Cutting in the snow

[PapaDave]

Just wondering what you guys/gals do when the snow gets a little deep. How deep before you stop and just drink coffee/drink of choice. Probably won't change what I end up doing, just curious.
I've been cutting at my SIL's this past week, and may still go back, but I'm using a wheelbarrow in the woods. That oughta' be interesting.

 

[XJma]

When you sink in to your crotch and the sleds won't go because the snow is too deep, F it, wait until it's not so deep!!

Not sure if you ice fish or not but a jet sled, or equivalent, is awesome for tossing wood in and pulling through the snow.

 

[Flamestead]

My wood cutting (tree felling) starts when there is at least some snow on the ground, and once I have pulled in at least a year's worth, I keep going until it becomes too much bother moving around the woods. If it is a bother moving around, but I don't have enough wood yet, I keep going.

In my case, from 6" to a foot is great for clean skidding. Two feet of fresh snow isn't much fun (even orange wedges are hard to see when they drop in the snow). In three feet, the pole timber I'm cutting would disappear down into the snow, and the tractor would move but I might not remember the rocks - time to wait for it to settle.

You might find packing a trail with snow shoes in warm weather helpful, giving you a firm trail once it cools back down.

 

[bogydave]

If you can keep the trails to the wood open, why stop ?
Quads does his best cutting thru the winter snows.
Wheel barrow trail may be difficult to keep open for mush over a foot.
But then you can pull a sled & keep the trail packed, might even be easier than a wheel barrow

 

[StihlHead]

Not that it snows a lot around here, but I never liked cutting in snow and I avoid it if possible. Getting up skid roads in 4WD in deep snow can be an adventure, but not one that I like to take risks doing any more. I spend enough time in the snow doing search and rescue, training and ski patrol.

 

[TreePointer]

We rarely accumulate over a two feet of snow that remains for any good length of time. The limiting factor for me usually is temperature, as I don't cut below 20.

Mud is more of a factor than snow for me because I don't like to make mud ruts that will need to be repaired (more work in the spring/summer). I actually prefer skidding logs across the farm on frozen ground. This is our most used whellbarrow for firewooding:

(broken image removed)

 

[willyswagon]

Oh yes the compact tractor....my favorite pieces of equipment.
It's a shovel, It's a wheel barrow. It's a rake, It's a skidder... the list goes on and on

 

[ScotO]

I love cutting in the snow. Matter of fact when it comes to cleanup over on the farm with all the blowdowns and such, I prefer at LEAST a half foot of snow or even much more.....I'm a winter weather guy.

I use the snowmobile and my homemade sleigh (I call it 'The Mule') to get me out and back with the wood. To get wood from remote places where I cannot get the snowmobile, I use a plastic kids sled with some bungees (like Pallet Pete's set-up) to get the wood from the tree to the snowmobile loading location.....

 

[firefighterjake]

I don't cut much in the snow . . . mainly because I find the snow covers up things that I would rather not hit . . . well that and it's more work for me . . . OK . . . I'll tell the real truth . . . once there are more than a few inches I opt to play in the snow vs. work in the snow . . . once there are 7 or more inches or so on the ground I'm riding the sled on the trails.

 

[TimJ]

Scott, I bet the kids have been in the back of that sled alot more than wood

 

[JP11]

Love winter...

Not as efficient cutting and skidding as plain frozen ground.. but I can get out in the wettest areas and cut.

 

[smokinj]

I depends on man power and what your cutting. (This is a field of locust)

 

[ScotO]

Scott, I bet the kids have been in the back of that sled alot more than wood

Tim, yes they enjoy taking sleigh rides in the back of that thing(no high speed riding though). But I need to make a windshield for it, the rooster tail of snow coming off of the snowmobile makes it a cold ride!

 

[maple1]

Winter is the best time to get wood out of places that are otherwise hard to get at. Water is frozen and makes a nice slippery surface to drag things across, and snow makes otherwise rocky/stumpy/rough terrain a nice smooth surface.

Time to go Swamp Logging!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I don't mind cutting with snow on the ground unless it gets too deep. We do not have a lot of deep snow here where we live now and most winters I can cut all winter but I do stop if it gets too cold or nasty. I also have a habit of moving some of the snow from a few lanes and this makes it nice not only for me but the wife likes to walk around the woods in the winter months and this makes it better for her.

I do usually take a couple pair of gloves so I can change them out if they get wet or my hands get too cold. Some days I even take the Mr Buddy heater along, especially when my wife helps so she can warm her hands too.

 

[Thistle]

I dont mind 3-4 inches of snow but any more & I wait until its gone & ground frozen solid again before continuing.That's another reason I try to get as much done during the year before it starts.Cold dont slow me down much,deep snow sure does though.

It is fun using that old 6ft Ash toboggan to haul wood from the shed or processing area 75 ft down to parents house if they needed some.Pulling it back up hill is not though

 

[Pallet Pete]

I use a sled like many others here you would be amazed at how easy they pull in the snow ! Like Dennis said we haven't had much snow in recent years so I don't know how well it would work in your snow.

Pete

 

[thewoodlands]

Just wondering what you guys/gals do when the snow gets a little deep. How deep before you stop and just drink coffee/drink of choice. Probably won't change what I end up doing, just curious.
I've been cutting at my SIL's this past week, and may still go back, but I'm using a wheelbarrow in the woods. That oughta' be interesting.

First it starts off with a good breakfast (pic 2332), then just make sure you obey the deer crossing signs (pic 2684), I start with chains just on the back tires then when the snow gets deeper I'll put the chains on the front too.

 

[ScotO]

First it starts off with a good breakfast (pic 2332), then just make sure you obey the deer crossing signs (pic 2684), I start with chains just on the back tires then when the snow gets deeper I'll put the chains on the front too.

I'll have to send up a bottle of my syrup for you and Mrs. Zap to go with that fantastic breakfast, buddy! With a spread like that we see where you get all that energy to cut and mill wood....

 

[Pallet Pete]

First it starts off with a good breakfast (pic 2332), then just make sure you obey the deer crossing signs (pic 2684), I start with chains just on the back tires then when the snow gets deeper I'll put the chains on the front too.

Are the deer there in case the vehicle dies ? Seriously those are some good pics as usual zap !

Pete

 

[PapaDave]

zap, what's in the baking dish?

 

[red oak]

I usually don't cut in the snow, but that's because I cut in the National Forest and a lot of the roads are closed during winter - not that we get much snow here in VA. I also spend more time playing with the kids when it snows than actually working. When I do work though, I enjoy splitting rather than cutting. So I usually get the wood on my property before winter and then split it bit by bit until spring (or summer, or fall, etc).

 

[Gasifier]

zap, what's in the baking dish?

Oh man ZAP. That just is not fair. Not fair I tells ya. Are those grilled or toasted egg sandiches?

 

[PapaDave]

That was the plan.......
Get as much as possible before the snow hits, then s/s.
Once I got out there, the wood just seemed to be everywhere. I cut off a dead shoot that was like a small tree. Hundreds of down, barkless, and still good (not punky) oak and maple. They're mostly small-ish, and will take more time to get, but they'll be dry to burn in less than the recommended 3 years. Whole bunch of oak leaners I should take down.
Might go back toward the end of the week.

 

[osagebow]

Don't cut much in the snow- usually busy dragging the kids on a sled down our powerline cut with the 4-wheeler.