Wood Chipping

[oldballs]

It was 89 deg F and very humid today, but I put my new chipper to work on some pruned dead Cedar branches. If it wasn't so hot I'd would have finished the pile..........but ........."Hey" there is tomorrow.



Cheers,
Mike

 

[Gem99ultra]

oh gosh! I feel SO sorry for you, having to do all that work on such a horribly hot day. (NOT) And to think, you 'ONLY' have two nice, clean fine tractors to help you with, a fine wood chipper, and a nice manicured lawn to work in. I suspect that you also have a helper to drive the tractor with the cart and unload it?

That just BARELY beats working out in the woods among a forest of sticker vine infested trees, swatting the yellow jackets away, 95*, cut and drag the targets out to an opening, then run them through the chipper. All you have to do then is to drag the loaded cart out of the woods, and unload it by hand. Of course, there is still tomorrow. Surely there won't be any work tomorrow that has to be done right now?

 

[oosik]

So......nice pair of VERY clean tractors. Somebody has to have a great place to do a little work. Might, just as well, be you. What do you plan on doing with the saved chips? I chip around 900 small pines every spring. Thinning my stands of Ponderosa pines. I have great piles of chips all over my 80.

 

[oldballs]

Hey "Gem".....When you get to be 85 YO with no helpers, 85 deg and humidity will be a challenge. And that's why I leave some work to be done "tomorrow"......that is, I hope to be alive tomorrow to do it.:laughing:

And "Yes" oosik, deciding what to do with cart loads of chips leaves me scratching my head some days. Often times they are spread under a tree line canopy. But these Cedar chips are probably going into my garden paths.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[5030]

When you knives get dull and the chips start stringing, shoot me a PM. I sharpen chipper knives.

 

[EddieWalker]

That's a really nice set up that you have there.

 

[oosik]

I keep thinking - one of these days I will have all my stands of young pines thinned. They keep popping up - like rocks in my fields. I've had two Wallenstein chippers over the last fifteen years. I've never even had to reverse the blades. That's 800 - 900 small pines, every year, for fifteen years. I think it's because pine is so soft and there is never a speck of dirt on anything I chip. Most will be 2" to 4", on the butt. However, there are just enough of the 6" ones to make life interesting. I chip them within a week of felling and "in the round" ( no limbs trimmed ).

I NEVER use the chipper in the heat of the summer here. And during the summer we have almost zero humidity. There is always the coming fall or spring.

When I get done thinning - it looks like ten to twelve areas where somebody is playing the game - Pick-Up-Sticks. There are young pines lying is all direction and all over each other. The worse part - dragging all the trees out and into piles. The chipping part is fun.

 

[oldballs]

oosik

Your work is more demanding than mine and I agree with your above comments especially about cutting/dropping/stacking. My Kubotas are 19 HP at the PTO which is at the edge of capability for the 6 inch chipper. These dead and dry cedar limbs chip up real nice for garden paths.....nothing bigger than 4 inches are chipped.

I've got so I try to work year 'round. Sometimes saving things for Fall or Winter even Spring turns out not so good if we get early snow/rain/sleet and lots of it. But that cool weather makes it easier on the ole body. Falling large pine trees etc on wet ground......to just get 'er done....sure tears up the turf ....which rattles your teeth when mowing season come.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[Gem99ultra]

Hey "Gem".....When you get to be 85 YO with no helpers, 85 deg and humidity will be a challenge. And that's why I leave some work to be done "tomorrow"......that is, I hope to be alive tomorrow to do it.:laughing:

And "Yes" oosik, deciding what to do with cart loads of chips leaves me scratching my head some days. Often times they are spread under a tree line canopy. But these Cedar chips are probably going into my garden paths.

Cheers,
Mike

Right on Mike. At 85 y/o, 85* and no helpers, I feel that you're entitled to a few pleasures of life. Me? 'Only 78, 90*, and no helpers. So I have something to look forward to - IF I make it to 85.

I'm doing pretty much the same as you with the chipper. I'm using it to cover trails and pathways. Makes a great cushion, and eventually melts down back to nothing.

Life is good!

 

[oldballs]

Thanks Gem,

Chipped another cart load this morning, before I had enough.:laughing:



Cheers,
Mike