Tractors and wood! Show your pics

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I am a lot like you. I don't mind handling wood. It has always just been a way of life. I handle it enough times that when I put a piece in the stove I can remember what tree it came from. I run my wood 2-1/2 years ahead. I have two years worth in the shed and a pile(s) of tree length ready to split next spring when it is to muddy for much else but the weather is nice. I skid out trees in the snow. Split and rough stack it on the landing in spring. Let it air dry for the summer then move it into the shed and stack it before the fall gets wet. I bring it from the shed into the basement where the stove is a wheelbarrow at a time and stack about a weeks worth there.
I finally bought a used splitter a year and a half ago. Hated the thought of giving in to old age. But it has saved me a lot of time and made it easier.

We are much alike. I also skid in the winter, cut up and split in the fall, and move wood outside to inside the wood shed in Sept. The irony for me is even when i was logging making firewood when pallet or wood mills were not taking lengths, I never touched the wood more than once and that was to bring it to the splitter which then with a belt, conveyed into a stake body. We never stacked it but dumped it right from the truck and made huge piles that were "seasoned" for a mere 6 months. It was then sold by reloading the truck with a pay loader, brought to the customer and dumped in his yard. This stacking thing was only relevant when I became a home owner and started burning wood. I discovered wood does not really season in 6 months in a huge pile. The boss would have none of it stating "nobody has to burn it when I deliver it" "Why do we label it as seasoned Hank" I used to ask. "Because it is seasoned". One go around was enough for me knowing I would never convince this man who's forebears logged for 100 years before I came on the scene, that oak needed longer. I did copy methods from the company on my own property that makes it easier. There is just not enough in me however to start messing with pallets.

It was funny to me Gordan when you stated you remembered where each piece of wood came from as that aspect is also shared.

 

[Oldpath05]

I never miss an opportunity to show some pics

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And here are a couple little videos when I was learning to use my new self releasing snatch block on right angled winches like those above. Saves a lot of walking back and forth resetting the snatch block.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyvn5k5hokg

http://youtu.be/yosJrGCZo8o

gg

Nice pics. and video of the winch with snatch block, but the video looks fake, you might have to bring you tractor over here this winter and show me if it can haul out firewood, I'm thinking 4 days in February should convince me.
There have been several times when I'd like to have a self releasing snatch block but the $$ keeps going somewhere else. The way I get a tree around an obstacle, is hook a chain on a tree at the angel I want to pull, then back to the keyhole slider on the cable, not the best way but it gets me by, but I have to keep a little grease on my cable to help the sliders slide.

You'll be hearing from me on the tire chain breaking thread soon, cause I gotta get my tire chains on ASAP, then I'll go on the, How does Gordon keep his chains on straight thread. Yes I did notice that your tire chains are straight, I have a video on here somewhere, and my tire chains are all over the place and is as crooked as the _ _ _, I wont fill in the blanks just in case there's someone from the IRS on here.

 

[avc8130]

Interesting avc. Can you get a bit more detailed such as affixing the wire or if you are throwing the wood in as it looks stacked in the picture. Thanks

It's just 4' welded wire fencing stapled to a pallet. I put the seam in the front of the pallet at the center and then put a few zip ties to keep it closed. My plan is to cut the zip ties to unload the wood.

I don't "stack" the wood, but I do throw it in suggestively.

ac

 

[avc8130]

In the background it looks like two pallets as sides nailed onto a bottom pallet? Maybe a top board to hold them together?

That was my original version. Those are 4 pallets nailed together with a framing nailer. Generally they work well, but there are some limitations:
1. You have to stack the wood and load them. This is tedious and takes time.
2. You have to load/unload from both sides, or else you have to get IN the rack.
3. Every once in a while one would "blow out".
4. You really need 4 pallets that are identical to build these.

With those limitations, I switched to the field fence method. I have 2/3 of my wood in the 4-pallet racks and 1/3 and counting in the field fence. I'm waiting until I use the wood in a field fence setup before deciding to break down the 4-pallet racks and convert them. That won't be until 2016 winter.

ac

 

[Gordon Gould]

Nice pics. and video of the winch with snatch block, but the video looks fake, you might have to bring you tractor over here this winter and show me if it can haul out firewood, I'm thinking 4 days in February should convince me.
There have been several times when I'd like to have a self releasing snatch block but the $$ keeps going somewhere else. The way I get a tree around an obstacle, is hook a chain on a tree at the angel I want to pull, then back to the keyhole slider on the cable, not the best way but it gets me by, but I have to keep a little grease on my cable to help the sliders slide.

You'll be hearing from me on the tire chain breaking thread soon, cause I gotta get my tire chains on ASAP, then I'll go on the, How does Gordon keep his chains on straight thread. Yes I did notice that your tire chains are straight, I have a video on here somewhere, and my tire chains are all over the place and is as crooked as the _ _ _, I wont fill in the blanks just in case there's someone from the IRS on here.

If I was closer to you that would be good. You could always come here and pull a couple cord out for me while I make a movie of it.

I agree that self release snatch blocks are way to expensive. Mine is a prototype test unit from a company that was going to manufacture them. They decided not to go ahead because the manufacturing cost was so high.


I use that slider hook up also. For situation like in the pic where I needed a short pull to get the tree butt out from behind the stump. But I only use the slider on easy angles and don't pull more than a couple feet thru it. I learned the hard way and ruined a cable doing that. You might be better off getting a standard snatch block if you do it a lot. They are much cheaper than a self release or a cable and you won't tear your hands up on the broken wires sticking out of the cable.




I don't know what to say on the chains. I just mount them per the manufactures directions. Loose with no tighteners.

 

[Oldpath05]

If I was closer to you that would be good. You could always come here and pull a couple cord out for me while I make a movie of it.

I agree that self release snatch blocks are way to expensive. Mine is a prototype test unit from a company that was going to manufacture them. They decided not to go ahead because the manufacturing cost was so high.

I use that slider hook up also. For situation like in the pic where I needed a short pull to get the tree butt out from behind the stump. But I only use the slider on easy angles and don't pull more than a couple feet thru it. I learned the hard way and ruined a cable doing that. You might be better off getting a standard snatch block if you do it a lot. They are much cheaper than a self release or a cable and you won't tear your hands up on the broken wires sticking out of the cable.


View attachment 401876


I don't know what to say on the chains. I just mount them per the manufactures directions. Loose with no tighteners.

If my last name was Gates, that is what I'd love to do, go around N. America with my tractor and do farm tractor logging with trailer and winch people, sorry, I'm not a tractor bucket logger, unless it's for ballast. I took glance at the map and it appears that your closer to me then I am to you, I know, I was surprised too, the problem is the New Hampshire State Gov. wont let me cross their state, it's because I take what it says on their license plate literally.

Self releasing snatch blocks are one of those accessory's that's nice to have, wasn't you lucky to do logging/firewood equipment testing, that is one of my dream jobs, the roomer in the woods is that they gave you $5000.00 for testing it.

Yes I ruined my cable that way to, like you said, a couple feet only, but that's where grease comes in, I keep my sliders greased now after the first cable and it does help, there's something about grease that makes things slickerry. I'm thinking of getting a small grease gun to keep on the tractor during logging just for those pull around angles.

One other thing, what's with that two fingers on the winch rope pull, was that away of say, it only takes two fingers to engage your winch, say it ain't so, I have a Fransgard and I have to rap the rope around my hand and pull like a monkey to engage the winch, which means if I had the$$$, I would up grade to a push button remote.

I have to go back to that tire chain thread, I think your the loose as goose tractor chain guy, which I have a hard time to wrap my head around, but I'm getting frustrated with my chains, so I'll try anything once, or twice

 

[Carl_NH]

I took glance at the map and it appears that your closer to me then I am to you, I know, I was surprised too, the problem is the New Hampshire State Gov. wont let me cross their state, it's because I take what it says on their license plate literally.

Self releasing snatch blocks are one of those accessory's that's nice to have, wasn't you lucky to do logging/firewood equipment testing, that is one of my dream jobs, the rumor in the woods is that they gave you $5000.00 for testing it.

Interesting situation here, getting paid for snatch testing and somehow physical locations can change based on "live free or die" license plates?

Am I missing something in the translation?

 

[Carl_NH]

I took glance at the map and it appears that your closer to me then I am to you, I know, I was surprised too, the problem is the New Hampshire State Gov. wont let me cross their state, it's because I take what it says on their license plate literally.

Self releasing snatch blocks are one of those accessory's that's nice to have, wasn't you lucky to do logging/firewood equipment testing, that is one of my dream jobs, the rumor in the woods is that they gave you $5000.00 for testing it.

Interesting situation here, getting paid for snatch testing and somehow physical locations can change based on "live free or die" license plates?

Am I missing something in the translation?

 

[Gordon Gould]

One other thing, what's with that two fingers on the winch rope pull, was that away of say, it only takes two fingers to engage your winch, say it ain't so, I have a Fransgard and I have to rap the rope around my hand and pull like a monkey to engage the winch, which means if I had the$$$, I would up grade to a push button remote.

I have to go back to that tire chain thread, I think your the loose as goose tractor chain guy, which I have a hard time to wrap my head around, but I'm getting frustrated with my chains, so I'll try anything once, or twice

I have a loop on the end of the clutch rope. I run my thumb thru the top of the loop then grab the rope with a closed fist. That way the rope doesn't slip thru my gloves or mitts. I have to pull on the rope pretty good on a hard winch. In the video I was just holding the rope up so you could see it. Probably the two finger grip was so my little pinkies wouldn't get cold holding a snowy rope bare handed.

One thing about the type chains I have is that they come down on the sidewalls in good shape. That has to help keep them straight.



BTW I wasn't getting paid to test the snatch block. After they finished the prototype build they sold them at a reasonable price. I was just lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to get one.

gg

 

[Gordon Gould]

One other thing, what's with that two fingers on the winch rope pull, was that away of say, it only takes two fingers to engage your winch, say it ain't so, I have a Fransgard and I have to rap the rope around my hand and pull like a monkey to engage the winch, which means if I had the$$$, I would up grade to a push button remote.

I have to go back to that tire chain thread, I think your the loose as goose tractor chain guy, which I have a hard time to wrap my head around, but I'm getting frustrated with my chains, so I'll try anything once, or twice

I have a loop on the end of the clutch rope. I run my thumb thru the top of the loop then grab the rope with a closed fist. That way the rope doesn't slip thru my gloves or mitts. I have to pull on the rope pretty good on a hard winch. In the video I was just holding the rope up so you could see it. Probably the two finger grip was so my little pinkies wouldn't get cold holding a snowy rope bare handed.

One thing about the type chains I have is that they come down on the sidewalls in good shape. That has to help keep them straight.

View attachment 402166

BTW I wasn't getting paid to test the snatch block. After they finished the prototype build they sold them at a reasonable price. I was just lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to get one.

gg