Firewood tractors

[chipper1]

Yes I definitely needed some snow like that. For the most part the mill will be picking them up. I have my friends trailer so I’m taking a few myself today. Mainly to watch the grading process to make me better at bucking higher quality logs and getting a little cash moving is nice too. Taking my best logs that are out at the moment, we’ll see if my logs are as good as I think they are. Was chatting with an old logger that’s logging my friends property and he was drooling when I showed him the pics of my pile. That’s a good sign lol. He was especially impressed with the sugar maple, said he hadn’t seen heart wood that small in years.

Just wondering how they would get them off when they are on a trailer with sides. I have used forks which can damage the trailer, a rope tied to my trailer thru a pulley on a tree then I just pull forward and back up to the last one(this is only good for a couple rows tall unless you put the pulley high in just the right tree), skidding winch with the cable thru a pulley in the tree like the previous one, and a grapple. They all have their place and I don't have a tractor at the house if it's loading logs on a job, but I can load them on a trailer then drop the trailer and load my tractor, all these ways are a bit of driving, but I can do that by myself just takes a little time. All this for firewood or to get wood off a job site is a pain but you do what you have to when your small time.
Dropped an elm at the neighbors today, would have been a nice log if the fence wasn't in the bottom of it. It's about 32 across. I used a step cut; notch, bore, then step down a little for the back cut, walk to the tractor and hit the winch(cable was pre tensioned) and she's down. If she went the other way things could have gotten nasty with the power lines right there , but I wasn't too concerned.
I like the farmers backcut on that locust stump, nice big back locust. That's my 576 autotune with a 28', stumps pretty big for the locust around here.

 

[ajschainsaws]

So far what I’ve observed is trees in wetter soil have more heart wood. Those that are on high groung with good drainage have all had very little heart wood. I’m sure there’s more to it and it Might be a coincidence but I’m trying to pay attention to the quality of logs that come from the different soil environments. I’m a nerd like that lol!

How come it’s quite important to have small heartwood on sugar maple
What does it get used for we don’t get sugar maple very often over here

 

[Marshy]

How come it’s quite important to have small heartwood on sugar maple
What does it get used for we don’t get sugar maple very often over here

The mills only want the light wood for boards. None of the dark wood gets made into lumber.

 

[ajschainsaws]

Thanks it’s the same as Ash over here then only white wood darker heartwood is firewood grade , oak is opposite only the dark heartwood it’s amazing how that varies over here too
Wetter deeper soils make bigger sapwood

 

[huskyboy]

Too wet of ground rots the trees out sooner from the inside out I noticed or is it just me?

 

[ajschainsaws]

Too wet of ground rots the trees out sooner from the inside out I noticed or is it just me?

Yes definitely some species thrive , then others will suffer they grow well and
Then when you thin them. They look good but you end up loosing
3-4ft Of timber too butt rot

 

[woodfarmer]

Just wondering how they would get them off when they are on a trailer with sides. I have used forks which can damage the trailer, a rope tied to my trailer thru a pulley on a tree then I just pull forward and back up to the last one(this is only good for a couple rows tall unless you put the pulley high in just the right tree), skidding winch with the cable thru a pulley in the tree like the previous one, and a grapple. They all have their place and I don't have a tractor at the house if it's loading logs on a job, but I can load them on a trailer then drop the trailer and load my tractor, all these ways are a bit of driving, but I can do that by myself just takes a little time. All this for firewood or to get wood off a job site is a pain but you do what you have to when your small time.
Dropped an elm at the neighbors today, would have been a nice log if the fence wasn't in the bottom of it. It's about 32 across. I used a step cut; notch, bore, then step down a little for the back cut, walk to the tractor and hit the winch(cable was pre tensioned) and she's down. If she went the other way things could have gotten nasty with the power lines right there , but I wasn't too concerned.
I like the farmers backcut on that locust stump, nice big back locust. That's my 576 autotune with a 28', stumps pretty big for the locust around here.View attachment 165830View attachment 165831

How do you like the 576?

 

[chipper1]

How do you like the 576?

Great saw, very smooth, gets good fuel economy, easy to start. They are a little heavy, but very durable, feel just like the 572 in hand when they aren't running, but as soon as the 572 is running you can tell its got the laid back cylinder as it's very maneuverable. I've got a lot of 70cc saws so it doesn't get used much, it's not totally broke in yet, it's only had 6 tanks thru it, one of them today.
Swing by and you can run it lol.

 

[woodfarmer]

Compared to the 372/2171?
I’ll hop on the sled in the morning, see ya Friday via the Sault

 

[chipper1]

Compared to the 372/2171?
I’ll hop on the sled in the morning, see ya Friday via the Sault

Added to the above comments a little.
Great saw, very smooth, gets good fuel economy, easy to start. They are a little heavy, but very durable, and great torque compared to the 371/372, and very forgiving in the cut.
Give me a holler when you make it into the great state and I'll get some coffee ready, that and the heating pad, you'd be sore after that ride.

 

[Ryan Browne]

I took a drive yesterday with my new gooseneck and brought home 5 bundles of slabwood. They're supposed to be about 3/4 of a cord apiece. They've been sitting around for a couple years, so they're ready for burning. I was running a little short for my house this year and if we have a good syrup year I would have come up short too. I have more wood, but it's only been split for a year or a little less. This stuff was cheap enough, so I went for it.


I was pretty happy to see that my Kubota can lift the whole bundle. At least a bundle of softwood anyway. I got three softwood for making syrup and two hardwood for the house.

 

[XP_Slinger]

A little log stacking with my 301A. These are small compared to what I’ve lifted with this little loader. Still impressed with its abilities given its short wheel base.

 

[XP_Slinger]

How come it’s quite important to have small heartwood on sugar maple
What does it get used for we don’t get sugar maple very often over here

Heart wood size plays a big role in where the log grades. In order for it to meet veneer and prime grade, heart has to be 1/3 total diameter or less. Of course that’s just one of the criteria.

 

[XP_Slinger]

Pulling some small sticks out of tops for firewood. The winch makes clean up like this so much simpler than stumbling around in brush freeing them up. These kinds of pulls don’t work the winch at all.

 

[chipper1]

Pulling some small sticks out of tops for firewood. The winch makes clean up like this so much simpler than stumbling around in brush freeing them up. These kinds of pulls don’t work the winch at all.

I like that firewood quad .

 

[alleyyooper]

Quick way to cut slab wood. I would have a throw away person to pitch the cut pieces away from the saw my self.

Al

 

[ajschainsaws]

I like that firewood quad .

Yes same here

 

[chipper1]

Yes same here

I have a 450 foreman in the woodshed that's smoking I need to diagnose and fix sometime, seems like it has good compression so I'm hoping it's valve seals.

 

[N8TE]

Cleaning up a bit after an ice storm....

 

[XP for Life]

My New Holland TC45D gets in done for me around my property. I have no clue what I would do without this little workhorse. I even take it off premises to clean up trees on the side. She goes wherever I do. Not to mention all the brush hogging, tilling and whatever else I put it through.