FREE Firewood everywhere!

[Zxuser]

I posted this locally and got some bad feedback, but it is true. Seven years ago I bought a trailer with two 7500lb axels, built 30"" walls, bought a hydro splitter, Husky chain saw and was ready to go! Where to get the wood? ARBORISTS! The tree crews are more than happy to get rid of it then shred 24"30" rounds. Was hauling enough wood for three cords on my trailer! Got so much of it that I knew I couldn't use all of it......Sooo... Placed an ad in Craig's list: free firewood, take all you want, use my tools to split it, leave me half Ended up with twenty cords of Elm, Mulberry, Ash . In one season it dried (in the SW sun) and ready to use late October. Now, 7 years later, I still go get it, but that's all. They unload off my trailer, split wet wood, leave me half and good to go! All summer it dries out and this works for me. Anyone can do this, but you got to have a trailer big enough that you actually help out the crews by hauling it away. They frown on one wheel trailers or just pickups. (Just what they tell me). If you need wood, this beats going to the mountains or wherever you get it-and-they cut it into 18 & 20" lengths. Try it! Surprised more users don't do or comment on this. Sometimes their whole families come! One hauls the rounds to the splitter, one unloads off the trailer, the others stack a pile for me, then stack a load on their trailer Works!!

 

[lsmccracken83]

That's not a bad plan. Where in NM are you?

 

[Zxuser]

Albuquerque! We have only pine, pinion ( pinyon) scrub cedar locally. Mulberry burns as hot as whit oak, clean the flue once a season it gets that hot!!

 

[Zxuser]

See that you live in Edgewood!! Have many people come in from Edgewood and cedar crest to get it.

 

[kennyp2339]

we are to sue happy in NJ, if someone gets a hang nail on your property it can cost you everything

 

[paul bunion]

Interesting. I have never thought about it that way. Here wood has so little value that just about every tree guy will give you all the wood you want for free. Be it chunks, rounds or a log load of crane harvested logs, they just appear after a phone call. Then it is up to me to C/S/S it. I'd love to have some elves come cut and split my wood, but I don't see how I could entice them to come do it. They can get the same load of wood dumped in their yard, it has no value till after it is cut and split.

 

[paul bunion]

we are to sue happy in NJ, if someone gets a hang nail on your property it can cost you everything

Yes that is very true too. I would not want to hold the bag if someone got hurt.

 

[lsmccracken83]

See that you live in Edgewood!! Have many people come in from Edgewood and cedar crest to get it.

I could see that, a lot of people out here are on propane so wood is the way to go. I also use a tree company to get a good amount of my wood. It seems that the forests are always closed because of the drought. I don't post much but I am always on here reading and hardly see anyone else from NM. I'd be willing to do that deal for the mulberry!

 

[Zxuser]

For every cord of Elm I may get one of Mulberry.

For those of you who live in, say, East Tennessee where oak grows like weeds this is not for you. Unless of course you have a splitter, chainsaw and tools they might not have. We are not as fortunate to have the trees you do. (Sigh...) but we try to do the best we can with what we got!

As far as liability goes, I'm not quite sure how this would affect you. You pull pull up in your truck with your trailer behind and wait for them to load it (on the street), when it's full you drive off. Never step on someone's property, unless invited. Explain how you would do this any other way?? (You are not talking about ME loading it are you? Shame, shame they are lucky you are there!! lol

 

[lsmccracken83]

Elm is good too! I also end up with a good amount of elm. Like you say it's a whole other ballgame out here getting anything but pine, cedar.

I think they are talking about the people that come on your property and use your equipment to process the wood.

 

[Zxuser]

@Is:Are you wanting to get in on some of this or do you have enough? If you have a 3/4 ton , I've got the trailer. B

 

[Zxuser]

@Is: are you wanting in on some of this action? If you have a 3/4 ton or larger I have the trailer!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Welcome to the forum Zxuser.

You'll find in time that there are many on this forum who get wood from arborists. If they don't have their own woods to cut on, this is a great alternative and as stated, most of the time they are happy to get rid of the wood. Many will even bring the wood to your place!

Around here, people would have no problem finding wood to cut. Every time I go out, I am amazed at all the dead and dieing trees that people could get just for the asking. Yet, not that many folks even burn wood and many that do seem to be afraid to stop and ask.

 

[Zxuser]

Thanks Savage! I did scour the site before I posted for this exact reason. It seems with so much wood to burn, it eludes me as to why more people don't burn. Took my father in law from Reading, PA to St Saint Marie a decade ago and marveled at just exactly what you are saying. PLENTY of wood was available as we drove north! I was salivating! So I asked my brother in law why he didn't burn, since wood was so plentiful. Turns out there were several reasons. #1 was to add a stove is not cheap, you and I can get around that, but for those who never burned before seeing a stove for a couple grand is pricey for them. No truck, no trailer, no splitter, no chainsaw, no imagination, no experience, no creativity. He just shrugged his shoulders as if to say "I have no idea!" Being 67 I find bending, lifting 80 lb rounds, unloading same takes a toll on me. So my plan creates little work on my part~ more marketing, on my part, for those afraid to ask. Actually the people around here have to get permits ($5.00 each cord) and go to the mountains to get PINE? That, my friend, is work. Side of a mountain type work. 8000 feet elevation where you have nothing over 500 feet except the bridge ( the Mackinaw?) which is one high bridge. (But no trees). Lastly, we found Michigan to be overall a very poor state. Lot of people moving out. Still, all the more reason to burn. Beats me. Getting rid of a gas/oil/coal fired burner seems like a no brainier to me. To each his own I suppose. Many people out here. LOVE to burn, but wood, hard wood is hard to get. Kind of like our weather! No humidity, and you have plenty! Plenty of sunshine here, little snow, you have plenty! No thanks...
To each his own I suppose!!

 

[tsquini]

That is a good gig you have going on. I'm not sure that would work here in Massachusetts. The liability of having people on your property using power tools would be a way too much.

I'm jealous of your drying season in New Mexico. Only a few months to season wood.

 

[Zxuser]

Tsquini, we don't go on private property, thus no liability. The tree crews do and are happy we are on the street to haul it off. We bring to wood back to our place, unload it, split it and stack it. We get the wood from residents who have tree crews cut it down for them.
Yes, split wet, as we have already done for this season will be dry by October! Most on here seem to have plenty of land and plenty of trees, not so here. Do the best we can.........!

 

[Hills Hoard]

top idea. although my experience with arbrosists is the customer or the arborist generally keeps the quality wood (if not for them, for friends or family), and then they look to off load the other stuff for free. but when you do get onto some its usually cut to length for you which is great....

 

[smokedragon]

I cannot get a tree crew in cahoots with me (still trying).

I find a lot of folks who have had the tree crew pile it at the curb (to avoid paying to have it hauled off) or ads people have put on craigslist (same thing, people didn't want to pay extra to have it hauled off).

If it is piled at the curb, I ask the homeowner for their permission.

If it is an ad, I go on their property and cut and load.

Of course, if I get hurt on someone's property, I will take care of it myself..........can't see doing otherwise.

 

[weatherguy]

Tsquini, we don't go on private property, thus no liability. The tree crews do and are happy we are on the street to haul it off. We bring to wood back to our place, unload it, split it and stack it. We get the wood from residents who have tree crews cut it down for them.
Yes, split wet, as we have already done for this season will be dry by October! Most on here seem to have plenty of land and plenty of trees, not so here. Do the best we can.........!

I think what everyone's referring to is letting people onto your yard and use your splitter to split the wood you leave. First, if I left a splitter out and some wood both would probably be gone by the morning, but if it didn't, someone that doesn't know what they're doing would get hurt and sue me because they're on my property splitting wood.

 

[embers aplenty]

Over half the wood I've aquired in the past couple years has been tree service wood where they are clearing for power lines. I have hauled 3 trailer loads in the last week or so of white oak and locust. As stated, they are usually glad to get rid of it. They don't load it for me but will tell me where to go to get it when I ask.

Last year I scored a bunch of elm and sycamore that was cut on city right of way next to the river. It was well worth getting. Sometimes it has to be sawed into again but hey, I'm not complaining. Still, it makes for an easy scrounge. I guess sometimes it comes down to "how bad do you want it?"