My Evolution of Burning Fires

[ning]

If you can burn the grass around your burn pile your burning at the wrong time of year or wrong day. All it takes is one spark to fly away.

Just because green grass will burn next to a super hot fire doesn't mean it will remotely catch from a spark, but either way you need to be paying attention (sparks can catch dry trees even when the grass is green and wet underneath).

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Good story. When I was a kid the neighbors up the road had a huge boulder they wanted gone; it was so close to the house that we could barely squeeze between the two. Every night over the course of several years they would go out, build a big fire next to it and socialize. After a while the rock would get brittle and they would knock a piece off with a sledge hammer. Eventually they got it whittled down enough so that my father could hook onto the remnants with the Willys pickup and drag it off; giving them a place to build their garage.

Your excavator would have made that job go a lot quicker.

I was raised with a 47 Willy's pickup. We had a Ford 144 six from a falcon at first for the engine. Later we found a Thunderbird that an old woman had. She was rear ended and had 17,000 miles on the car, 250 cu in six. Fit right in. That was all the engine that truck needed. Me and my younger brother slipped off in that truck many a day. I remember us and many uncles riding the route to our deer stands on them cold mornings. Squirrel season too. Didn't have a trailer then, it had a tow bar on the front. And one of us boys rode in it in case it steered wrong when towing. But at least we could take it somewhere. Other than that, we didn't use it much except when someone was stuck somewhere. All that stuff is gone but I still have a few transmission transfer cases in the shop. Back in the 70's and 80's there weren't 4x4 trucks everywhere. Maybe some VW bugs with mud tires, Willy's jeeps, very few broncos and scouts. All tractors were 2 wd around here. Thanks for the bringing back the memories.

 

[m1garand762]

I have had the fire department come and tell me they were training on the same day I was burning to keep it small so they don’t get calls. I have also had them show up when I am not home, nor had a fire burning because they had a a smoke complaint the joys of county life

 

[noco]

I started my burning career with burning sticks in the burn barrel behind the house. Then I graduated to using a rake and pitch fork in piles on the ground. After that I started drinking beer with music, friends and hot dogs while burning bigger piles with the rake, chainsaw, axe and pitchfork. Cleared about a 1/4 acre of brush and trees at my parents house burning and drinking everything in site. It took a lot of beer and late nights to clear that land!!

As I got older, I quit drinking, bought house, land and tractor. Started bigger fires and used the tractor bucket to clean up around the fire. Bought a grapple and started really burning piles of brush.

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Finally, I have reached the pinnacle. I now use an excavator and tractor to move and burn even bigger piles of brush/stumps. Don't drink beer anymore though and have money in the pocket.

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Also, as with everything else discussed on this site tractor and equipment related, the excavator and tractor are getting smaller everyday and I find my self wanting bigger tractors and excavators!!!! Maybe next thing will be a D9 Dozer!!! As lots of folks on here say, BUY ENOUGH TRACTOR!!!!

I just had a nice burn on Wednesday.

 

[ultrarunner]

Required to burn at the farm due to a blight where diseased material not allowed to leave the property in California.

All done legal across the board with multiple overlapping agencies notified some of which didn't quite know what to do as this is one of the last farms in area and city across the road now has multi million dollar new homes on what was also farmland.

Just as you might imagine had everyone from the city and county fire department and ranger stop by plus helicopter dispatched overhead...

Quite an event it was but just shows perception can matter more than reality...

 

[ParkWhite]

I accumulate a 10 ft high burn pile about twice a year. I like to light it after a good rain or even better after it snows.

 

[hornett22]

I know what you mean about burning progressing on the property.

I started by burning all of the tree branches in a 3' diameter fire ring, it took for ever but I enjoyed the process for a couple of years.

Then I built my brush forks for the MF tractor and had a big cleared area close to the road.

I would pile the branches with the tractor as high as the FEL would place them.

I would also pack the pile down with the bucket.

The burn pile is about 14' diameter and about 8' tall.

I start the fire using a "Big Max" 500,000 BTU propane torch and I think the flames can be seen from space...

Murdoch's – Hot Max - 500K BTU Propane Torch

Shop 500K BTU Propane Torch at Murdoch''s Ranch & Home Supply

www.murdochs.com

Now I only need to sit and watch the burn pile fire for about 2 hours.

KC

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Love Murdoch's! Go there every time we're out that way. Wish they would come to Tennessee!

 

[Surshot]

We are restricted here by forestry on a surface burn to a cube 8'x8'x8', so I make 3 piles separated by tractor and grapple length. Then when #1 is down to 1/3 size, I push #2 onto 1 then 3 onto and by dark it is all done, I count that as 1 pile. Now on pile 64 after the 4-28-20 tornado. I could not give trees away, 3 days after the tornado.
Killed me to cut up perfect 145 ft tall trees and burn them. My CPA said I could claim cost, I said you mean like the seedlings..... Yeah, well right. I would not fool with the IRS for that, penny anty BS. I would rather burn them and did so. Fooling with feds on a farm makes me want to puke, officious AHs. I am from DC and here to help you, that makes my skin crawl.
Of course right now the ground is covered with dropped brown pine needles and a flame or spark of any kind would be nuts.

 

[ultrarunner]

The farm has had several onsite audits on all in order...

Expenses high restarting Christmas Tree farm with returns typically 7 years out.

About 3500 trees sold last year with all seasonal help on payroll, withholding etc... need handicap porta-potty, posted parking and everything just like brick and mortar...

 

[Surshot]

My son, no experiance, operating the pre-grapple on a burned down pile for a little experiance.