burning tips

[BrettW]

Guys,
I've got a good sized brush pile to burn. Never did it before, looking for some tips. Like, what kind of fuel to use to get it going? Not gas I hope.
thanks, brett w

 

[beenthere]

Just start a small fire, and a few dry sticks of wood, or some charcoal briquettes, some pieces of paper. Don't try to set the hole pile on fire at once. A small, hot fire can be fed with larger pieces and they will burn, even if green. My initial fire is no bigger than a small campfire, or fireplace fire.

I usually have best luck if I get a fire going and then feed the rest of the material to the fire by not building such a huge pile that it's hard to move material together to get it to burn.

If you have a loader (I like forks the best) then you can push new material in to the fire. Keep working around the edges and pushing everything to the fire.

I assume you have the room around this huge pile to have a large pile burning. I like to keep them small and controlled by me, not getting a huge pile burning without control.

 

[BB_TX]

I burn several piles a year. I just stack it as high as I can. Then I push it in from each side with the FEL to minimize the width of the pile. When I know it has dried enough to completely burn, and the surrounding grass is green enough to NOT burn, I pour a little diesel on one side of the pile and set it afire. The diesel will not flare up like gasoline. It is more like charcoal lighter fluid. After the fire burns down quite a bit, I start pushing it in toward the center with the FEL. The result is a clean burn with almost nothing left.

 

[Richard]

Just like you've been told, diesel. I put mine in a garden pressure can so I can spray it a distance and/or "walk" the flame to where I might want it. I use a propane torch (the kind to solder copper pipes with) to start it.

I also prefer to light up just before a storm or just after a storm. This way I get a pass (usually) on having to call my local fire department.

I never never never had ANY idea how fast a fire could move/grow until I started one, one windy day (with permits..).

Long story short, I had a pit & was just going to burn the leaves/growth in the pit to "bring out" the large boulders that I was then going to use for my wall.

Started fire and within 30 seconds I was trying to put it out with the silly rake I'd brought. (oh, and I'd raked around the pit too)

Within probably 2 minutes, I was racing off to get phone & call fire department. It was UNREAL how fast it grew.

So be very careful and if you can use mother nature as your alley, you too, might be able to escape the fun of having about 20 fire fighting vehicles on your property as they were on mine when they came out to bail my HINEY out of a real jam. I think they said about 5 acres burnt up (mostly ground cover).

Now, I will not do fire unless (even if out of permit season) the fire deparment KNOWS what I'm doing, I have cell phone with me at all times, and I prepare burn area and have my backhoe with me. I will also try to wait til just before a rain, during a (mild) rain, or just after a rain.

Don't ever lose sight of safety first.

 

[dmccarty]

Brett,

Check with your local state forrester or county fire marshal to see if you need permits. Here in NC I need a permit which I can get unline. The Forestry department website has weather info to help decide to burn or not to burn.

Burn in the winter. Even in the winter you will be hot.

Clear any burnable materials away from the pile.

Make danged sure it ain't gonna be windy. Hard to predict because I have done this when the forcast was for light winds and I had some pretty strong gusts which is NOT fun.

DO NOT USE GAS to start the fire. This is very dangerous. A cup of evaporated gas is equal to a 1/4 stick of dynamite. Using gas is a good way to get hurt.

I try to light the pile so that it will burn from one end to another so I have some control on the fire.

I fill the tractor up with fuel, start it and rev it up to 1700 RPMS or so. For the first 3-4 hours of the burn, the tractor runs whether I need to use it or not. I want it running in case the fire gets loose. At least this way I have a change of putting the fire out with the tractor or at a minimum move it to a safe place. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

I use dirt to smoother the fire. You need something to put it out.

In NC you are have to watch the fire until it is out.

Search TBN for previous threads on burning. We have discussed this topic quite a bit. I'm sure I have left something out.

Later,
Dan

 

[Youare]

I take the same approach as Beenthere, start a small fire first then feed the brush pile into it. I feel it gives me more control over the size of the fire and if I have to quit early the fire can die out faster.

Generally I can get the fire started with a few dry branches like you would start a camp fire. Other times I have taken used baling twine soaked in a little diesel fuel, it makes a very good wick.

If you make your brush piles so the stems are all one way it makes it easier to take from the pile to the fire. Some have used the FEL to push the pile into the fire only to have a hot ember land a plastic part leaving a black burned spot on the tractor. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Randy

 

[Boondox]

Like barbequeing, everyone seems to have a different method. Here's mine

I soak the ground around the burn pile with water. Had a small grass fire once and never want that feeling again!

Contain the hot zone if possible. I bank my fires up against a large boulder, with other stones making a fire ring of sorts.

I keep the tractor nearby with a bucket load of dirt just in case

Hot air rises, so better to make the pile tall than sprawling. I douse the bottom with kerosene, then light it and let her rip.

If the fire has a hard time getting going (damp wood, high humidity, etc) I use my leaf blower as a sort of fan. The steady "breeze" gets even the most stubborn pile to burning!

Pete

 

[Docsknotinn]

Lots of good advice. I use those fire logs you get in the grocery store to start my fires. I just cut a plug off and they match light. It's the easiest way I've found. Here in Mi burn permits come from the DNR. Its a simple automated phone call. In some areas you might also need a permit from your local government.

 

[SPIKER]

Like others said check to see ifyou need permit, some states it is not alowed period, like out western states 0 tolerance for open burning.

here in ohio, not needed for my particular zone area. others I belive are permit requiired or fire notification required.

I use mixture of diesle & OLD oil (one way to get rid of it.) I Mix in a spray tank air pump up type, and you don't need much if the wood in pile is dry. keep piles small 3~4 feet across and no more than 4~6' high. do multi burns just prior to rian or after rain. with NO wind or very slopw breeze if there is a breeze then start fire on one side, (DOWN WIND) so flames have to work wheir way back into pile NOT the other way so flames are blown into the wood pile! this will make it rage very fast!

I also use a big propane (BBQ GRILL type) tank and one of the brush heads if it was after rain just more easy than using 2 buck a gallon fuel... still burn down wind to up wind. also like others keep tractor and dirt handy. I use my BOX BLADE to RIP UP the dirt around the pile and never burn with in 50 feet of woods or heavy brush. I rip a 6~10' wide path to near dirt some weeds and grass are ok as long as they are green... if it is fall time I also fill my trailer up with 5 gallon buckets of water so I can PAIL water where needed and IF needed... also wind can come up fast around here. so smaller piles can be left to go out easy and if plenty of day light and low winds it is easier to toss MORE on than to get the fire out!

We BURN off my upper field once every other year (Wild Flowers and Native Grasses like it) I take my BOX blade and RIP sections up so two people can manage the burn with rakes and shovels. I also keep the field MOWED aroud to help when we do the burn. that way it can't get to the woods or to the ravine with out jumping the mowed area.... NO FLAMES are alowed to enter the mowed area. patches we burn are ~50 by 100 or so. and when I use the box I will only rip top 1" or less so there are little furrows, the box also knocks down the tops of the weeds so the fire never goes more than 1~2' high to the tops of the licks. we RAKE aroudn all trees to about 5' dia. even then some fire damage will accure if the raked material is left under low branches ect. and there are only a few trees to contend with... We usually burn AFTER a rain/snow in early spring or durring winter Nov/DEC time after 90% of every thing is dead.


Mark M /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Junkman]

In CT, you can only burn brush up to a 2" diameter stick. Anything larger cannot be burned in a burn pile. Guess that they consider anything larger than 2" firewood.. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif For that reason, I don't burn. I just move it to an area of the property where it can rot and forget it...