Firewooding in the mud and rain!

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Bushmans

Smoke Dragon Herder
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
1,156
Reaction score
519
Location
Charlotte, Michigan
My friend from work asked me if I wanted to pick up some free wood today so I said sure. A lady whose property he hunts on had a tree cut and the guys tree company cut it all into firewood length. I think it is a sugar maple and I loaded my truck and trailer pretty full. It rained the entire time.
It is green and super heavy so I tried not to overload my little trailer and I went easy on the truck too. It was about a 20 minute drive. On the way home I had a blow out on my trailer and had to stop and change it, still pouring rain!
I pulled into my drive and thought I had a pretty good chance on making it up to the wood stacks with this load but alas I only made it 20 feet off the drive before the whole rig sank into the lawn.
So, still raining I had to unload all of the wood in the front yard. Then I unhooked the trailer and spun it around by hand to get it out of the way and the tire twisted into the lawn. I couldn't budge it. SO into the garage to get the jack and some oak planks. Jack the trailer up and slide the plank under the tire. Then I could move it out of the way. Then onto the truck where I had to jack up each corner and put planks under all 4 tires. Eventually I got out without too much damage to the lawn. I spent the better part of 30 minutes tamping all the trenches flat. I still have a few holes that will need to be filled but oh well. It was a good haul. I got around 2/3 of a cord out of it. Big rounds. Some were close to 20". The big tree on the right next to the propane tank is the one they took down. She had them leave all of that huge trunk so she could have a carver come in and carve it.
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Good score!

Look at it this way, you could have had a blowout in some big piece of equipment instead. Or throw a track. At least all your hassle was light duty and you could manage it.
 
Sugar maple is one of the best firewoods IMO. Definitely worth some 'extra' effort. Nice score!
 
you didn't mention the bad words that came out of your mouth.:laugh: nice haul though.

When the tire blew out I wasn't surprised. I've been riding around on that old thing for a long time. I had my spare and had it changed out in less than 10 minutes. I always take the 4-way and jack with me when I use the trailer. Getting stuck in the yard was the worst. I am really picky about my yard. It was such a stupid move that I was more embarrassed than angry. Instead of gunning and trying to rock it out I accepted the consequence and used the jack and the boards. Very easy way to get out of being stuck if you want to take the time and do it!
A wheelbarrow of topsoil and the lawn roller will fix it nicely.

I love burning sugar maple but man oh man is it heavy this time of the year. It came from a town called Vermontville which is a huge maple syrup community. There are taps in almost every tree you drive by. Even the ones in the front yards in town!
 
Great story. File it under the "Ain't it always something" heading. I'll bet when you're burning all that fine maple you'll feel it was worth the work.
 
We did a tree job at a school yesterday, or at least tried to. Been raining about a week here, but the ground felt solid so we tried driving over it. Got about 150' with 2 trucks and chippers and ended up sinking about a foot into it. Used the third truck and chipper with winch and ropes to tow the other two trucks out. The guy that does the lawns on the ride on is going to be cursing my name for the next 5 years or so.
 
yep to much snow to cut a lot of the winter and now to wet. alas just have to keep the beer close at hand and wait for the drier weather.:)
 
Yup, a little top soil,seed and a rake is all it takes to make it look like it never happened. Good attitude! Next winter when it's -20 and the wind is howling, you will be rewarded for your effort with every armful of that wood. "thumbs up"!!
 
Well, it has been awhile since I've been on this site but I will update on this wood. I split it and stacked it and let it dry for a year and seven months. I went out to the stacks during the first week of November to check it out. I have been hunting a new deer camp area with 44 acres of private woods surrounded on three sides by State land and more private to the south. I leave my pop-up camper up there for Oct-Nov and run up every chance I get for hunting. It's only a 2.5-hour drive.
Instead of wasting my hunting time up there cutting firewood for camp I just haul up a stack every time I go up.
The last two times I took the wood from this tree cut back in April of 2014.
It is not sugar maple. It is silver maple.
It made a good fire for deer camp but did not put out much heat. IMG_3568.JPG IMG_3563.JPG
It was light, straight-grained and easy to split into smaller pieces.
It made good deer camp firewood and the rest of it I burned in my stove recently when the temps were not that cold but we needed a fire at night. The low BTUs worked perfect for those kind of nights.
I sold some out to the road as well. It makes great beer money as well!
I shot a dandy of a buck with my bow as well.
 
You left out the most important part.. how's the lawn :laughing: That's a nice buck! I believe imma have to take to the beater and run one down this year can't buy a shot!
 
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