Tractors and wood! Show your pics

[Oldpath05]

The new Mahindra 5035 got its first load onto the carryall today. Did it with ease as you would expect. Am sure that my wife will be even more impressed by the effectiveness of the magic wood fairies who restock the stack at the back door. Spied a stack of second hand shipping pallets at her work the other day so that will be the next project transitioning future wood stacks to palletised loads. Especially now we have forks.View attachment 430295
hope I got the attachment right.
Cheers, B.R

I didn't think it got cold enough to burn firewood down under, or is it for making flapjacks on the good old fashion wood fired cook stove

 

[FentonFarmer]

Oldpath05, I was going to leap to defend just how cold it got here until I see your from Maine and I figured "I've got nothing to offer about cold". We have a quite bearable top of 9° (48.2f) today with an overnight low of 3°(37.4f). Here in the lowlands we don't get any of the lovely snow and ice you all have. I know the novelty wears off for those of you dealing with it every winter but from an El Nino affected winter here it looks like a nice change.
We burn through a fair bit of wood each year as the old farmhouse has lots of gaps, drafts and inefficient but lovely character. Hopefully all the wood collection and tree moving will be a bit easier now the new tractor has arrived.
I don't think our slow combustion heater runs hot enough to cook a flap jack, but mums out so kids let's try a project.
Be good,
B.R.

 

[Baby Grand]

Oldpath05, I was going to leap to defend just how cold it got here until I see your from Maine and I figured "I've got nothing to offer about cold". We have a quite bearable top of 9° (48.2f) today with an overnight low of 3°(37.4f). Here in the lowlands we don't get any of the lovely snow and ice you all have. I know the novelty wears off for those of you dealing with it every winter but from an El Nino affected winter here it looks like a nice change.
We burn through a fair bit of wood each year as the old farmhouse has lots of gaps, drafts and inefficient but lovely character. Hopefully all the wood collection and tree moving will be a bit easier now the new tractor has arrived.
I don't think our slow combustion heater runs hot enough to cook a flap jack, but mums out so kids let's try a project.
Be good,
B.R.

Don't forget the blueberries!

 

[Baby Grand]

Oldpath05, I was going to leap to defend just how cold it got here until I see your from Maine and I figured "I've got nothing to offer about cold". We have a quite bearable top of 9ｰ (48.2f) today with an overnight low of 3ｰ(37.4f). Here in the lowlands we don't get any of the lovely snow and ice you all have. I know the novelty wears off for those of you dealing with it every winter but from an El Nino affected winter here it looks like a nice change.
We burn through a fair bit of wood each year as the old farmhouse has lots of gaps, drafts and inefficient but lovely character. Hopefully all the wood collection and tree moving will be a bit easier now the new tractor has arrived.
I don't think our slow combustion heater runs hot enough to cook a flap jack, but mums out so kids let's try a project.
Be good,
B.R.

Don't forget the blueberries!

 

[Oldpath05]

Oldpath05, I was going to leap to defend just how cold it got here until I see your from Maine and I figured "I've got nothing to offer about cold". We have a quite bearable top of 9° (48.2f) today with an overnight low of 3°(37.4f). Here in the lowlands we don't get any of the lovely snow and ice you all have. I know the novelty wears off for those of you dealing with it every winter but from an El Nino affected winter here it looks like a nice change.
We burn through a fair bit of wood each year as the old farmhouse has lots of gaps, drafts and inefficient but lovely character. Hopefully all the wood collection and tree moving will be a bit easier now the new tractor has arrived.
I don't think our slow combustion heater runs hot enough to cook a flap jack, but mums out so kids let's try a project.
Be good,
B.R.

I can only imagine a place with no snow and ice, just think of all the fun you and your new tractor will be missing, putting tire chains on, snow plowing, cutting firewood on a Sat. afternoon with the sun gleaming off the snow, it's just awesome, until the tire chain comes off the tractor or the chainsaw chain comes off, plowing snow with open cab and it's 0 degrees F, with the wind blowing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dInPWZuyGAU

 

[Oldpath05]

Oldpath05, I was going to leap to defend just how cold it got here until I see your from Maine and I figured "I've got nothing to offer about cold". We have a quite bearable top of 9ｰ (48.2f) today with an overnight low of 3ｰ(37.4f). Here in the lowlands we don't get any of the lovely snow and ice you all have. I know the novelty wears off for those of you dealing with it every winter but from an El Nino affected winter here it looks like a nice change.
We burn through a fair bit of wood each year as the old farmhouse has lots of gaps, drafts and inefficient but lovely character. Hopefully all the wood collection and tree moving will be a bit easier now the new tractor has arrived.
I don't think our slow combustion heater runs hot enough to cook a flap jack, but mums out so kids let's try a project.
Be good,
B.R.

I can only imagine a place with no snow and ice, just think of all the fun you and your new tractor will be missing, putting tire chains on, snow plowing, cutting firewood on a Sat. afternoon with the sun gleaming off the snow, it's just awesome, until the tire chain comes off the tractor or the chainsaw chain comes off, plowing snow with open cab and it's 0 degrees F, with the wind blowing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dInPWZuyGAU

 

[square1]

Having to go deeper and deeper into the woods so I made up this narrow, long, and high (34" wide x 8' long bed with 48" high end walls) to bring 2/3 cord at a time out to the road. Only loaded it part way on it's maiden trip this morning because I wanted to be sure the tractor could handle the weight up and down the hills. It did. I'll load it up all the way on the next trip. MY saw box will fit in front of the front rack, but that makes it even more tricky maneuvering in the woods.

 

[Sterff]

Hauled home some wood in the rain Saturday, and stacked it in my new little wood shed today. About 2-3 more loads and it should be full. Also my new mesh tarp worked well for the trailer.

 

[Creamer]

Hauled home some wood in the rain Saturday, and stacked it in my new little wood shed today. About 2-3 more loads and it should be full. Also my new mesh tarp worked well for the trailer.

That is just way to neat for a woodpile!

 

[Sterff]

That is just way to neat for a woodpile!

Thanks! I just built it within the last month. If I was to do it again, I would add two more vertical posts, so the side boards don't bow out.

 

[Parkanzky]

I haven't ordered yet, but I found them here:

Ventilated Super Sack ｮ Containers

I can get the non-ventilated bags free from one of our plants, so I'm going to grab a bunch and play with them to see what I think.

Here's an update on this.

I grabbed some bags from our plant. They have a chute on the top and a chute on the bottom, with string closures at both ends. The bottom string closure has a quick-release clasp. There's a flap on the bottom so that you can tie the chute closed and then cinch up another string to close the flap. That one also has a quick-release on it. These contained food-grade material, so there was also an inner plastic bag. I just pulled those out and tossed them.

The chutes are useless for firewood, so I closed everything up at the bottom. At the top, I cut around three sides at the edges of the cube to make a big flap:

Firewood Sacks by parkanzky

Then just fill them up. I don't fill them to the very top so that there is extra material to close them off with:

Firewood Sacks by parkanzky

And set them on a pallet:

Firewood Sacks by parkanzky

Then, I pulled all four lift straps together and through the top chute. Then I tie the top chute tight around them. Now I can move them around with the tractor.

So far I'm really happy. I will be able to split and toss the wood right into a sack, then I can move my split wood around anytime I want to. When I want to give a load to a friend, I just set the pallet in my truck or on my trailer and away I go.

We've had a few heavy rains and there is no evidence of water in any of the sacks, so my closure system seems to be working.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Seems to me, if they aren't letting any water in, then they aren't letting any water out either... That means you aren't going to have that all "important" well seasoned firewood, when it's time to burn it.

At least, you won't unless you put "older seasoned" firewood in the bags in the first place.

SR

 

[Parkanzky]

Seems to me, if they aren't letting any water in, then they aren't letting any water out either... That means you aren't going to have that all "important" well seasoned firewood, when it's time to burn it.

At least, you won't unless you put "older seasoned" firewood in the bags in the first place.

SR

I don't think so. The tops are nowhere near air-tight and the wood is tossed in at random. I think they'll act as greenhouses. The sun will heat them, the water vapor will escape through the top of the bag, but rain will roll off the top and not get in.

Time will tell.

 

[KiwiBro]

Far too much of the water vapour does not make it to the top of the bag where it can escape. Instead, it condenses on the sides or adjacent wood. Unless you have a long time to wait, the closer you get to the bottom of the bag the less dry the wood will be and in some cases the wood at the bottom will seldom ever be well seasoned no matter how long you leave it.

At the very least, some vent/drainage holes at the bottom, will help immensely. You might be surprised how many and how big these can be without reducing the strength of the bag below suitable levels.

If you can open the tops in periods of dry weather, that'll help also.

I've often wondered if a largish clicker press capable of punching holes all over the bag, excluding the seams, would be a good compromise between these bags which can be had for cheap and the relatively expensive vented material bags.

 

[Parkanzky]

Far too much of the water vapour does not make it to the top of the bag where it can escape. Instead, it condenses on the sides or adjacent wood. Unless you have a long time to wait, the closer you get to the bottom of the bag the less dry the wood will be and in some cases the wood at the bottom will seldom ever be well seasoned no matter how long you leave it.

At the very least, some vent/drainage holes at the bottom, will help immensely. You might be surprised how many and how big these can be without reducing the strength of the bag below suitable levels.

If you can open the tops in periods of dry weather, that'll help also.

I've often wondered if a largish clicker press capable of punching holes all over the bag, excluding the seams, would be a good compromise between these bags which can be had for cheap and the relatively expensive vented material bags.

These bags hold an impressive amount of weight when they're intact. As soon as you compromise a panel, they lose all their structural integrity. You can put something like 3000# in one and it will hold it, but a 1/4" slit with a box cutter and the side will immediately blow out.

 

[KiwiBro]

These bags hold an impressive amount of weight when they're intact. As soon as you compromise a panel, they lose all their structural integrity. You can put something like 3000# in one and it will hold it, but a 1/4" slit with a box cutter and the side will immediately blow out.

Must be made of different material to the FIBC's we see here, because a slit doesn't seem to get any bigger under load. At least not until after a few fill, carry, stack, store, unload rotations. In fact, here, we can cut gaping big holes in them that the firewood will bridge unless big enough.

Good luck seasoning the wood as you propose. You are far more patient than I.

 

[s219]

Parkanzky, if that is fresh sawn/split, you're asking for trouble, either mold or at the very least, greatly slowed seasoning. At that phase in the firewood's life, rain is not a real concern -- the moisture inside the wood is the main problem.

I don't even like to cover the top of my firewood stacks until just before the wood is due for burning. For the 1.5 years before that while it seasons, I leave it open on all sides. Airflow has a huge impact on drying/seasoning wood, and that goes for firewood as well as sawn lumber and boards -- there's a good reason we sticker and stack sawn boards and then allow them to get airflow on all sides.

 

[KiwiBro]

Parkanzky, if that is fresh sawn/split, you're asking for trouble, either mold or at the very least, greatly slowed seasoning. At that phase in the firewood's life, rain is not a real concern -- the moisture inside the wood is the main problem.

By no means a terribly scientific experiment but I tested a bag of green, split firewood placed in a river, against green split wood from the same tree left to season in both non and partially, vented bags. Which do you think seasoned faster? Yeap, the one from the river. It was an 'old wives tale' the old-timers mentioned.

Not entirely sure if an accurate projection to all or any other timbers can be made, and can only guess at the mechanism that allowed for this, but it seems like the water helped dilute the woods natural oils and with these thus diluted, they could evaporate faster when the bag was removed to dry alongside the 'control' bags. I dunno if that is even remotely why, but I do know it worked as the old-timers said.

 

[terryknight]

who likes big wood



posted this log a couple months ago. well it dried enough that i could lift it. so we moved it, the case 580E has a lot more grunt than my little 5055E

 

[Creamer]

I am looking at those squashed front tires on the 5055 and agree - it is a little heavy for that tractor. Nice log!