Firewood Gathering With A Power Trac

[Barryh]

Mine's the PP4218AVX. I called Poulan today. They have a kit to convert it back to a tool required chain tensioner, which is fine by me. I need my serial number, so I will get it ordered tomorrow.

That should do the trick, probably the same chain break / tensioner I bought for mine. It's worth a little extra $$. Once added makes the Poulan a pretty decent chainsaw. With a new chain mine cuts through trees like butter .

 

[Barryh]

Barryh,

Hi Barry, good to see you are using that little orange tractor. I have a Kubota B-9200
hydrostatic 4WD. I use it mostly to grade my road. Had it before my 1445 acquisition. I also have a Ford 8N that needs to go. Stay in touch my friend.

Shame to see that Ford go... neat old tractors. I always check in here from time to time to see what you guys are up to. Happy Holidays to everyone.

 

[MossRoad]

That should do the trick, probably the same chain break / tensioner I bought for mine. It's worth a little extra $$. Once added makes the Poulan a pretty decent chainsaw. With a new chain mine cuts through trees like butter .

I called Poulan today and gave them my serial number. They are sending the conversion kit free under warranty. Should be here in a week. Will report back once it arrives.

 

[beenthere]

Just read this thread, and am not surprised that the wood in the round pile is not drying. Wood needs air (dry air preferably) around it to dry. Wood stacked on end in the center around the pole will not shrink longitudinally, so it will never drop down the pole to the 80% mark (that was one clever part of the pile plan). But I would estimate that the 10' pile would take years to get dry wood.

Very interesting thread, and great pics of the process. But agree that the only dry wood is the ends of the pieces that are exposed to the outside of the pile. That has to be disappointing, when dry wood is needed now.

 

[woodlandfarms]

There are so many people I know who swear by this process... They claim they get fantastic results. I have never used it cause I do not heat any home with wood...

 

[SpringHollow]

my brother who lives not that far away just throws wood in a big pile and that works for him but he is cutting up trees that died and hung up off the ground many years ago.

Some people have good luck with the wood house technique, others have terrible luck. I am not sure if the humidity of the region is a major factor - i will have to start paying attention to where they are. Rotting wood does generate heat. That might be another variable.

Ken

 

[Barryh]

I called Poulan today and gave them my serial number. They are sending the conversion kit free under warranty. Should be here in a week. Will report back once it arrives.

I didn't talk to Poulan, maybe I should have. I tracked the part down myself. Free is defiantly good...

 

[MossRoad]

I didn't talk to Poulan, maybe I should have. I tracked the part down myself. Free is defiantly good...

Just before I asked you about yours I found a thread on the arborist site regarding converting them back to tool needed tensioner and there were many tens of comments regarding this problem. The folks at Poulan didn't even hesitate when I said I was having trouble with it and read many comments on the internet about problems I was having with it. She immediately asked if I wanted to convert it back to the old style without me even asking. So they know about the problem and are willing to fix it if you ask. I will post some pictures over on the Cheap Chainsaw thread when it arrives.

 

[MuncyBob]

I was wondering if other PT's are being used for firewood. This is our first year with the wood fired boiler(provides heat & hot water) and the little 422 has been a life/back saver(as usual!). Scrounging dead wood from our land has been interesting as none of it seems to be level and my nearest neighbor has had me drop 2 large cherry trees recently(will be apprx. 3 cords total from the cherry). Using the bucket has enabled me to bring the rounds up to my truck for fairly easy loading. The bucket has helped me load the really big rounds onto the splitter. Now I wish I had made the larger bucket this summer out of an oil tank! I have pics somewhere and will post when I remember where they are!

After using the PT for this newly obtained activity I have once again stated it's the best $$ I ever spent...and wife agrees!

 

[MossRoad]

I was wondering if other PT's are being used for firewood. This is our first year with the wood fired boiler(provides heat & hot water) and the little 422 has been a life/back saver(as usual!). Scrounging dead wood from our land has been interesting as none of it seems to be level and my nearest neighbor has had me drop 2 large cherry trees recently(will be apprx. 3 cords total from the cherry). Using the bucket has enabled me to bring the rounds up to my truck for fairly easy loading. The bucket has helped me load the really big rounds onto the splitter. Now I wish I had made the larger bucket this summer out of an oil tank! I have pics somewhere and will post when I remember where they are!

After using the PT for this newly obtained activity I have once again stated it's the best $$ I ever spent...and wife agrees!

Yep. And what's nice is the little PT400 series is so light on the forest floor. You can hardly tell it was there. The articulation really keeps the tractor from rutting up the soil when turning in tight quarters. A few weeks ago I dragged trees out of the woods for about 4-5 hours. Most were in the 30-50' range and the largest was only 14" in diameter. I have a round loop pintel type ring in my receiver on a quick attach plate. I use a length of chain around the end of the log, lift it up a few inches and drag them out. After 4-5 hours, tree after tree, an average of one tree every 6 minutes, there was very little soil damage from the tractor. You could see the drag from the log and that was about it.

Also, the articulation, oscillation and full steel bottom make it really easy to walk up and over logs and obstacles. My turf tires do very well on the sandy soil with leaf covering. I do get some slip when pulling a large log, but they don't gouge the soil.

And at less than 4' wide with the articulation you can pick your way through some really tight obstacles that there is no way a tractor that doesn't bend in the middle could get through. If I have to get to a tree that is on the other side of a slalom course I will switch to the bucket and cut the tree up on the spot and haul it out in pieces. It is a real labor and time saver.

 

[MossRoad]

I called Poulan today and gave them my serial number. They are sending the conversion kit free under warranty. Should be here in a week. Will report back once it arrives.

The conversion kit arrive Tuesday. It is just a cover with a slotted screw chain adjuster and two nuts to hold it on. Very simple conversion. Too busy to install it this week, but when I do I will post pics.

 

[woodlandfarms]

I guess I use my 1850 to gather firewood. Except we have no fireplace so we keep the wood for an outdoor firepit. Generally I haul up 8ft or longer logs for chainsawing. This summer our neighbor took his dozer around the property cutting trails, and then chopped up some firewood from the downed trees. I have to go gather that all up because of the winter rains. I have yet to find that comfort level of knowing I can get my PT out of being stuck, even though my neigbor has a dozer and I have a portable electric winch...

I need chains for the tires, if nothing else to get me through the winter mud. Well, as I am stuck in LA for this winter it will be a 2010 purchase.

 

[cqaigy2]

I need chains for the tires, if nothing else to get me through the winter mud. Well, as I am stuck in LA for this winter it will be a 2010 purchase.

Well darn, you've been missing the nice balmy winter temperatures that have been here for about a week now.

 

[woodlandfarms]

Better you than me. I saw 11 degrees at the house last night. But LA has not been much better, around 35 and rainy. Upside of up north is people know how to deal with the weather. Here. Well here it is land of the idiot drivers. Put some rain on the street and it is urban crash car derby...

 

[MuncyBob]

I've found using the bucket w/teeth has been sweet!! I'm getting fairly good at lifting logs to cut into rounds on the spot. My truck is usually not far away so I cut up what is there and then make a few runs to the truck. I have probably taken out about 3 cords so far of dead trees.
I can only imagine how much easier this would be with the grapple!

The articulation is great in tight spots(which I have found myself in more than once!).

We are really liking heating with wood...not used a drop of oil in months and not afraid to make it comfy now since there are several cords waiting to be burned. Only wish we had done this years ago!

 

[J_J]

I've found using the bucket w/teeth has been sweet!! I'm getting fairly good at lifting logs to cut into rounds on the spot. My truck is usually not far away so I cut up what is there and then make a few runs to the truck. I have probably taken out about 3 cords so far of dead trees.
I can only imagine how much easier this would be with the grapple!

The articulation is great in tight spots(which I have found myself in more than once!).

We are really liking heating with wood...not used a drop of oil in months and not afraid to make it comfy now since there are several cords waiting to be burned. Only wish we had done this years ago!

Why not just make one out of box bld ripper shanks. They already have holes ready to bolt up to some brackets, and a hyd cylinder, plus hoses. If you have a welder, you could build this in a week end. Below is the root/rake grapple I built. The last picture is what I started with, a truck hitch.

 

[MuncyBob]

I wish I had welding knowledge/tools and it would be a priority!! Would love to be able to maneuver logs around like that!

 

[cqaigy2]

very nice J_J!

I was wondering if you thought about mounting it at a different angle? I looks like you can easily open up over top of a pile or what have you.

 

[J_J]

You mean like this.

 

[coolconnection]

That is so cool. I also wish I could weld, I can tack weld with my cheap Harbor freight welder. But of all things you made it out of a hitch. What an imagination. I may have to try something like that. I wonder if a scrap yard would sell me a cheap hitch. Good job.