bit more swing torque than the 234B model. I like that the oil fill is lower. I can reach it from the ground now. I’ve no complaints at all about it. I think it’s a good machine.”

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