Logistics of firewood hauling and splitting?

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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.

You also have some superlative tractors.

[Chilly807]

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.

Yes, they're a set of Maxxis that I got out of the dumpster at an ATV dealership. You really don't want good tread on these, it needs to be able to skid sideways when the deflectors in front of the wheel (see pics) hit a tree, otherwise everything comes to a STOP. This is what happened before I added the deflectors. You can scoot right along with the log tip dragging in snow.

I used stub axles from a Dodge Spirit, I think, and old lawn tractor rims. Cheaper than ATV rims.

The tires work well for the arch, I run about 10-15 psi in them when I bother to check. No problem carrying the log weight. The trouble with car tires is they have little flotation ability over soft ground, and they're heavy.

If you up-scale the arch to a tractor pulled unit, I'd recommend going with worn-out forestry tires. If you can find some that still hold air. A walking beam suspension will work well too under heavier log weights.

Sean

[Gordon Gould]

needs to be able to skid sideways when the deflectors in front of the wheel (see pics) hit a tree, otherwise everything comes to a STOP. This is what happened before I added the deflectors. You can scoot right along with the log tip dragging in snow.

Sean

Chilly I have to say thank you. This is off subject but I have a trail mower I pull behind the ATV. Every once in a while I pull a tire off when the out rigger wheel hangs up on something and I give it a little gas . I saw those pipes welded on your arch and wondered what they were for - DUH. But now I know. I am going to put some deflectors like that on my mower. THANKS

gg

[MNBobcat]

Chilly I have to say thank you. This is off subject but I have a trail mower I pull behind the ATV. Every once in a while I pull a tire off when the out rigger wheel hangs up on something and I give it a little gas . I saw those pipes welded on your arch and wondered what they were for - DUH. But now I know. I am going to put some deflectors like that on my mower. THANKS

gg

GG,

Google "swisher" and look at their trailer mower. They have flat steel that extends out in front of the tires and when you hit something the mower will slide sideways rather than hang up on the wheel. It would be easy for you to add.

[Dead Horse]

You also have some superlative tractors.

Yep, couldn't manage the farm without the "boys"........

[PapaPerk]

My method.

1. Cut tree into 12 foot lengths
2. Skid logs to log stack
3. Cut logs into 18" sections.
4. Load logs onto pallet
5. Lift pallet with tractor.
6. Pick log and split. Split log falls onto "splitter table" (pallet with legs)
7. Pick split wood up and stack.

The splitter table is located next to the wood pile. And I move it accordingly... to a new area, etc.

The above method works great for me. I do all work myself and this is a very efficent set-up. The goal is to eliminate lifting of logs off the ground manuallly... and double handling.

Good luck!

[Gordon Gould]

GG,

Google "swisher" and look at their trailer mower. They have flat steel that extends out in front of the tires and when you hit something the mower will slide sideways rather than hang up on the wheel. It would be easy for you to add.

Another THANK YOU !

[Chilly807]

Yep, I used to get up close and personal with the handlebars when the arch wheels hooked into a tree at about 10 miles an hour.

With the pipes welded on each side all you have to do is keep the front wheels out of the trees and keep the gas to 'er.

Sean

[Verticaltrx]

Well, I figured I should give everyone an update since we did a little wood cutting yesterday (sorry, no pics).

My father came down to get 3 pickup loads of wood for his boiler, got it cut and loaded in a few hours.

The area we were working in was a pretty steep hillside where a blow down had occurred about 10yrs ago. Most of the trees were locust or oak, with the biggest being only about 15" dia. EVERYTHING was covered in briers, multi flora rose, grape vines, etc. Used the tooth bar on the loader to push back the vines, etc and get to the logs. Cut logs into manageable lengths and skidded them out with my B3200 with a box blade on the back. I would hook up the choker cable and skid them back to a landing where my father and brother would unhook the logs, buck them up and stack the wood in the trucks.

Worked out pretty well and the new R1 tires I put on this little tractor really impressed me again. I was able to skid much bigger logs than I was before with the R4s, traction was incredible. I would back up the hill, hook up and pull to the bottom, then out the skid trail about another 150yds to the landing. Most trips I would pull 2-3 8" logs about 15-20' long. If I could get them out of the mess I would pull out whole locust trees about 40-50' long (they were very tall/straight with few branches.)

This method really seemed about the best so I'm going to try to refine it a little. I have a 3pt 'arch' that I made but found it's usefulness limited. The box blade was better because it gave me a blade on the back to push with if I get in a tight spot. Also added ballast which helped with traction. So, I'm thinking either add some hooks to the top of my box blade for pulling with or build some sort of skidding attachments with a blade on it (like a 3pt winch without the winch).

My dilemma is that I really prefer using choker cables over chains, and it's tough to get them the right length as every load is different. You can't just hook the end of the cable to the tractor at any length like you could with a chain. Right now I'm using a 3/8" 12' Cat choker, but would like some sort of setup to 'grab' the choker at the tractor end giving me unlimited adjustability. Thoughts?

[CBeal34]

I cut 10-12 cord per year and have most of it delivered to my wood yard, usually tree length. This is my first year with a tractor so I'm anxious to supplement my supply by skidding some out once things freeze up.
My method is to cut a trailer load at a time off the pile. As it comes off the splitter, I throw it in the trailer and haul it off to be stacked. I got tired of using tarps and all that goes along with them so I built a woodshed this fall. I knew last winter I was building it so I just threw the wood in a pile and had to handle it one extra time. Others much wiser than me feel you shouldn't stack it right away for proper drying so I'll try that this winter.