Logistics of firewood hauling and splitting?

[beenthere]

You can use a portable winch as said above. If you get one this is a good setup for it. They are a little expensive but might be worth it to you. Look in Baileys for one also.

I'm not a boy scout but I just have a small loop in the end of the rope with a surgeons knot. Push the rope through the loop to make a choker.You dont have to tie the log on each time.
The surgeons knot gets pretty tight with time but can be untied with persistance or .... a knife

Gordon
That pic is a capstan winch, right? What brand is it?
What are you logging?

[beenthere]

It seems like most people are cutting live trees instead of dead/dried still standing trees. Is there a specific reason for this other than not enough dead trees to supply the demand?

That all depends on what your forestry management plan is that you follow.

Is there a reason not to cut live trees?

[Chilly807]

I use a Honda ATV and a log arch for my needs, at least to get it out to a spot the tractor can get at it. You can cut a much smaller road for the ATV, it's great for snaking stuff out.

This weekend I hauled out over a hundred 9 foot fence posts, some as big as 8 inches (corner posts if God's willing) The ATV scoots right along over some old riding trails, very little ground damage with snow down.

It does have limitations, the biggest stuff I've hauled was about 14-16 inches and 16 feet long.

Sean

[SPYDERLK]

I have some trees that are quite a distant in the woods from the edge of a field. I have some very long heavy rope that an electric company lineman gave me. Question is what kind of a knot do I use on the rope, so it can be untied after tighting up? And how do I tie this knot? I'm thinking back to my Boy Scout days and a bowline knot comes to mind, but not sure.
Thanks for all the great information that comes from here.
Clayton, with a 4200 John deere and a 3point splitter.

Attach a short chain to the rope and use the chain to hook up. For take up wrap the rope several times around a capstan 1st and then almost any knot will do.
larry

[wmonroe]

That all depends on what your forestry management plan is that you follow.

Is there a reason not to cut live trees?

I didn't mean not to cut live trees, I guess I was just asking if there were enough dead/dry trees you could skip the drying process by cutting those. Just curious.

[kco]

[QUOTE=wmonroe;2212526]It seems like most people are cutting live trees instead of dead/dried still standing trees. Is there a specific reason for this other than not enough dead trees to supply the demand?[/QUOTE

My area has mainly fir, pine and birch. I have found it best to cut mature birch before they die. If left until they are completely dead much is wasted to rot. They rot quickly if left standing. If you see bracket fungus (semi circular grey growth) on the bark it is already too late. In early fall I check the birches and mark those whose tops are very sparse or have some sign of dying to distinguish them from healthy trees once the leaves are off.

Also, one cannot leave a felled birch as it will quickly rot because of the tight bark. I run the chainsaw the length of the tree to score the bark--even if I am going to immediately cut it to firewood lengths. The bark will open and peel itself off in a month or two and it is great for firestarter.

The last few years pine beetles have killed most mature pines. Even standing, they will start to rot after a few years. Fir are much more resistant to rot.

[kco]

I have some trees that are quite a distant in the woods from the edge of a field. I have some very long heavy rope that an electric company lineman gave me. Question is what kind of a knot do I use on the rope, so it can be untied after tighting up? And how do I tie this knot? I'm thinking back to my Boy Scout days and a bowline knot comes to mind, but not sure.
Thanks for all the great information that comes from here.
Clayton, with a 4200 John deere and a 3point splitter.

Bowline is my favourite knot. Depending on the terrain, I use a chain leader on the log to save rope abrasion. My area is mainly bush with winding trails so a snatch block is useful for indirect skidding to where one can get a straight pull.

Another simple knot is the timber hitch. I use that for some skidding and exclusively when using a lead line to fell leaning or unbalanced trees (I have climbing spurs).

[SpringHollow]

Gordon
That pic is a capstan winch, right? What brand is it?

The brand is Portable Winch. I really like them. Dependable, light weight, and versatile. But they are not cheap, costing over $1,000.

Ken

[Dead Horse]

[QUOTE=kco;2212854]

I have found it best to cut mature birch before they die. If left until they are completely dead much is wasted to rot. They rot quickly if left standing. If you see bracket fungus (semi circular grey growth) on the bark it is already too late. In early fall I check the birches and mark those whose tops are very sparse or have some sign of dying to distinguish them from healthy trees once the leaves are off.

Also, one cannot leave a felled birch as it will quickly rot because of the tight bark. I run the chainsaw the length of the tree to score the bark--even if I am going to immediately cut it to firewood lengths. The bark will open and peel itself off in a month or two and it is great for firestarter.

Agreed........ I use the same tactics, except I have found that bucking the birch and splitting (TPH splitter 30" throw) tears the bark off quite effectively
and leaves it where I can pick it up in big pieces and stack it along side the wood pile.

The same situation goes for Beech, though dead beech drys pretty effectively standing. The thing is that when the tops of beech show the tree is under real stress, it almost always means it is bug infested and it wil only ger worse. Better off to fell, buck and split them and kill the larve in the tree before they mature and infect other healthy trees. Beech makes VERY nice firewood, and I have a vast over abundance of it.

[simonds]

Thank you all for the knot tying info. I do remember how to tie the bowline. And now I remember of the timber hitch, but don't remember how to tie it. I could maybe google it and find out. The times that I have used a rope and pulled logs out the knots that I used were so tight I ended up cutting them off. I really don't want to shorten my nice long rope, everytime I use it.
Thanks all of you.
Clayton