Hard Times

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Redlegs

Feeling the Heat
I've had a rough start to the wood gathering season. Usually I start gathering at the end of upland bird season in late Jan. My employer reassigned me, and sent me to a school for all of January, February and the first half of March. That put me behind a little bit. If that wasn’t enough, the preferred means of scrounging/ gathering/hauling wood( 1996 F350 Powerstroke) is not available. It’s difficult gather meaning qualities in a ZX2 Escort.
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A farmer friend near me had a couple trees he removed that were too near the house, and he was kind enough to drive over to my place for me. He chained them to the bail spear on the loader of his tractor, and set them next to the garage for me. That was a good start at the wood resupply.


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After getting them into rounds, I had to move them back to the woodlot. Without the F350, I had to resort to the backup equipment. I think this was close to the maximum capacity???



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So at least we are making progress. Then I was thinking that with wood hard to come by this year, I should consider a means of protecting what I had stockpiled. I have considered converting my bird dog to a “wood guard dog” but I am not sure how she’s gonna’ work out. I’ll have to work with her some more on this.
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I guess I was wondering how many other guys/girls out there have resorted to unconventional means to get their inventories up this year???







 
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The rest of 2012 will be great for you i am sure of it.:)
 
Hey, load that Escort up! That is some prime firewood and it is great that it was delivered to you like that. As for moving the wood, that little mower can serve you well so long as it isn't too far to haul it as it can be a bit slow. As for the dog, I think you can find better things for it than guarding the wood! Hope you get to use him better next year.

Nothing unconventional here. We're several years ahead on the wood supply and still cutting all dead ash. We haul with an atv and trailer and sometimes with a dray. Hauling logs 4.JPGLoad of pin oak.JPG
 
I have about 12 cords out back and almost all of it was scrounged in a Saturn SL2 sedan. The back seat would fold down so that the trunk and passenger compartment were connected. I could scrounge a seven foot ong, 12 inch diameter log as long as I didn't need to go into reverse. That car has since died, and I also bought a trailer, but I think it qualifies as a 'yes' to your question about unconventional means of scrounging.
 
Budman, thanks...we're getting it together one piece at a time....a little better every day.
 
Thanks BS...I've already cut the trees to length and moved them all to the back. That little trailer is a pickup truck trailer from an old Studabaker truck. My brother-in-law scored it for me a yardsale for $40. I've been pulling it with an Expedition when it's been too far for the mower. :>)

Woody, there is a cabinbet shop by my work that always has surplus pallets most eight and tenn feet that I would love to haul home for stacking on. I am thinking lashing them down to the roof. If I do I'll get some pictures for posting as that would be a sight.
 
It's all in how you look at it. We had a tornado hit us on March 2nd and did quite a bit of damage to my place :(. On bright side, I get a brand spanking new fireplace and firewood is laying everywhere :).
 
It's all in how you look at it. We had a tornado hit us on March 2nd and did quite a bit of damage to my place :(. On bright side, I get a brand spanking new fireplace and firewood is laying everywhere :).

That happened on my place in 2004. Wood has already been burned but I am still paying mortgage payments on every one of those trees. :mad:
 
I've borrowed an old beater truck in exchange for gas, used a cargo van, even picked-up a 1-ton flatbed from Lowes when I needed to move a couple cords quickly.
As far as unconventional I've scrounged with my Prius at 4-500lbs per load. I've also strapped palettes to it on a cheapo roof rack. I move rounds from the street to the backyard & once from a neighbors yard using a garden cart and even throw the odd downed limb over my shoulder to carry back when out walking the dog.
There is one member on here who scrounges with a home-made trailer behind his bicycle!
If the ground is flat & the wood is very close by it's not hard to move a years supply home if you keep at it.
 
Nice looking GSP. Put mine down a few years ago and it still gets to me.
 

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Nate...thanks. I'm sorry about your friend. The good ones never stay long enough.
 
I have gotten in good with a owner of a local golf course which is four miles from the house. Last weekend I hauled home four Studerbaker trailer loads of elm limbs that were 2 in. up to 10 in. dia , which were already in 8-10 foot lengths. Having trees already chopped up makes for easy scrounging. I have to go back to the course and get the trunk yet which he said is 24+in for better than 20 feet. He also has a big hackberry cut down and set aside for me.

All in all things are looking up, but I wish I could carve out a little more time from the schedule right now to catch up on things around the house. I hope to have my two teenage boys and my buddys splitter in the backyard together for about three or four hours so I could catch up on the splitting/stacking. I have read on here that drying time does not begin until its all split. :>)
 
I wish I had the "unconventional" means of wood scrounging where the local farmer deposits trees in my yard. Good on you for that. I did miss out on a few small scrounges because I loaned my truck to a neighbor in November for a couple weeks while he got his wifes car running and just got it back last week. Tough times and he is real good to me so I could be patient but my other vehicle is a Fusion and company car. I would grab a scrounge if it were real easy and rather clean but it would have to be on my way home and I always see them on the way out.

I have a friend who owns a golf course and have access to many dead ash out there but we could not get at it this (non) winter. Have to wait until we actually have solid frozen ground to get equipment on the course but the upside is easy cutting with open fairways to drop the trees.
 
I have about 12 cords out back and almost all of it was scrounged in a Saturn SL2 sedan. The back seat would fold down so that the trunk and passenger compartment were connected. I could scrounge a seven foot ong, 12 inch diameter log as long as I didn't need to go into reverse. That car has since died
Hmmm, I wonder if there's a connection between "12 cords hauled" and "car has died?" ;lol
I've scrounged with my Prius at 4-500lbs per load.
Oh my! !! I thought I was hard on my Ciera pulling a 5x8 trailer. Lately, I've been lightening the loads; I doubt if they are even half a cord, and wet Oak loads are smaller, only one layer in the bottom of the trailer. Certainly you had a trailer, because a cord of wet Oak is like 5000 lbs. and I don't think a cord will fit in a Prius. :oops:
 
Thanks BS...I've already cut the trees to length and moved them all to the back. That little trailer is a pickup truck trailer from an old Studabaker truck. My brother-in-law scored it for me a yardsale for $40. I've been pulling it with an Expedition when it's been too far for the mower. :>)

Woody, there is a cabinbet shop by my work that always has surplus pallets most eight and tenn feet that I would love to haul home for stacking on. I am thinking lashing them down to the roof. If I do I'll get some pictures for posting as that would be a sight.


Wow! Where did you find an old Studebaker truck? That is an oldie for sure. I wish the Studebaker cars were still made...
 
BS...the Studebaker was found at a garage sale in Leavenwoth, KS by my brother-in-law and purchased for $40. It does great as a "year trailer" moving wood, limbs, leaves or whatever.

Bob, I admit I got lucky haing trees delivered but I still have to cut and split them. :>) I just found out the golf course near me has about 15 more dead elm trees. not sure whats happening there but the trees are all atleast 1 year dead standing and didnt bounce back at all this year so they have been marked for removal. I'll work on picts of that too.
 
...Oh my! !! I thought I was hard on my Ciera pulling a 5x8 trailer. Lately, I've been lightening the loads; I doubt if they are even half a cord, and wet Oak loads are smaller, only one layer in the bottom of the trailer. Certainly you had a trailer, because a cord of wet Oak is like 5000 lbs. and I don't think a cord will fit in a Prius. :oops:

4-500 pounds per Prius load (kinda equivalent to having 3 other adults in there) not talking about a cord here! ;lol More like 1/10'th of a cord.
Never scrounged anything further than several blocks away like that either,
 
4-500 pounds per Prius load (kinda equivalent to having 3 other adults in there) not talking about a cord here! ;lol More like 1/10'th of a cord.
Never scrounged anything further than several blocks away like that either,
Oops! I read 5000 instead of 500. ;em That sounds a bit more sane... ;lol
 
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