Newb needs scrounging advice: handling BIG pieces of Oak

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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.
 
And what's below is what's next on the list. Same story - someone else got all the "easy" stuff - but really - I'd rather take the trunks any day.

I'm thinking in 24" range again by the pic.

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 ;)
 
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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.
 
Couldn't you go old school and bust the rounds with a wedge? Cut a nice deep score (1") with the chainsaw, bust out a 15lb sledge and wedge.... 2-3 good swings and jackpot. Just turn the big rounds (unless they are gigantic) into halves; that should make them managable. I am new to the scrounging too, but I love an excuse to sling the sledge.

Holy cat scat! 15 lb sledge is something one would not want to swing very much!
 
I'm rather liking the idea of skidding the tree on my trailer somehow - maybe winch. I like the idea of pulling up - grabbing it - and taking it home. I really don't want to take the time to process the wood in the field. I'll noodle on that. Bonus is that the trailer tilts. Good for the first log, anyway. :D

I'd like to have 24" lengths when I do my logs, so I like them long.

Here's what I got Sunday. 22" by my tape measure. It's about all that trailer will haul, without freaking me out. How much of this am I approaching 2,000 lbs, anyway?

That was stacked high in my trailer, but it was OK. Neighbor of the donor had a tractor - I finished bucking and it was dumped in. Still took a while.

And what's below is what's next on the list. Same story - someone else got all the "easy" stuff - but really - I'd rather take the trunks any day.

I'm thinking in 24" range again by the pic.

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.

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

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!
 
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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....
 
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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

 
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So I have a lot of kids and running out for the easy quick scores eludes me. By the time I'm there I find 24" plus oak trunks. I REALLY don't want to see that go to waste but I find that most folks go for the easy to handle smaller bits.

So. I have a crew cab truck with a short bed. I have a hydraulic splitter too. And an 8x10 trailer that is able to hold a lot of wood.

How many of you take your splitter and bust up the trunks while you are out? I got lucky Sunday as that guys had a neighbor with a front end loader.

I can absolutely move the rounds, but getting them in the truck is another story.

Just split once or twice so I can handle? Load splitter in trailer when I Go out?

I'm like most folks, can't really make multiple trips. So when I'm out I need to make it count.

Advice appreciated!!


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.
 

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