120 acres to tops!!!!

[Aaron Frasher]

Took a ride on the ATV yesterday after work to do some looking around. Looks like I will not be able to get my truck & trailer up there just my truck. the pic with the red circle around it is the land. I live in the bottom left hand cornor where the arrow is
pointing. Enjoy
.

 

[Ronaldo]

You have a lot of work waiting for you, bud. It is nice that you can get at it when you have the chance. Are you looking at mostly hardwoods?

 

[sunfish]

Man, those loggers aren't leaving much. & making a mess!

We've always select cut and used draft horses/mules & tractors to skid logs out. Slower, but leave the woods much nicer.

 

[Aaron Frasher]

well I got the bridge built & cut the first load off the top of the hill today. Only problem was I jacked my truck up on a water cut on one of the logging roads. no big deal its a FARM truck. All white oak today and probably the next 3-4 loads from this top.

 

[mr.finn]

WOW, some of those tops are huge, I wonder if they went for just the high quality logs. Either way better for you, there is a lot of wood in there.. and close to home!! No protective chaps?

 

[firebrick43]

Why the giant "FARM USE" in the window?? Doesn't your state have farm plates?

 

[DFK]

Here is a hint.
Cut the suff that is FLAT ON THE GROUND first.
It will rot far faster.
The tops that are mostley off the ground will last for years.

David

 

[mainewoods]

By the size of some of those limbs and tops, the loggers were more interested in logs. I agree on taking the ones making contact with the ground first. You are going to be quite a while harvesting all that wood with a pickup and small trailer. Oak will last a good while on the ground, so concentrating on the other hardwoods first would be more beneficial in the short term, and buy you some time.

 

[Aaron Frasher]

WOW, some of those tops are huge, I wonder if they went for just the high quality logs. Either way better for you, there is a lot of wood in there.. and close to home!! No protective chaps?

Yes they just took the logs and left the tops. I knew someone would call me out on the chaps. I have a pair and this is the first time in probably 3 years I have not cut with out them on. I had taken them out of the truck and forgot about them.

Why the giant "FARM USE" in the window?? Doesn't your state have farm plates?

No we do not have farm plates. It costs me $2 a year plus liability insurance ($25 a year) and I have to have farm use on the side somewhere. I can drive it within 30 miles of my house.

By the size of some of those limbs and tops, the loggers were more interested in logs. I agree on taking the ones making contact with the ground first. You are going to be quite a while harvesting all that wood with a pickup and small trailer. Oak will last a good while on the ground, so concentrating on the other hardwoods first would be more beneficial in the short term, and buy you some time.

I'm basically the only person cutting on this land so I know there no way I can get it all or even close. You have no idea how MUCH wood is on the ground. So what I do is usually just back up to a top and cut it all up then go to the next one. One down ten thousand to go.LOL

 

[7sleeper]

I wouldn't waste time on cutting stuff small. I would try to get the larger branches in one piece onto your trailer. Something like the width of your trailer / length of your pickup bed should be easily managable. Those I would take home and split and stack there. Much more economical in the long run. And much faster getting the wood out of the forest. Weather or time table changes come unexpected and I am always happy to have the work close by so that I can do something for 1/2 hr or so. So as I said don't waste your time cutting it all small on the spot. Much easier to stack wood like below than the small pickings above.

And having rows with split wood like this it will last about forever.

Oh and since no one mentioned don't forget your chaps...

7

 

[mainewoods]

You may not get it all, but you have the opportunity to get many years ahead. Better to have the wood stacked on your land, than where it is now. Always good to "get while the gettin's good". Wood off the ground now means wood for the future. You may cut there longer than you expect.

 

[Marshy]

I second those comments... I'd be cutting wood ~40" in length and throwing them in the bed of the truck/trailer (just double the length you burn, I burn 20"). That would reduce your cutting time in half and the pieces would be easy to handle still. Then I would take them home and make a pile or stack them unsplit off the ground. My goal would be to get as much wood cut and off the property as possible in the shortest time. Once they are on your propoerty theres not rush in cutting/splitting them at your conveience. You neighbor might realize he's sitting on a cash cow and all he has to do is find someone who wants to buy the tops from him for firewood.

 

[KiwiBro]

I wouldn't waste time on cutting stuff small. I would try to get the larger branches in one piece onto your trailer. Something like the width of your trailer / length of your pickup bed should be easily managable. Those I would take home and split and stack there. Much more economical in the long run. And much faster getting the wood out of the forest. Weather or time table changes come unexpected and I am always happy to have the work close by so that I can do something for 1/2 hr or so. So as I said don't waste your time cutting it all small on the spot. Much easier to stack wood like below than the small pickings above.

And having rows with split wood like this it will last about forever.

Oh and since no one mentioned don't forget your chaps...

7

With that much wood available, it would justify one of these:



or

 

[mainewoods]

You sure have been handed a major "gift". I would have a long chat with the land owner and find out exactly what he would like to see happen. At the very least you could get yourself a few 20" tow straps, with safety hooks, and pull some tops out to where you can cut them in the open instead of in the brush. Those straps are 10,000lb. rated and I have pulled out many logs and tops with my just my 4x4 Dodge. A short piece of logging chain around the top, or log butt, and one to hook up to the truck, will keep the straps off the ground and greatly reduce fraying them. I picked up my Dodge Ram for $600, as it was not road worthy, and it has yarded some serious wood for me. Pretty cheap investment if all you need is a woods truck. The land owner would become my "best friend", in a hurry.

 

[Aaron Frasher]

You sure have been handed a major "gift". I would have a long chat with the land owner and find out exactly what he would like to see happen. At the very least you could get yourself a few 20" tow straps, with safety hooks, and pull some tops out to where you can cut them in the open instead of in the brush. Those straps are 10,000lb. rated and I have pulled out many logs and tops with my just my 4x4 Dodge. A short piece of logging chain around the top, or log butt, and one to hook up to the truck, will keep the straps off the ground and greatly reduce fraying them. I picked up my Dodge Ram for $600, as it was not road worthy, and it has yarded some serious wood for me. Pretty cheap investment if all you need is a woods truck. The land owner would become my "best friend", in a hurry.

Yes you are right I have been handed a gift. I have a 2000 Chevy 1500 farm truck straps,chains,cabels & snatch blocks. Thats what I do pull them out into the open if I cant just pull up right beside them and cut them up. The land owner is a very nice man told me to cut what ever I want. I have cut wood off of this land for about 5 years now. I take him a truck load every fall to his house thats all he wants. I cant leave my house cut a truck load and be back to the house in about a hour and a half by myself. Faster if my wife goes with me and loads while I cut. If it muddy and I cant get up on the hill I can ride my ATV cut then go back when the hill drys up.

 

[Ronaldo]

Sounds like you got a plan and a good one at that.

 

[KiwiBro]

Here's another cutting option, this time using chainsaw bars rather than a circular saw blade.

 

[mainewoods]

My apologies Aaron, I was just suggesting a method I use to pull tops and logs out to a processing area where I can cut them up, without wading through the brush. Figured it might help you get wood out when conditions were less than ideal ( muddy hill, limited access). You have an excellent set up there, congrats on the score!

 

[kyle1!]

With all that wood available you should set up a firewood GTG and have a weekend campout or 2. Alot of people on here will work for food and a chance to run their saw/s. Having 20 people show to help cut will put alot of firewood in that truck of yours.