Is there any practical way of processing an Oak tree this dang huge?

I just processed one like that. It came to me in 6 an 8 foot lengths, several large dump truck loads. All split by hand, I don't own a hydraulic splitter. This is one of the smaller rounds at 51" in diameter. It was a job but I did it, and I'm still splitting the last couple of rounds including the one on which I'm sitting in the picture. It made 2, 18" rounds plus a 4 inch splitting/chopping round. Around 8 cord when finished. I learned to love noodling with this load. If it had not been delivered for free I could not have done it.

Hi -

Congratulations! Great wood. I process one thisize abou every othr year. Most folks will not touch them.

Here's what do. Have plenty of wedges. Have a TON of respect fo the amount owieght and enertia those big rounds have as they drop or roll. Bring a bunch of wedges and sledges.

I used to take then apart with an 18" bar and wedge off pieces as went like eating corn on the cob. Then I got a big old two man saw. Now I'm using a big bar cuttin from bot sides.

Be very aware that as you cut te trunk a the round you cut free may move. I cut a slice, lay it verticle and quarter it with wedge and sledge, get those out ofthe way, then repeat.

Good luck!
Mike

is it out of question to cut thinner rounds/cookies so to speak and what it up into utilizable size pieces? Seem like a doable plan but it would change how you stack and subsequently load your stove. I think I would try that -1600lb 20" rounds a crazy big.

smokedragon said:

That is just CRAZY........Just seems like your time/ cord goes way up on stuff this big.

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This is true. I can split 3 cord / day without working myself too hard (actually once did 5 cords in 24 hours, but that's not typical) when dealing with stuff in the 12" diameter range, and keeping the splitter horizontally. With these big'uns, we're talking 1 - 1.5 cords per day. You just get too tired moving the wood.

Grateful11 said:

As far as a larger saw, I've been looking for a bigger used saws but the nice ones it seems everyone wants close to new prices. I had a Husqvarna 371XP with a 24" bar at one time but someone decided they wanted it and a Husq. 55 and some other outdoor power equipment worse than I did and lifted it all from our garage. That 371 was sweet.

There's a Kubota here with a front end loader and it has a set pallet forks for it so hopefully that will help moving the rounds once we get to that point.

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With all that stuff combined, it sounds like it could've been worth an insurance claim, but maybe not. With regard to the FEL and your electric splitter, it might be easier to lift that little electric splitter onto the rounds, rather than the other way around! I can push rounds like that around with my FEL (Deere 855 with model 52 loader), but I can't lift more than 1100 - 1200 lb. vertical. Also finessing a round onto the foot plate of the splitter is not so easy with a front-end loader. I had better luck getting them close, and then using a 60" LogRite cant hook to move them up onto the foot plate. In the end, I found the noodling trick I described above to be much easier.

Joful said:

Also finessing a round onto the foot plate of the splitter is not so easy with a front-end loader. I had better luck getting them close, and then using a 60" LogRite cant hook to move them up onto the foot plate. In the end, I found the noodling trick I described above to be much easier.

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A piece of pipe strategically placed under a large round makes it on the order of 10 times easier to position it on the splitter. Get the pipe so the round is balanced on it and it takes close to no effort at all. It is amazingly easier. After one or two rounds you will get the knack it so that you can push the round over and have its momentum carry it right up to the splitter rail. And with a little more practice you'll have the natural crack/flaw in the round lined up before you shove it over onto the splitter.

I split some 40" round monsters, If its strait grained wood I would consider sledge hammer and wedges. I found the best way is to use three wedges. Start on the outside of the logs with one wedge, then go across to the other side to create a straight line through the log, crack in half, makes life a lot easier and safer moving lighter wood around.

Joful said:

You just get too tired moving the wood.

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I am glad it's not just me

paul bunion said:

A piece of pipe strategically placed under a large round makes it on the order of 10 times easier to position it on the splitter. Get the pipe so the round is balanced on it and it takes close to no effort at all. It is amazingly easier. After one or two rounds you will get the knack it so that you can push the round over and have its momentum carry it right up to the splitter rail. And with a little more practice you'll have the natural crack/flaw in the round lined up before you shove it over onto the splitter.

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This works great for moving heavy equipment around the shop, but in the mess of debris around the log splitter, it's something less practical. On dirt, those 1600 lb. rounds will push that pipe into the dirt like your finger thru pudding. On asphalt or concrete, every little piece of splitter debris will act as a wheel chock under that pipe.

There really is only one way to deal with rounds this size, IMO. Jags has apparently been there and done it, too. Get a big saw, and start noodling!

That's amazing. That one tree is probably enough wood for my 3 year plan.

Joful said:

This works great for moving heavy equipment around the shop, but in the mess of debris around the log splitter, it's something less practical. On dirt, those 1600 lb. rounds will push that pipe into the dirt like your finger thru pudding. On asphalt or concrete, every little piece of splitter debris will act as a wheel chock under that pipe.

There really is only one way to deal with rounds this size, IMO. Jags has apparently been there and done it, too. Get a big saw, and start noodling!

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All you need is a couple 2xwhatevers under the pipe and your debris/countersink problems are gone

paul bunion said:

All you need is a couple 2xwhatevers under the pipe and your debris/countersink problems are gone

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Maybe! I'll stick with moving my chainsaw to the round, rather than moving 1600 lb. rounds to the splitter, but to each his own! I'm not built like paul bunion.

I will say that I've moved lots of equipment this way (I own a 2200 lb. table saw, 1300 lb. band saw, 1200 lb. jointer, 2200 lb. jewelers safe, 700 lb. gun safe, etc.), and it works well. It's still not zero effort, though. After you get that round on the splitter, and make the first plunge with the wedge, you still have two 800 lb. half pieces to maneuver sideways, moving one away from the splitter and repositioning the other under the wedge. It's not light work! My Stihl 064 weighs, what... 16 lb?

If you have a saw for it then go for it, no different than normal cutting. If not, cut as far down as you can go and either leave the rest or cut out blocks

Make sure your tractor is properly sized. Need at least 50hp to use FEL to lift on forks 1600lb rounds. Rear weights a good idea too. Personally I would block these rounds into 6-8" slices, noodle into quarters and split. Each quarter should weigh about 100-150 pounds easy enough to handle.

Don't know if it was mentioned but one thing I would do is start putting some smaller rounds underneath the big trunk, since it is so nicely off the ground at the big end already. Use as big a ones as possible, cause I'm sure they'll sink in some anyways. No need to dig your saw into the ground if it can be prevented.

As mentioned, having a fairly good sized tractor around and with a bucket would be a big plus.

As long as you have a saw with a long enough bar I think it is doable. Big rounds split the same as small ones, except you don't have to bend over to put the round back on end after each whack. Don't try to bust them in half, just work around the sides. With straight Red Oak I think these big rounds might split faster than a bunch of small ones. There's less pieces to move. Cut a round, use the tractor to turn it on an end, and get to work. The key is having a saw with a long enough bar. Otherwise you will put a lot of time into making the cuts. Don't be afraid of big rounds.

That is an enormous tree

Joful said:

Dennis (he's been doing this longer than I've been alive), or anyone else

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Lol. Wow, Dennis must be real old. Sorry for the shot Dennis. it just struck me funny.

Missouri Frontier said:

Lol. Wow, Dennis must be real old. Sorry for the shot Dennis. it just struck me funny.

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I guess that makes me an old fart for sure.

I did an ash tree a bit smaller a few years back with an 18 inch bar and a lot of patience and care. I can't say that it was fun but I burned nothing but that ash this year with maybe a small amount of norway maple. I'm a hand splitter so I just whittled away at the sides of the rounds with the fiskars until I could relieve some of the tension to start splitting logs. Took a while, but I got it done. Think it was near 2 cords from just the trunk. Still have two rounds sitting around in the yard where a second pseudo trunk came off and and my fishers and wedges were worthless. Heck, I still have two wedges stuck and rusting in one. I'll get to those someday....or some critters may find it rotting and make it home. Makes no matter to me at this point.

I could probably dig around and find pictures of my daughter standing on a slice of the stump where the tree service folks cut it close to the ground....it was pretty impressive...she pretended it was a surfboard.

Looks like a lifetime supply for me.

Grateful11 said:

We still can't believe the guy dropped it for $150. He charged a $100 to cut very dead Ash about 28-30" across and $400 to bring down a Sweet Gum about 28" across, that was between 2 farm sheds, he had to use his 70' bucket truck to block that one down little by little. Not wild about firewood from the Gum, makes too much ashes in the insert. The Ash is so bad I'd 75% of it is trash.

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Why on earth don't you have the logger back out to buck it into rounds? Then you can noodle with your regular saw.