Firewood Gathering: Tips of the Trade

[gwiley]

Equipment

I hate the cliche "work smarter not harder", but in firewood harvesting it really shines. Put as much as you can into good equipment and you will benefit from more time and energy to harvest more wood.

Tractor/loader: if there is any way to finagle this, do it. Even a 20 year old skid steer is a HUGE help. My skid steer has multiplied my efficiency more than I can measure.

Heavy truck: Remember, time spent driving to/from a cutting site is lost. The more wood you can carry per trip the less time per cord you spend.

Heavy Trailer: see above

Spare gear: always carry spares for critical gear - time spent going to get a spare is lost. Spare throwline, spare chainsaw, spare wedges, spare bar nuts, spare chains, spare bar.

Check your gear before travelling to a cutting site: the time to discover a bum saw is at your garage, not after a 30 minute drive to a site. Start it up, rev it, does it sound right? What about fuel - do you have as much as you thought you did?

Maintenance: Take the time to perform maintenance BEFORE you need to. Use a rainy day or down time to change filters, grease fittings, check wear on critical parts. Don't forget trailers, hitches, tires.

Tools: carry tools sufficient to do hard things. I always carry a floor jack, a 4 ton come along and a simple set of mechanics tools. If something gets stuck, wedged or broken at the site you don't want to drive back to the garage (maybe you can't).

Every time you handle wood make an effort to put it as close to the final spot as possible. Make a conscious decision to design your wood staging, splitting and storage to minimize touches to each piece.

Keep everything large until the last possible minute. Don't buck a 14' log until you have to - preferably when it is laying right next to the place you will stack the splits. Don't split rounds unless they are right next to where they will be staked to season. If you use a mechanized splitter make sure it is mobile (attached to loader, lawn tractor, etc.).

Make an effort to find a cutting buddy, an extra set of hands can be priceless when you need them.

 

[freemind]

I hate the cliche "work smarter not harder", but in firewood harvesting it really shines. Put as much as you can into good equipment and you will benefit from more time and energy to harvest more wood.

Tractor/loader: if there is any way to finagle this, do it. Even a 20 year old skid steer is a HUGE help. My skid steer has multiplied my efficiency more than I can measure.

Heavy truck: Remember, time spent driving to/from a cutting site is lost. The more wood you can carry per trip the less time per cord you spend.

Heavy Trailer: see above

Spare gear: always carry spares for critical gear - time spent going to get a spare is lost. Spare throwline, spare chainsaw, spare wedges, spare bar nuts, spare chains, spare bar.

Check your gear before travelling to a cutting site: the time to discover a bum saw is at your garage, not after a 30 minute drive to a site. Start it up, rev it, does it sound right? What about fuel - do you have as much as you thought you did?

Maintenance: Take the time to perform maintenance BEFORE you need to. Use a rainy day or down time to change filters, grease fittings, check wear on critical parts. Don't forget trailers, hitches, tires.

Tools: carry tools sufficient to do hard things. I always carry a floor jack, a 4 ton come along and a simple set of mechanics tools. If something gets stuck, wedged or broken at the site you don't want to drive back to the garage (maybe you can't).

Every time you handle wood make an effort to put it as close to the final spot as possible. Make a conscious decision to design your wood staging, splitting and storage to minimize touches to each piece.

Keep everything large until the last possible minute. Don't buck a 14' log until you have to - preferably when it is laying right next to the place you will stack the splits. Don't split rounds unless they are right next to where they will be staked to season. If you use a mechanized splitter make sure it is mobile (attached to loader, lawn tractor, etc.).

Make an effort to find a cutting buddy, an extra set of hands can be priceless when you need them.

SAGE advice.

Every time you touch a stick of wood, it is time lost. It is also extra energy expended that could have been used doing something else.

Every time you swing a maul, you are opening yourself up to an injury.

I don't have the perfect system, but I am MUCH farther ahead then I was 4 years ago. Making firewood should be a production line. It is much more efficient that way.

Rep coming your way gwiley.

 

[JEA]

Completely agree about the value of tractor/loader as mentioned above. In addition, buy a grapple for the loader (or pallet forks) so you can pick up the logs and block them up at a comfortable height above the ground. This will be a back saver over the years.

 

[gwiley]

Completely agree about the value of tractor/loader as mentioned above. In addition, buy a grapple for the loader (or pallet forks) so you can pick up the logs and block them up at a comfortable height above the ground. This will be a back saver over the years.

Amen to the grapple.

Our skid steer was part of a package that came with a grapple. I remember thinking "why would I need that?", got the guy to drop the price $500 to leave the grapple out. I SUCK! There isn't a day that goes by that I don't regret that $500. Can't find a working grapple for under $1000 and that just won't fly with all the gear I have bought lately.

 

[BigE]

A backhoe attachment with a thumb is also a very nice way to hold the logs for bucking up.

 

[ryan_marine]

Toliet paper!!! You never know when you will have to go.

I always carry in my truck 1 tampon and 2 maxi pads. Reason is if you get inpaled my a small rock or stick from your saw than you can use the tampon to plug the wound. Trust me it works. Also works great for bullet holes. The maxi pad to stop bleeding from an accidental saw to the leg. You never know when you might need it. It is best to have it and not need it than not to and you do need it.

Ray

 

[garmar]

Don't use this pic as a model for the correct use of PPE.

 

[logbutcher]

Don't use this pic as a model for the correct use of PPE.

Why ?

 

[freemind]

Don't use this pic as a model for the correct use of PPE.

Hmmmm...


That bears a striking resemblence to a avitar that Avalancher had.

 

[spike60]

Always nice to have a saw behind the seat of the truck for when you stumble on a nice roadside find.

Playground chalk is a great way to mark off a log. Quick to use, easy to see, no overspray, and lots of nice colors.

Always good bring an extra saw.

Another thing that should be in the toolbox is an extra starter rope, especially if you only have one saw.

I always put my saws away clean and sharp so they're ready to go the next time.

If I pull out a saw that hasn't been run in a while, I fire it up before I go.

There's more work in loading the truck than cutting the wood, so I like to cut a little, load a little, cut some more, etc.

I don't always bring fuel and oil jugs. You can fill a pickup truck on half a tank of saw gas, so having two full saws is more than enough if that's all the cutting you are going to do at one time.

I like what a lot of you guys said about the safety stuff, and I'm going to adopt some of those ideas. (That's a weak point of mine )

 

[cedarman]

Make a good 5/16" 8 foot choke chain. that away you can wrap the chain around any big log drag a log out of brush onto a logging road, path, trail or flat area to be bucked and loaded.

If your clumsy like me a flat open space to work in really makes it good on your body, makes the job easier and is alot safer.

and its alot nicer to work on a open space rather than fighting bull bryers, poison ivy and vines.

 

[TreePointer]

Ya'll have it all wrong. The man in the picture has acute CAD and is only able to have a movement if he's soothed by the vibration of a 2-stroke engine.

 

[Circle B MN]

With out reading al 3 pages, I say never cut more than you can haul, cause somebody else will be glad to haul the rest away for you...

 

[Bcat22]

Always nice to have a saw behind the seat of the truck for when you stumble on a nice roadside find.

Playground chalk is a great way to mark off a log. Quick to use, easy to see, no overspray, and lots of nice colors.

Always good bring an extra saw.

Another thing that should be in the toolbox is an extra starter rope, especially if you only have one saw.

I always put my saws away clean and sharp so they're ready to go the next time.

If I pull out a saw that hasn't been run in a while, I fire it up before I go.

There's more work in loading the truck than cutting the wood, so I like to cut a little, load a little, cut some more, etc.

I don't always bring fuel and oil jugs. You can fill a pickup truck on half a tank of saw gas, so having two full saws is more than enough if that's all the cutting you are going to do at one time.

I like what a lot of you guys said about the safety stuff, and I'm going to adopt some of those ideas. (That's a weak point of mine )

yup, could have used this advice about three weeks ago... lost most of a day of cutting on sunday. Ran out the first tank of fuel, broke the rope restarting.
no spares at home.

 

[Steve NW WI]

If you're gonna skid your logs out to a clearing to work them up, don't skimp on cheap chains/cables.

Here are some ratings of common 3/8" chain:

Grade 30 or "proof" chain is the lowest grade stuff, 2750# working load limit

Grade 43 or "high test" is a bit better at 5400# WLL

Grade 70 or "transport" is better yet at 6600#, and probably the best you'll find in a hardware store

Grade 80 is the lowest grade rated for overhead lifting, and rated at 7300#WLL

Most of the grade 30/43 stuff is cheap foreign stuff, and whether or not it would test out to it's actual rating is questionable. Neither is allowed for use as a tie down on cargo by the DOT, hence the "transport" name on grade 70. If you're in a wreck hauling something tied down with cheap chain, expect trouble.

Most tractors and 4wd trucks will dead pull (drag) 3/4 or so of their weight, so that should be a guide to go by. I won't use anything less than grade 70 3/8" chain personally.

Also make sure the hooks are rated the same or higher than the links in the chain. Grade 30/43 is often not marked on the chain, but 70 and higher will have the grade, or at least the first number, IE 7, 70 or G70 stamped into each link, and connectors and hooks will be marked as well.

Broken chains will mangle a lot of body work, and the flesh and bone variety is a lot harder to fix than the sheet metal stuff!

 

[cedarman]

good point steve.

I use my atv to skid my logs. from experience, my atv will stop and bury all four wheels way before the 5/16" chain breaks.

if your using a tractor or pickup, then yes a 3/8" chain is the way to go.

 

[spike60]

Steves' chain advice is the best in this thread.

True story: A customer of mine was killed by a broken chain. Guy in his 30's with young kids. Not sure if he was skidding logs or yanking out a stump, but he was on his tractor when the chain let go, and it came up and got him in the head. Never knew what hit him. Cheap imported chain.

 

[cedarman]

Steves' chain advice is the best in this thread.

True story: A customer of mine was killed by a broken chain. Guy in his 30's with young kids. Not sure if he was skidding logs or yanking out a stump, but he was on his tractor when the chain let go, and it came up and got him in the head. Never knew what hit him. Cheap imported chain.

holy cow! Man thats terrible!

 

[gwiley]

The cheapest source I have seen for chain is at Lowes, sold as "tow chain", it is grade 70, 20' long and has 2 binder hooks for $40, rated at near 5000lbs. I have bought three of these and use them for skidding, tying down the skid steer when I haul, tying down loads of large logs etc.

 

[KD57]

Hmmm... after 40 years of firewood cutting, you would think I would have some tips, but I can't think of any right now that hasn't been covered.

Good tip on the chain Steve, snapback on a broken chain is a killer for sure.