Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

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The 4x4 is definitely the difference. The frames on the 2wd were relatively all the same from the rad support to the back of the cab on the 2wd from 65-79.
Only ever had 2 2wd, 60 something f100 that was supposed to be my first "car". My pop cought me doing burnouts with it, and sold it. Then I briefly had a 79 f150 short bed. But I never did any headers or engine work to either, or even bothered to lift the hood unless I absolutely had to. My 73 and 75 are basically the same truck, just the 73 is stick and the 75 an auto. Both 4x4, divorced t-case. "High boy" if you will. Solid headers suck to put on.
 
I think that @H-Ranch should have a few points deducted from his score for the SOTY trophy because it is just a bit too easy cutting from a pile. There, I said it.

:laugh:
Hey Cowboy, can I get a few points added to MY score, for THIS load?? lol

IMG-2093-S.jpg


My buddy was pretty proud of how much we got on the wagon,

IMG-2089-S.jpg


In fact, we cut so much it would no longer stay on the wagon, so I had to get it on the forks!

IMG-2094-S.jpg


And then we headed home to the splitting yard!

SR
 
Hey @Cowboy254, look at them come running now that they heard there is a trophy! Good luck getting it on a whim though - the last known sighting was with @dancan at an undisclosed location in Nova Scotia.
I'm not even in the running. My hat's off to the two of you.
 
There fixed it for you.:yes:
Last time I was in Vermont, maybe it was New Hampshire, I forget.. But they had " corn cob smoked bacon ". It was flat out to die for.. Haven't seen it since. Next time I shoot a pig, the whole thing is going that way. I'm also surprised to not hear of it anywhere else.. Oh, thick sliced too.
 
Black Gold!

No not HVBW. I mentioned earlier about the Bk. Locust I found at the log yard. Two piles.
IMG_2882.JPGIMG_2885.JPG
Started cutting on pile #1. One tank of gas and the chain was dull. I forgot how hard Bk. Locust was.
IMG_2886.JPG
Couldn't get the last three rounds on top the pile so I just strapped them in for the two mile drive home. Another 2 loads left in pile #1 and probably another 2 loads in pile #2. Rain in the forecast has been downgraded, so I'll try to get another load in the AM and another in the afternoon.

P.S. Oh I forgot to mention. Some is a little punky, so I can't call the whole load 'Primo'. I've got some ugliness in there.
 
I replaced a few hydraulic lines this morning on the stump grinder. I don't think that I have built my own hoses in about 40 years since I built my 3pth splitter. I did use reusable hose end fittings. Also this week I rebuilt a few of the underside rollers for the grinder. The roller id's were worn and the bushings were junk from lack of grease. I had an old hydraulic piston rod that I used for making the new bushings. The outer rollers were bored out to fit the new inner roller bushings.
 

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Rain overnight so no wood this morning. The weather people lied. With all this new wood coming in, I thought I better get back on the splitter project. Dr Donato, calling Dr Donato.... actually anyone can field this.

I topped off the oil tank and checked the coupling to make sure the keys were engaged and centered. Fired it up an ran the cylinder in/out 15 times. According to a search, this was suppose to bleed off any air in the cylinder. It still wouldn't split any wood. I noticed the engine mounting plate and the coupling were too hot to touch. The pump, on the other hand, was only warm. Maybe that's normal for the engine to heat everything up that much.h

I dead-headed the line coming off the pump and tried to start the splitter. The engine wouldn't start and the gauge would only reach 200 psi or so on each pull. Shouldn't it have read 200-300 psi? Is this an indication that the pump is bad?
IMG_2900.JPG
 
Rain overnight so no wood this morning. The weather people lied. With all this new wood coming in, I thought I better get back on the splitter project. Dr Donato, calling Dr Donato.... actually anyone can field this.

I topped off the oil tank and checked the coupling to make sure the keys were engaged and centered. Fired it up an ran the cylinder in/out 15 times. According to a search, this was suppose to bleed off any air in the cylinder. It still wouldn't split any wood. I noticed the engine mounting plate and the coupling were too hot to touch. The pump, on the other hand, was only warm. Maybe that's normal for the engine to heat everything up that much.h

I dead-headed the line coming off the pump and tried to start the splitter. The engine wouldn't start and the gauge would only reach 200 psi or so on each pull. Shouldn't it have read 200-300 psi? Is this an indication that the pump is bad?
View attachment 1174547
Was the engine hard to pull? Be careful when dead-heading hydraulics with black-iron pipe caps like that, especially dead-heading the pump. That's a pretty big no-no. Is it a pressure rated cap or just a run-of-the-mill pipe cap from the hardware store? If the engine would have started, there is no relief to relieve excess pressure because the relief is on the control valve which you have eliminated from the system. Had it started, the system would have built pressure until the engine would've stalled as it couldn't produce any more pressure, or you blew something in the capped off line set.

The gauge needs to be installed there but you also need to connect the capped end of the tee into the control valve pressure port. This way you can run the splitter and monitor pressures while testing functions.
 
Was the engine hard to pull? Be careful when dead-heading hydraulics with black-iron pipe caps like that, especially dead-heading the pump. That's a pretty big no-no. Is it a pressure rated cap or just a run-of-the-mill pipe cap from the hardware store? If the engine would have started, there is no relief to relieve excess pressure because the relief is on the control valve which you have eliminated from the system. Had it started, the system would have built pressure until the engine would've stalled as it couldn't produce any more pressure, or you blew something in the capped off line set.

The gauge needs to be installed there but you also need to connect the capped end of the tee into the control valve pressure port. This way you can run the splitter and monitor pressures while testing functions.
First off, yes, it was a black iron pipe cap and I was aware of its pressure rating and the potential of failure.

Secondly, the engine WAS hard to pull and would not start. Just like when you have the control valve engaged. Too much strain on the engine and it won't start.

Third, I just wanted to turn the pump over and see what pressure the pump would develop. Like was presented in the video. Still not sure if that's a good way to tell if you have a bad pump or not.

Fourth, I did previously have the gauge installed as you suggested and it only read 200 psi when the control valve was engaged and the piston was maxed out (or held in the retracted position). Someone here said that would not be an indicator of a bad pump (iirc).
IMG_2807.JPG

Fifth, the engine does bog down a little when the piston hits resistance, but no more than when the splitter was working properly. So, I don't think it's a tired worn out engine.

That's were I left it and got side tracked. I need to figure if it is the pump and get one ordered if it is. The wood is going to be piling up soon.
Oh, correction. one other thing that was suggested, was to shim the adjustment screw (since I had previously maxed it out without any positive results). I'll try that next.
 
I knew from 10,000 miles away it was black locust. The bark makes really cool crackling sounds in the firepit but man, that stuff stinks!
I agree, but we don't have any bloody Aussie trees here to burn, what's a guy to do 🤷‍♂️.
Got the blueberry stems watered :laugh:.
Looks like you have plenty of room for a lean-to on the garden side ;).
Awesome you have all that insulation :happy:.
Got to run the repaired 290 against my 590 in some 20” oak. I forgot how slow the 029/290 was for the weight, I thought 16” .325 it had would give it the win over the 590 running 24” 3/8.

Nope, the 590 gave the 290 a beatdown even with the 50% longer bar and bigger chain. And it was cutting 4” more wood than the 290. Granted the 290 had semi chisel as opposed to the full chisel on the 590, both were freshly sharpened to the same extent. Both were tuned to 4 stroke with no load and immediately clean up under load, everything under my control was as equal as possible. 290 is also stock whereas the 590 has a muffler mod and base gasket delete.
They aren't the worse thing with a well done chain, but they have to be very well matched to the saw.
As Mike was saying, a muffler mod and a timing advance goes a long way, and a 390 cylinder really helps!
Stock ms291 with stihl green semi chisel with the safety bumpers ground off in frozen half dead black locust, I'd rather cut with my ported 241, glad I have options.

My father's zero turn continues to haunt me... While mowing last week the muffler fell off. Seems the bolts loosened and fell out...
Dang huskys 😅.
Black Gold!

No not HVBW. I mentioned earlier about the Bk. Locust I found at the log yard. Two piles.
View attachment 1174337View attachment 1174338
Started cutting on pile #1. One tank of gas and the chain was dull. I forgot how hard Bk. Locust was.
View attachment 1174339
Couldn't get the last three rounds on top the pile so I just strapped them in for the two mile drive home. Another 2 loads left in pile #1 and probably another 2 loads in pile #2. Rain in the forecast has been downgraded, so I'll try to get another load in the AM and another in the afternoon.

P.S. Oh I forgot to mention. Some is a little punky, so I can't call the whole load 'Primo'. I've got some ugliness in there.
Sweet.
But man that's some ugly wood:lol:.
 
First off, yes, it was a black iron pipe cap and I was aware of its pressure rating and the potential of failure.

Secondly, the engine WAS hard to pull and would not start. Just like when you have the control valve engaged. Too much strain on the engine and it won't start.

Third, I just wanted to turn the pump over and see what pressure the pump would develop. Like was presented in the video. Still not sure if that's a good way to tell if you have a bad pump or not.

Fourth, I did previously have the gauge installed as you suggested and it only read 200 psi when the control valve was engaged and the piston was maxed out (or held in the retracted position). Someone here said that would not be an indicator of a bad pump (iirc).
View attachment 1174584

Fifth, the engine does bog down a little when the piston hits resistance, but no more than when the splitter was working properly. So, I don't think it's a tired worn out engine.

That's were I left it and got side tracked. I need to figure if it is the pump and get one ordered if it is. The wood is going to be piling up soon.
Oh, correction. one other thing that was suggested, was to shim the adjustment screw (since I had previously maxed it out without any positive results). I'll try that next.

Copy all of that. 👍

To your fourth point; it sounds like your issue is in the control valve. Either a faulty/stuck relief, or you have a worn spool causing severe leakage.

As far as a faulty relief, you could have a chunk of debris holding the relief open, or the pressure spring is broken and it only takes ~200psi to overcome it. If this was the case, it wouldn't respond to adjustments.

Time to tear the control valve apart and check it out. You can buy seal kits for them, but it doesn't look like relief parts (spring and ball) are included.
 
Copy all of that. 👍

To your fourth point; it sounds like your issue is in the control valve. Either a faulty/stuck relief, or you have a worn spool causing severe leakage.

As far as a faulty relief, you could have a chunk of debris holding the relief open, or the pressure spring is broken and it only takes ~200psi to overcome it. If this was the case, it wouldn't respond to adjustments.

Time to tear the control valve apart and check it out. You can buy seal kits for them, but it doesn't look like relief parts (spring and ball) are included.
Sorry, forgot to mention, I did remove the relief spring and ball. Both were intact and clean. I even went so far as back blow the valve seat by removing spring/ball and running the splitter for only a second. Oil gushed out of the port. So, I'm left with shimming the spring and seeing if that helps. Still need to find a definitive way to check the pump.
 
I’ve been kicking this idea around in my head for a while now and got some beams, uprights and decking to make it happen. Still need a piece of something (likely junk 3/4” iron pipe) to keep them from spreading but soon they’ll be filled with close to a cord of fire wood each. I’m planning on welding the beams to the uprights and securing the decking somehow along with some junk tin on the uprights to keep the wood from falling out the sides. Still gotta get another beam to cut up and put under as pallet fork pockets. Then make 30 more lol
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