Newb needs scrounging advice: handling BIG pieces of Oak

A hand truck and a set of car ramps, 2x12's, etc will make your life alot easier. 20+" oak is heavy, but definetly movable with one person and a handtruck. Try to park downhill of the trunk and use gravity to your advantage. You can also cut a cookie or 2 about half as tall as your trailer, placed right at the back end of the trailer, and use it to flip the rest of your logs onto end over end. At this point, enough of the round should be above your trailer deck. Tip log over so top is now resting onto the trailer deck. so another flip or shove, and you are in business. No lifting. Just rolling and flipping.

You definitely need a bigger saw/bar

Yah - I've about realized that and working on a plan....

If you've got the gear to handle the bigger stuff, it looks like someone is doing you a favour by removing all the small stuff and leaving the best for you

I quartered up at least 20 rounds over the weekend. Get your maul and wedge and find the direction of the grain. Split in half and then the halves in half. Throw in the truck and get out of there. Finish the job at your leasure at home.

Holy cat scat! 15 lb sledge is something one would not want to swing very much!

Here is one friendly tool that really can work wonders for you when you get those big rounds. It really makes some of that hard work very easy. I'm reminded of the one time a friend had a huge ash cut down in his yard. He called me to see if I would cut it up and clean up the whole mess. I did. I debated splitting them on site but because of an injury to my back not too long before that I really did not want to split just yet. So, took the trailer and a couple 2 x 10's. Rolling those rounds up onto the trailer way really easy (else I couldn't have done it). Shoot, I hate to go to the woods without a good cant hook.

I am 6'2" 235lbs. I spent 11 years in the Marine Corps. A 15lb sledge is a nice tool if you can swing it, you just better bring your man skills!

And pay for it later in life....

Even the biggest oak rounds should be easy to hand split into halves, quarters or even eights if need be to make them manageable. If a round doesn't split easily, move on and leave it for the next guy.

click the image for a video

Roll them on to the trailer.........24 pretty small.

Being a one man show I had to noodle several rounds yesterday to get them hauled out. Thought it was an ash but was pretty heavy and after getting them apart I believe it was an oak. Felt alot better about not lifting it.
Noodling worked well for me. It did give the pro mac 10-10s a work out though.

Mo, that is an ash you got.


Steve, nice video.

Must have two species? The other is white pretty well all the way through and lighter.
Thanks for the info BS

Cool Flatbed. I am impressed. One of those X27s is on my Santa list. Ohhhhh, I hope I get it. Please.

That's actually an older Fiskars Super Splitting Axe #7854 at work there. Similar to the X25.