A few random wood gathering pics and commentary

[RowCropRenegade]

Had some free time this Feb to get my wood for 2015 and beyond ready.

Neighbor farmer who I do some chemical application for decided to tear out 3 old shagbark hickory trees. Counted rings on one that was 145 years old. He was going to torch them where they laid but I "rescued" them from their firey destruction....until 2015.

A couple picks of me hauling them out with the 333 and trailers. Split and stacked them inside the barn. Ended up with 4.5 cords of hickory. Spittling was a pain in the neck! Used wedges and mauls to get the 22 inch long 40 in diameter trunks split in half, with the help of prybars and a little noodling. Finished them off with the hydraulic splitter. Can't imagine doing that stuff entirely by hand!

Then went to work on some mixed hardwoods and stacked outside on my wagons. Mixed bag of woods, many of them I couldn't identify, but BTUs none the less! About two cords of them.

I have probably 3 or 4 cords of white ash to split that are bucked inside the barn. Too wet to go back today but frozen ground will be here tomorrow and shall get to work on them!

All and all, when I get the ash done I will have about 14 cords ready for 2014 and 2015 winters. I'm burning anywhere from 6-8 a winter. Mostly ash hickory and red oak.

 

[Blue2ndaries]

Nice work RCR...really like the grapple attachment on the Deere.

 

[BobUrban]

Nice equipment - I, for one, am envious of the trailer and skid steer.

 

[TimJ]

alot of work done
good job

 

[RowCropRenegade]

Thanks for the compliments!

The grapple is a wonderful tool. Haven't picked up a branch since I got it. Can handle some monster logs 3-5000 lbs.....big time saver!

 

[Ralphie Boy]

dat's a lot o' hickery! I'd love to get my hands on just a quarter of that! I've only been able to get a small amount, one medium sized tree, from my neighbor. It's great stuff!

Nice toys! Maybe my mom will let me come over to your house someday and play in your sandbox!
Nice worrk, enjoy those BTU's

 

[ScotO]

Man, talk about a premium score......that is crazy! I can't believe he was going to burn that stuff on the spot......what a travesty that would have been!!

Glad you got that stuff, that's some premium wood there. I'm looking to get some hickory this spring/summer, hoping to mill some of it for boards but a good portion of it will go into the heating wood stack and the smoking wood stack....

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Great rescue! I cringe when I think of all the hickory trees that used to be in the fields and are now gone. Seems years ago there was a hickory or oak in every pasture; sometimes more than one. But when there are no more cattle, they do have to go for the row crops. Just glad to see this one go to a nice home!