Ax Men (2008)

The Ax Men return, facing tougher conditions than ever before. This season, industry titans Pihl Logging and Rygaard Logging tackle some of their most challenging jobs yet, attempting to thrive in a turbulent industry. Newcomer Frank Harkness makes a name for himself, logging where no one else will, and Buckin' Billy Ray takes to the tree tops of Vancouver Island, risking his life to keep other people safe.

Mike Pihl looks for help from a logging legend; Jason Rygaard faces his biggest test as the new boss and his father Craig's future at Rygaard logging is questioned; The Harkness crew battles winter storms and vertical terrain in the Cascade Mountains; and Wade Etienne goes after valuable hardwood giants with custom machines in Indiana.

Brandon Harkness fights his way up a mountainside in the 29-ton Tigercat; Mike Pihl get his 52-ton yarder lodged between trees; Wade Ettiene's "Big Mama" takes a two-inch steel sawtooth to her face; and Buckin' Billy's son Hogan loses his grip while cutting a tree 60-feet off the ground.

Danny Pihl gambles on horsepower to untangle a massive steel knot that's shut down the jobsite. Rygaard blows out the cobwebs as the company begins logging on their massive, new job. Wade Etienne battles rising mud, trying to get his logs off the jobsite and Buckin' Billy's forced to take down multiple trees at the same time.

Rygaard Logging fights to fix a crooked skyline, crossing a deep valley on their longest road yet. Danny Pihl pushes himself physically and mentally while running his first jobsite on his own. Frank Harkness' fast work ethic proves too much for his equipment while on a steep, snow- covered mountainside and Wade Etienne doubles down on a risky plan to custom fabricate a one-of-a-kind log-hauler.

A breakdown forces Jason Rygaard to choose between his crew's safety and finishing the job. Frank Harkness is caught in a whiteout while moving the excavator on a narrow mountainside logging road. Wade Etienne finally tests his six-wheel, custom- fabricated, log-hauler and Buckin' Billy tests his son, Hogan, on a solo cutting mission 100 feet above the ground.

Danny Pihl relies on the experience of veteran cutters Dwayne and Chuck to take down massive old-growth trees; Craig Rygaard discovers son Jason made a catastrophic and costly miscalculation; Frank Harkness races to transport $100,000 worth of logs.

Rygaard Logging races to complete four settings and three yarder moves in a single day in an effort to stay on schedule and on budget; Frank Harkness fights for traction while driving the processor up an ice-covered logging road.

Jason Rygaard fights the weather while hauling heavy, slick trees on the steepest setting of the season; Danny Pihl and his veteran crew precisely drop 250-foot, old-growth cedars next to a group of cabins; Wade Etienne struggles to control his customized, new, track cutter: Brutus; and brothers Jay R and Brandon Harkness overload their skyline and blow out the tail-hold.

Jason Rygaard races to clear a hillside in time to fill four logging trucks; Jay R Harkness fights to control the untethered Tigercat on a steep, snow-covered mountainside; Bucking Billy and his son Hogan battle a forest of hang-ups and widow-makers.