Tree length - 4' logs - or rounds in the woods?

[GVS]

For a long time I've been cutting 4' logs in the woods and hauling them, in a 2wd Ford truck, to the landing. Since purchasing a 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 Magnum, I began hauling tree length. The Dodge would have cost more $$ to make road worthy then I wanted to spend, so I turned it into a woods truck. That thing is a tank, and is the best $800 I ever spent. I have found it considerably faster and a lot easier on the body, hauling tree length and processing at the landing. Which begs the question, how do you guys get your firewood out of the woods, and how do you process it?

I skid near tree length logs with a tractor and split on the landing. When it's all split I then trailer to the wood pile.

 

[luckydozenfarm]

Load them either on a flatbed trailer or my dump trailer to haul back to the woodlot with my brush grapple and FEL.

 

[GVS]

View attachment 331328 View attachment 331328 View attachment 331329 View attachment 331330 Load them either on a flatbed trailer or my dump trailer to haul back to the woodlot with my brush grapple and FEL.

Kinda pretty down there in your part of Texas.

 

[mainewoods]

Lot of $$$$$ sittin' right there. Didn't realize farming was that profitable.

 

[luckydozenfarm]

HAHA yeah those pics were from July when it was nice and sunny...Yeah you sell about 300 head of feeder cattle in the fall, truck farm vegetables in the spring, harvest corn, cut hay in the summer, and load firewood in the winter and you can make a few bucks here and there if you can keep your equipment working for you.

 

[Big_Al]

Normally use a cable, snatchblock & truck to pull logs out to road. Cut into 16" pieces, usually try & get it split before loading on truck & trailer.

 

[Holtby]

Being an old tractor buzz saw guy, I cut into small log lengths that I can load into truck pickup & heft by myself up onto buzz saw table. If small stuff like branches or small trunks, I cut as long as what isn't too unwieldy/unsafe around buzz saw work area. I usually end up chainsaw cutting big rounds to later split, because I can only heft so much by myself into truck on the spot. Try to keep it simple and not any more trips than necessary. The way I learned as a kid (tractor & buzz saw & pickup truck)

 

[Holtby]

Being an old tractor buzz saw guy, I cut into small log lengths that I can load into truck pickup & heft by myself up onto buzz saw table. If small stuff like branches or small trunks, I cut as long as what isn't too unwieldy/unsafe around buzz saw work area. I usually end up chainsaw cutting big rounds to later split, because I can only heft so much by myself into truck on the spot. Try to keep it simple and not any more trips than necessary. The way I learned as a kid (tractor & buzz saw & pickup truck)

First, my little operation is dwarfed by almost everyone else who posts here, so my answer might not be as useful.
View attachment 331321
I cut to length where the tree falls. Then, it kind of depends whether I split there, or haul the rounds to my stacking area. If the dead tree is extra dirty, with lots of loose bark, I split at the fell spot, and haul clean ready to stack out of the woods. Or, if the rounds are too big for me to lift, and I have to split them anyway, I just finish the splitting on the spot. But, if it looks like I'll have a harder time working in the woods due to current and/or approaching weather; I haul the rounds, or halves if they are too big out to split near my stacks.
View attachment 331322
So, firewood processing decisions are a lot like asking a lawyer a question. The answer is always: "It depends".

Is that your partner on the stump in top photo?

 

[mainewoods]

I think a snatch block is one of the most underutilized tools there is. I've pulled trees out of gully's, with a snatch block and a 4x4, that would have other wise been bypassed.

 

[mainewoods]

First, my little operation is dwarfed by almost everyone else who posts here, so my answer might not be as useful.
View attachment 331321
I cut to length where the tree falls. Then, it kind of depends whether I split there, or haul the rounds to my stacking area. If the dead tree is extra dirty, with lots of loose bark, I split at the fell spot, and haul clean ready to stack out of the woods. Or, if the rounds are too big for me to lift, and I have to split them anyway, I just finish the splitting on the spot. But, if it looks like I'll have a harder time working in the woods due to current and/or approaching weather; I haul the rounds, or halves if they are too big out to split near my stacks.
View attachment 331322
So, firewood processing decisions are a lot like asking a lawyer a question. The answer is always: "It depends".

Size of the operation makes no difference. Any man that goes into the woods and harvests firewood to keep his family warm, no matter how he does it, is a valued contributor. Thanks for sharing.

 

[kennyl70]

Depends on the size of the logs. I find I can get more wood outta the woods leaving it long and cutting to stove length at home. I let it hang of the front and back of the trailer more... thus getting more wood....... if the logs are to big to load long I will cut it up on the spot........

 

[Greg Perryman]

If it's really brushy I will drag the whole tree or top with the tractor, but I prefer to cut it up on site.

 

[firebrick43]

I have a spot lined up that is pretty swampy. Loaded with dead ash. I am working on a cable/pulley system to haul out logs. Here is my plan.
300 ft. tow cable. Not steel. It is a fabric cable with minimal stretch.
2 large pulleys/carriages
1 12V winch
2 log tongs

Stretch cable into woods. attach to tree above 6 feet high
Attach winch to tree at edge of woods also above 6 feet high. Stretch out winch cable and attach to other cable.
Have pulleys on cable connected to log tongs with some sort of strap. Cut logs into 8 foot lengths or so and then grab logs with tongs. Indicate to guy at edge of woods to go. He draws the cable up tight with the winch and once log is suspended off the ground, simply walk it out of the woods. Once a lane is cleared move your cable to a different tree.
It's a bit of work but if it's all you got to cut then so be it.
You could also rig up a pull/delivery system instead of walking it out you could pull the "carriage" with a rope.

What is a "fabric cable". Do you mean amsteel blue rope? The term cable refers being metallic. It ok the call steel cable wire rope but not to call a non metallic rope cable

Fabric refers to being weaved such as tow straps which don't work with pulleys. Rope is braided or twisted and never referred to as a fabric.

Loading either cable or rope like you need at least twice the safe working load than if you were doing a vertical lift.

 

[Bushmans]

No it's not that. I don't know what it is but I'm not dragging full size trees out of the woods just a couple hundred pounds at most. My friend has the cable and next time we cut I'll get a pic. It is almost 1" in diameter. Round. I don't know the specifics. I just know that it is one bad cable, err....rope.....err.....line.