Logistics of firewood hauling and splitting?

[Gordon Gould]

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?

Good job :thumbsup:

I guess I would use choker chains. Don't know what you have against them. Get the ones with the steel rods on the ends to push under the log for easy starting. 5/16" would be plenty for what you discribe or 3/8" if you like. Weld grab hooks to your box blade or (preferably to me) use a cross draw bar with two or three tractor hooks and loaded tires. You can grab two chains in one tractor hook.

As a side note it seems amazing that a 10 year old blow down is burnable.
Hardwood that hits the ground up here rots pretty quick. You are lucky.

You got the work done and thats what counts the most. From the looks of the terain you have to work on you would find a winch and a couple snatch blocks invaluable.

 

[Verticaltrx]

Good job :thumbsup:

I guess I would use choker chains. Don't know what you have against them. Get the ones with the steel rods on the ends to push under the log for easy starting. 5/16" would be plenty for what you discribe or 3/8" if you like. Weld grab hooks to your box blade or (preferably to me) use a cross draw bar with two or three tractor hooks and loaded tires. You can grab two chains in one tractor hook.

As a side note it seems amazing that a 10 year old blow down is burnable.
Hardwood that hits the ground up here rots pretty quick. You are lucky.

You got the work done and thats what counts the most. From the looks of the terain you have to work on you would find a winch and a couple snatch blocks invaluable.

I guess choker chains would work, I just find the cable so easy to work with and quick to hook/unhook. The other thing I really like about the cable is once you hook the ferrule in the slide it rarely comes undone. With chains about half the time once I get back on the tractor and lift it up the chain has come unhooked.

As for the wood, most of this is locust, and it can be down for 20, 30, even 40yrs before it rots. Most of the wood we cut yesterday was ready to go right in the stove. The oak wasn't as good, only about 40% of it was usable.

I agree a logging winch would be a great investment, but right now there are several other big ticket implements ahead of it on my list (post driver, back hoe, hydraulic front blade, etc)

 

[Gordon Gould]

I guess choker chains would work, I just find the cable so easy to work with and quick to hook/unhook. The other thing I really like about the cable is once you hook the ferrule in the slide it rarely comes undone. With chains about half the time once I get back on the tractor and lift it up the chain has come unhooked.

As for the wood, most of this is locust, and it can be down for 20, 30, even 40yrs before it rots. Most of the wood we cut yesterday was ready to go right in the stove. The oak wasn't as good, only about 40% of it was usable.

I agree a logging winch would be a great investment, but right now there are several other big ticket implements ahead of it on my list (post driver, back hoe, hydraulic front blade, etc)

I understand what you are saying about chokers. But I think you will find that the longer you use them the less often they will unhook themselves. You just learn instinctively somehow how to set them. I remember when I first started using them - haul the winch cable and choker 100' - hook up to a log - come back to tractor and start winching - log doesn't move, just the tinkling sound of an empty choker - @#$%& !! - hardly ever happens any more.

Locust sounds like an interesting wood. I have never seen one.

I hear you on the winch vs other stuff. They are hard to justify. But remember, they will last a lifetime. If you spread that money over 20 years times the cords you use a year the price per cord might look better to you.

Have fun and work safe.

gg

 

[LD1]

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

 

[Chilly807]

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?

If you've seen the cam style fence stretchers, a larger version of that would let you grip the cable. Whether it would damage the cable or not is another question.

Sean

 

[Boulter]

Hi:

I have two open sided sheds that each hold two cords. I have another two spots that each hold two cords without any roof structure. I have a closed side shed behind the house that holds 5 or 6 cords.

I have a tractor with FEL, and my buddy made a trailer that attches to the 3PH.

I split by hand with sledge and wedges.

About 90% of what I cut is under 8 or 9 inches diameter.

I consider the firewood process as my annual gym membership, so outright best efficiency is not that important. I spread the work out throughout the 3 cololer seasons. I agree with the sentiment of not doing this kind of work in the summer. Or bug season!

My buddy and I cut in the fall - spring timeframe as time and ground conditions allow. If the snow is too deep, we leave it for another time. However, we do like a little snow as it keeps the junk out of the bark. We fall and buck where the tree lands, and leave it there for the spring.

In the spring, I load up an empty pallet cube on the FEL forks, and the 3PH trailer and go pick up the material. With the trailer on the 3PH, I back up to the material so I can drive out forwards, and then lower the trailer on to it's wheels. I cannot lift a loaded trailer on the 3PH, but it is great for backing up as I don't have a trailer to try and steer in reverse. I learned early on that trying to turn with a pallet of firewood on the FEL just didn't work well. The pallet gets anything under 4 or 5 inches, the trailer gets the stuff that needs splitting.

Up at the house, I split in half anything big to assist with drying, and stack in my four 2 cord areas. The skids are left out in the sun with no further work needed.

In the fall, I move with a hand garden cart 5 or so cords to the shed behind the house. The wood is tossed through a hole in the wall and stacked. The tractor is of no use here as it would not get as close to the hole as the hand cart.

I finish split on an ongoing basis as I toss wood into the house through the access door. This spreads out the exercise, and it is easier to pick up and move, and stack, few large pieces that many small pieces.

The pallets are perhaps moved closer to the workshop for use there, but they aren't that far away anyhow.

In the future, the behind the house shed will need a rebuild. I would ultimately like to move to 100% pallet system, but I need some way of generating the pallet cubes without it costing $150 each. I'd need 3 or 4 dozen of them to hold two year's worth of wood. I should probably rig up a removable cover system for the skids too, as it seems to rain every third or fourth day all summer these years.

Boulter

 

[Chilly807]

Good job :thumbsup:

I guess I would use choker chains. Don't know what you have against them. Get the ones with the steel rods on the ends to push under the log for easy starting. 5/16" would be plenty for what you discribe or 3/8" if you like. Weld grab hooks to your box blade or (preferably to me) use a cross draw bar with two or three tractor hooks and loaded tires. You can grab two chains in one tractor hook.

As a side note it seems amazing that a 10 year old blow down is burnable.
Hardwood that hits the ground up here rots pretty quick. You are lucky.

You got the work done and thats what counts the most. From the looks of the terain you have to work on you would find a winch and a couple snatch blocks invaluable.

I made my own chokers, a 2 inch gr70 ring, some 1/4 inch gr70 chain, and a "feather" made from 12 inches of 3/8 round stock welded to the last link of chain. I'd recommend using at least 6 feet of chain per choker, and an eight-footer wouldn't go astray either.

Sean

 

[Gordon Gould]

I made my own chokers, a 2 inch gr70 ring, some 1/4 inch gr70 chain, and a "feather" made from 12 inches of 3/8 round stock welded to the last link of chain. I'd recommend using at least 6 feet of chain per choker, and an eight-footer wouldn't go astray either.

Sean

Smart - with the ring they won't come undone and not all that much harder to work with.

 

[Chilly807]

Once in a while one will slip off, usually if there's not much weight on them. I'd recommend going heavy with the rings, I've bent them before. I split and re-welded the last link to get the ring through, I think now I'd just weld the ring to the last link.

I think the feather was the best addition, I used to hate digging the snow or mud out from under a log then trying to snake the chain through. Wet gloves and cold fingers..

Sean

 

[Verticaltrx]

I made my own chokers, a 2 inch gr70 ring, some 1/4 inch gr70 chain, and a "feather" made from 12 inches of 3/8 round stock welded to the last link of chain. I'd recommend using at least 6 feet of chain per choker, and an eight-footer wouldn't go astray either.

Sean

That is an excellent idea, I might have to make a couple of those rigs up.