Grapple grapple types

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I need to pick up split firewood from the splitter pile and dump the load into a cart and bring it to the wood stack. The bucket on my fel does this pretty miserably bringing in few splits and much dirt. Gotta be a combination that does this much better. Any suggestions?

 

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Loading the bucket by hand is a PIA.

 

[amigauser]

Many threads on firewood if you do a search

Here is one recent one -
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/114525-moving-firewood.html?highlight=move+firewood#post1316607

 

[bjcsc]

The easiest solution involves putting the split wood in something that you can move. This can be a small dump trailer (cheap kits for low speed farm use ones are readily available), a modified pallet or custom built box with sides, whatever. No grapple will pick very much up. Time to build something!!

 

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Maybe I should explain this a little better. I have 3 years in advance firewood stacks. When they all are filled there is no place to bring the splits to anymore. I still keep splitting however and make these large piles in anticipation of eventually getting them to a stacking point. I need something that will walk into one of these piles, come out with a load that can then be dumped into a cart rather than to continue flinging them in by hand, Iwas looking for someone who may have had experience with this same situation who could advise what works well for them. Our buckets are just too small to do it like a 3 or 4 yd bucket does. Still, there has to be a better way and another chance to buy another implement.

 

[Luke_theDrifter]

I've been fooling w/ the firewood *buisness* for some time and have recently made the leap to actually taking it on full time.

For what its worth I load my little 2 cord delivery dump truck many times each day with a small Kubota tractor w/ a 60" wide regular bucket. Frankly, I've tried many different ways, scooping & loading with a tractor bucket is only second to using a conveyor...it works VERY good! I'm using an L3400 machine w/ the standard 60" wide bucket, on average I can fill the 2+ cord wood box on my delivery truck w/ about 11-12 scoops. Because time is money in the firewood buisness, and there ain't much margin, I've spent considerable time, effort and energy finding the most efficients ways to handle firewood. That said, if you're having trouble getting a full load into your bucket try coming into the pile at a slight angle...this helps a lot; everytime I come into the pile I come away with my bucket overflowing w/ split firewood on the first try. On average I can fill my 2+ cord wood box in about 13 minutes, from the time I pull up, start the tractor, load, and drive away again is less than 20 minutes. I know of now other way that is as fast and efficient....you won't be this fast w/ a conveyor, even feeding the hopper w/ the tractor. The piles I'm loading from are between 15-70 cord piles, around 12-14' tall.
Making firewood piles w/ a tractor is a joke, doesn't work very well and you'll end up w/ tore up equipment...making the piles works best w/ a conveyor, but when loading a tractor bucket is the only way to go!

 

[ChuckinNH]

You might try some bolt in "trash forks" from Sundown, or perhaps Payne. Another thought is one of the various buckets with extended tines that ATi has..... good excuse for a QC

 

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LukeTD, And you wanted to know what a 35 hp tractor would do when you probably have a full fledged skidder. You sir are in a rough business. I worked with a firewood guy for 3 years until he went belly up. His beligerent ways with customers finally did him in. I used to go with him on deliveries just to break up the fights he'd get into with his customers after they accused him of short changing them on wood. He was the type willing to swap hands in a second when they made that kind of accusation. He never did so I know what you may be confronting at times. Ok he had a big Hough loader that basically filled up the truck with one bite. (3 yd bucket) Our piles were also made with a conveyor about the same as yours and there in lies the problem. My home piles are only 2-3 cords. The tractor just kind of pushes the pile if I go high and fills up with the gravel base when I go low. If I had the resistance of a bigger pile, then maybe my small bucket would fill up like yours. My splits average 20" and 4-6" wide. I probably would be better off with a tined bucket just to start the slide in process for my smaller bucket. Heck, I may even be able to load longer length stems onto the trailer as a forwarder when in the woods with such a bucket when runs get too long to skid. What's with your fronts breaking beads in the woods or were you just kidding.

 

[Northland]

good thread again arrow.

I would suggest an effective and cheap way to make your life a bit easier would be to buy a toothbar for your bucket. it will help pick-up many things, including firewood and logs. It will also be a good digger when you need it.

For less then $300 it's a bargain. A bucket grapple, like what I have, will not help pick up firewood.

Luke-up here you can buy a tandem load (23 cords) of maple logs for $800. I have at least 20 of those trucks pass my house each day. Split maple is $70/cord delivered.

I had considered getting into selling firewood since I have the tractor, a 65 cc Husky chainsaw and 20 acres of maple forest (and acess to the surrounding 10000 acres of recently cut govt forest-lots of tops ) but I am not sure of the economics of it all. I would have to buy a log splitter (I use a 8lb maul now) for my tractor and a dump truck. Do you think I can make money at $70 a cord?

 

[IXLR8]

Luke-up here you can buy a tandem load (23 cords) of maple logs for $800. I have at least 20 of those trucks pass my house each day. Split maple is $70/cord delivered.

Dang... split hardwood mix here in Mid-Coast Maine is between $200-$250/cord, split and delivered. (if you are within 10 miles of supplier) Delivery charges go nuts if you are over 20 miles from supplier.