Live in the woods, want a little more grass

[ericm979]

A 24" 10' long black oak log weighs about 2000 lbs. A light weight grapple is about 450 lbs. So you'd need a 2500 lb loader capacity plus some since loader capacity is rated at the pins but the load is farther out. My Branson with loaded rears can just handle a hardwood log that diameter (but I cut them to 8').

Tractors are better at pulling than carrying, and to pick up a log you need to be able to get to it. My land is steep and I mostly work on the less steep parts. Even then I often need to pull logs with chains or cables in order to get them to where I can pick them up to transport to my firewood area.

If the trees are close to the house or difficult to fell you may want to hire out the felling at least. Depends on how experienced you are with that.

Rotten wood is not useful for firewood and it's nasty to chip with a chipper. If you can safely burn it that's better, or if you can't then pile it somewhere to rot.

 

[kenmbz]

When we built our pool, he brought in a big excavator, since he was worried about boulders.
We asked him to knock down a few trees, and down they went, easy stuff for a machine that large.
Then I bucked them down and he used his skid to push the stumps into the woods a few weeks later.

Biggest was about 30" diameter Ash, like matchsticks against that bucket.