Done cutting....till spring that is

[lukem]

I had some days off over the holidays and managed to put up quite a bit of wood for next year. I ended up with about 1 cord of standing dead black locust and hedge. The outside looks pretty rough as the sapwood has rotted away but the inside is hard as nails, lots of chain filing involved there. Got another 3/4 cord or so of green hedge. That stuff cuts like butter but is crazy heavy. I ended up with a two flat tires hauling it out of the woods (two separate loads, apparently I'm a slow learner).

I was also able to help my BIL get two truck loads of locust for his shop. Gave him a chance to get some trigger time on his "new" 031 too.

This was my first year cutting with the ATV. I used it to pull the trailer and skid out some logs. It did a really good job....I am surprised how much it can pull/tow with very little effort. Even the tire blowing loads of hedge weren't a problem power wise, but I had to keep it in 4x4 most of the time or traction became an issue.

I went out yesterday in some wet snow. I was cold and wet and the ground was pretty slippery, and I don't like running the saw unless my feet are firmly planted. Decided to call it a year. I'll get the itch again come March and will try to cut another 2 or 3 cord then.

While I was out cutting the last load of the year the propane man showed up and topped of the tank. I'm still on the automatic delivery schedule, and use propane for DHW, but he must have needed to make his $$ for the year because he nailed me for 150 gallons....usually its 25 or 50...maybe 75... Kinda pi$$ed, but I figure it's my own fault for not taking myself off the auto-program they have. On the bright side, I should have enough for about two years.

Now that next year is done, I'm good through '14/'15 and have a start on '15/'16....waiting on some oak to dry if you are wondering why I'm cutting next year's wood but am so far ahead.

 

[basswidow]

My propane guy got me for 163 gallons, but that's it for the year! What do they get you for per gallon? Mine is $ 2.26 not too shabby.

Well done on your cutting. Other than our freak blizzard Oct 30th, we have been enjoying balmy weather. My truck has been leaving ruts in the yard - since the grounds not fully frozen yet. I won 2nd place in the office FFL and Im using my winnings for a John Deere 826 snowblower I pick up saturday. Bring on the snow! I'm ready!

I sure would like to get some hedge (osage). I scrounge up about 5-6 rounds of a wood that split like a breeze and was orange color inside. I wondered if it was osage. I should have posted a pic. I put it in with my oak for two years, just in case.

 

[lukem]

2.19 per gallon. Fresh cut hedge is neon yellow.

 

[SolarAndWood]

We must have the most expensive propane in the country. $2.70 pickup, $3.10+ delivery.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I had some days off over the holidays and managed to put up quite a bit of wood for next year. I ended up with about 1 cord of standing dead black locust and hedge. The outside looks pretty rough as the sapwood has rotted away but the inside is hard as nails, lots of chain filing involved there. Got another 3/4 cord or so of green hedge. That stuff cuts like butter but is crazy heavy. I ended up with a two flat tires hauling it out of the woods (two separate loads, apparently I'm a slow learner).

I was also able to help my BIL get two truck loads of locust for his shop. Gave him a chance to get some trigger time on his "new" 031 too.

This was my first year cutting with the ATV. I used it to pull the trailer and skid out some logs. It did a really good job....I am surprised how much it can pull/tow with very little effort. Even the tire blowing loads of hedge weren't a problem power wise, but I had to keep it in 4x4 most of the time or traction became an issue.

I went out yesterday in some wet snow. I was cold and wet and the ground was pretty slippery, and I don't like running the saw unless my feet are firmly planted. Decided to call it a year. I'll get the itch again come March and will try to cut another 2 or 3 cord then.

While I was out cutting the last load of the year the propane man showed up and topped of the tank. I'm still on the automatic delivery schedule, and use propane for DHW, but he must have needed to make his $$ for the year because he nailed me for 150 gallons....usually its 25 or 50...maybe 75... Kinda pi$$ed, but I figure it's my own fault for not taking myself off the auto-program they have. On the bright side, I should have enough for about two years.

Now that next year is done, I'm good through '14/'15 and have a start on '15/'16....waiting on some oak to dry if you are wondering why I'm cutting next year's wood but am so far ahead.

Lukem, you are right about the pulling power of an atv. For sure if snow on the ground then 4wd is best. I'll also use low range when going over rough stuff. As for the done with cutting, not so here. Winter is our time for cutting and we generally don't stop until it is just too cold or nasty. Days like yesterday we don't cut either. I wait for a dry day.

 

[firefighterjake]

Were the flats on your trailer or ATV tire . . . in either case you can usually salvage the tire by putting in a tube in the tubeless tires.

 

[wishlist]

Do you still go out and admire all that wood? I have a few neighbors with OWB and they are always a week or so ahead. Straight from the woods, never split, and chucked in the OWB. They go thru massive amounts of wood. I just don't get it?

 

[lukem]

Were the flats on your trailer or ATV tire . . . in either case you can usually salvage the tire by putting in a tube in the tubeless tires.

The flats were on the trailer tires. It didn't have a hole in them, they were just unseating from the bead on some of the angled parts of the trails. I need a set of beadlocks for it!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Do you still go out and admire all that wood? I have a few neighbors with OWB and they are always a week or so ahead. Straight from the woods, never split, and chucked in the OWB. They go thru massive amoun ts of wood. I just don't get it?

I know a fellow who really makes me laugh although I try my best to not laugh at him when he says foolish things. He has an OWB and a couple years after he started using it he did agree he used a lot more wood than he used to; almost double but not quite. A week or so ago we were talking and he was really hot. Seems someone made a comment to him about the OWB using more wood. He was really ticked and swore he burned no more wood now than he used to! Well, he did agree that when he started heating his work shop that he uses more because of that but barely any more than he did with his old setup. Right....

 

[red oak]

Do you still go out and admire all that wood? I have a few neighbors with OWB and they are always a week or so ahead. Straight from the woods, never split, and chucked in the OWB. They go thru massive amoun ts of wood. I just don't get it?

I know a fellow who really makes me laugh although I try my best to not laugh at him when he says foolish things. He has an OWB and a couple years after he started using it he did agree he used a lot more wood than he used to; almost double but not quite. A week or so ago we were talking and he was really hot. Seems someone made a comment to him about the OWB using more wood. He was really ticked and swore he burned no more wood now than he used to! Well, he did agree that when he started heating his work shop that he uses more because of that but barely any more than he did with his old setup. Right....

Co-worker with an OWB told me that they are supposed to burn green wood in it! Apparently it does not burn well if the wood is dry - it must be freshly cut. I just smiled and nodded.....

 

[Backwoods Savage]

That is what drives me crazy. Perhaps the wood does not have to be as dry as you want for a stove but to burn green wood is rather silly. Yes, they have a draft blower to force things but I can not believe burning green wood is the right way to go. I know of several who have the OWB and most of them fully agree with me that the wood should not be green wood. Most dry their wood for a year or two. Otherwise, they end up burning about double the amount of wood. Someone stated that these boilers need green wood to function properly. Perhaps that is so for some folks but around here most have debunked that theory a long time ago. I know of one party, a lazy sort, who won't cut the wood until it is needed. Another party with the very same boiler drys his wood for 2 years. Result; the one with green wood burns way more; almost double the amount.....and heats less space.

 

[Ken45]

Check your ATV manual. I know both of mine are quite limited in how much tongue weight is allowed (35# IIRC). Since the hitch is on the differential, I really don't want to overload and crack that! Of course, some of the bigger ATVs have higher ratings but it still pays to be careful.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that waiting until spring for more cutting will hurt a lot. Sap is now down in the trees. If you wait until March, sap will be up and it will take more time to season the wood. I understand (and agree) with your concerns about cutting on slippery ground, but it might we worthwhile at least dropping (or girdling?) the trees now and get a lot dryer wood.

Ken

 

[SolarAndWood]

How much to the ATVs that you guys have weigh and how much wood are you hauling out at a time? Is this all on flat land?

 

[lukem]

Check your ATV manual. I know both of mine are quite limited in how much tongue weight is allowed (35# IIRC). Since the hitch is on the differential, I really don't want to overload and crack that! Of course, some of the bigger ATVs have higher ratings but it still pays to be careful.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that waiting until spring for more cutting will hurt a lot. Sap is now down in the trees. If you wait until March, sap will be up and it will take more time to season the wood. I understand (and agree) with your concerns about cutting on slippery ground, but it might we worthwhile at least dropping (or girdling?) the trees now and get a lot dryer wood.

Ken

I only cut down and standing dead so sap isn't a concern for me. No sense in cutting down a living tree when there are hundreds of dead ones (where I cut anyway).

I hear you on the tongue weight....you just have to take it slow and be smart about it. I load the trailer with a lot of the weight to the rear so the tongue weight is pretty light for such a heavy load...but it is still over the manufacturer's recommendation. I've known a lot of Honda ATVs when working on the farms that have been thoroughly overloaded and never seen an axle give way. The hitch adapter will break off before the axle breaks...seen it happen. Since I'm not going over 10MPH or bouncing the trailer all over the place I don't have a huge concern overloading it.

 

[lukem]

How much to the ATVs that you guys have weigh and how much wood are you hauling out at a time? Is this all on flat land?

Dry weight on mine is 600, so with the wench, full tank of gas, 5 qts of oil/trans fluid, and this guy, I'm probably sitting around 850 - 900 lbs. I have a 4x8 trailer with 24" stake sides. I can load it heaping with tossed dry splits , or just below the top of the sides with stacked rounds (hedge and black locust that are generally standing dead, every once in a while there is a down hedge that has some green left in it). This is all on average because I usually will load a lot more over and slightly behind the trailer tires and less in front to keep the tongue weight reasonable. I'm guessing a load is about 900 - 1,200 lbs. My avatar pic is pretty representative of a typical load.

Flat ground is a relative term when you are in central or northern Indiana. It's mostly flat around here, but we do have some grades...if you compare to New England this is very flat. I have one moderate incline in the woods to go up, and one steep decline on the way home on the road. Going down the hill on the road is a non-issue. I can stop just fine with very little effort....engine breaking does most of the work....only need the brakes when you want to come to a complete stop.

The incline in the woods can be slightly challenging when it is muddy. It is hard pack dirt, but develops about a 1/4" of slime on top when it gets wet. Too slick to no spin the tires, but too hard to really dig in when you do spin. I'm running stock tires but I really don't think anything short of chains would help on this hill. Just build up some speed before you hit the hill and don't try to stop/start and it is no problem.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

How much to the ATVs that you guys have weigh and how much wood are you hauling out at a time? Is this all on flat land?

I'd have to check on the weight and have no idea of tongue weight but for sure if I have a big load of heavy stuff, I go slow. Here is a picture of our old atv hauling a load. The logs were a little long as I usually get three rows.

But when we have a big load, we bring out the big equipment.

 

[lukem]

Here's a better pic of a load:

 

[thewoodlands]

How much to the ATVs that you guys have weigh and how much wood are you hauling out at a time? Is this all on flat land?

Solar, on our Rhino 450 I think the towing capacity is 1200 pounds, just a guess until I take a gander in the book.

I see our local yamaha dealer is selling these, less expensive then the Rhino.

http://www.bennche.com/


zap

 

[SolarAndWood]

Thanks guys...sounds like I should be able to pull a lot more in a cart behind my little 4WD tractor than I can skid with it because of the terrain. I'm thinking that will be a lot cheaper than getting and maintaining an older tractor big enough to skid decent sized logs.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Again Solar, if you do want to skid the logs, build a dray and they skid easy without getting dirt in the bark. Pulled with your 4wd tractor it will work very well.

 

[SolarAndWood]

Don't think a dray would work in our woods because of the topography. I've had my little dump trailer back there behind my FILs utility tractor but even that didn't have the ground clearance to clear the granite outcroppings without being extremely careful.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

What does the topography have to do with the dray? I well remember when we had a portable sawmill and set up in this woods and there was not a level spot there. Some nasty areas. Dray still worked well. The granite outcroppings can pose a problem but you should be able to work around those.

 

[SolarAndWood]

I don't think I'd have any problem with the drey running down any of the roads I can get my truck down but not sure I want to pull a sled down the side of the mountain. And not sure I would be able to pull it up the back side of the mountain to get out to one of the roadways. I'm thinking I either need to get the weight off the front of the load or need to buck in the woods and throw it in a cart. I haven't had the little tractor up there though, just going on my experience with the bigger tractor.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Solar, you need to level those hills. :lol:

 

[SolarAndWood]

Solar, you need to level those hills. :lol:

lol, I am slowly but surely terracing off our property at home but that would kind of ruin the feel of the camp in the middle of mature forest in the Adirondacks.