New favorite tool - Pulp Hook !

[Loft32]

This is my first posting. At the outset, I just want to say thanks to all you guys for all the great information.

Of all the things I've learned about on this site, this tops the list for me - this tool is just too cool - the pulp hook.

If handle your own firewood and don't know about this, you've got to get a pair. It's everything a good tool should be...indestructable, no moving parts, fun to use and violent.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, go to Labonville.com, select "hand tools", "pulp hook with replaceable tip". I bought two of these, as someone on this site suggested. I was skeptical and had no idea exactly how to use them. I'm not sure what they were originally designed for, but I find that they are great for handling/picking up firewood rounds before they've been split. All it takes is one swift swing of the hook into the end-grain and you can pick up just about any size round that you can lift with one arm....saves wear and tear on your gloves and back. You do have to avoid swinging in the direction of your shins - for obvious reasons. I also find them handy for dragging branches and debris. A great tool - highly recommended.

 

[NHFarmer]

I agree,I have used one for years.I find that you don't have to bend over so far to pick up the wood.I usually wear my chainsaw chaps just in case I miss when swinging it.We cut and split all of our wood 4' and they work great for pulling the wood off the pile.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Or for bigger things, use a cant hook.

 

[Gooserider]

Or for bigger things, use a cant hook.

Yes, though really two different purposes.... The cant hook (or peavey), is intended for rolling large logs, while the pulp hook is for picking up and carrying hand size peices - say rounds up to about 18" or so.

I find that pulp hooks work going into side grain as well as end grain, as long as you can get them into solid wood they are great... Small rounds I will hook one on each side and carry them like a pair of suitcases, or for larger rounds it works great to sink one hook into each end and pick the round up like a beer cooler. Either way it definitely saves a lot of bending and back pain...

Gooserider

 

[Sealcove]

This is a repeat, but since we are on the subject lets not forget the hookaroon. An excellent tool for moving firewood around; especially if you have back issues.

 

[Jay H]

I love mine! It certainly gets a lot of use when bucking logs into rounds..

Jay

 

[Heem]

now if I could duct tape.. I mean mount this securely to the back of my maul, I could get into a good rhythm. hook, swing, split. hook, swing, split.

 

[Brian VT]

I just bought a pair to get some rounds out of the woods that I don't have a trail to.
I thought I could somehow carry a round in each hand like 2 suitcases.
I can see how 2 hooks could be used to carry 1 round but can't figure out how to carry 1 round with 1 hook. I feel like a dope.
B.t.w., pulp hooks were originally used to carry 4' lengths of pulp wood. One in each end. Those were tough men that did that for a living.

 

[LLigetfa]

I can carry a round with one pulp hook but the trick is to get it across the grain in the middle so it's balanced and stays hooked. If you hook one end with the grain it tends to wiggle out easily.

That said, I mostly use the pulp hook to get the larger rounds onto my hand truck and wheel it. Smaller logs I carry out on my shoulder.

Maybe log tongs would be better for you.

 

[flyingcow]

This is a repeat, but since we are on the subject lets not forget the hookaroon. An excellent tool for moving firewood around; especially if you have back issues.

those things are real handy

 

[LLigetfa]

Pickaroons are nice too and available in a variety of sizes. I'd like to have that axaroon.

 

[Brian VT]

Maybe log tongs would be better for you.

Yup. That looks like the ticket. Thanks. I probably won't spend the $70 though.

 

[Ncountry]

Yeah, I found a pulp hook eases the strain on my back. The sten http://www.nextag.com/pulp-hook/compare-html
with the replaceable tip is my favorite it will grab and hold onto a piece and then with a flick of the wrist you can throw it. Takes a little time to acquire the right touch, hit the split too hard and it will not release, too little and it falls off. Careful though it can and will put a nice hole in your shin too.

 

[fyrwoodguy]

 

[Gooserider]

I just bought a pair to get some rounds out of the woods that I don't have a trail to.
I thought I could somehow carry a round in each hand like 2 suitcases.
I can see how 2 hooks could be used to carry 1 round but can't figure out how to carry 1 round with 1 hook. I feel like a dope.
B.t.w., pulp hooks were originally used to carry 4' lengths of pulp wood. One in each end. Those were tough men that did that for a living.

I do the suitcase routine quite often. Essentially it requires that you sink the hooks WELL into either solid end grain or the side grain (you must be into the wood, not just the bark!), and then keep the rounds from banging on the ground or other things until you are ready to let them go - it takes a bit of a delicate touch and some practice. The key is in the way the hook tip is shaped - if you look at it closely, you will notice that it has a sort of barb where the tip itself is trapezoidal, and has a bit of an undercut about 1/4" or so back. You have to get the hook far enough into solid wood so that when the round tilts as you pick it up, that undercut digs into the wood and keeps the hook from pulling back out. This means you need to hit the round hard enough to drive the tip in a good ways, and it has to be solid wood - if it's punky, it just doesn't have the tear strength to not pull out. However even at best, you are relying on a very small margin of holding wood, so it doesn't take much to shake a round off and drop it (yet another reason for Steel Toes!) - but this is a compromise so you don't have a problem getting the hook out when you WANT to put the round down...

It's hard to describe, but I find the best technique is to hold the hook handle somewhat loosely with your wrist cocked way back as you swing at the round, and just before it hits to snap your wrist forwards to put a bit of extra snap into the hook as you hit the round.

Mostly it takes practice - start by just working on learning how to sink the hook so that you can pick up a round with one hook.

I find it works best with rounds in the 5-10" range. Smaller rounds are so light that they tend to move when the hook hits them rather than the hook sinking in, and I can carry more by grabbing them with one hand and stacking them in the other arm anyway. Once you start getting into the over 10" or so size, the weight starts getting to be enough you'd rather carry one at a time anyway, so I go to the "hook in each end" method, which allows you to get a bigger round than you could by hand, and without as much strain on your back. (Still, remember to lift with your knees...)

Gooserider

 

[Cutter]

Cool looking tools. For years we have used old Ice Tongs for wrestling RR ties when building landscaping features. Ties are just so filthy. So I have been taking a pair with me into the tree lines cutting. Too often I have to move wood 40-70 feet from stump to trailer. They work pretty well. have even put nylon strap on the handle and pulled logs (not too big) with the old 8N. I burn some logs up to 38"and 8' dia. So I am looking for a pair of the smaller tongs for moving wood into the house.
Cutter

 

[Ncountry]

I burn some logs up to 38"and 8' dia. So I am looking for a pair of the smaller tongs for moving wood into the house.
Cutter

Holy smokes a log 38 inches long 8 feet in diameter!! :bug: Is your tractor blue and named babe.

 

[LLigetfa]

I burn some logs up to 38"and 8' dia. So I am looking for a pair of the smaller tongs for moving wood into the house.
Cutter

Holy smokes a log 38 inches long 8 feet in diameter!! :bug: Is your tractor blue and named babe.

I saw that typo and let it slide. To quote Rick...

Sometimes I think we split more hairs around here than we do wood. %-P Rick

 

[Ncountry]

I was just kidding, 8-/ If I was graded on my writing,speaking, or typing skills I would probably have an F.

 

[LLigetfa]

I was just kidding...

I know, your smileys gave it away.

 

[Muskytooth]

I too have a pulp hook but mine doesn't have a replaceable tip. I had to grind mine down a little to get it to dig into the wood better. I have a question for those with the replaceable tip pulp hooks.... do you have any problems with the tips getting loose or falling out?

 

[Ncountry]

No I do not think the tip has ever loosened up.If so it must be rare because I do not remember it. I like the one with the replaceable tip a lot better then any fixed tip ones I have ever used. It seems to hold the wood better without having to hit it so hard. Making it easier to release after.

 

[fyrwoodguy]

I too have a pulp hook but mine doesn't have a replaceable tip. I had to grind mine down a little to get it to dig into the wood better. I have a question for those with the replaceable tip pulp hooks.... do you have any problems with the tips getting loose or falling out?

very rarely do they loosen up,and they won't fall out. (at least the ones i've used) they are much better than the old one piece style.

 

[Gooserider]

Mine loosened up when I first got them, I suspect they weren't tightened real well from the factory. The tips didn't come out, and are unlikely to as they have a flat on them where the screw goes in. Once I snugged them down, they haven't been a problem since.

Given that the barb on the tip is a key part of what makes the hooks work, the replaceable tip is a good thing, as those barbs can break off.

Gooserider