How I Make Firewood With Minimal Equipment And No Heavy Lifting

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quads

quads

Minister of Fire
Nov 19, 2005
2,744
Central Sands, Wisconsin
Step One, 11:25am: Leave the yard.
IMG_5890.jpg



Step Two, 11:30am: Cut tree down.
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Step Three, 11:35am: Cut tree up.
IMG_5892.jpg



Step Four, 11:45am: Split.
IMG_5893.jpg



Step Five, 12:05pm: Haul back to the yard.
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Step Six, 12:15pm: Stack.
IMG_5900.jpg



Done. After several seasons of drying, this will be some very nice firewood (or by next week if I point a dehumidifier at it, according to a rumor I heard).
 
I always love your pictures! Here lately, I wish I had a sled like yours to move wood around is the snow. With over 1' on the ground, it makes getting around hard.
 
How much did you pay for your ATV and did you get it new or used?
 
karri0n said:
How much did you pay for your ATV and did you get it new or used?
Click to expand...

and how much will that sled haul?
 
Great system & a great source of good hard wood trees.
Motivational pictures again, today I'm skipping to step 2, got 4 more sick trees to cut up. Almost to warm to work, but no bugs :) (yet)
Still lots of work & good exercise.
Best point is step "1".
I do miss "the old gas can" laying on the trail, always made for a good picture :)
 
the dehumidifier only works in enclosed area :roll: jeez Quads
 
Too hard.






















Much easier to reach into wallet and pay Quads.



You'll take $20 for a heaping truckload, right ?
Stacked neatly in my shed around back?


Some time after 9AM on Saturday so I can measure precisely 1/6 cord.





Edit: Tow that sled fast enough and you should have seasoned wood by the time you gat back.
 
Only a smart man uses a POLARIS! I love mine and will get another when/if mine ever dies!!
 
dumbodog00 said:
I always love your pictures! Here lately, I wish I had a sled like yours to move wood around is the snow. With over 1' on the ground, it makes getting around hard.
Click to expand...
Ours is still about knee-deep, but a thick icy crust a few inches from the top. We're now starting to get that springtime type snow; where the flakes are real big and not like flakes at all, but more like clumps. And when it piles up on the ground it's real soft and packs easily. Got a half inch of it today, so spring isn't far off now.
 
golfandwoodnut said:
Nice process you have worked out Quads. Cool, I never saw a sled like that. Of course it would not help me because it is so steep and snow covered here I don't think the quad would even make it without a sled. I have to wait for warmer days, other than the stuff I can cut close to home. And that is only weekends since it is dark when I get home.
Click to expand...
That sled is from the late 60s early 70s. I rescued it from my old junk pile, again. Almost hauled it to the junk dealer several times over the years, but I think it's here to stay now.

Yup, big hills would put a stop to my wintertime wood cutting. No hills here, I live on the bottom of an ancient glacial dry lake bed.
 
karri0n said:
How much did you pay for your ATV and did you get it new or used?
Click to expand...
I traded-in my old '98 Sportsman with over 10,000 miles on it, and they gave me $1000. So, I bought this Hawkeye 4x4 new for $2999 (would have been $3999). Got 3500 miles on it now.
 
smokinjay said:
and how much will that sled haul?
Click to expand...
I've never measured it. The sled hauls less than 1/6th of a real cord.
 
bogydave said:
Great system & a great source of good hard wood trees.
Motivational pictures again, today I'm skipping to step 2, got 4 more sick trees to cut up. Almost to warm to work, but no bugs :) (yet)
Still lots of work & good exercise.
Best point is step "1".
I do miss "the old gas can" laying on the trail, always made for a good picture :)
Click to expand...
I can always pitch it out in the snow somewhere and take a picture of it for old time's sake!
 
ohio woodburner said:
the dehumidifier only works in enclosed area :roll: jeez Quads
Click to expand...
Well, the stacks are all within a mile of each other, is that enclosed?
 
billb3 said:
Too hard.

Much easier to reach into wallet and pay Quads.



You'll take $20 for a heaping truckload, right ?
Stacked neatly in my shed around back?


Some time after 9AM on Saturday so I can measure precisely 1/6 cord.





Edit: Tow that sled fast enough and you should have seasoned wood by the time you gat back.
Click to expand...
Actually, $25. Otherwise everything else is right on. And you would get 1/6th of a real cord or more, every time, guaranteed. And by the time I hauled it to your place, it would be dry!
 
skinnykid said:
Only a smart man uses a POLARIS! I love mine and will get another when/if mine ever dies!!
Click to expand...
They're all good. I've only owned Polaris because the dealer isn't too far away, has always given me a fair deal, and I have never had (or seen) any of the weird problems that people on the Internet talk about.
 
All those pictures and none of you doing any work !

Fess up........... elves did the work while you had lunch, didn't they ??!!
 
Ductape said:
All those pictures and none of you doing any work !

Fess up........... elves did the work while you had lunch, didn't they ??!!
Click to expand...
Ha! It's hard to hold the camera myself and get me all in the picture, and be doing the work at the same time. That said, I have a few very short videos posted around here somewhere.

I only wish I had an elf or two to help me sometimes!
 
Hey Quads, A nice advantage you enjoy are small dead standing trees. You seem to have a firewood paradise.
 
Quads, you have a nice system going for you. I hope you can continue with it for as long as you live.

We got some of that spring snow yesterday. Man it was heavy and wet but it came down as a fine snow rather than the big flakes as we normally get. We only got 4" or so but it was the worst stuff we've had this year. Hard to push and stick so I could not throw the snow at tall; just shove.
 
gzecc said:
Hey Quads, A nice advantage you enjoy are small dead standing trees. You seem to have a firewood paradise.
Click to expand...
I wish all the bigger trees weren't gone. It's nice getting so much more wood from a single tree. Much less cutting and/or felling (my least favorite parts).
 
Backwoods Savage said:
Quads, you have a nice system going for you. I hope you can continue with it for as long as you live.

We got some of that spring snow yesterday. Man it was heavy and wet but it came down as a fine snow rather than the big flakes as we normally get. We only got 4" or so but it was the worst stuff we've had this year. Hard to push and stick so I could not throw the snow at tall; just shove.
Click to expand...
I hope so too, however much longer that might be!

We got about an inch of Springtime snow last night. Won't be long now and snow will be a vague memory...................
 
Quads I enjoyed your pictures, and I like your sled, it looks like it could serve dual purpose, after a long hard day of wood cutting you could fill that puppy up with hot water and have a nice bubble bath soak. No picture necessary on that one. ;-P

It hasn't snowed here since Dec. and I don't miss it. The exceptionally warm weather we have had this winter has allowed me to do some outside work on my house that I didn't think I would be able to start until March, so I'm ahead of the game. I'll use that free time to get my next years supply of wood, which won't be much because I'm gona have a lot left over from this year because it's been so warm. Maybe I'll post some pictures when I do, show you how we do it up here in BC. Pretty much the same, except we don't bring our bathtub. ;-)
 
UNBELIEVABLE

You forgot the most important step..........

Step seven...pop the top on your favorite beer, raise to lips and drink....well done
 
Carbon_Liberator said:
Quads I enjoyed your pictures, and I like your sled, it looks like it could serve dual purpose, after a long hard day of wood cutting you could fill that puppy up with hot water and have a nice bubble bath soak. No picture necessary on that one. ;-P

It hasn't snowed here since Dec. and I don't miss it. The exceptionally warm weather we have had this winter has allowed me to do some outside work on my house that I didn't think I would be able to start until March, so I'm ahead of the game. I'll use that free time to get my next years supply of wood, which won't be much because I'm gona have a lot left over from this year because it's been so warm. Maybe I'll post some pictures when I do, show you how we do it up here in BC. Pretty much the same, except we don't bring our bathtub. ;-)
Click to expand...
Ha! The bathtub sled is only for wintertime use. When the snow is finally gone, I'll go back to using the non-bathtub trailer.

The thing I learned about not using as much wood as you expected one winter; the next winter will make up for it, or the winter after that. Eventually you will pay for it. You might use twice the normal amount next year!
 
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