Awesome score - I a so fired up!

[BobUrban]

Just spoke with my neighbor that owns the property behind me. I am on 5 acres and he has about 600. Just over the line there is a chit load of dead ash(beetle damage) some dead oak, cherry and elm. He is not a burner and for him to get at it would be a monster undertaking with serious heavy equipment through a huge swamp and over two creeks. I ask if he would mind that I took out the dead for my wood burrner. I got the green light and will be set for a long time regarding CSS work. There are some monsters in there and easily 2 or more years of work for me tinkering on weekends and what not while weather permits because it gets real swampy in the spring/summer so it is all winter work. I will target the easier stuff to begin in the 10-15" range and skid it out to my work deck with my 1 log skidder I built for my quad. This way I can toy with it all summer when the mood strikes me. The funny thing is that I am so darn obsessed with this whole gathering, CSSing thing that I am bummed I leave for a week in Cabo tomorrow. I would rather be cutting wood. Best part is that I will have little clean up - just cut it into managable logs that the quad can handle and drag it out. I will be getting pics up here when I get back from vaca but for now here is the skidder I fabbed up for the task.

 

[muncybob]

Sent me the trip tix Bob and you can stay home and cut! Looks like you'll have plenty of "free" heat and exercise for some time to come! Ash is my favorite wood to burn around here. I use to get excited about the BIG stuff but now prefer the mid size, less work! But, I won't pass up anything that's free.

 

[BobUrban]

Title should have read, "am" fired up but I got so fired up I typo'd!!

I am learning the value of manageble rounds. I have taken some Monster ash off my property and those rounds I am getting 12-16 splits off from are some arse kickers for sure. I really like the single/double splitters. Especially with the ash because it splits so nice I can get one split started and then spin the log on the 35 ton and get 4 without a problem. Saves one stroke with the splitter and really makes life easy. Hear is what I have so far in my stack + another cord or so split and in a pile waiting to join the stack. 99% ash.

 

[Gark]

In this area, the ash that's been dead awhile can have various stages of punky. One challenge you may face will be to decide which logs are solid enough to remove and which to leave behind. Nice find! Nearby is very cool...

 

[Brogan007]

Too funny....the thought of you down in Cabo, sitting in the Cabo Wabo bar....thinking about your wood! Gotta smile at it!

 

[WellSeasoned]

Thats a good score. And you'll be cleaning up the woods too. I face the same problems with the mud and the muck. Enjoy spending time in the woods. Nice set up

 

[SolarAndWood]

Sweet deal. Nothing better than a woodlot out the back door with no property taxes attached to it.

 

[trailrated]

I think your log skidder for the quad is awesome. Curious to see how it works out for you. How do you plan on getting the end of the log up on the skidder, muscling up by hand?

 

[BobUrban]

I fabbed it in my welding shop and it works sweet for managable size logs. I built it to have complete rotation and the bottom lip on that angle is the tooth that holds the log. I have to cut them for "by hand" managability but the quad can only tow so much anyway. I notch the log with the saw 3-4" in so that it rides on the angle and have a chain with a fabbed link catch that goes over the top. Gravity does the rest.

I will get action shots when I start the project and post them here. Although it can only handle one log at a time it really is nice for areas that I can't get my trailer into. Like the swamp!

Heres another angle - you can see it spins freely so the log just follows along. Getting the end up off the gound just makes thing work so much better and cleaner than just wrapping a chain arounj it. Oops - same pic - here is the one I was thinking of.