Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[rwoods]

Lots of great firewood there, like the dozer pushing them over, no hang ups either.

I would have love to fell them but then the stumps would have to be dug. I left a lot of wood at the bases because they were covered in loose dirt. The CAT operator rolled a couple for me to knock off as much dirt as possible. But yes, that CAT is slick.

Ron

 

[rwoods]

The CAT had a little help from another CAT. He used a backhoe to dig around the roots from the pushing side before he pushed them. With the bucket high he would get them to lean then he would come in as shown in the pictures and lift the roots. Getting them to lean was the hard and most dangerous part. I stopped him once on tree #2 because the top was swaying wildly and starting to break. The operator is a friend so he didn't mind me stepping into his business a little. Ron

 

[Deleted member 149229]

The CAT had a little help from another CAT. He used a backhoe to dig around the roots from the pushing side before he pushed them. With the bucket high he would get them to lean then he would come in as shown in the pictures and lift the roots. Getting them to lean was the hard and most dangerous part. I stopped him once on tree #2 because the top was swaying wildly and starting to break. The operator is a friend so he didn't mind me stepping into his business a little. Ron

Better help from a friend than an ambulance.

 

[James Miller]

Just be sure to paint it orange.

I like the green better. If they still maid real poulans I might not have any echos.

 

[turnkey4099]

@turnkey4099 The guy that owns those Mall saws travels to different places and actually runs them. He has one saw that he uses an outboard motor to start. He has a motor on a wooden box and uses a belt between that motor and the saw to get the saw started. The chain does run rather slow on them compared to a modern chain saw.

Very slow but the torque was high, one could really lean on them. We had a Mack a luck, I don't recall the model, that was still gear drive fairly new for our firewood and the post hole digger auger to go with it. That rig, if it caught a rock, could really give one a ride. I went into the AF in 1954 and retired in 1975, I was surprised to find that saws no longer were gear drive and one could not lean on them. Sharp chain or you weren't going to cut much wood.

 

[Cowboy254]

Next scrounge lined up. I start Tuesday. View attachment 670826 View attachment 670827 View attachment 670828 Theres 10 standing dead red oaks on the property beside it that are coming down also.

No doubt about it, You Suck!

 

[James Miller]

No doubt about it, You Suck!

I've done well this year so far. Doesnt always work that way, a couple years ago we had to buy a triaxle load of logs cause we got almost nothing that year. Take the good with the bad.

 

[svk]

View attachment 670915 I like the green better. If they still maid real poulans I might not have any echos.

If you chose to collect a couple specific models/families of those Poulans you could probably put up a lifetime supply worth of parts saws and fixers. Then you just need to buy carb kits and crank seals as needed.

I put up an ad looking for a parts saw and ended up with a like new 5020 for 20 bucks that just needed a new chain.

 

[James Miller]

@Dahmer I like orange to. Headed over to clean up one of the oaks from yesterday.

 

[nighthunter]

did a bit of scrounging with a 13ton volvo

 

[chipper1]

View attachment 670955 View attachment 670956 View attachment 670957 View attachment 670958 did a bit of scrounging with a 13ton volvo

What did you do with the excavator, just push it where you wanted it to fall.
That's a nice bit of wood in there.

 

[nighthunter]

What did you do with the excavator, just push it where you wanted it to fall.
That's a nice bit of wood in there.

yeah there was a bad lean on that ash in the wrong direction so I got the excavator to push into the field and away from the road

 

[chipper1]

yeah there was a bad lean on that ash in the wrong direction so I got the excavator to push into the field and away from the road

I get that.
The step cut is a useful tool when you have equipment to give a push or pull in the direction of fall. I use it with the skidding winch on my little Kubota all the time and have used it with a rope and a truck on back leaners. Key things are to pull/push directly against the lean or the hinge can break, the other is to adjust the holding wood between the bore cut and the back cut based on the tree type as well as the type of equipment you have to pull/push it and break the holding wood. Give it a try in a safe area and do some experimenting.

Here's one I did last spring(cut all the pines out of there, but only filmed the one)that had a good bit of back lean, there were also power lines and cable lines as well as a well head and a light as well as high voltage lines just ahead and above where it was filmed from.
It's a great trick to have in your pocket and easy to learn.

 

[James Miller]

Theres a little bit of wood here. Theres 2 this size and another that's bigger yet. The big one is pretty rotted so I'll probably leave it in the woods.

 

[chipper1]

View attachment 670963 Theres a little bit of wood here. Theres 2 this size and another that's bigger yet. The big one is pretty rotted so I'll probably leave it in the woods.

Great looking setup there, need to get me one .
That should give you some time to practice some chip/noodle management .

 

[nighthunter]

I get that.
The step cut is a useful tool when you have equipment to give a push or pull in the direction of fall. I use it with the skidding winch on my little Kubota all the time and have used it with a rope and a truck on back leaners. Key things are to pull/push directly against the lean or the hinge can break, the other is to adjust the holding wood between the bore cut and the back cut based on the tree type as well as the type of equipment you have to pull/push it and break the holding wood. Give it a try in a safe area and do some experimenting.

Here's one I did last spring(cut all the pines out of there, but only filmed the one)that had a good bit of back lean, there were also power lines and cable lines as well as a well head and a light as well as high voltage lines just ahead and above where it was filmed from.
It's a great trick to have in your pocket and easy to learn.

I could but there is a disease affecting ash in Ireland called ash die back which makes them quite unpredictable when falling so better play it safe than sorry

 

[svk]

Last night I cleaned all of my saw stuff out of my storage unit in FL from last winter. I’ve got ten saws (only one runner though) in the car headed north today. It’s amazing how quickly the stuff accumulates.

Found a bunch of bars I knew were somewhere. Still missing several chains that hopefully will turn up.

 

[husqvarna257]

2 I like the green better. If they still maid real poulans I might not have any echos.

No doubt my 1st saw was a poulan, ran great for years. It was a "skitter beater" 16/1 mix.

Finishing up on the scrounge round one. 9.3 cord in the lean to. going to try to toss the extra wood in it loose on top. This is all OWB wood, I split it small this year to season quicker. The other wood I'll split for the wood stove. Still use it here and there, right in the living room so it's quick heat. My 257 was running rich here and there so I added some sea foam and now it runs like new. Still more from the scrounge to take but I want to finish all this wood first

 

[dancan]

The "Honey Do" list was long this morning but I snuck away around 1:00 pm to drop a few trees to add to the pile
I'm still clearing the back yard at this lot but the cutting is getting close to the end . I did have a Volvo at the lot but it was no help to me

The several trips dragging gear back and forth added up to be about a kilometer of walking , that Volvo was no help whatsoever lol

 

[dancan]

Here's a before

After

Now you can see the lake , I'm gonna wait to meet with Paul tomorrow to see what he wants me to cut at the edges of what I've cut .
Some of the spruce did put up a fight

Thot I was gonna have to delimb starting at the small end lol