Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[woodchip rookie]

It will get stronger.
Once your warranty is done run a gallon of dino oil thru it mixed at the same ratio you mix now and you will most likely see even more gains.
550 is a great 18" bar limbing saw, plenty of reach and will buck fairly quick up to 10-12" and burried if needed, and they balance great.

My warranty is 4yrs. So I have 3yrs left. I run mine with a 16"/325 full chisel. Same as my 445 so they can back each other up and bars/chains are swappable. It shreds with a 16. Same concept as the 20" on my 395.

 

[MustangMike]

Happy Birthday Jeff!!! Enjoy your trip home, sounds like the vacation went very well.

 

[svk]

Old 55 rancher....bar mount the same as the 440? His 55 has 3/8 chain and the 440 has 325 so a sprocket swap would be in order but is the bar mount the same?

Yes

 

[svk]

After breakfast I’m going to flag then cut hunting trails on our family land closer to town. There are no deer left at our regular hunting land thanks to wolves so I need to move operations this year.

Hoping there’s still snow there which will make scouting easier.

 

[Deleted member 150358]

Sad the wolf season got fubared. Protecting 1 species that's not even endangered at the expense of others is moronic. Still find it funny the dnr finally had to admit wolves were part of the declining moose problem. After all their deflection for years.

 

[blades]

DNR - really slow on the up take - when they finale get there go overboard with regs and such. best thing that has come along is the trail cams real hard for them to say no to pictures.

 

[panolo]

When there are cougars a couple miles from me, moose getting shot 10 miles from me, and bears in areas they have never been it's a big sign something is pushing them south. My belief is that the food sources are getting skinnier and skinnier for the predators in northern MN and that these predators in turn are pushing animals like moose and bear farther south then they have ever been.

 

[chipper1]

My warranty is 4yrs. So I have 3yrs left. I run mine with a 16"/325 full chisel. Same as my 445 so they can back each other up and bars/chains are swappable. It shreds with a 16. Same concept as the 20" on my 395.

Since I don't buy new from dealers at this point in the game I'm not sure what they will allow you to run and still keep the warranty. I'd ask and see if you can run a non synthetic in it and still retain the warranty. I would bet that the only time the 550 would cut any slower(speaking in regards of firewood cutting)is when you get into wood over 10", by that point I'm usually grabbing a larger saw anyway, but I like the reach of an 18" on a 50. I normally run a 20 on a ported 60 or a stock 70 for limbing, then a 24 or larger for bucking on a ported 70 or a stock 75cc plus saw. I have no problem with others running a 20 on a 90cc saw, but I have no need, and my back is happy with that .

 

[blades]

something changing, pumas showing up around the metro area as well as black bears . bears are a little newer, cats I have been tracking since the late 80's. Coyotes moved in about 30 years ago, in force, piror to that it was a rare sighting It must have been real hard for the DNR to admit that the big cats were around. didn't have much choice last FEB, when home owners videoed one looking in there picture window one morning in the western suburbs of Milwaukee WI. Although they are still adamant that there is no breeding population. I kinda question that though. Breeding wolf population now after the reintroduction- documented kills of Deer and the recently reintroduced Moose by same in northern WI. Buddy has a place up north 60 acres, new sighting for him, a Fischer last week. Rare now days used to be common 40 years ago.

 

[chipper1]

After breakfast I’m going to flag then cut hunting trails on our family land closer to town. There are no deer left at our regular hunting land thanks to wolves so I need to move operations this year.

Hoping there’s still snow there which will make scouting easier.

Wolf jerky sounds great .
Be safe cutting, and don't forget to have a pistol strapped on in case some jerky comes walking in .

 

[turnkey4099]

Another scrounge...maybe. At coffee club meeting this morning I was offered an oak "about the size of this table (30" range) in a field, we will fell it". Seems too good to be true as oak in this country is basically non-existent except a few 'town trees'. THAT scrounge I will follow up on. I'll take one more load from the Cottonwood probably on Monday. Hauling the last load of rounds from the willow patch for this fall, not able to get in there when the rains start.

 

[svk]

Sad the wolf season got fubared. Protecting 1 species that's not even endangered at the expense of others is moronic. Still find it funny the dnr finally had to admit wolves were part of the declining moose problem. After all their deflection for years.

Yes. Agree completely. It’s really sad, mostly fueled by non hunters who live south of wolf range.

 

[svk]

Got property lines and a nice circle loop within the properyy flagged today. After 3 hours in the woods and 4 miles on the Fitbit I was soaked to the bone (and COLD) with the standing water in low areas and snow falling/melting out of trees.

Saw two grouse and lots of deer tracks.

I’ll go out another time to cut the trail.

 

[Deleted member 149229]

Here’s the chestnut score, when I pulled in all I could see was leaves, kinda messed up how they were dropped, I gotta work harder but hey, it’s “free” wood. Forgot these things had a ton of branches, the brush pile is from just 2 trees. Got a truck and trailer load today, worked my butt off limbing and moving branches. Took the 3/8 lp converted 490, awesome set up. Also one of the beasts, the 7900, they always amaze me. The Stihl peavy in the one pick is for the creamsicle fans, sorry, only Stihl I own.

 

[Deleted member 149229]

Surprised I didn’t have to remove Coroner’s tape when I saw his felling cuts.

 

[Deleted member 149229]

And to make a preventive strike, yes, they are chestnut trees.

 

[cantoo]

Bought a set of tires for my logging wagon yesterday at the sale. I couldn't remember the size so I bought a few. Also got 3 SS blades, a tire changer and a chicken plucker. My wife says I'm crazy. Sold and delivered 2 of the blades on the way home and then sold 2 sets of tires when I got home. 18 sets to go, only need 1 set for the wagon.

 

[Philbert]

Bought a set of tires for my logging wagon yesterday at the sale. I couldn't remember the size so I bought a few. Also got 3 SS blades, a tire changer and a chicken plucker. My wife says I'm crazy.

Your purchases do sound a bit . . . eccentric at times . . .But f you can make it work, more power to you!

Philbert

 

[Cowboy254]

I took my mate Dave along for a scrounge today. We got the word that a couple of peppermints had come down on one of the farms I have cut wood on before and I volunteered us for clean up detail.



Dave had a play with the monkey saw over at one of the burn heaps that had a few nice dry peppermint snags sticking out. His only saw is a 30cc Jap saw of some sort that I'm unfamiliar with so this was a big step up for him.



Then the farmer comes over in his monster tractor and asks if we want the logs moved. Yes please! I quickly limbed them and cut the logs to a manoeuvrable length.



He took them around and dropped them off behind Dave's ute.



There's only one rule when I'm scrounging for someone else's benefit. I'm cutting, you're split and stack boy.

 

[Cowboy254]

Continuing on, while Dave was taking the first load home, I got the rest of the logs cut and split into quarters or halves depending on the size. He can make them smaller at home if he wants to.



Second load going to Dave's place.



Which left this



and some other small piles from the limbs.



I'm always very particular about cleaning up on other people's farms and dragged the small stuff over and tossed it on the burn pile.



All up about 4.5 cubes of nice peppermint, should be ready to burn next winter.