Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[H-Ranch]

Got three loads in while the thunder was still distant.

 

[MustangMike]

Nice! Out of curiosity? What was the time difference?

I'm going from memory, and it was several years ago, but I believe the total cut time was +/- 20 seconds and the difference was about 2 seconds (or 10%).

You don't realize it when you are cutting because the saw engine runs faster with the skip ... sort of like an optical delusion!

With large softwood rounds skip has an advantage because it clears the chips better.

Different tools for different chores.

 

[Sierra_rider]

I'm running skip chain on everything bigger than my 550xp. I'm probably going to even put skip on the 550, too many cutters to sharpen lol...luckily for me, it's an early 550 and is too tempermental for me to ever get much use on it. The 400 is close enough in weight and soooo much more capable of a saw, that I just use the 400 if I need a smaller rear handle saw.

I do have one 42" loop of full comp .404 chain...not sure where I got it, but cut every other set of cutters off of it to make my own hillbilly hyper-skip milling chain. I guess it works alright, the 880 can just chug along with it when ripping.

 

[Dr_Rockwell14]

I'm running a 460 rancher with the 18" ft-280 bar (3/8 .05 68 link). What do you all recommend as a good chain for doing my firewood? I put up about 10 cord a year. Seems like 72dpx is sold out everywhere and the s83g can't be found in a 68 link.

 

[Kodiak Kid]

I'm going from memory, and it was several years ago, but I believe the total cut time was +/- 20 seconds and the difference was about 2 seconds (or 10%).

You don't realize it when you are cutting because the saw engine runs faster with the skip ... sort of like an optical delusion!

With large softwood rounds skip has an advantage because it clears the chips better.

Different tools for different chores.

Nice! Good to know! Solid info! Thanks bud!

 

[chipper1]

I'm running a 460 rancher with the 18" ft-280 bar (3/8 .05 68 link). What do you all recommend as a good chain for doing my firewood? I put up about 10 cord a year. Seems like 72dpx is sold out everywhere and the s83g can't be found in a 68 link.

I'd recommend jumping up to a 20 since you already need a chain, then you'll have a much better chance of finding chains and a better selection.
Contact these guys and see what they have too.





Or you could grab another chain at the Cadillac TSC.
They show one available.

 

[chipper1]

Managed to get a bit more wood in today as the rain held off. It was nice that my boy and his friend loaded the first couple buckets .
Started by getting this one a bit closer to the trail.


Here's how it ended up, easy peasy. Then I just used a little longer chain hooked to the bucket to pull it out of the woods for the next load.

Since there was a threat of rain and it was sprinkling when we started I set the splitter up in the barn, then it didn't rain lol.
Load one done.

Prepping for the second bucket.

Second done.

And the third.

 

[chipper1]

4th.

5th. Almost forgot the picture of this one, had to make it count .

And the last one.

 

[501Maico]

I'm finally ready to tackle the pile of logs from the middle of April. I had to increase my storage area and also split the wood taking up room on my existing pallets. I still need to find a home for my chunks and moving them around more than once is getting old.
Bought a cant hook to help out. Same price but no shipping buying it from Stihl and I like the color over LogRrite blue. The logs are sitting in the wettest area of my property and I rolled a log to try the hook out and check for activity. The pic is a couple days after I turned the log but it was like a bug convention under there. Lots of whitish transparent grub things trying to get through the bark, potato bugs, and ants. I don't do well in heat and high humidity but I need to get this wood off of the ground.

 

[Kodiak Kid]

4th.
View attachment 991386
5th. Almost forgot the picture of this one, had to make it count .
View attachment 991387
And the last one.
View attachment 991388

Nice!

 

[Brufab]

@chipper1 what size tractor is that? My dad's looking to get one kinda like that.

 

[sean donato]

@chipper1 what size tractor is that? My dad's looking to get one kinda like that.

More importantly why does he have the front tires on backwards?....

 

[farmer steve]

More importantly why does he have the front tires on backwards?....

Prolly a Michigan thing.

 

[GenXer]

More importantly why does he have the front tires on backwards?....

Helps you back out of a hole if you start to get stuck...lol

 

[svk]

Morning guys, gentle drizzle here today. Planning to head up to my cabin after my son wakes up to check things out as I haven’t even been there since the snow melted.

Yesterday I rushed home to get an outboard motor ready for a friend who was going camping. Everything ran great and I sent it out along with him only to have it fail about 20 minutes in to his trip. I think the prop hub spun but I’m not sure. I had an identical motor but a couple years newer that came from another friend that I ended up putting on my little boat last night. After some working I got it to run pretty well although the idle is not a great. I’ll probably run a tank of seafoam treated gas through it before I pull the carb apart. The high-speed side is great it’s just that the idle isn’t perfect and it’s hard to start once it stops. I still have several motors that I need to fix but I guess one at time we’ll get them back rolling.

Date tonight with a real neat gal, fingers crossed.

 

[H-Ranch]

Prolly a Michigan thing.

Oh, man! I think I got some spatter on that one.

 

[JimR]

Today I ran a tank thru the 353 .
Chain was set up a little aggressive for the dead standing black locust, but it was fine as long as I was very aggressive when boring.
View attachment 991116
Broke out the hydraulic splitter today.
First load.
View attachment 991118
Second.
View attachment 991118
Then dropped this one that was a bit larger.
I had to pull it right a good bit to get it more on the trail(it's across the trail).
View attachment 991121
Third load.
View attachment 991122
Then I found these flying squirrels, which was cool. I saw one here splitting wood last fall, but it was very low light and it just caught my eyes, but I knew what it was. Seeing these guys is pretty rare here, especially since they are nocturnal . I laid the log down and covered the ends from the rain, hope no critters get them, if I would have known there were in there I wouldn't have cut that one.
View attachment 991123

Those squirrels are fun to play with also. Years ago my FIL found two in his chicken feed box. He caught them and turned them into short term pets before releasing them in the woods. They would sit on his shoulders and fly off from there. They would eat out of his hand.

 

[svk]

On the scrounge topic… I heard earlier this week that the timber sale directly behind my yard at the cabin was put out and will probably be logged later this summer. The downside is 100 yards of very thick timber between me and the road will be gone. The upside is all of that timbers is over 100 years old and it’s been nothing but a blow down mess for the past several years. I’m told they’re going to replant the area in pine so it’s going to take a few years to regrow but then will be beautiful for the remainder of my lifetime.

The other upside is there’s going to be plenty of scrounge literally at my back door so I can replenish and add to my wood piles. At this point I’m burning wood that was split in 2018 so everything is nice and dry.

I’m going to have to fashion some sort of warning signs to put above my yard so hunters don’t inadvertently shoot towards my cabin.

 

[chipper1]

Those squirrels are fun to play with also. Years ago my FIL found two in his chicken feed box. He caught them and turned them into short term pets before releasing them in the woods. They would sit on his shoulders and fly off from there. They would eat out of his hand.

That's pretty cool.
I thought about letting a neighbor a couple houses south of me know about them as he's had them for pets, but in MI you're technically not allowed to take them from the wild, but you can have them if they have been raise in captivity lol. Sure hope they do okay.
This morning I relocated the second chipmunk of the yr, and I had a mouse running around the chicken feed, couldn't take a shot because I didn't know where the kids were. By the time I figured it out it was in-between me and the bin, don't need a hole in the bin.
Currently waiting these guys to find a new home so I can do the soffits/facia on the barn. I put one piece up to mock up the corner and see what else I need, and they decide it was a nice place to build a nest.

 

[chipper1]

Nice!

Thanks man.

@chipper1 what size tractor is that? My dad's looking to get one kinda like that.

It's an L3800, largest of the Kubota compact utility tractors. I like it a lot, also like the next size down B2620 as it's gentle on a yard. I mow with it, but I want another zero turn, can't have it all...

More importantly why does he have the front tires on backwards?....

It's a long story and involves 3 flats in one day .

Prolly a Michigan thing.

It was this time .

Helps you back out of a hole if you start to get stuck...lol

Works for me lol.

Oh, man! I think I got some spatter on that one.

Watch it buddy .