Why big rounds are worth big efforts

Kenster said:

Here is an example of why I love big rounds. The pics below are of ONE quarter of a round I cut last week. This quarter is about 21 inches tall and weighed about 76 pounds. There are three different shots of the quarter and the last pic is of 19 splits I got out that one quarter of a round. Enough for a couple of nights burning. This is fresh green Water oak. Very wet. It's going to be at least two years before it will be ready to burn. I finished splitting and stacking this haul this afternoon. It was a pickup bed full of rounds. Split and stacked, I'm guessing maybe a quarter cord. Plenty more where that came from. More than I could burn in a few lifetimes.

The brown spot on the bark, below, is what you get when you cut wood in an active pasture.

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Oak yes, other big rounds that frisker will be no more than a paper weight...I own one!

I have had a few pieces of locust. I guess it was black locust because it was yellowish gren in color and burned really good. Going to keep my eye out for the stuff. How long does it take to season? 1 year or less?

jerseykat1 said:

How long does it take to season? 1 year or less?

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18 months is better than 6 months but 6 months burns ok. Incidentally, very little btu difference between honey and black.

smokinjay said:

Kenster said:

Here is an example of why I love big rounds. The pics below are of ONE quarter of a round I cut last week. This quarter is about 21 inches tall and weighed about 76 pounds. There are three different shots of the quarter and the last pic is of 19 splits I got out that one quarter of a round. Enough for a couple of nights burning. This is fresh green Water oak. Very wet. It's going to be at least two years before it will be ready to burn. I finished splitting and stacking this haul this afternoon. It was a pickup bed full of rounds. Split and stacked, I'm guessing maybe a quarter cord. Plenty more where that came from. More than I could burn in a few lifetimes.

The brown spot on the bark, below, is what you get when you cut wood in an active pasture.

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Oak yes, other big rounds that frisker will be no more than a paper weight...I own one!

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I hear you, Jay. The Fiskars just bounced off the rounds and the big quarters. 10 pound maul was not always successful either so I used the sledge side of the maul and splitting wedges a lot for the large pieces.

SolarAndWood said:

ecocavalier02 said:

i deal with stuff 3 times bigger and its still worth it. just bring the splitter or wedge or noodle it soi can lift it.

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throw a 2x10 in the truck. easier to roll up a ramp and you still have something you can roll at the other end.

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I see ur profile says ya got a 5x8 dump. Was wondering if you bought it like that or did ya make it a dump trailer. In the process of trailing hunting as we speak. Need something so I can make deliveries.

ecocavalier02 said:

I see ur profile says ya got a 5x8 dump. Was wondering if you bought it like that or did ya make it a dump trailer. In the process of trailing hunting as we speak.

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It came that way. It weighs about half a ton, has a 5K axle and works pretty well for getting into city lots.

Wood is good in whatever size, shape or species it comes in . . . least aways that's how I figure it. That said, my ideal sized wood is about 1-2 feet in diameter.

I like the larger rounds like in the OP. The biggest benefit is that you can get more work done in less time and, overall, less effort.

As for the splitter and the cost, it is worth the dollars to many of us. As for me, I split wood for many, many moons by hand and would still be doing it. However, I was forced to find a better way because of an injury. Having the hydraulic splitter meant that we could continue to burn wood without having to hire someone to do the work. Is it worth $1,000? Well, to me it is, but I only paid around $800 (new) for ours.

jerseykat1 said:

gzecc said:

Not if you need a $1000 piece of equipment to get it done. Really big rounds are hard to transport and split. I usually turn them down, if I can't roll them up my trailer ramp. Unless they are ash or black locust. Then I'll kill myself to load them.

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What's so special about black locust? And do you have any pics of black locust? I already know ash is great wood, just not sure I have ever burnt any black locust, yellow locust yes but black locust??

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Yellow locust? I suspect you're talking about the same thing. Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) has yellowish wood and is common throughout NJ. The only other "locust" species I know about is Honey Locust (Gleditsia tricanthos) which is native to the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys but is not native to NJ, as far as I know. It is often planted as an ornamental, however.

jerseykat1 said:

I have had a few pieces of locust. I guess it was black locust because it was yellowish gren in color and burned really good. Going to keep my eye out for the stuff. How long does it take to season? 1 year or less?

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BL starts off as white ash does with very little moisture content approx 35-40%. This is a great head start in reducing moisture (seasoning). In one full year split locust should be very acceptable to burn. This is with BTU's equal to oak.
If you split it real small you could burn it in 6 mos. I keep them huge for over nighters. I can barely pick some up with one hand. I also mix all my wood in the insert. Its very unusual for me to have a fire with only one species.

As long as I can get them into the back of the P/U....the bigger the better. I would rather handle a nice big round on the splitter, rather than loading up lots of smaller ones. So much more wood for your effort,also. And Black Locust is one of my favorite species....that and ash. I love oak, but the seasoning is forever. :grrr:

Backwoods Savage said:

I like the larger rounds like in the OP. The biggest benefit is that you can get more work done in less time and, overall, less effort.

As for the splitter and the cost, it is worth the dollars to many of us. As for me, I split wood for many, many moons by hand and would still be doing it. However, I was forced to find a better way because of an injury. Having the hydraulic splitter meant that we could continue to burn wood without having to hire someone to do the work. Is it worth $1,000? Well, to me it is, but I only paid around $800 (new) for ours.

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+1
A big round here is 20", but few & far between. It is fun to split them for sure.

SolarAndWood said:

ecocavalier02 said:

I see ur profile says ya got a 5x8 dump. Was wondering if you bought it like that or did ya make it a dump trailer. In the process of trailing hunting as we speak.

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It came that way. It weighs about half a ton, has a 5K axle and works pretty well for getting into city lots.

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looks like a nice set up. if ya dont mind what that run ya?

I also prefer big rounds. I used to carry a 2x12 with me to roll them up onto the truck. Now that I have a year plus on hand I am a little more picky and only scrounge easy splitting species so that I can half or quarter them with the Fiskars to make them easier to lift onto the truck. Big rounds yield more wood in the same time as smaller rounds and they also make nice square shaped splits with no bark that are easier to fit in my smaller stove.
I just picked up about 1/2 cord of Black Locust yesterday. The biggest rounds were about 20" diameter and were easily quartered with my Fiskars before I loaded them on the truck.

ecocavalier02 said:

if ya dont mind what that run ya?

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$1100 but it was 10 years old when I bought it.

SolarAndWood said:

ecocavalier02 said:

if ya dont mind what that run ya?

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$1100 but it was 10 years old when I bought it.

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still thats a great deal. thats what im looking for brand new here bout 3000. hard to find that one used. have to be paitent. ya had a problems with it or it held up pretty good?

ecocavalier02 said:

hard to find that one used. have to be paitent. ya had a problems with it or it held up pretty good?

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It took me a year and a half to find it. It worked out that I bought it in Indianapolis and got a great deal on a 6' mower in Louisville at the same time. Did a 24 hr mosh, picked up the trailer and then put the mower in it.

It originally had LR C tires on it. They didn't look bad or dry rotted but failed within a few months which kind of sucks on a single axle trailer with a heaped load on the Interstate doing 65. When dumping some highly organic material from my buddy's former dairy farm, my wife found a cold weld in the frame near the cylinder mount. The jack failed. The electric motor on the pump failed in the Fall. Lights are a thorn in my side. The brakes disintegrated on one side last fall. Other than that, I abuse the crap out of it and it has gotten a lot of work done. The deck is low enough that you can roll the big ones in and the maneuverability of the single axle trailer is a huge asset on small tight lots. I can't remember the last time I couldn't back right up to the load.

I have a 6x12 tandem as well. This one is far more useful around town and weighs 2000 pounds less. The big one pushes my 3/4 ton truck around and I am leery of leaving a driveway with it.

Hiram Maxim said:

If someone said you can only burn one species of wood for the rest of your life......Black Locust would be my choice! ;-P

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Sub-Alpine Fir would be my choice- drys quickly, burns hot, & smells great

definitely love big rounds when I can get them. They just turn into so many splits with so little bark!

here are two rounds that are about 30" each. they filled a small rack that was just over four feet long and three feet high.