Logistics of firewood hauling and splitting?

   / Logistics of firewood hauling and splitting?
  • Thread Starter
#151  
I was out splitting and hauling some firewood today and it reminded me of this thread. I started this thread to get some better ideas to speed up the firewood process. Well, after trying different things I'm back to a decidedly low-tech method. Cut, split and stack on site, then haul the split wood directly to the house when dry. I still haven't finished my larger 5x10 trailer yet :confused2:, but it should help to speed up the process. I tend to overload this little 4x6 trailer, lol:

attachment.php
 

Attachments

  • P1010600sm.JPG
    P1010600sm.JPG
    237.5 KB · Views: 4,790
   / Logistics of firewood hauling and splitting? #152  
Well i too have a lot of wood and some of it is on slopes or in wet areas either way i had gotten by with a Allis Chalmers B for many years .But recently about 5 years ago i bought a Kubota L2050 and a used Farmi JL 250 winch.Life is alot eaiser now I went too a supplier up here called N H Bragg and bought a sliding Block it is a pully that allows you to pull wood at a 90 degree angle to the back of your winch. So with the 165' of cable that comes on the winch and the block there is almost nothing that is out of reach now. The block is able to be attached to any tree by using a strap or chain .Then you open the block slip in your cable and run the cable and chokers to the needed tree. When your tree is pulled to the point of the block attachment you slaken the cable unlatch the side of the block and take the cable out.Then continue to pull to the winch.I got my winch from a fella that had no idea what it was he was hauling it to the scrap yard back when the price of steel was up.I offered him $ 250.00 and he grabbed it .I had already called a local dealer to get the value they said they they would pay $1500.00 for it sight unseen.Then resell for 2 to $2500.These deals are out there although not readable found. Just bite the bullet and buy new you will never regret it.That is if you honestly have a use for somthing that costs that much. Good Luck
 
   / Logistics of firewood hauling and splitting? #153  
Ever bring a log into the house and find out that it was full of carpenter ants when it warmed up?

That would be my first indication that the wood wasn't dry for burning. Carpenter ants bail out when the wood gets dry as they only nest in decayed/wet wood. Same within a house, if you find carpenter ants you then know there is a water leakage problem or a condensation problem with some wet wood around somewhere.

So in a way, carpenter ants are good for their help pointing it out. :)
 
   / Logistics of firewood hauling and splitting? #154  
So in a way, carpenter ants are good for their help pointing it out. :)[/QUOTE]

:D:D:D:thumbsup: Good one. Alwasy looing for the silver lining.. But you ar so correct. I know this from my 'adventures' last summer..
 
   / Logistics of firewood hauling and splitting? #155  
For folks that burn more than 1 or 2 cords of wood yearly, I think a 3pt/PTO cordwood saw is not a bad way to go. Cut the logs in the woods to a manageable length and weight with the chain saw, then finish cutting to stove lengths on the cordwood saw. If you have a woods trailer with stake sides, you can quickly move a lot of 4' to 6' firewood logs out of the woods when the weather and ground conditions are right.

It's faster than a chain saw, you don't spend as much of your time bent over running a chain saw - which I find to be the worst part. You put a lot less wear and tear on your chain saw too. It's easier to cut to uniform lengths with a cordwood saw than a chain saw if you like neat wood piles.

Of course, your logs cannot be bigger than the cordwood saw can handle safely.
Dave.
 
   / Logistics of firewood hauling and splitting?
  • Thread Starter
#156  
Of course, your logs cannot be bigger than the cordwood saw can handle safely.
Dave.

That would be a problem for me. A lot of what I cut are trees 20-24" DBH, lol.
 
   / Logistics of firewood hauling and splitting? #157  
That would be a problem for me. A lot of what I cut are trees 20-24" DBH, lol.

Yeah, it's only a good method for stuff up to about 12" probably. Otherwise it gets too heavy to handle in bolts and too big for the saw.
Dave.
 
   / Logistics of firewood hauling and splitting? #158  
Over the past 35 years I have cut up all the dead wood at my place so now, each Spring, I buy a tri-axle load of locust and oak poles. The Woodsman stacks the poles and I pick up a pole using my Kubota L2250 with a Bro-Tek thumb on the hoe. I lower the pole to waist height and cut into billets. I load the billets into the bucket and move them to the splitter beside the pile of poles. I split and throw pieces into the back of a Yamaha Pro-Hauler and a small utility trailer, haul to house and stack. The real time and back saver is the thumb as now there is no need to bend over while using the saw and I don't have to rotate the pole when cutting.
 
   / Logistics of firewood hauling and splitting? #159  
Over the past 35 years I have cut up all the dead wood at my place so now, each Spring, I buy a tri-axle load of locust and oak poles. The Woodsman stacks the poles and I pick up a pole using my Kubota L2250 with a Bro-Tek thumb on the hoe. I lower the pole to waist height and cut into billets. I load the billets into the bucket and move them to the splitter beside the pile of poles. I split and throw pieces into the back of a Yamaha Pro-Hauler and a small utility trailer, haul to house and stack. The real time and back saver is the thumb as now there is no need to bend over while using the saw and I don't have to rotate the pole when cutting.

That's a good setup. Around here, the cost of log length firewood is about half that of cut and split per cord. You can easily pay for a chainsaw and splitter after a few years with the savings and a little sweat input. If you can split by hand, or, rent or share a splitter, even better cost-wise.
Dave.
 
   / Logistics of firewood hauling and splitting? #160  
Re: splitters

For years I used a heavy splitting axe and then more recently an electric splitter. Then a neighbour told me about the Fiskars splitting axe. Here is a link:

Amazon.com: Fiskars 7854 Super Splitting Axe with 28-Inch Handle and 4-1/4-Pound Head: Patio, Lawn & Garden

In Canada it is available at Canadian Tire. In doing a bit more reading I notice the Fiskars US site shows a 36" axe while the Canadian site stops at the 28" model.

The Fiskars splitting axe (they also make regular axes) is light and looks like a regular axe. But the shape of the head (gentle sweep) makes it very effective. It has a light, hollow, plastic type handle that seems virtually indestructible--even on hard, hand-jarring, over-shot blows. It is amazing to me how easier and more effective it is than a regular, heavy splitting axe. I find it much quicker for "coarse" splitting than using the electric splitter. I split my wood small and do the final splitting on the electric splitter.

Another advantage of the light weight and almost-regular axe shape is it is useful for clipping off the add branch stub missed while gathering the logs.

There is a video about the axe on the Fiskars website here:

Axes and Striking / Yard and Garden | Fiskars

I can't say enough about this axe and how it makes splitting fun (and NO, I'm not connected with Fiskars or anyone who sells them). :)
 
 
Top