Harvesting firewood

[NS Gearhead]

Hmm, now what?! LOL


There we go!


Nothing better then blocking wood up off the ground!


This was a big guy. Oval at the base, but 18" the long way.


Had to work at it but got it down


You know it's big wood when


This is all in about a 50' circle. Taking 5 trees that were dead standing or semi-uprooted. I like to clean up after. Before I would have tried to burn the waste, but I'm fine with leaving piles now. |Provides a home for some critters.

 

[XMS]

Nice.

I usually drag them down and out using a tow chain. My brother uses a winch, which I could use. But so far the loader has been my friend. It gets a lot done.

I like to save a pine for the last day, then drag the crown back over my roads to level them out and clear the leaves. Think "really big broom".

 

[Dr_Zinj]

I hate dropping a tree into a hangup. It offends my sense of order.
Just finished taking down a partial blow over. Cutting the root ball off was the easy part as I just had to throw a log under the trunk for support, and keep an eye on the trunk to see if it was going to slide or not (it didn't, resting on another cut trunk a little farther up the slope.) The tough part was where the trunk split in two about 12 feet up and on both sides of another tree I didn't want to take down because it's a relatively uncommon choke cherry, and trying to drop it would have put me right under the leaner. Ended up having to use the FEL as a platform to stand on while I nibbled one side away so the rest of the tree came down on the other side.

 

[Dr_Zinj]

I hate dropping a tree into a hangup. It offends my sense of order.
Just finished taking down a partial blow over. Cutting the root ball off was the easy part as I just had to throw a log under the trunk for support, and keep an eye on the trunk to see if it was going to slide or not (it didn't, resting on another cut trunk a little farther up the slope.) The tough part was where the trunk split in two about 12 feet up and on both sides of another tree I didn't want to take down because it's a relatively uncommon choke cherry, and trying to drop it would have put me right under the leaner. Ended up having to use the FEL as a platform to stand on while I nibbled one side away so the rest of the tree came down on the other side. I hate situations where I have to put on a safety harness, but not as much as I hate falling and hitting the cold hard ground with breakable body parts.

 

[MAN IN BLACK]

Hardwood makes much better firewood and produce much more heat.
I cut soft wood mainly for camping wood.
I use a skidding winch on the tractor pto...works very well.

 

[NS Gearhead]

Skidding is hard on the (saw's) chain... I'd rather just block it on site and move with the trailer. ****, I'd split it right away too if I was doing a smaller amount... but this is go time for 2-3 chord. It's just for the pool heater. I've got a good mix of birch, maple, pine, spruce and fir.

 

[NS Gearhead]

Just did some calculating; the trailer holds 1/10th of a chord. Neat way to keep track of how much I'm making. I've taken 6 loads out of that one spot between yesterday and today... and probably will be another 4.

Oh, about that strap I was using; it's a recovery strap I have left from my Jeeping days. I used it as it's easier on the bike when you reach the end. LOL I suppose I could have anchored the bike and used the winch.

 

[Avondale]

Nice pictures, thanks for sharing. I do lots of wood, house and sugar shack keeps me busy. Been doing it quite awhile yet I still manage to have one or two go wrong. Getting them unstuck is actually a challenge I enjoy, (once I am done kicking my *ss). I have an ATV, UTV and a Tractor, needed all of them at one time or another.

 

[motownbrowne]

Buying a used Farmi winch was the best thing that's ever happened to my firewood program. The ability to hook it to a choker wrapped around a hung up tree and pull the log to the ground, or even all the way to the tractor is incredible. And I can do it from a comfortable distance of up to 165'.

I love making firewood, and this tool has made it much safer, faster, and more enjoyable.

 

[NS Gearhead]

Nice pictures, thanks for sharing. I do lots of wood, house and sugar shack keeps me busy. Been doing it quite awhile yet I still manage to have one or two go wrong. Getting them unstuck is actually a challenge I enjoy, (once I am done kicking my *ss). I have an ATV, UTV and a Tractor, needed all of them at one time or another.

Yeah I just wasted a chainsaw bar the other day. Bound up in a semi-uprooted tree that was holding up three others. I decided to pull the first tree down with the wheeler and strap to be safe. When I came back the bar was dented and 2" off straight. I managed to get it .5" off over the 18" and used it like that for 3 days before my other came in.

I know what you mean about the challenge. It's the same thing as when I was jeeping. No one likes to get stuck, but the challenge of a safe recovery is fun. I got pretty good at it. Others would come to me, or step aside when I'd come to help. Felt good for the old ego. LOL

I realize I have a need for a tractor, but I had to decide between that and a fourwheeler this passed spring. I wanted something to have fun and work with... and a SXS was gonna be a little too much money. Actually, I had to choose between a fourwheeler with tracks, or a Ranger without. I think I made the right choice. I hope to build a hard cab for it sometime... and maybe a front mount snowblower.