Tractors and wood! Show your pics

[fc1]

Today I dropped 3 90' poplar. Tractor assist was crucial.

Orange machines hard at work.

It was soft in places.

 

[Gordon Gould]

Today I dropped 3 90' poplar. Tractor assist was crucial.
View attachment 874578View attachment 874579
Orange machines hard at work.

It was soft in places.
View attachment 874580

Why did you cut them - firewood, saw some boards, or just thinning out the poor ones ?

gg

 

[fc1]

Why did you cut them - firewood, saw some boards, or just thinning out the poor ones ?

gg

The main driver was that they stopped a lot of afternoon/evening sun from hitting my house; the upper branches will be firewood and the lower trunks cut into boards.

They were pretty monstrous; each yielded 3 10.5' clear trunk sections.

 

[Jstpssng]

You're going to have poplar sprouts halfway out your lawn, but it can't be helped. Just keep mowing them down until the roots die off.

 

[arrow]

The main driver was that they stopped a lot of afternoon/evening sun from hitting my house; the upper branches will be firewood and the lower trunks cut into boards.

They were pretty monstrous; each yielded 3 10.5' clear trunk sections.

I recall an article in the 80’s from the “Mother Earth News” how poplar was a desirable tree for quickly establishing a firewood lot for its propensity
as a very fast growing tree.

 

[John_Mc]

I recall an article in the 80’s from the “Mother Earth News” how poplar was a desirable tree for quickly establishing a firewood lot for its propensity
as a very fast growing tree.

Now I have to wonder a bit about Mother Earth News (I used to read it a lot in the late '70s and into the '80s). Poplar is only slightly better than White Pine in terms of BTU content. One of my last choices for firewood. I'd burn it if I had no other choice, but fortunately have have a lot of better choices. (Yeah, I'll admit it... I'm a firewood snob.)

 

[Jstpssng]

Now I have to wonder a bit about Mother Earth News (I used to read it a lot in the late '70s and into the '80s). Poplar is only slightly better than White Pine in terms of BTU content. One of my last choices for firewood. I'd burn it if I had no other choice, but fortunately have have a lot of better choices. (Yeah, I'll admit it... I'm a firewood snob.)

I can't stand the smell of poplar. Also,it takes the same amount of fuel, time and my energy to put up rock maple and beech for about 40% more business.

Having said that I am putting in a little hemlock this fall for quick heat when I get home at night.

 

[wolc123]

Now I have to wonder a bit about Mother Earth News (I used to read it a lot in the late '70s and into the '80s). Poplar is only slightly better than White Pine in terms of BTU content. One of my last choices for firewood. I'd burn it if I had no other choice, but fortunately have have a lot of better choices. (Yeah, I'll admit it... I'm a firewood snob.)

It’s kind of nice for lumber though, because it’s soft, just like pine, and very easy to drive nails thru.


I’m getting my money’s worth from the free canopy top on my loader tractor today. I’m working on splitting large hard maple and ash rounds. I load the split stuff into the bucket and use the tractor to haul it around back to my woodshed .

The canopy on the tractor and the wide overhang on the woodshed are keeping me pretty dry during the heavy thunderstorms that we are having this afternoon. I’ve got another bucket or two of large maple rounds stacked up in the splitter shed, and another bucket load of big ash rounds stacked up outside on my bucking trailer . If and when the rain lets up, I’ll move that into the splitter shed.

I normally keep my splitter in a smaller shed out by the bucking trailer, and I split the smaller rounds with it out there in the horizontal position. Most of what I split is larger rounds though, and I split that inside with the splitter in the vertical position. We’ve been blessed with plenty of rain lately so I’m keeping up pretty good on the splitting.

When I get thru with the splitting, I’ve got another tractor to repair in the barn. My old Ford 8n needs some electrical work. I’m going to strip out the original wire harness and replace it with a new one.

I prefer using the 8n with 3-pt carryall for firewood work outside on sunny days. It sure is a pain to do maintenance on, but owning that one Ford tractor really gives me appreciation for my John Deere’s. The old Ford is lots of fun when it’s running though.

 

[Jstpssng]

I like my canopy also... although I'm cutting new trails into my woods and have managed to crunch it a couple of times this spring. I was mowing until the rain started coming down in earnest. It appears that I didn't put the seat up but I'm not going out to fix that now.

 

[shooterdon]

I recall articles about growing poplar for firewood many years ago. I was just a kid and wondered, "What are these people thinking?" I suppose if you want something to burn in 10-15 years it will work.

Still sounds like a poor idea to me. But like John Mc, I have better choices in northern MI.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Now I have to wonder a bit about Mother Earth News (I used to read it a lot in the late '70s and into the '80s). Poplar is only slightly better than White Pine in terms of BTU content. One of my last choices for firewood. I'd burn it if I had no other choice, but fortunately have have a lot of better choices. (Yeah, I'll admit it... I'm a firewood snob.)

It was a hi-bred Poplar, and the idea was, you cut it down and a new tree came out of the roots, you never had to replant it. SO, it would be a constant supply of firewood.

I have some of them on my place.

SR

 

[fc1]

Yeah, poplar isn't my first choice for firewood either, but I can burn it outside and use it to fuel slash fires. Sure do have plenty of it right now

 

[arrow]

Now I have to wonder a bit about Mother Earth News (I used to read it a lot in the late '70s and into the '80s). Poplar is only slightly better than White Pine in terms of BTU content. One of my last choices for firewood. I'd burn it if I had no other choice, but fortunately have have a lot of better choices. (Yeah, I'll admit it... I'm a firewood snob.)

I think it was about establishing a homestead quickly and independently.
I have their first issue and in that one it explained about owning a car that was half tractor as a very efficient way that coupled transportation with farming capability.
Poplar as firewood was part of this development as it could be established quickly and repetively.

As far as wood snobbery, I’ve burnt mostly red and white oak and have a bit of trepidation about burning the ash which constitutes the woodland surrounding the new digs.
Gosh, may have to order in oak stems from local foresters.
Never did that in my life previously.
Always procured them myself right around the acreage of the former home.

 

[Jstpssng]

Just a matter of preference but I would cut ash off my own land to burn before I'd buy firewood. Luckily I don't have to worry about it. I have enough beech and rock maple to last... the ash which isn't a log goes into the pulp pile with the poplar, white birch and soft maple.

 

[arrow]

Just a matter of preference but I would cut ash off my own land to burn before I'd buy firewood. Luckily I don't have to worry about it. I have enough beech and rock maple to last... the ash which isn't a log goes into the pulp pile with the poplar, white birch and soft maple.

Built several furniture pieces with rock maple.
Around here it’s even called “ furniture maple”. It’s even a decent firewood.
Silver maple is like…well, you might as well burn paper.
Have burnt the stuff but l leave it unsplit or split it no smaller than 8”.

 

[shooterdon]

I think it was about establishing a homestead quickly and independently.
I have their first issue and in that one it explained about owning a car that was half tractor as a very efficient way that coupled transportation with farming capability.
Poplar as firewood was part of this development as it could be established quickly and repetively.

As far as wood snobbery, I’ve burnt mostly red and white oak and have a bit of trepidation about burning the ash which constitutes the woodland surrounding the new digs.
Gosh, may have to order in oak stems from local foresters.
Never did that in my life previously.
Always procured them myself right around the acreage of the former home.

I used to burn ash if it was free. But I will burn almost anything that is free. Lots of dead ash in my area, but some is in spots that are hard to get to so I do not bother with it.

 

[John_Mc]

As far as wood snobbery, I’ve burnt mostly red and white oak and have a bit of trepidation about burning the ash which constitutes the woodland surrounding the new digs.
Gosh, may have to order in oak stems from local foresters.
Never did that in my life previously.
Always procured them myself right around the acreage of the former home.

I don’t mind burning Ash. It makes up for its moderate BTU value being incredibly easy to split

 

[Jstpssng]

Built several furniture pieces with rock maple.
Around here it’s even called “ furniture maple”. It’s even a decent firewood.
Silver maple is like…well, you might as well burn paper.
Have burnt the stuff but l leave it unsplit or split it no smaller than 8”.

I am not a carpenter by any means but want to make something from a rock maple on my property which I had tapped for several years. There is just enough above the taps to get a grade 1 sawlog... if not for the tap holes it would be a great veneer log.

 

[John_Mc]

I am not a carpenter by any means but want to make something from a rock maple on my property which I had tapped for several years. There is just enough above the taps to get a grade 1 sawlog... if not for the tap holes it would be a great veneer log.

I've seen some great stuff made from "Tap Hole Maple". It adds a lot of character (and you'd be surprised at the premium some people will pay for something made from tap hole Maple as compared to other wood species).

 

[DieselnHooters]

Built several furniture pieces with rock maple.
Around here it’s even called “ furniture maple”. It’s even a decent firewood.
Silver maple is like…well, you might as well burn paper.
Have burnt the stuff but l leave it unsplit or split it no smaller than 8”.

maybe you are confusing rock/sugar maple (acer saccharum) with red maple (acer rubrum) because ''decent" firewood doesnt do it justice. As firewood I would pick it over any other specie.