Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[zogger]

I have one, but it's a Husky 580BTS. I have an 1800 foot winding driveway up the side of a mountain that's lined with mature trees, so I wasn't going to fool around with a $200 blower. If you're blowing 6 acres I'd be a little concerned with a cheap blower in that case, too. FWIW, the 580 will damn near blow the top layer of asphalt off the driveway. Good luck whatever you decide!

As part of my job, I operate two different big diesel commercial kubota mowers, including blowing the private road off of leaves and pine needles. They are so powerful it only takes a few quick passes to completely clear the road, or clear leaves off a yard into the woods. I don't even own a working backpack blower, although I have a repairable one in the projects pile.

 

[muddstopper]

I used to take my straw blower to blow the leaves out of development ditch lines. worked pretty good as long as the leaves where dry.

 

[NGaMountains]

As part of my job, I operate two different big diesel commercial kubota mowers, including blowing the private road off of leaves and pine needles. They are so powerful it only takes a few quick passes to completely clear the road, or clear leaves off a yard into the woods. I don't even own a working backpack blower, although I have a repairable one in the projects pile.

Sounds like a good solution for your situation. For me, I have 10 feet of flat driveway and everything else is sloped, including deep drainage areas I have to scour the leaves out of, so backpack works much better for me. That and the fact I have so little grass I use a manual reel mower, not even a rotary blade power mower!

Thought of you Zogger as I came by Resaca Saturday morning on GA136. Maybe we can meet up sometime.

 

[Haywire]

I happen to have access to Wi-Fi tonight, so I uploaded a video of splitting wood with my Gransfors Bruks splitting maul. The round is a 750# piece of red oak that's 42" in diameter. 6.5 rounds like this would make a full cord of wood by my math. I did pretty good, but after watching the video there's plenty of room for improvement. I should have started making a grid earlier instead of after about 4 minutes.

You're a beast!!! If I try something like that, it's best if I have my wife standing by with a defibrillator! haha

 

[MustangMike]

I like the X 27, but I would walk a line right through the middle of a piece like that. After that I go for a piece at a time in the edges. I also generally keep my splits a lot larger that what you are making.

 

[Cowboy254]

Just brought some more wood up from under the deck. I've burned 5 cord (facecord) this year. What's everyone else at?

You're not going to believe this, but I have got all the way through to late February without lighting the fire once! Coincidentally, I did light it this morning. We had snow on the mountains here overnight though I expect it will be gone by the time the cloud clears tomorrow. Still, any excuse to fire up! Never mind that it is forecast to hit nearly 100 deg F on Thursday.



There's one piece of bluegum that looks like a pair of shorts with the legs pointing outwards then wattle sticks shoved into as many spaces as possible.

 

[Cowboy254]

I like the X 27, but I would walk a line right through the middle of a piece like that. After that I go for a piece at a time in the edges. I also generally keep my splits a lot larger that what you are making.

I'm with you, Mike, I'd go across the middle too with good splitting wood and keep the splits larger. As far as I'm concerned, the only split that is too big is one that doesn't fit through the door of the stove. Otherwise I prefer them bigger rather than smaller. All the same, that was a good period of swinging there without needing a breather. That was good splitting wood too, I don't think we have anything here that would split with a hit on the end of a piece lying on its side.

So I went out to the Lady Farm again this arvo. The family court has finally meandered its way somewhere near a conclusion and the ex-husband will buy out the Lady Farmer in 85 days and that will be the end of farm scrounging for me. She needed the ute today so I went to a different part of the farm that the Subaru can tow a trailer to and still be able to get out. Frustrating scrounge though. A downed peppermint that forked near the base had half dry and half greenish trunks. Sections of both were a bit ****.



There was some good wood though. Yes, the trees are all at that angle.



It seemed that every single cut would close up thanks to the twist in the trunk and so I'd have to cut mostly through then periodically cut through with a wedge to roll a section over. There was also thick bark in sections and sap veins in parts that jammed up the sprocket on the tip of the bar when one cut closed up so then I wasted time fartarsing around knocking it free.



It normally takes less than one tank in Limby to get a trailer load but things were so slow today that it was at least 1.5 tanks. But we got there in the end.



At least my nuts didn't fall off this time.

 

[Jeffkrib]

Lucky you, got to light your fire.

 

[benp]

Speaking of free wood close by. They are logging a small woods 2 miles from my place. Got word today that I can cut all the tops after they are done logging. And it is dry here after our 5-6th mud season this winter

Excellent!!!!

You will be amazed at how much wood you can scrounge out of tops piles.

I happen to have access to Wi-Fi tonight, so I uploaded a video of splitting wood with my Gransfors Bruks splitting maul. The round is a 750# piece of red oak that's 42" in diameter. 6.5 rounds like this would make a full cord of wood by my math. I did pretty good, but after watching the video there's plenty of room for improvement. I should have started making a grid earlier instead of after about 4 minutes.

Great job!!!!

I wish we had oaks that big. Wait, I wish we had plentiful oak period.

You're not going to believe this, but I have got all the way through to late February without lighting the fire once! Coincidentally, I did light it this morning. We had snow on the mountains here overnight though I expect it will be gone by the time the cloud clears tomorrow. Still, any excuse to fire up! Never mind that it is forecast to hit nearly 100 deg F on Thursday.

View attachment 559380

There's one piece of bluegum that looks like a pair of shorts with the legs pointing outwards then wattle sticks shoved into as many spaces as possible.

You really need to start a channel of your stove burning like the fireplace channel.

Like this.

 

[svk]

Excellent!!!!

You will be amazed at how much wood you can scrounge out of tops piles.



Great job!!!!

I wish we had oaks that big. Wait, I wish we had plentiful oak period.



You really need to start a channel of your stove burning like the fireplace channel.

Like this.

 

[DrewUth]

Filled the truck and trailer full, TWICE, with a free Cherry scrounge. Please pardon my excitable Brother-in-Law. Tree was 24" at base, a tree company took it down and left me all the MEAT. Big rounds!

How long does Cherry take to season, compared to say Oak for example?

 

[farmer steve]

Filled the truck and trailer full, TWICE, with a free Cherry scrounge. Please pardon my excitable Brother-in-Law. Tree was 24" at base, a tree company took it down and left me all the MEAT. Big rounds!

How long does Cherry take to season, compared to say Oak for example?

View attachment 559432 View attachment 559433 View attachment 559434

nice score Drew. split,stacked and top covered you may be able to burn that next year at this time. it will go south quick if left uncovered and on the ground. your mileage may vary.

 

[Just a Guy that cuts wood]

Farmer Steve's GTG pics
some anyway





I could have posted more but you get the idea
I had a good time and enjoyed meeting some people on this site.
Next time we will have to smoke or grill some meat... Thanks for having us over Steve

 

[benp]

Farmer Steve's GTG pics
some anyway
View attachment 559447
View attachment 559448
View attachment 559449
View attachment 559450
View attachment 559451 View attachment 559452 View attachment 559453
I could have posted more but you get the idea
I had a good time and enjoyed meeting some people on this site.
Next time we will have to smoke or grill some meat... Thanks for having us over Steve

Awesome!!!!!! Looks like you guys had great weather for it!!!!

I was around your way last November. My sister lives/works in Biglerville so I hung out there for a few days and we went to a wedding in Western PA.

Doing the quick tour of Gettysburg is sobering as an adult. I was there as a kid but things really sink in when your older.

 

[farmer steve]

Awesome!!!!!! Looks like you guys had great weather for it!!!!

I was around your way last November. My sister lives/works in Biglerville so I hung out there for a few days and we went to a wedding in Western PA.

Doing the quick tour of Gettysburg is sobering as an adult. I was there as a kid but things really sink in when your older.

should have stopped by when you were in the neighborhood. always a cold one around somewhere.

 

[farmer steve]

Farmer Steve's GTG pics
some anyway
View attachment 559447
View attachment 559448
View attachment 559449
View attachment 559450
View attachment 559451 View attachment 559452 View attachment 559453
I could have posted more but you get the idea
I had a good time and enjoyed meeting some people on this site.
Next time we will have to smoke or grill some meat... Thanks for having us over Steve

thanks Dave. i didn't take enough pics. only one not in your pics is you so..........

 

[tpence2177]

Feel like I got a good deal on me a new blower. Once it comes in and make sure it's going to run right I think I have a friend that will buy my bg55 so I should only have around $50-75 in this blower. Only part it needs is the clamp to hold the throttle to the tube.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[MustangMike]

Cherry is not a quick drying wood, but then again, neither is Oak. Cherry smells good and coals up nice, and IMO will seem to put out more BTUs that the ratings indicate.

 

[KiwiBro]

Sage advice from our Zogger:

 

[Country bumpkin]

Cut a dead ash yesterday evening that lightning knocked the top out of. Next years wood.