Logistics of firewood hauling and splitting?

[nebraskasparks]

We use tractor and hay wagon. Go to wood source nearby or on property, cut appropriate sized lengths for hay wagon. Haul back to our old wire corn crib, chain saw and split near the home place. The day they design a machine that does it all...the inventor will never have to split wood again:laughing:

 

[arrow]

I really don't think its a one size fits all would work for everyone. It really depends on how much your burn, how much you need now, where is the wood and what equipment you have and the time of the year.

QUOTE]

This is the dead on answer. Let's take the op's situation. His tractor is on the smallish side. For his distance, it would be best to forward the stems. Can his tractor place a 1000# stem onto a trailer? If not, then cut the stem to size that it would lift. Forward stems to landing. Split where you are also planning to stack the wood. If no trailer, you'll need an arch to take out as much tree as possible in one shot. You'll need forks or grapple or something to take the stem to the splitter. Buck up the stem while on the tractor bucket. The last cut you'll dump the round off the bucket so you can cut it in half. Split and stack at the same point. Stacking in a single row allows the wood to dry the fastest and even red oak will only take a year. Do not cover the wood at all until the last month before you plan to use it. The wood is relatively clean. You've handled the wood 3 times. Split and stack, bring to the stove. Time of year example for North East locale: Oct-November: cut up stems from previous year, split and stack. Dec- Feb: skid or forward stems (ground is frozen or coated with snow making skidding easier) A trailer or arch mitigates stem hauling/climate as stems barely or not at all touch the ground.

 

[Dead Horse]

Arrow, I start as early as April and aim to have the bulk of the work done by mid August (when it is time to mow the orchard). Once the orchard is cut, any more firewood work I do is "playing around".

Also, some trees (stems) DO NOT get better laying over the winter uncut or split. For example, come late spring, birch and poplar "stems" are just as wet after sitting all winter as the day they were felled the previous fall. Best to buck and split them asap, as the only way they will dry out is if you get the bark off of them.

Now beech, and other "thin" barked trees (maple), yes, aging "stems" over the winter does do them some good. I cut spars as often as possible anyway, and even birch spars are wet to the saw.......

I am in the NH White mountains.

 

[crazyal]

Thanks!

I do have a trailer for mine, long tongue to tow behind the arch & help in lifting end of log. ~~ grnspot110

That's what I was thinking of. It would be nice to have the log under it and winch the log up to it instead of lifting the log to get the support under the log.

 

[crazyal]

We use the logging arch behind the ATV to haul out to a spot the tractor can get to when it's thick going, then the skidding frame on the back of the tractor gets us the rest of the way to the woodpile. We normally only cut during winter, so ground is frozen and snow helps.

Sean

Are those ATV tires? If so how well do they handle the weight of the logs? I was thinking of using the rear axle/ wheels of a front wheel drive car.

 

[arrow]

Arrow, I start as early as April and aim to have the bulk of the work done by mid August (when it is time to mow the orchard). Once the orchard is cut, any more firewood work I do is "playing around".

Also, some trees (stems) DO NOT get better laying over the winter uncut or split. For example, come late spring, birch and poplar "stems" are just as wet after sitting all winter as the day they were felled the previous fall. Best to buck and split them asap, as the only way they will dry out is if you get the bark off of them.

Now beech, and other "thin" barked trees (maple), yes, aging "stems" over the winter does do them some good. I cut spars as often as possible anyway, and even birch spars are wet to the saw.......

I am in the NH White mountains.

We've hiked a bit up there doing the Presidential Ridge. You start your wood game pretty early in the year. If wood is supposed to warm you twice its unfortunate that wood prep can't give out air conditioning when cut in the summer. When I logged professionally and in the summer (basically through out the year) there was no greater **** for me than doing logging in the July-August time frame. After I retired some 20 years ago, I vowed never to deal with wood again in the summer and I never have since.

 

[magicheater]

After I retired some 20 years ago, I vowed never to deal with wood again in the summer and I never have since.

AMEN!

 

[rustyrigs]

Truck mount your splitter! It would make a neat underbelly roll out are detachable component design if you wanted you can cut split, and stack A big log and want have to take the tractor?..

 

[SpringHollow]

i replaced my gas engine on the splitter with a 5 hp electric motor and a higher volume pump - 24 ton splitter. Works great, faster than the gas engine, and cheap to run. No fumes either to breathe.

If small enough that it does not need splitting, i cut to 2 - 3' in the woods (boiler can take 5' long) and put it in the trailer. If the log is over 12" in diameter, then i load log lengths on the trailer (sides removed) and chunk and split at the boiler.

Ken

 

[Dead Horse]

We've hiked a bit up there doing the Presidential Ridge. You start your wood game pretty early in the year. If wood is supposed to warm you twice its unfortunate that wood prep can't give out air conditioning when cut in the summer. When I logged professionally and in the summer (basically through out the year) there was no greater **** for me than doing logging in the July-August time frame. After I retired some 20 years ago, I vowed never to deal with wood again in the summer and I never have since.

Understood.

I am a retired corporate puke and I love the farm work, especially wood cutting......... so I do it when ever I can. It is a pleasant break from mowing, which I have learned to loath.....

The best part is it keeps my body in shape and my mind busy.