Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[MustangMike]

Clint, hope you got some of the rain we did last night, had been dry, but not any more! Cooled things off a bit too.

Pirate, good luck with your procedure, my wife is with her Mom at the Hosp right now, markers are up!!!!

Went to the cabin this WE with my Niece (MechMatt's sister) and her other half and Daughter. We combined work & play nicely, put up Hard Maple posts for the railing upstairs in the cabin (I pre fabed the cuts down here), replaced the particle board front step with some nice Bluestone, and used my log dragger for the first time to bring some Black Cherry logs (7 of em) down to the cabin for processing into firewood (some for winter heat, some for summer cooking), so the Fiskars got some use. Her other half (Bill) is a tree guy, also heats with wood, (and grew up on a farm) and had never used a Fiskars before. He loved it, and was one handing it a bunch to split the Cherry for cooking wood.

We also did some site seeing with the ATV, the next door neighbor has a beautiful Gazebo with the same view as my Lifeguard Stand. So the 9 year old daughter wakes up on Sunday morning and comes up to me and says "Uncle Mike, I love this place". It helped that we also saw deer tracks, bear tracks, grouse in the path, fish & frogs in a pond, and a Bald Eagle.

Enjoy the pics:

 

[MustangMike]

More Pics, and, my log hauler needs some improvements. I need to put a V on the back to keep the log centered, and I think I'm gonna use a cargo strap instead of chain to keep them real tight. Some of the logs just lost their bark and were very slick and kept slipping the chain.

Otherwise, it works well, and makes the ATV a decent skidder! Bill and Harold (who built it for me) were concerned the tires would not hold up (they are cheapies from HF rated a 350 lbs each), but after we put the biggest of the logs on it, Bill restated "those tires are fine". I wanted something small & light that I could tuck under the ATV in the trailer. I know it will not haul the real big stuff, but that is not what I made it for.

 

[mortalitool]

Last night after work I split a cord of some nice red oak and stacked it up. Beautiful night to be outside. The pickaroon is sure a nice tool to have in more ways than one.

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[dancan]

Did you get a new tractor? I thought you had a 2x4 tractor....?

Marshy , I have 4 running tractors and other stuffs ....

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

Marshy , I have 4 running tractors and other stuffs ....

 

[Haywire]

Marshy , I have 4 running tractors and other stuffs ....

That little Massey of yours looks like a nice rig, Dan.

 

[JustJeff]

Weird weather, sticky hot yesterday and cool today good weather for swinging a saw. So I cut the rest of my logs. I know, pics or it didn't happen. Lol.

 

[JustJeff]

If you come while we are here, you guys can stop on by, well even if we aren't .
Feel free to send me a PM and we can make it happen, we are half hr east of GR, c'mon over.
Plenty of wood around, saws to run, and splitters to use.
Then we have the other activities such as ,,,(bonfire if we get rain),.
And if you have your boys I can go pick up my Honda Foreman for them to run around on.
We would love to have you all over.
Or are you coming to get the 346, for the same price I will be selling my 550xp if I don't sell the ms360 first.

Thanks for the offer of hospitality. End of July me n the fam jam are camping all the way around Lake Huron in a counter clockwise direction. Be coming from the sault to stay a night at hoeft. Then straight down the middle to spend a couple nights at birch run and do some shopping before heading home. How far are you off I-75?

 

[dancan]

That little Massey of yours looks like a nice rig, Dan.

Only 21hp and I have the smallest logging winch they make attached to it but it's agile enough to get me where I want to go without having to make big roads to get there , the next tractor that I'm gonna put to work is a Yanmar 336d when I get it put together , much bigger in size , I hope it will work out as well .
I think a Massey 1030 or variant would be a good upgrade but they're in the 10K$ up here .

 

[MustangMike]

If I may say so myself, I came up with a brilliant idea to fix my log hauler!!! Instead on installing a V in the back to center the log, I cut 2 10" pieces of angle iron, will use 1/2" bolts to attach them to the back piece of angle iron so they can swivel up and "pinch" the log when I wrap the log with a ratchet strap!

Can't wait to try it, got to finish making it tomorrow, but I thought & thought & thought about it, and I really like this idea! A lot simpler than what I was going to do, and should work a lot better, and adjust to almost any size log (or at least any size I can haul).

 

[Thornton]

If I may say so myself, I came up with a brilliant idea to fix my log hauler!!! Instead on installing a V in the back to center the log, I cut 2 10" pieces of angle iron, will use 1/2" bolts to attach them to the back piece of angle iron so they can swivel up and "pinch" the log when I wrap the log with a ratchet strap!

Can't wait to try it, got to finish making it tomorrow, but I thought & thought & thought about it, and I really like this idea! A lot simpler than what I was going to do, and should work a lot better, and adjust to almost any size log (or at least any size I can haul).

Have you used a straddle type ATV skidder I've thought about building one for our four wheeler or mule with a chain And hand winch?

 

[MustangMike]

My next door neighbor's Gazebo, and the views from it (non telephoto & telephoto)

 

[MustangMike]

Have you used a straddle type ATV skidder I've thought about building one for our four wheeler or mule with a chain And hand winch?

Some of my logging roads are narrow, I'm better off keeping it behind. I think this new idea is going to work well. Just lift the log with the Timber Jack, put the littler trailer under it, and strap it down! I can haul firewood and keep my trails clear all at the same time!

 

[Thornton]

Some of my logging roads are narrow, I'm better off keeping it behind. I think this new idea is going to work well. Just lift the log with the Timber Jack, put the littler trailer under it, and strap it down! I can haul firewood and keep my trails clear all at the same time!

Let us know how it works

 

[MustangMike]

Let us know how it works

I will, and my property is a challenge! The logging roads have a little bit of straight & flat, some steep hills (glad the ATV has engine breaking), and then some very sharp turns often sloped the wrong way (the opposite of banking). So, if I can get it to work on my property, it should work most anywhere!

 

[Erik B]

I will, and my property is a challenge! The logging roads have a little bit of straight & flat, some steep hills (glad the ATV has engine breaking), and then some very sharp turns often sloped the wrong way (the opposite of banking). So, if I can get it to work on my property, it should work most anywhere!

You could very well be describing my woods and the roads I have in them. Makes for some interesting firewood gathering.

 

[mortalitool]

Came home from work today and noticed something white in color in my backyard. Went back there to discover a bunch of Maple! I usually know when someone is dropping off some wood but I hadn't heard anything. I feel pretty lucky to have good connections with folks. I'd say maybe 2 cords worth? Maybe a bit less. We shall see when I get to splitting it.

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[Haywire]

Only 21hp and I have the smallest logging winch they make attached to it but it's agile enough to get me where I want to go without having to make big roads to get there.

Yeah, I bet it slips through the tight stuff real slick. We used to skid with an old Belarus 520. Crude piece of Soviet iron, that traktor was.
Could just about fix anything on it with a hammer and a few wrenches! Haha

 

[MustangMike]

I'm not saying drilling 6 1/2" holes through metal, plus a 5/16 drain hole with a cordless drill is fun, but a C clamp can convert your trailer into a handy work bench!

Here are my wood haul trailer mods, I think it will work well with the pivoting sides. It was a lot easier to do than what I originally planned, and should work better also. Will keep you posted when I get to try it out.

 

[svk]

Yeah, I bet it slips through the tight stuff real slick. We used to skid with an old Belarus 520. Crude piece of Soviet iron, that traktor was.
Could just about fix anything on it with a hammer and a few wrenches! Haha

My old hunting cabin was a 32' steel sided and framed mobile home. The guy that hauled it away used a 4wd Belarus tractor to pull it up a steep muddy hill after heavy rains. I was amazed the power and traction that thing had!