Logistics of firewood hauling and splitting?

[rich bx]

I think most of the Fences put up along the Blue ridge Parkway were made of Black Locust, and most of those are still there, in %100 condition.
Also, I heard black locust is second only to red oak for BTU per dried firewood pound.

Another vote for the chains here.

I use 3/8 G70 chain. I like the ability to hook at several different lengths if desired.

I also like the ability to chain as short as possible and rais the 3PH. This adds weight to the rear and also gets the log out of the muck. With the FEL on, it keeps enough weight over the front axle to steer and not flip. Disclaimer: This is very dangerous and you can flip a tractor very easy if you dont know your limitations.

I also like chains because they dont stretch and store energy either. Not as dangerous as cables or straps.


And we have lot of locust around here as well. Back in the day farmers either had a locust grove or a hedge grove used for making fence posts.

There are old fence posts that are still in the ground today that were put up over 50 years ago and still just as solid as the day they were put in. All this new technology and pressure treated stuff cant hold a candle to the old locust posts.

Robinia pseudoacacia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[surveyfire]

On my 30 acre woodlot we fell the trees keeping firewood size limbs intact. Logs are cut to length judging the weight so as not to overload the Kubota L2500 with Tajfun winch. Logs are skidded to a landing that is accessible by pickup truck and 10 dump trailer. Logs are marked to desired length, usually 16 inches, with a Mingo marker. Then logs are then held over the dump trailer with a Kubota KX121-2 excavator with thumb. The guy standing in the trailer cuts the logs to firewood length where they drop into the trailer, stopping after each log to move some of the pieces to stack better.

Once the trailer is full it is taken to the firewood storage area at one of the homes. The dump trailer is lifted enough so the rounds can easily be pulled, aided by a hookaroon, onto a Timberwolf TW-2 log splitter. Split wood is placed on stacks for drying.

Not a method for everyone but it works for 3 fat geezers to heat their houses without minimal handling.

 

[bvanek]

I have been cutting firewood for 40 years on my property. (guess I am old) Have tried just about every method. I Have 12 acres and my woodshed is in the middle of my property. The last ten years I have been bucking and splitting in the woods and bringing the split wood to my woodshed via bucket. This way I can save my back (ain't as good as I once was) by positioning the bucket at a stacking level. Of course having a large bucket saves time.
My wood storage building is a simple covered shed that is long and narrow. It is partitioned down the middle so that there is 6 feet on each side and loadable from both sides. It is 30 feet long and has 3 other partitions every ten feet ( so I have (6) 10' X 6' "wood racks" that I stack my wood in.) I stack loosely and alternate to allow air flow to dry. sometimes, during dry weather i simply dump the bucket outside the rack and let it dry in the sun and wind for a week or so before I stack
This method works for an old guy like me. Easy on the back .......Leave all the branches, wood chips, and punky pieces in the woods......or you can pile it up in a clear space and have a big night time bonfire. Yee Haw

 

[aczlan]

We have a bunch of downed stuff that I burn, so I have been cutting and splitting in the woods, then bringing the split wood to where it gets stacked. Less work on my part if I don't have to handle rounds twice (loading and splitting).
If I could get a decent supply of pallets and a set of 3 point pallet forks, I would make pallet "crates" to store/stack the wood in so that I only had to touch it three times. Once when I cut/split it, once when I unload it into the house and once when I burn it.
Little stuff (under ~3") gets dragged out to the bonfire pile and burned when we have family together.

Aaron Z

 

[Baby Grand]

The pallet system works for me. If you stack it carefully you don't need crates. I haul logs to "central receiving" area where they cure on cross logs for a year. They get cut up, split & stacked on pallets at the same location & moved a short distance to sit in the sun for a few more months until it's time to bring a pallet or two over to the house to load the stove.



Having 3 point forks is key for me as I can lift a lot of weight and the TNT allows me to get the forks into the pallets easily and to shift the load as required by the route I take.

 

[aczlan]

The pallet system works for me. If you stack it carefully you don't need crates. I haul logs to "central receiving" area where they cure on cross logs for a year. They get cut up, split & stacked on pallets at the same location & moved a short distance to sit in the sun for a few more months until it's time to bring a pallet or two over to the house to load the stove.

View attachment 362793

Having 3 point forks is key for me as I can lift a lot of weight and the TNT allows me to get the forks into the pallets easily and to shift the load as required by the route I take.

Getting from the woods to the house is a pretty bumpy ride, so I would probbaly at least need to wrap the piles with shrinkwrap. We have a bunch of metal "no climb" mesh fence, so I might just staple that to the pallet...

Aaron Z

 

[Baby Grand]

Getting from the woods to the house is a pretty bumpy ride, so I would probbaly at least need to wrap the piles with shrinkwrap. We have a bunch of metal "no climb" mesh fence, so I might just staple that to the pallet...

Aaron Z

Now that's thinking! A "corset" made of wire fence and bungees might keep the load held together, too.

 

[Cromberg]

What I'm hearing here is that every personal situation; slope of the terrain, equipment available, accessibility to the fall area, etc. is unique, but I also see common themes. I agree that handling (moving) the wood only once or twice should be the uppermost thought in whatever plan is eventually employed. I really like the idea of creating a "bin" from a palette so that moving the wood can be done by equipment, but that also takes a palette fork or similar rigging, to accomplish. I am personally spoiled, in that I have a thumb on my backhoe and a 4 in 1 front bucket, as well as a 5 x 10 dump trailer. I'm able to cut the tree into 8 foot lengths, pick those up with either thumb or front loader, depending on access, and move the 8's to a flat bucking-splitting area to process and season. After seasoning, I split the rounds and throw into the nearby dump trailer. When I decide where the wood will eventually be stored and accessed for burning, I dump and stack the wood at that locale. The other major advantage I have is that, although my 10 acres is sloped, it is located in an area that was logged heavily back in the 30's and 40's so there's old "skid" roads over much of the property. They're so old that they blend in well with the surrounding environment and don't look like "roads", but still provide me with wonderful access to almost any location on the property. I would suggest that if you think you'll be logging in an area frequently in the future, and you have the equipment to do it, you make a narrow "road" to access that area. I know that's a lot of work, but it sure makes future access a lot easier. One other consideration is to always fall the tree toward an accessible area IF you have a choice. That also makes it easier to move slash piles to burn areas, if you do that kind of thing. I know it's another expense, but my dump trailer, for the money, is the single most useful piece of equipment I own. It can haul dirt, wood and slash and can spread material for road maintenance, etc. I was surprised at how many uses I found for it, once I bought it.

 

[Jim L]

I usually haul my wood with my 57 600 ford tractor. Does what I need for it to do.

 

[Mgrubb47122]

Well, I mainly cut firewood just to keep my little 5 acre lot clear and have a couple ricks to burn in our fireplace each winter. I usually sell any excess. The emerald ash borer has devastated our ash trees, so I have had plenty of extras these last couple of years. It's exercise and an excuse to play in the woods with my tractors for me. I use my trusty-dusty Wheelhorse and homemade box trailer to get in and out of the walking trails. For larger trees, I go in with the cub loboy and the 8' trailer or the old ton dump truck. I also have a carryall with a big metal box I can get a half rick in - whatever I want to play with that day. I like sawing at the site because I don't have a big pile of knots, ends, and sawdust in the barn lot that way. We did cut some logs on our farm this fall and I used the 3010 Deere and loader to lift logs on our 14' flatbed trailer and unload them in the barn lot. We had to get them while the ground was frozen, as it has been quite wet this year. That is more handling, but I had firewood I could get to and sell when everyone was running out this winter. - LuggHandles -