Ax Men is hitting the freezing waters of southeast Alaska when a new tug boat company enters the fold. Charged with towing Papac Alaska's million-dollar payday to the mill, this veteran crew is getting a new addition: former Pihl hothead Dustin Dethlefs. At Papac Alaska, Coatsy faces competition when a former rigger returns. At Pihl, the new greenhorn leaves a lot to be desired. In Florida, Jimmy Smith goes it alone, and at Rygaard, Craig goes over Gabe's head in an attempt to push chaser Dave Schroeder out.

As the season reaches the halfway mark, logging country is feeling the pressure. In Florida, Swilley gets hooked in a pile of rusty metal while Jimmy and James ride a wave of high times. At Rygaard, Gabe puts his entire crew on the line when he decides to fall standing trees from directly under the skyline. In Oregon, Pihl's greenhorn lands on the wrong end of a 2,000-lb falling tree, and in bayou county, Shelby launches a dangerous nighttime mission in a part of the swamp known as "Alligator Alley".