Tractors and wood! Show your pics

[motownbrowne]

That's my thoughts too...

Except, I think the home builds do LESS than 60% and because of their faults, don't get used much, once the "new-ness" wears off...

SR

Yeah, I was being generous.

 

[Creamer]

Just widen your rear wheels and put cable drums on the axles.

Bruce

View attachment 458758

How does that work? Are there clutches outside of the drums to keep the rear wheels planted while using the winch?

 

[bcp]

How does that work? Are there clutches outside of the drums to keep the rear wheels planted while using the winch?

I think this is the patent for it. I haven't taken the time to read through it.

Patent US2588721 - Power take-off device for wheeled tractors - Google Patents

Bruce

 

[Creamer]

I think this is the patent for it. I haven't taken the time to read through it.

Patent US2588721 - Power take-off device for wheeled tractors - Google Patents

Bruce

I see. that is what that angled bar is is sticking out from the fender on each side - a clutch lever to shift the power to the drums or the wheels.

 

[JohnMacca]

If you put up a video on youtube of cutting rings from a big dry gum tree out the back of your place I can guarantee someone will post a comment telling you to sharpen your chain.

I reckon you're right :laughing:

I was thinking I should have taken some pics when I was cutting up some wood laying around yesterday. (But I never have the camera or phone with me when I need it - there is no phone signal anyway).

On the weekend, I cleaned up some hill gum logs that were felled during some fencing about a month ago and also tidied up some large branches that had fallen off a big ironbark a couple of years earlier. Without really ever thinking about it, I realised that it was habit to cut the dry ironbark first with the chain sharp, and then start on the green wood until there is nothing left on the chain. You won't get far with the hard wood, the other way around.

Each year, I also cut a bit of grey box which is just as hard as ironbark, if not harder. It is absolutely no use trying to cut a load of either type without a sharp chain.

I recently bought a new Stihl 391 and 3 spare chains, so that I can change the chain rather than try to sharpen one properly onsite.

I will have to get around to taking some pics of the different types of wood here - and include my tractor of course, wouldn't want to break TBN policy!

 

[JohnMacca]

Every situation is a little different, but there's a few things to consider.

1. It's safer to fell (cut down) live trees than dead ones. The chances of being injured by falling limbs is reduced, also controlling the direction of the fall is easier and more reliable.

Couldn't agree more.:thumbsup:

I'm certainly no expert - which doesn't help - but I can usually get a green tree to go somewhere near where I want.

Dead ones can be a real trap because of splits and hollows that can't be seen. I have had trees suddenly snap and head off at 90 degrees to where I wanted. Sure gets the heart rate up when you have to drop the saw and have to work out a new escape route - quick!

The other problem is dead branches hanging up on other trees on the way down. If you're lucky, they will drop in a few seconds, but on a couple of occasions, they have looked like staying and there is no way I was going to work underneath them.

 

[KiwiBro]

Would love to see pics.

Grey Box I think is about double the hardness of oak. It's a hopeless feeling when you start with a new or freshly sharpened chain and it doesn't seem to go anywhere fast, producing mini-chips at best and mostly dust. If I were into more of that sort of action, I think I'd get me some .404 bars and chain that might last a bit longer between sharpens. A while ago I was bucking a big old yellow box (first time I had encountered it) log with a 32" 3/8 bar/chain that wasn't coming close to being long enough but was all I had and all the saw could oil in that sort of extreme use scenario. First cut was like 'heck, I must have hit some dirt', so swap chain out, then, still on first cut but going nowhere fast it was 'my grinding sucks, this is the second chain on the same bucking cut that is crap', so I swapped to a new chain and still was going nowhere quickly and had confirmed there was no dirt to pick up and ruin chain.

It sure made for some good firewood though. I didn't have a mill at the time, darn it.

Here's a recent Saligna drop and chop job:

 

[KiwiBro]

Probably worse though was dropping an old, dead native tree called Puriri (Vitex lucens). Three chains to make the felling cuts, sparks flying everywhere. That stuff is insanely hard.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Would love to see pics.

Grey Box I think is about double the hardness of oak. It's a hopeless feeling when you start with a new or freshly sharpened chain and it doesn't seem to go anywhere fast, producing mini-chips at best and mostly dust. If I were into more of that sort of action, I think I'd get me some .404 bars and chain that might last a bit longer between sharpens. A while ago I was bucking a big old yellow box (first time I had encountered it) log with a 32" 3/8 bar/chain that wasn't coming close to being long enough but was all I had and all the saw could oil in that sort of extreme use scenario. First cut was like 'heck, I must have hit some dirt', so swap chain out, then, still on first cut but going nowhere fast it was 'my grinding sucks, this is the second chain on the same bucking cut that is crap', so I swapped to a new chain and still was going nowhere quickly and had confirmed there was no dirt to pick up and ruin chain.

It sure made for some good firewood though. I didn't have a mill at the time, darn it.

Here's a recent Saligna drop and chop job:

View attachment 458808

Great pic! Looks like a huge insect got to it or something. Or fell and shattered into a thousand pieces. :thumbsup:

 

[Rustyiron]

I know there's people that think they can build something that'll do the same job, but I really think that it's easy to spend 70% of the cost building something that does the job 60% (or less) as effectively. There's some situations where this isn't the case, but I think it applies in logging winches.

Hey, I represent that comment, I easily spent twice as much building it my self!:laughing: