Any tips for woodcutting in muddy conditions?

[johnnylabguy]

I'm taking my neighbor out for his first woodcutting experience later today even though its going to be really muddy. He's got a new to him saw, and is excited so I don't want to tell him No. And it should be fun and informative too. Safety first is key.

This winter has been horrible for getting trailers or truck back to my woods! Just too wet and it hasn't froze up enough! Anyhow, I'm thinking I'll take the gator over and fill a couple loads that way to his truck. Thought about skidding some smaller logs out to the truck but wince when I think of how hard that will be on the chains.

Any other tips or ideas for cutting in muddy conditions? Like how do I keep my boots from building up with the goo? Any ideas are appreciated. Either way we'll have fun!

 

[zogger]

I cut, but dont haul out when it is too muddy. which is at least half the year here or better. I just cut it and stack the rounds up outta the mud like on some branches. Go back later when dry and haul it back, split and stack. Got a coupla cords of oak down now sitting in the mud. I am in no hurry to go get it.

So, just walk in, cut, come back later, unless you think it will get stolen. Theres no easy fix for getting the dirt off of dragged in logs short of a pressure washer. Itll dull chains fast. You can turn the logs so the mud is facing you, so the chain pulls it off and slings it out with the chips, and doesnt drag it all the way through the log. Thats about it. Brush/broom, or later on peel the bark, then cut. Some guys have reported some success using a gas blower to clean the logs, seems it should work but never tried it.

 

[johnnylabguy]

I cut, but dont haul out when it is too muddy. which is at least half the year here or better. I just cut it and stack the rounds up outta the mud like on some branches. Go back later when dry and haul it back, split and stack. Got a coupla cords of oak down now sitting in the mud. I am in no hurry to go get it.

So, just walk in, cut, come back later, unless you think it will get stolen. Theres no easy fix for getting the dirt off of dragged in logs short of a pressure washer. Itll dull chains fast. You can turn the logs so the mud is facing you, so the chain pulls it off and slings it out with the chips, and doesnt drag it all the way through the log. Thats about it. Brush/broom, or later on peel the bark, then cut. Some guys have reported some success using a gas blower to clean the logs, seems it should work but never tried it.

Thanks for the info! I've got 3-4 cords in the woods myself waiting for dryer days, but I'm hoping to haul at least a little out that we cut today for my neighbor to take home. Its always a great feeling to look at a nice pile you worked up sitting in the yard, and I want him to feel that feeling! lol He's got a little burner in his shop and I'm going to try to get him hooked on CAD and WAD!

 

[ponyexpress976]

Before you drop the tree lay down any saplings/dead branches or other such debris in the falling zone. In theory your trunk will then be up outta the mud and saving your chains.

 

[Fred Wright]

Just wrapped up some red maples yesterday; the woodlot is a pigsty. When I felled 'em, parts of the trunks sank in the muck. I cut what I could... limbed and did most of the bucking. The muddy parts of the logs, I rolled over with a cant hook to get 'em out of the mess and left 'em for another day.

 

[zogger]

Thanks for the info! I've got 3-4 cords in the woods myself waiting for dryer days, but I'm hoping to haul at least a little out that we cut today for my neighbor to take home. Its always a great feeling to look at a nice pile you worked up sitting in the yard, and I want him to feel that feeling! lol He's got a little burner in his shop and I'm going to try to get him hooked on CAD and WAD!

Well, good luck then! You said you had a gator, so make some trips with that, or use a trailer. You should be able to fill a truck bed up.

ya, you need some sort of trophy pile to show you did some work...

 

[Bushbow]

You do all the felling - tell him it takes practice and is the most dangerous part. Then let him buck it all with his new saw and a smile on his face. Then you can teach him how to sharpen a chain.

Actually I get a lot of my firewood from the swamp and had a bugger of a time last year because it never froze. Not so bad this winter - got in and got out before the spring thaw.

I did build a single log skidder for my quad that gets one end of a log off the ground and limits the mud and subsequent chain damage.

 

[johnnylabguy]

Well me made it out late this afternoon after my buddy woke up(he works the night shift) and it was just as wet as I thought it would be...

We were only able to cut on 1 acre of my 13 acre woodlot because of it and were only able to fill the gator bed with the time alotted. The old gator 8 hp motor just isn't mean enough for slogging all those tires thru the muck anymore, god bless her heart. We made do with what we had and my new cutting buddy learned alot and thoroughly enjoyed my expertise at showing him how to hang up a tree that we had to drive under on our way out. I swear the two limbs that caught it were on a tree fertilized by Hercules ashes! Nice. He did learn alot about the danger zone of the bar, having a safe out, barberchairing, releasing desirable trees thru selective cutting and other good stuff too.

Here he is with his first self-cut load of wood having the obligatory post cutting beer. I'm sorry it couldn't have been a finer quality pilsner but baby steps for the newbies. And he's a military man so he's not allowed to smile in pictures. Unless his buddy is hanging up a 60 foot ash tree. lol

 

[Iska3]

Looks like you were cutting in an Ash Swamp. The only thing missing in those pictures is a deer stand.

Not a bad job if it stays a bit cold outside but once it starts to warm up, it gets to be nasty out there. Any time you can pull out a load of wood gives a person a good feeling. Job well done.

 

[zogger]

Well me made it out late this afternoon after my buddy woke up(he works the night shift) and it was just as wet as I thought it would be...

We were only able to cut on 1 acre of my 13 acre woodlot because of it and were only able to fill the gator bed with the time alotted. The old gator 8 hp motor just isn't mean enough for slogging all those tires thru the muck anymore, god bless her heart. We made do with what we had and my new cutting buddy learned alot and thoroughly enjoyed my expertise at showing him how to hang up a tree that we had to drive under on our way out. I swear the two limbs that caught it were on a tree fertilized by Hercules ashes! Nice. He did learn alot about the danger zone of the bar, having a safe out, barberchairing, releasing desirable trees thru selective cutting and other good stuff too.

Here he is with his first self-cut load of wood having the obligatory post cutting beer. I'm sorry it couldn't have been a finer quality pilsner but baby steps for the newbies. And he's a military man so he's not allowed to smile in pictures. Unless his buddy is hanging up a 60 foot ash tree. lol

Big wet cold muddy fun!

I wonder if they make a track attachment for those? Something like, deflate tires, install rubber tracks, reinflate to get grip.

Hmm, something like old rear tractor tires, cut the side walls out, use that. Proly need left and right hand brakes as well to assist in steering.

 

[johnnylabguy]

The only thing missing in those pictures is a deer stand.

It's about 40 yds to the right of where my buddy was in the pic!

 

[Preston]

That mess you have just reaffirms my insistence to stay inside, by the fire with hot coffee in my cup. No way am I going out in that. I'd rather reload some .45 ACP's or .300 mags. And have another cup of coffee. :msp_w00t:

 

[greendohn]

The Good Ol' Daze,,,

BOY! I use to cut in a place like that. If it wasn't frozen absolutely solid we basically would exercise/practice our skill in overcoming the terrain. LOL. We had a 400 Foreman and 300 Honda, a small home made trailer and snatch 'em straps,,Good times. I gotta smile thinkin' about the time and energy we spent in those woods..for so very little fire wood and fighting dull chains! It was the only wood lot we had and luckily it wasn't rutted up with truck size tires, just our 4-wheelers. Back then I had a 2wd s-15 and busted thru the ice one time,,Geezus, what I'd go thru to beat the gas man out of a nickel!!

Good for you for helpin' out a buddy. Especially a Vet. REP, sent yer way, 'labguy!

 

[c5rulz]

I cut, but dont haul out when it is too muddy. which is at least half the year here or better. I just cut it and stack the rounds up outta the mud like on some branches. Go back later when dry and haul it back, split and stack. Got a coupla cords of oak down now sitting in the mud. I am in no hurry to go get it.

So, just walk in, cut, come back later, unless you think it will get stolen. Theres no easy fix for getting the dirt off of dragged in logs short of a pressure washer. Itll dull chains fast. You can turn the logs so the mud is facing you, so the chain pulls it off and slings it out with the chips, and doesnt drag it all the way through the log. Thats about it. Brush/broom, or later on peel the bark, then cut. Some guys have reported some success using a gas blower to clean the logs, seems it should work but never tried it.

Yup I agree with all the above.

The only thing I would add is it makes good sense to leave it lay. Any landowner isn't going to be impressed with muddy ruts being made on the property. Walk in an cut/split and get when it dries up. I have a plastic kids sled to haul equipment in on when there is snow.

If mud is real bad I take a small hand ax and chop off the bark. As Zogger said, have the chain pull through the mud on the back of the cut rather than when going in.:msp_thumbup:

 

[4seasons]

Did you say skid some logs in the mud?

My tip. Don't do it this way:

This happened to me last time I was skidding logs in the mud. I guess if the land is much flatter you will only get stuck, but I would just walk in and cut, leave the skidding till it drys out.

 

[Preston]

That pic just makes me sick. I couldn't stand to see my Kubota over like that.

 

[avalancher]

Any other tips or ideas for cutting in muddy conditions? Like how do I keep my boots from building up with the goo? Any ideas are appreciated. Either way we'll have fun!

A good trick to keep the mud from building up on your boots, at least on the sides, is to hose em down good with Pam or some other cooking oil. Mud slides right off em for a good while, and it helps if you remember the night before to hose em down good and let is soak in a bit, then hit em again right before you go out. I keep a can in my truck box at all times, and it helps big time. Nothing more tiring than walking around with ten pounds of mud on each boot.

 

[zogger]

tracks

I just looked, they do make a commercial add on track system for the gators, but it is quite expensive and guys using them say it works a lot better just in snow, but on rough terrain and mud not so good.

I am thinking just slip on rubber tracks, similar to like on wheeled skidsteers, or a home made cobjob, would work better, but you would really need left and right brakes for your scale model sized half track.

 

[Lovewood33]

Wow what a wet cold swampy mess! I thought I was looking at a picture from the Pacific Northwest with all that wet ground. If I were you I would wait until it dries out, last thing you need is to get stuck with no way out. Good luck

 

[johnnylabguy]

Just to clarify, that first pic is the dead end where my old gator stopped! We were landlocked to the higher ground behind me. Notice my forelorn wood piles in the distance begging to get home! I knew it was going to be soupy but when a buddy gets his first chainsaw you make exceptions...

Here's a pic of his pride and joy for kicks. It's a little rougher than I would have preferred, but I wasn't able to ride along on his craigslist purchase. The AV mounts are pretty shot and its missing a bolt on one of 'em(i need to fix that asap), but it actually does run pretty good so he did alright in the end. It got him out to the woods cutting so that's what matters most. I'm hoping by fall he'll have at least three saws if I'm doing anything right! lol