I learned a few lessons yesterday.

[wvlogger]

The old girl handled the load pretty good. The trailer has brakes on both axles. It is an older 94 f150 with an inline 6 and 5spd. Had 65,000 on the clock when I bought it about 6 months ago and paid $1,900 for it. I love cash vehicles and not having payments. No rust either which surprised the heck out of me.

that 300 is the best damn engine ford had ever made or any auto company for that matter

 

[redoakneck]

Glad to hear that red oak is heavy, I thought it was all heavy.

I have been cutting up a 27" diameter red oak since last fall. That stuff is heavy but the bigger stuff rolls well. I am also working on some osage orange- that stuff is real heavy and usually odd shaped so it dont roll good.

I haul with a suburban and 10k dump trailer and go real slow.

I have to roll those oak logs onto my little splitter and line up the crack so it can get split. I get 30-40 pieces from each king daddy log!!

Nothing better than a real good sweat.

R.O.N.

 

[NUTNDUN]

I'm not a good judge on how much we got on this load. I am guessing somewhere around two chord. Most of it was around 18" diameter and I cut them around 20" long. I am anxious to start splitting and stacking just so I have an idea of amount so I know for future reference.

I have a maple to cut down at another guys place. The thing will be cake due to the crotch being pretty low and it is only about 30' tall and nothing to worry about hitting. I figure there should be about a chord and a half in that one. Then I have four more loads of this red oak to get so I should be able to set us up pretty good for next years heating season. We are going to wait until tax return and decide whether we are going to go with a stove or an owb. I would love to have it setup for this season but there is no way funding will allow it. The good thing is it will give us a basis to see how much money we save heating with wood.

I would have loved to have seen the pieces the logging company took from this red oak considering we are getting the tops and they are a decent size. I did see one stump which I am going to take part of it because it was cut about waist high, it was probably about 40" across.

 

[wvlogger]

i hear those 300 inline 6;s are great, ive never driven one,
my last one was the 4.2 v6 with a 5 speed, pretty crappy unless you were only towing 2klbs or less. now i have the 2 valve 5.4, she pulls great, but i need a bigger trailer with brakes to take advantage of her!

talk about torque in those 300's those 4.2's are good motors i run one in a 01 f-150. Word to the wise only use motorcraft spark plugs in the 4.2. i run some bosh platniums in mine and it burnt them out? changed em out and now it runs great

 

[Cambium]

1) I am out of shape
2) I forgot how heavy red oak is
3) I am out of shape
3) Safety chain sucks
3) New 362 with full chisel chain rocks but still bogs down
4) I am out of shape
5) My F150 needs helper springs
6) I need to make my wife start taking steroids
7) Next time wait till fall or early morning cooler day, yesterday was 94* and 80% humidity
8) Don't freeze water if you plan on drinking all of it within 2 hours, for some reason it wouldn't thaw out.
9) I am out of shape
10) Only do it if you know you are going to have time before it gets dark to get a full load.

LMAO to 1, 3a, 4 & 8...I did that so many times... froze water to keep it cool all day but when I needed a drink after 2 hours I was desperate so I tried to lick the ice with hopes it would melt and drip on tounge. LOL

 

[NUTNDUN]

The wife is still giving me crap about freezing the water because it was my idea. I was just looking and boy was my numbering system off, there are like three 3's LOL

 

[Doingitwell]

that 300 is the best damn engine ford had ever made or any auto company for that matter

I agree about the 300. I would also mention that back when Jeep was owned by AMC they made the 4.2L 258 cu. in. for many years. It was literally the engine that would last a lifetime if you kept oil in it, as it had a tendency for a unsealable rear main leak.

 

[Doingitwell]

Hey NUTNDUN, that 362 will get better after you get about 10 tanks through it. I've never cut Red Oak, but throw an aggressive chain on it and "teach" yourself how that saw likes to be "ran", and you'll be bucking like no tomorrow.

But then again, there is NO substitute for CC's.

 

[NUTNDUN]

Hey NUTNDUN, that 362 will get better after you get about 10 tanks through it. I've never cut Red Oak, but throw an aggressive chain on it and "teach" yourself how that saw likes to be "ran", and you'll be bucking like no tomorrow.

But then again, there is NO substitute for CC's.

I am sure it will get better. I need to get some higher octane no ethanol gas for her. I couldn't believe how much it fed itself with the full chisel chain on it. I think it needs tuned a little also as it doesn't seem to have the four stroke sound to it but more just scream. I just haven't had enough time to play with it yet LOL.

I would love to get a bigger saw also but don't think I could ever justify the cost since most of the wood I will ever see the 362 should take care of it, might have to try a 25" bar on it once it is broken in and muffler modded. The place I got this load of oak he has some real nice size partial logs that are 30"+ diameter but don't know if I will tackle them with the 362 or not, I may. Gotta see how all the other stuff loads first. I am in the market for a smaller limbing saw now so the wife can buck some of the smaller stuff and I can use it for limbing.

 

[Doingitwell]

I am in the market for a smaller limbing saw now so the wife can buck some of the smaller stuff and I can use it for limbing.

Please oh please, be careful. I don't know your wife's experience with running a machine with a spinning, sharp chain, but ease her into it and teach her right how to handle ANY saw properly and most importantly, safely!!

On the rare occasion my wife goes cutting with me, she isn't within 15 feet of the saw. That is my own choice and your circumstances are most likely different. If you do decide on having her cut with you, I would recommend she cuts just logs on the ground and NOT limb. I think it would be better to dull some chains than the possibility of having her have to deal with a serious kickback issue....which in my opinion is most probable when limbing.

 

[rmihalek]

It sounds to me like you know the sound of good running two stroke, so I'd recommend taking a look at the jets on that 362 to see if you can back out the H jet a bit. If she's screaming in the cut, she might be running too lean. With the ethanol-gasoline crap that they sell us these days, you might be close to melting down.

Are you anywhere near Mont Alto? I was at the Forestry Campus of PSU there back in the 1980s.

 

[NUTNDUN]

Please oh please, be careful. I don't know your wife's experience with running a machine with a spinning, sharp chain, but ease her into it and teach her right how to handle ANY saw properly and most importantly, safely!!

On the rare occasion my wife goes cutting with me, she isn't within 15 feet of the saw. That is my own choice and your circumstances are most likely different. If you do decide on having her cut with you, I would recommend she cuts just logs on the ground and NOT limb. I think it would be better to dull some chains than the possibility of having her have to deal with a serious kickback issue....which in my opinion is most probable when limbing.

I would never just hand her the saw and let her go without going over the basics and making sure she has ppe on. I agree that it is primarily for me to do limbing and bucking small stuff but when she is along and after proper training she could buck some of the smaller stuff. I gotta admit I got a good one for a wife.

 

[NUTNDUN]

It sounds to me like you know the sound of good running two stroke, so I'd recommend taking a look at the jets on that 362 to see if you can back out the H jet a bit. If she's screaming in the cut, she might be running too lean. With the ethanol-gasoline crap that they sell us these days, you might be close to melting down.

Are you anywhere near Mont Alto? I was at the Forestry Campus of PSU there back in the 1980s.

Mont Alto is about a 1/2 hour away from us. I work in Carlisle and we live in Dover/York.

I think it is the crummy ethanol gas, the first tank I ran through it she sounded great and that gas came from our shop which I know is non ethanol and at least 89 octane. I didn't even think about it when I mixed up this gallon from one of the bigger cans that it was lower octane and more then likely ethanol mix.

I am going to fondle the saw this weekend and get some good gas for her and adjust her up before I do anymore cutting. I know the idle speed needs adjusted also, by the time we were almost done cutting that night at idle the chain would start moving, not real fast but just enough to warrant an adjustment.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

The 362 did great and I can't believe how much the full chisel bogs her down without even putting pressure on it. Most of the logs we cut up were about 18" diameter. .

A 362 bogging in 18" oak? Sumthin ain't raht!


Rakers too low, mebbe?

 

[NUTNDUN]

A 362 bogging in 18" oak? Sumthin ain't raht!


Rakers too low, mebbe?

I don't think it would be the rakers being too low as the chain was brand new stihl rsc. My terminology may be off with describing it as bogging down but more like working pretty hard. It did pull right through it though. Maybe I will take some video this weekend and post it then get better judgment that way?

 

[Mike PA]

Are you anywhere near Mont Alto? I was at the Forestry Campus of PSU there back in the 1980s.

I was there in the early 90's. Great campus. It has really grown since I left.

 

[Jredsjeep]

wow you guys are right by me, except i was going to the middletown psu campus.

 

[sdt7618]

I am sure it will get better. I need to get some higher octane no ethanol gas for her. I couldn't believe how much it fed itself with the full chisel chain on it. I think it needs tuned a little also as it doesn't seem to have the four stroke sound to it but more just scream. I just haven't had enough time to play with it yet LOL.

I would love to get a bigger saw also but don't think I could ever justify the cost since most of the wood I will ever see the 362 should take care of it, might have to try a 25" bar on it once it is broken in and muffler modded. The place I got this load of oak he has some real nice size partial logs that are 30"+ diameter but don't know if I will tackle them with the 362 or not, I may. Gotta see how all the other stuff loads first. I am in the market for a smaller limbing saw now so the wife can buck some of the smaller stuff and I can use it for limbing.

Remember an 18" bar can cut 36" if done from both sides, and I am sure you saw will appreciate not having to pull a 25" burried.

Steve

 

[SpiralAcacia]

Ah.. a good days honest work never killed anyone.

Well, unless the honest work is done by armed, enlisted men.

SA

 

[NUTNDUN]

I managed to get half of the load split tonight and the bed of the truck is full to the point that the suspension is bottomed out on the back LOL. I still have half of what was on the trailer to split yet, should be able to finish it tomorrow morning before it gets warm out.

I had three pieces I should have left where they laid and never loaded them, ants all over the place. I guess they are carpenter ants? They looked like they were coming out like a volcano when I split the first one. I was spraying starting fluid and lighting them up as much as I could but there were way too many. I chucked the pieces in the burn barrel and lit it up.

Can anyone recommend what you all do with ants or do you not worry about them?