A day in the woods

[Ashful]

Out cutting today, a few more hurricane Sandy trees, all 18-24" DBH oak and ash. Didn't get a photo of what I had cut at the end of the day, since it got dark, but here are some mid-day photos.

 

[NordicSplitter]

Awesome stuff

 

[Driver]

That's a fine looking mid-day's work, looks like it's easy to get to, the tractor makes things go a whole lot smoother.

 

[Rossco]

Nice one that's the spirit.

My favourite scenario. Down with the root ball still on em.

 

[Jearley35purdue]

Man wish the picking were that easy around here! I've got to earn ever log I pull. Steep terrain that at times can't be traversed by ATv or tractor! Nice looking days work. Cut and split 2/3 chord today with a brand new 27ton splitter. Still a lot of work. Not sure how I ever did it all by hand! Nice work!

 

[Osagebndr]

Oak and ash can't get any better , oh and easy to get. All of my favorite things

 

[Applesister]

Is that you on the tractor?
What kind of tractor is it? And what kind of winch/hitch?
How come nobody has any snow???
Why did you drag the wood back to the house? Did the tractor work hard?
How come you dont cut/ split on the spot??
Is your ground frozen?

 

[D8Chumley]

Ground isn't frozen here right now, and we sent all the snow North Makes the 1/2 cord of Ash I cut today look meager, nice work and pics Joful

 

[Ashful]

I guess it looks easy when you're not the one doing the gettin'. ;-)

That's a blow-down of about 12 trees, all tangled up and under enormous stress. I took the two largest, which started the whole domino effect, last year. Each cut is a little tense, as you never know which way these 1000+ lb. limbs and trunks are going to jump when you put the saw into them. I had at least three split off about half their length while in the middle of a cut (you can sort of see the "D" shape on the end of the one laying transverse to the rest of the pile in the last photo). Also, these are a 1/2 mile tractor drive down hill thru the woods along a rough old creek bed, but that tractor does great hauling them out.

I did the cutting, and my friend did the hauling. That's him on the tractor. Hauling was much slower than cutting, due to our distance back in the woods, so I spent a lot of time just hooking up chokers and waiting for him to return from each load, and then later bucking up on the landing, while he made the final few trips into the woods.

What you see in that pile is about 60% of what we hauled that day. Since it's way back in the woods, I just left all crotches, crooks, etc. to rot.

Had two stumps stand back up on me while cutting, both on the edge of a steep ravine for a creek. Nothing spectacularly bad, just a little exciting when the ground you're standing on starts moving. Only fell once, when cutting some large limbs up high in that first photo.

Applesister:

Not me!

Ford 3000, no winch. Just a draw bar on the 3-point with chain hook mounted to draw bar. Same way I skid them at home with my own tractor.

We had snow, but it was warm last week, and it melted. It was upper 30's today.

We drag, rather than splitting on site for several reasons. First, I'm not sure how I'd get a splitter that far into the woods over such rough terrain. The tractor has to straddle some mighty large boulders to get in/out of those woods. Also, it's much faster to drag a 1000 lb. log, versus bucking and loading all the rounds into a trailer, etc. It's easier to just skid them out in manageable pieces, and then buck them up at the landing, where I load them into my trailer.

Ground was frozen when we started this morning, but thawed during the day. We made quite a mess digging ruts with those big ag tires.

 

[D8Chumley]

I figured it was a Ford tractor since it looked to be Ford blue but didn't want to assume.

 

[BIGDADDY]

That's a nice Christmas gift.

 

[Applesister]

Thanks Joful for all your info. I laughed when I saw the muffler on the tractor lisping in that familiar way. I know exactly what happened to it. Lol.
Was definitely curious about the tractor, its nice and low profile. Nice low center of gravity. Great for mowing on steep hills. Or skidding...
You definitely have great conditions for getting that wood out. We got dumped here in NY. A stalled system that dumped a ton of precipitation of all mixed crap.

 

[Ashful]

Under snow just means less mud, sista'!

Some photos of the kit I take into the woods.

 

[BIGDADDY]

You can't have to many sharp chains!

 

[Ashful]

Yep! Never understood those guys who waste time in the woods to touch up a chain. When mine are ready for a touch-up, I swap 'em out. I sharpen at a comfortable bench in a heated garage in the evening, with the radio going. Beats losing time cutting, and sharpening while sitting on a stump in the cold. Also gives me a chance to clean the bar groove and under the shroud.

 

[Ashful]

Follow-up: my eye seems to be getting pretty good. Land owner had asked me on cutting day, how much I thought I had gathered. I said 'about three cords.'

Hauled it home today, and it was within 2 cu.ft. of three cords.

 

[Ashful]

Looks like some of what the landowner had ID'd as Ash might actually be Poplar.



By my eye. Ash on left, poplar on right.

One cord split, so far, consisting of 50% white oak with the rest a mix of ash and that yellow wood.