Pull down a high widow maker.

[two_bit_score]

Use dryer lint as tinder. If necessary use a tin can with diesel poured over the dryer lint or dirt. You need some dry material to get it started still but a little should be good.

 

[JasperFrank]

Great info guys! My mistake was I built up the piles first. I should have started the fires and then built on top of them.

 

[ning]

Trying to shoot off a widow maker is almost entirely ineffective. A friend of mine was an avid reloader. He would hand cast 12 ga lead balls then max out the power charges. I never let him load one of my guns. He was a little crazy. And I'd stand well back from him shooting. We had an entirely safe shooting area, down slope, with hill in back, to knock off some broken branches of which we were high above, all on my property. We didn't have any deer slugs. The snags we were trying to break off were maybe 4 inch diameter. We shot all day with no fallen limbs. A blunt instrument like a 12 ga ball; there were so many misses, and other smaller cal bullets didn't seem to do anything to wood: they just go through. I don't think even hollow points worked.

About 20 years ago, I had Starband satellite for internet -- that's not Starlink that's Starband, and it was really fast compared to dialup but had really high latency (~700K up and down, 3/4 second latency each direction).

A tree branch about 3" diameter gradually grew in to the line of sight; I perforated it with a .22 and it swung down. Took 5 years for the broken part to drop, but most importantly its greenery was out of the way for the satellite signal (that satellite system used a geostationary satellite).

 

[BlueKnife]

I've heard of folks using a shop vac, reversed to blow, to help start. I should try that. Right now, I just want a napalm flame thrower.

A leaf blower works well to get some air flow going to a fire.

 

[oosik]

About a year and a half ago. One pine - just outside the yard - blew over. It fell into other pines and was leaning at a 45 degree angle. It's 18 inches - diameter at the base. I was going to saw it down but I thought - what the heck - it's current position is not endangering anything. Let Mother Nature bring it down.

Today it's leaning at about a 20 to 25 degree angle.

 

[Flogger]

Remember, if you are pulling with any kind of rope except Dacron, you will be dealing with a lot of stretch. If something breaks, the rope will come right at you, so fast you can hardly see it.(Don't ask how I know this).

Put about 20 feet of chain about 3/8 size between your rope and the attachment point on the tractor. If the rope breaks, the chain will instantly drop on the ground and direct the rope down so it misses you. Otherwise, the rope will snap back and hit the attachment point on the tractor(and anything near it, like $150. grilles, or you) really hard.

When using a rope, if it stretches at all, especially nylon, always think where it will go if it snaps, and put in something like chain to deaden the recoil.

My dad could tell you all about hooking rope and chain together. 35 stitches in the head and $12000 in repairs on his tractor. Yes you should pray that the rope is what lets go.

 

[shooterdon]

My buddy came over and took down my widow maker. He did not want to be paid but gave him $40. Cheap "insurance" for me...who might have got hurt with my ignorance. He did not cut it the way I would have, but his way worked.

 

[not2old]

I've heard of folks using a shop vac, reversed to blow, to help start. I should try that. Right now, I just want a napalm flame thrower.

I start all my outdoor burning with a tiger torch and leaf blower. Too lazy to cut dry wood into kindling.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

My dad could tell you all about hooking rope and chain together. 35 stitches in the head and $12000 in repairs on his tractor. Yes you should pray that the rope is what lets go.

I started to pull on a tree once with a bunch of chains to get some distance. I then thought about what could happen and stopped, wasn't worth it.

 

[JamesHW]

I just use some chunk charcoal and one of those chimney coal starters and some newspapers and it works every time. Even if the pile is established you can carve out an alcove for the charcoal. I have an old handle-less shovel I place under the pile then dump the red hot coals on it, (used to have an old sign that rusted out). Then just drag some of the pile over it and it will dry it out then you get a good fire.

 

[groundcover]

My go to for brush piles starts with LP weed burner.
leaf blower makes a fine bellows
the Dura Flame fireplace logs will help get a fire started but not cheap.
if things are really soaked I have soaked a hay bale with gas/diesel/used motor oil and fed the brush to it but that's a last resort.

 

[JasperFrank]

Its just crazy here in Jasper Oregon. Its getting to end of day, and I've been up and out since 7am shagging tree limbs to burn piles. There is no end to it. All I see is just more to do. A shower and a bit of wine, tomorrow is another day. Still, I wouldn't trade it for living in a city

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

Some dangerous ones I use a rope saw. You can stand way off to the side and cut. Two things: wear really good leather gloves and once you start don't stop. If saw chain gets stuck it's a mess! Practice first on low limbs.
The last one was too close to other trees. I got it down with a 12ga and 00buck. Big limb and it took five shots but worked great...just straight across. Last shot I had my escape route planned out...BOOM!...& it came crashing down.

 

[ning]

^ Example of rope saw in action: A couple years ago my son and I cut down a big branch from an oak tree that was overhanging some gardens. Rope saw works best with two people I've found because then you can just have it contacting the cut at the top rather than most of the way around the branch like using it solo.

About ten years ago I had a 12+" oak branch coming out pretty much horizontally from the trunk of a tree that was right behind my shop. I considered climbing up on the tree and using a chain saw but that seemed a bit iffy, so I used the rope saw, solo wrap-around method, it got stuck a lot but made it through eventually (took forever). Funny thing, the tree fell a few years later and while a higher branch did hit the roof, the tree basically fell on the butt of the big branch I had cut with the rope saw previously and stopped the fall with minimal damage (had to fix a hole in the roof but no structure).

Another later solo rope saw cut I set up a pulley so that it was more like the 2-person method, just solo. Less getting stuck.

If you do have two people using the rope saw I find it easiest to put a branch through the handles, grasp with both hands, and pretend that you're just doing a zillion reps of a tricep pull-down exercise. You'll be sore tomorrow.

 

[JasperFrank]

Using most every method suggested, these piles just will not burn. Me thinks that the ice storm somehow saturated the wood with water. And I'll have let them dry out over the summer season.

 

[JasperFrank]

It might be that things have dried out a bit, but I used the small branch method yesterday and it worked. I filled the FEL with little sticks, and dumped them on the winded side of the piles. A quart of 3/4 diesel, 1/4 gas, in small plastic containers got them all started. So three big piles down and seven more to go today.
Its interesting that with this diesel/gas mix, that it isn't explosive. I can just use a Bic lighter to set them off. But YES, I should be using a sissy stick lighter anyway.

 

[two_bit_score]

It might be that things have dried out bit, but I used the small branch method yesterday and it worked. I filled the FEL with little sticks, and dumped them on the winded side of the piles. A quart of 3/4 diesel, 1/4 gas, in small plastic containers got them all started. So three big piles down and seven more to go today.
Its interesting that with this diesel/gas mix, that it isn't explosive. I can just use a Bic lighter to set them off.

Never mixed gas with diesel to start fires. I have used a gas leaf blower to help keep a fire started with diesel going.

 

[2manyrocks]

Another later solo rope saw cut I set up a pulley so that it was more like the 2-person method, just solo. Less getting stuck.

I'd be grateful to hear more how you did this.

 

[2manyrocks]

Wouldn't adding gas to diesel increase the risk from flammable vapors?

 

[JasperFrank]

Never mixed gas with diesel to start fires. I have used a gas leaf blower to help keep a fire started with diesel going.

This what the forestry guys said works. 3/4 diesel, 1 part gas. I had already figured this out, but it was nice to have that confirmed by the experts.