Tractors and wood! Show your pics

[Oaktree]

I never understood buying firewood, the only real reason I deal with a wood stove is due to the "free" fuel I can get off my property.

IMHO wood heat can't be beat, but my present property doesn't have a lot of easily accessible hardwood. Most of what's easy to get at is either poplar or some sort of evergreen. Plus, I'm not getting any younger, and dropping trees gets less appealing every year. Buying log length is a good compromise on price...~40% of what cut & split goes for and a load lasts almost 3 years. When I was younger it would be all "free" wood...either from my property or scavenged.

Still cheaper than heating with oil, and a much more pleasant heat.

You should be around here during tourist season when a "bundle" (arm load) goes for $5.

Yeah, no kidding. Roadside stands with green pine for $5/bundle are everywhere. Given that many states (including mine and our neighboring states) prohibit bringing firewood in from out of state what choice to people at campgrounds have?

 

[aeblank]

You should be around here during tourist season when a "bundle" (arm load) goes for $5.

My joke, when camping, is that I'm sitting on $1-2M in firewood at campground prices.

 

[Eagle1]

Me too but I can't find enough campers to sell to.....

 

[John_Mc]

Ultimately a cord of hardwood should contain 85 cubic feet of solid wood whereas that number of a cord of softwood is 96. This is all based on measurements taken years ago, when pulpwood was sold by the cord in 4 foot sticks.

Curious where you come up with that number, 85 cubic feet for a cord of wood as far as I can ever tell it was 8‘ x 4‘ x 4‘ which is 128 ft.³

It's because a good bit of that 128 cu ft is actually air. the 85 cu ft is an estimate of the amount of actual wood in the stack.

I've never heard of the different number for softwood. I assume that was because softwood tends to be straighter so packs better?

 

[Jstpssng]

Curious where you come up with that number, 85 cubic feet for a cord of wood as far as I can ever tell it was 8‘ x 4‘ x 4‘ which is 128 ft.³

That is solid wood without the air. . Over the years a lot of people have made their livings cutting, selling, buying and processing wood, for a long time it was what kept this state alive. Firewood is just a biproduct.
You know what a log scale is I'm sure... they were created after sawing buko logs, keeping track of small end diameter and length, then creating a table.* Cord wood volume was established the same way; take a 4×4×8 foot pile, measure both ends of every stick. Do that to multiple piles, and create a table. That's where the 85 and 96 cubic feet of solid wood comes from.

I've tried to explain it in the past, but it's like kicking a hornets nest.

*Log scales favor the sawmill
Most are based on a 1/4 inch saw kerf. However, board dimensions are based on whole inch; before that same kerf. Then they plane it, taking the board down even more. Then they sell the sawdust and shavings, which they just charged you for, yet didn't pay the logger. Plus very few mills have a 1/4 inch saw kerf these days, most are running BSMs with a more narrow kerf.

 

[Duds13]

Marketplace score. Sugar maple. Not done picking it all up yet either, probably three more 5X10 trailer loads to go. Sorry, put my tractor away before I took the photos.

 

[hunt4570]

Marketplace score. Sugar maple. Not done picking it all up yet either, probably three more 5X10 trailer loads to go. Sorry, put my tractor away before I took the photos.

Nice, and I have that same cup!

 

[dodge man]

I burned a tank of fuel and cut some hickory into firewood length today. It’s still just a little warm out to work much more than an hour in the morning.

 

[Duds13]

Nice, and I have that same cup!

Awesome cups! I've never been to a Buc-ees before but I have family in Texas so I had them send up some schwag.

 

[hunt4570]

Awesome cups! I've never been to a Buc-ees before but I have family in Texas so I had them send up some schwag.

I've been to a Buc-ees in at least three states. They have one about an hour from me now in South Carolina!