Burning Brush

[Wakey]

My burn piles are mostly cedar trees and dead trees, so it doesn't take much diesel and the propane torch to get them going. I use this Website to pick days when the wind will be less than 10mph: Map Results | Wind, Forecast, Radar, Weather & More | WindAlert There is diesel in the gas can. >

Identical thought process. And I like your brush pile, mine are sometimes even bigger lol. I've got 3 nice ones, looking forward to the end of our burn ban period.

 

[Wagtail]

Does that brush smell as one would think when it gets burning? Like being in a Vick's factory?

I'd describe it as, well, kind of a sweet/musk odour. It's very distinctive and most Aussies know the smell of a bush fire... a mere whiff will make your head snap around trying to discern where it's coming from!

Tassie has some of the most purest, pollution free air in the world (true fact, I'm not making that up ath as it mostly comes up from Antarctica... I've never noticed a eucalypt scent 'on the air', although on a warm day you can see a slight blue tinge in the air around a forest, which is a eucalypt "mist".

 

[turnkey4099]

Identical thought process. And I like your brush pile, mine are sometimes even bigger lol. I've got 3 nice ones, looking forward to the end of our burn ban period.

So far I have 8 medium ones (as high as I can toss branches), burn is planned either this winter or next spring. They should be nice and dry by then. I'll probably have another 6-8 by fall.

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

A
I do NOT understand why people think they need to mix gas with the diesel. All gas does is an instant "poof" and then it is gone. I work wih a freiend and no matter how many piles I light off with just diesel splash he insists it should be mixed with gas.

I will mix in a bit of gas with used motor oil. Maybe a couple of cups to a gallon of oil.

 

[hslogger]

I may have missed some thing from the other posters but here goes. Sometimes I start the fire on the leeward side I think you call it. If you want a rip snorter of a fire, you start it with the wind and then the wind pushes it right through the long pile possibly at a rate you aren't prepared for. Starting it on the backside makes a slow burn that you can feed as you go along. All depends on your locale, stuff nearby, ground conditions and such. if in doubt, don't. I have burned brush piles in the field, and clearcuts the size of a subdivision. Each application is different. Fire is a great tool but don't "play with fire".

 

[turnkey4099]

I will mix in a bit of gas with used motor oil. Maybe a couple of cups to a gallon of oil.

Now there is a valid reason for the gas, it thins the oil to make it ignite better.

 

[kenord]

If your going to use gas a safer way to light it is to use a bb gun.
just put a wooden match , sulfer end first, in the end of the barrel,
the bb lights the match, and throws it 20 feet or so.
Might want to practice a bit first, but it works.
Rich

 

[jack707]

I use a stick or branch and wrap paper around

 

[sixdogs]

I burned brush piles in Maine for 25 years and the only thing that worked for me in all seasons--and did not just burn the center out--was one of those propane wand brush fire starters that hook to a propane tank. That gave me a hot enough flame to burn off the initial moisture and get a good start. I tried everything from pallets and diesel and in the old days even tires. Propane torch thing works.

We always burned just before dawn on a probable calm and damp day and burned into the wind so the wind would hold it back and be a natural control. We burned away from evergreens-- full of pitch. They flare up pretty quickly and if they do, don't be afraid to call the fire department. I had them on speed dial.

The hose is helpful but not the answer. Think of what can go wrong first and things work better. Just my two cents here.

 

[LD48750]

I just use the chipper & blow the chips into the swamp.