Tractors and wood! Show your pics

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Not sure I know what you mean.

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Kind of curious how many of you guys fall for lead or does it matter to most?

Nope...not as a homeowner. Plenty as a logger when clear cutting especially. Different species, different style of technique.
Selective culling, not so much.
Now its mostly machinery around here that clear cuts.
lots of "solar fields" going around here.

 

[John_Mc]

12 degree kind of cold for the last couple of days...today was 35.

Decided to pull shrubs with the grapple to clear a new cross-over on a small creek into some land on the backside of my property since everything has frozen up.

Was reaching and tugging on a huge Multiflora rose bush tucked in tight next to a tree.

I was pulling with the grapple while moving the tractor backwards...back tires broke loose...rear of the tractor slid just slightly sideways on the frozen ground...it was only a few inches!

Ended up sliding sideways - perfectly in between two trees...could not move the tractor forward or backward more than 1 inch in either direction.

So it was a walk back to the shop for the 572 to drop a 12 inch Poplar to free the tractor.

Getting wedged in like that was a first for me.

I actually turned off the tractor, sat there for a moment and thought..."Now what would Gordon do?"

..//TJ

Wow. That's a bummer.

Do you have chains on your tires? I had an incident or two like that years ago when operating on a side hil in my woods. With enough jockeying back and forth, I was eventually able to drive out. It did start my search for some good chains. It took me a couple of tries with different styles before I finally ended up buying what I really knew I needed all along (but was too cheap to buy - some of us have to learn the hard way).

 

[goeduck]

Their more sawdust on the ground than snow Gordon.

Sawdust, schmawdust. Tree is on the ground.

 

[Gordon Gould]

There are other ways to get jammed in too - and more humiliating. I was a brand new winch owner and just beginning to learn stuff. I had a tree down and jigged the tractor around quite a bit to get on a flatish place with a perfect angle on it and a clear winching path. Winched the tree in real slick, right up to the dozer blade. When I got up in the seat to head out I noticed there was a tree about a foot in front of and dead center on the bucket. Duh.....

gg

 

[dasranger]

20” x 20” wet Red Oak rounds are all I can handle. What a workout. Tomorrow, the rest of the tree.

 

[Loaderman22]

20” x 20” wet Red Oak rounds are all I can handle. What a workout. Tomorrow, the rest of the tree.

It's even heavier when it's green!!! The bark in the photo looks like it's coming off, so it's lost some overall moisture already.

 

[John_Mc]

20” x 20” wet Red Oak rounds are all I can handle. What a workout. Tomorrow, the rest of the tree.

That's getting close to my limit - even with the FEL on the tractor, hydraulic boom and grapple on my forwarding trailer, and the hydraulic lift on the splitter. I'll go to 24" freshly cut Oak if I'm already working in that area anyway, but I don't like it much - it's just not worth the hassle for firewood when I have so many other options, especially when working alone.

 

[dasranger]

It's even heavier when it's green!!! The bark in the photo looks like it's coming off, so it's lost some overall moisture already.

Once the Oakwilt gets to these trees, the bark doesn’t last long but yes, they probably are a little bit lighter. I won’t even think about splitting these until next year and when I do, I’ll split them vertically and that I can manage. I have 48 inch forks and I can only handle two of these at a time. The tractor really knows they are there.

 

[dasranger]

it's just not worth the hassle for firewood when I have so many other options, especially when working alone.

John, I totally agree. I have many oaks that have succumb to the Oak Wilt and why I tackled this big guy, I don’t know. I think the reason is, is because the large rounds just looks so impressive on the rack. Big sense of accomplishment.

 

[Smokeydog]

Wife can no longer lift the 20-24” big rounds so we split vertically. Also easy to remove the bark in this position. Two rounds of splits will fill the 54” wicked grapple and load the B26. This oak wood will season for 2-3 years.