Back To The Wooids Today

[Sawyer Rob]

It was 96* today, but my helper came over and we went to the woods anyway. We just took lots of water along with us!

I got started by setting my tree jack in a nice white pine, and cutting the knotch out, then finishing the back cut dropping the tree.

Once it was on the ground, i let my helper cut off what limbs there were to cut ect., as my back is pretty bad and i just can't do the heavy work anymore,

These are some REALLY nice white pine!!

Some i skidded out at 16 foot 6" lengths, and others at 33 feet! Then cutting them in two after i had them out,

Then loading them onto my "log hauling" running gear,

 

[Sawyer Rob]

This load of three logs were so heavy i couldn't pull it up "sugar sand hill", i had to find another way to get out!

And four other logs we cut out today,

Anyway, once home we washed all the sand off them with the pump and fire hose!

S N they will be a big pile of lumber!

SR

 

[mikeb1079]

nice! man another good day. how big is your tree farm/hunting land/playground?

 

[Dad2FourWI]

Great logs and I _love_ your skidder/trailer!!!!

I keep looking around for some materials to make one like that! I go through too much diesel running back and forth with the tractor and my old trailer cant haul too much... (it is old... and I do mean old, it has wooden axles!!!)

Great pics... they make me want to get out in the woods!

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Great logs and I _love_ your skidder/trailer!!!!

I keep looking around for some materials to make one like that! I go through too much diesel running back and forth with the tractor and my old trailer cant haul too much... (it is old... and I do mean old, it has wooden axles!!!)

Great pics... they make me want to get out in the woods!

I don't think it's worth the time or trouble to make a "running gear", most old farm sales will have one or more on them, and they usually go for 1 to $300.00. I paid 50 bucks for the last one i bought and all it needed is two rims/tires and some TLC.

Thanks guys,

SR

 

[Dad2FourWI]

Is that what it is called?!?!? a "running gear"

I feel like such a "noobie"!!!! I have lived most of my life on a tree farm and only now am I getting into being a sawyer!!!! Go figure!

My father always wanted to cut his own wood... but alas he passed a few years back. I don't want that to happen to two generations so I have my LT-10 in my barn right now.... yes, it is still sitting on the palette as the manuals were not included with it (they are on the way!) but I cannot wait to save some of those trees we bring back to the farm house go for lumber instead instead of firewood!!!!

I ran across an old sawyer today and he had two ideas on where to obtain a (well I guess it's called a running gear) - we are headed over there tomorrow! If I find one I will bore you all with pics!!!!

Thanks for all the info!!!!!!!!

 

[Woodsrover]

Running gear is what a hay wagon sits on. You may not see what is in the pictures at a farm sale but you may see hay wagons. Look underneath and there you go.

By the way, you can tell a real farmer by his ability to back up a hay wagon.

 

[Dad2FourWI]

*ouch!*

Yea, I have to admit that I broke one of the main boards under our old hay wagon trying to back that sucker up!!!!

It is an old wagon with wooden axles and the main board that connects the front and back is also wood (oak by the way, and cut from our farm many years ago.... sadly, not milled by us but by a friend... that will be different from now on!!!!

We did not buy any running gear today but we found two farm sales places that had some. One place was REALLY old and the equip looked just as old.... prices around 200 to 300

The other place had running gear that looked like it would actually track behind me for the trip back to the farm... and about 300-350

Bucks are tight right now so we are looking at all our options and we have some "feelers" out to friends too...

Can you tell I am "chomping at the bit"!!!!<grin>

Cheers!

 

[abbott295]

It is a lot easier to back up a wagon if you have a hitch on the front of the tractor. It's probably been close to 30 years since I backed up a wagon. A two wheeled trailer is easy.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Running gear is what a hay wagon sits on. You may not see what is in the pictures at a farm sale but you may see hay wagons. Look underneath and there you go.

By the way, you can tell a real farmer by his ability to back up a hay wagon.

Running gears are bought as "running gears", in many different weight carrying rateings, THEN many different bodys are put on them, from hay wagons, silage bodys ect., depending on what you bought it for.

I don't know if i'm a REAL farmer, but i can back up a 4 wheeled wagon, no big deal... BUT, i know guys that can back up TWO 4 wheel wagons hooked in tandem... Try that one! lol I can do it, but it takes me a while to get it done!

There use to be backing up contest around here, and guys could back the two through an S to the finish line!

SR

 

[Dad2FourWI]

I found one.... but it needs a bit of work!! One steering rod is bent and on the other side has a bit of a nasty crack...

View attachment 245833

(I took the tongue off to get at some of the bolts)

I'll have to clean her up a bit further to see the full extent of the crack damage... but it is going to rain here today so that will give me something to do!

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I over loaded a lighter duty running gear one time, and it ripped the whole corner off... I forced the corner back into place, beating the metal with a hammer and then welded it all up. It's now as strong as it ever was, and it's the one you see loaded in the below pictures...

Anyway,

I headed to the woods yesterday morning, and once there, i started out by cutting down a really nice white pine,

Boy, this was a TALL tree, and i got several long logs out of it,

Anyway, by the end of the day, i had a pretty good load of logs!

And some of them are pretty nice too!

I even managed to get a white oak that was in the way of extending the road to more white pine, i took the top limbs for firewood...

Once they were home, i started up my pump and gave them a good wash, as they were full of wet sand from the rain the night before...

Now to get them milled!

SR

 

[q-tip jr]

R U gonna saw the hickory for lumber?

 

[Sawyer Rob]

R U gonna saw the hickory for lumber?

IF there was a hickory on that load, i certainly would... lol

SR

 

[Jim Timber]

How do you like that jack?

I've been thinking of rigging something up to use a hi-lift in a similar manner.

 

[q-tip jr]

IF there was a hickory on that load, i certainly would... lol

SR

was seeing a couple pieces of shagbark on the top - ?firewood

 

[Sawyer Rob]

No, you are seeing white oak on top, and those thin tops ARE going to be firewood...

SR

 

[q-tip jr]

No, you are seeing white oak on top, and those thin tops ARE going to be firewood...

SR

nice camo

 

[Sawyer Rob]

nice camo

I guess i could go out and take a closer pict of it for you, but i'm thinking i'll just let you suffer in your own rudeness instead. lol

BTW, if you need to know what a "shagbark" REALLY look like, i posted a closer pict of one on another thread here...

SR

 

[Dave Boyt]

I've seen white oak with bark so shaggy that I thought it was shagbark hickory at first. Somehow, the acorns didn't look right, though. Q-tip jr, if you look closely at the photo of the logs, the leaves are palmately compound, and coming from a vine-- it is a Virginia creeper. Of course three leaves would make it poison ivy. I've seen some big enough to make firewood. You've got a good eye for detail to have noticed them at all.

Back to Jim Timber's question, how do you like that tree jack? Does it give you pretty good control over the direction of fall? I use wedges, but always game to learn about a new tool!

db