No such thing as too much firewood

[SWI Don]

I'm doing ok. Threw some firewood in the brush pile I burnt yesterday because it had gone out of condition. Have a hole bunch of trees to work up and a new skid loader, grapple and dump trailer to make it more efficient to process. I have done my whole years supply in one weekend before but that wood was only 1/2 mile away so logistics were easy.

 

[Chris-PA]

For me the biggest issue is the time required to move the wood. The location of the house is another impediment, in that our driveway comes no closer that about 110 yards from the house, and we live on a steep and rocky hill. The house is a bank house and the main stove is in the basement - open to the front with a door but I can get no equipment on the front bank. So wood must be transported down to the house ( I mostly use a 4 wheel cart on the old WheelHorse), and then the splits are either stacked on the back porch (I make a wind break like in the picture below from last year), or thrown down the bank in a pile. Then I have to go down a stairs and pick them up and stack them on the lower porch. It's just a lot of time spent carrying wood, it's boring, and I find this part of the job makes my back hurt worse than the rest.

I may look into leveling a path to the lower porch, but even if I did it would require a very long drive around to get to the only possible entrance. I've spent a lot of time thinking about how to make this part of the job quicker and easier, but have not been able to come up with anything. The best could come up with was to make an elaborate wood shed that I could fill from above and unload from below - but that would be a considerable construction project.

 

[zogger]

For me the biggest issue is the time required to move the wood. The location of the house is another impediment, in that our driveway comes no closer that about 110 yards from the house, and we live on a steep and rocky hill. The house is a bank house and the main stove is in the basement - open to the front with a door but I can get no equipment on the front bank. So wood must be transported down to the house ( I mostly use a 4 wheel cart on the old WheelHorse), and then the splits are either stacked on the back porch (I make a wind break like in the picture below from last year), or thrown down the bank in a pile. Then I have to go down a stairs and pick them up and stack them on the lower porch. It's just a lot of time spent carrying wood, it's boring, and I find this part of the job makes my back hurt worse than the rest.

I may look into leveling a path to the lower porch, but even if I did it would require a very long drive around to get to the only possible entrance. I've spent a lot of time thinking about how to make this part of the job quicker and easier, but have not been able to come up with anything. The best could come up with was to make an elaborate wood shed that I could fill from above and unload from below - but that would be a considerable construction project.

Make a wood chute? Maybe scrounge some kids slides and cob them together, or fabricate something slippery? Big trolley wagon and a winch to bring it back up?

 

[Chris-PA]

Make a wood chute? Maybe scrounge some kids slides and cob them together, or fabricate something slippery? Big trolley wagon and a winch to bring it back up?

I thought about that, but that only gets the wood down the hill - and once I pick it up from the cart I can throw it down there plenty fast anyway. I'd still have to go down, pick it up and stack it.

 

[muddstopper]

Spent about 3 hrs today getting ready for next winter. Just a guesstimate but around 3 cords. In one pic you can see my wood shed in the background and its almost empty!

 

[stihly dan]

Maybe scrounge some kids and cob them together,?

Is that legal Zog?

 

[Chris-PA]

Is that legal Zog?

I considered scrounging some kids and making them haul my firewood. Ain't no way I'm gonna get mine to help.

Maybe if I get enough emoticons.....

I'd put the chainsaw one down but I wanna do that part!

 

[mainewoods]

Good luck finding a kid that will help. You can't even get one to mow a lawn anymore.

 

[zogger]

Is that legal Zog?

dang site got hakked again, some evile hakker stole my word! Slide, kids slide!

that's my story and stickin to it...

 

[zogger]

I thought about that, but that only gets the wood down the hill - and once I pick it up from the cart I can throw it down there plenty fast anyway. I'd still have to go down, pick it up and stack it.

Home made pallet bins. Slide the wood down until bin is filled. Go down, get pallet jack, drag it to where it needs to go. Put new pallet bin in place. lather, rinse, repeat. Should be able to get one third cord per bin loose slid in, if you make the sides tall enough.

Regular manual pallet jacks are not too expensive.

Of course if you have no hard surface, then..dunno.....lay out heavy planks maybe. Slide the wood into a big wagon, with sides?

 

[Chris-PA]

Home made pallet bins. Slide the wood down until bin is filled. Go down, get pallet jack, drag it to where it needs to go. Put new pallet bin in place. lather, rinse, repeat. Should be able to get one third cord per bin loose slid in, if you make the sides tall enough.

Regular manual pallet jacks are not too expensive.

Of course if you have no hard surface, then..dunno.....lay out heavy planks maybe. Slide the wood into a big wagon, with sides?

LOL - there's a nice level brick patio, once I carry the wood up a few steps! This hill has probably been pissing off the people who've lived here for 180 years.

 

[513yj]

Good luck finding a kid that will help. You can't even get one to mow a lawn anymore.

Just try to get one to shovel snow. I offered a neighbor kid 20 bucks to shovel my driveway and all I got was a blank stare. I used to bale hay for 50 cents an hour as a kid.

 

[reaperman]

Spent about 3 hrs today getting ready for next winter. Just a guesstimate but around 3 cords. In one pic you can see my wood shed in the background and its almost empty!

Wow, how can you call where you are winter? Its Feb and not a snowflake in sight!

 

[Locust Cutter]

Apparently many more people than usual ran out of wood, are almost out, or are into next years supply, this winter. Many have said they "would never be caught without enough firewood again", yet quite a few have been, and not for the first time. I realize a lot of you don't have a woodlot, and have to scrounge for your firewood, but do any of you have plans to do things a little different this year than in the past?

Well for one, I'm planning on NOT having all of my saws AND truck burn up in a pasture... It's hard to get wood in with no equipment to cut with or (capable)truck to haul it...

I'm going to be cutting more this year than I have in the past because I have yet to get a year ahead, except on Hedge and that's running thin right now for me...
I and my customers have used a lot more this season than we have in probably the last decade. I plan to get ahead of what I needed this year on both counts so any left-over is simply money in the bank going forward. I also plan on getting some better equipment (trailer(s)) this year and God-willing a S.S. next to make splitting a lot more fun, efficient and timely.

 

[Locust Cutter]

Just try to get one to shovel snow. I offered a neighbor kid 20 bucks to shovel my driveway and all I got was a blank stare. I used to bale hay for 50 cents an hour as a kid.

I bought my first 4 mowers, 3 trimmers, 2 blowers, 3 saws, car, truck, motorcycle, 5-10 firearms and a lot of other things mowing lawns/shoveling driveways for $5-10 per job, tilling garden for $10-20 and hauling hay, working cattle, stretching fence for varying rates, sometimes free, or for "the experience" through middle and high school... Sold a bit of wood too. Also the nice clothes and sundries as Mom and Dad took care of the basics and said if I wanted nice things, to go out and earn them. I did.

Had to edit as the first response was off the cuff. After I sat and thought about it a bit, I remembered a few more things... LOL, Young senior moment. Lord knows how much I blew at the arcades and on tapes/cds...

 

[lefturnfreek]

A couple years back I got jammed up by the others around my place after a saw oopsy laid me up for more than a month, I come outside to find near nothing in the pile and a deer in the headlights look on their part. After that I never looked back and kept cutting.

So far I got 1 years supply of 4fts, 20 cord in and dry for next year, 12 dryish now for the year after and still bringing in, 3 dead green plus a 18in split pile 16ft by 16ft and 4ft sides, loosly piled to about 7ft so around 8-9 cord there.

I'm never going cold.

 

[stihlaficionado]

If the wood rots before you use it, then you have too much wood. Build wood sheds first then stack them to the gills.

 

[Chris-PA]

I really want to get a big head start, but so much depends on the mud. Usually lately the mud keeps me from accessing it until stuff starts growing over everything, making the job much harder and delaying me until other tasks compete with my time. I hope the snow disappears and the ground stays frozen, but that looks unlikely at this point.

 

[Holtby]

I'll be okay, but "Yes" I should have worked more piles up ahead of buzz saw...

 

[muddstopper]

Wow, how can you call where you are winter? Its Feb and not a snowflake in sight!

What a difference a day makes. 2inches on the ground now and 12 more in the forecast. Might not be Minn. But who wants to live in an icebox anyways.