Another Woodlot tool

[Wood Shed]

This is my third tractor and loader combination (actually my fourth) that is used in the woods around my home. This one allows me to lift tree tops to either be cut with a chain saw or moved and piled elsewhere.  Could cause some storage problems unless the boom is removed first.



   

[ButchC]

 Little bit of equipment sure helps a lot and we have just about quit processing any firewood  out in the woods.  We have a W11B Case with forks and bucket. We cut the big stuff 8-12' long and haul it out on a 5 ton farm wagon with shop built bunks. The 2 -8" branches are cut to whatever length we can lift easily and placed in the bed of the pick up that pulls the wagon. trimmed branches are shoved into a pile with the bucket.  We store the gathered wood until we are done burning in the spring and we process the wood at the woodshed somewhat  like I have seen you post. We use a buzz saw for the small stuff. It drops on a farm elevator to pile it in the shed. up to 24" we process with our shop built processor.  All in all a heck of a lot less work than when we used to cut it all up in the woods with a chainsaw!

I have been playing with slabwood too since the Amish sawmills near Waterford are darn near giving it away because they cant get rid of it. I bought 4 LARGE bundles of Oak for $24. Each bundle was a load on my dump trailer.

[gspren]

What md JD is that? I have a 620 that I drag with but no loader.

[hedgerow]

JD model 60 or 70? I had a model 45 loader on a model G for a lot of years fed a lot of round bales with it to cows. Cleaned a lot of cow lots with it also. I built a boom for it also that we used to put truss's on pole sheds. In later years the 45 loader went on a JD 620 it was nice to have power steering and live hyd on the 620. Then we moved to a JD 4010 with a cab and a 46A loader then on to a JD 4240 with cab and a 725 loader. Then we moved into skid loaders and do all of our loader work with them now. I still have two old two cylinders that my FIL bought new 40 B and a 50 A. I love the sound of those old two cylinders running. 

[maple flats]

I have 2 methods I use. Both involve getting the log to the splitter for processing. On hauls that are not too far I pick them up with my excavator (with a mechanical thumb) and carry them. I do this in two cases, close by or in my wetter areas. That is because the travel speed of the 1989 8000# excavator is only a slow walking speed. Then I use it in my wet areas because the tractor would either make deep ruts or get stuck or both. When using the excavator from wet areas I tend to limb the log and pull it out whole tree using a chain from the bucket until I need to turn sharp and the log is too long, then I buck it on dry ground. From there I finish hauling the log attached to the excavator but go back in with the tractor and use my 3 point hitch arch to pull the rest. Dragging the log with the excavator I can steer it easily by simply swinging the cab to one side or the other. If I carry a log it either must be short enough to navigate thru the woods or light enough to carry it off to the side. Too heavy on the side and the opposite track does not get good traction.
When I pull using the log arch I run a second chain from under the log up to the draw bar on the tractor. That way I can lift but the pull is down low. If I don't use the second chain, at times the tractor will try to flip but the 3 point arch stops it with the front wheels up to about 3' or so off the ground, that is why I use the second chain.
Once I get the logs out, they get put by the splitter if being processed then, if not I use the excavator to stack them, up off the ground.

[Wood Shed]

This tractor is a 70 diesel with PS and live hydraulics and over sized flotation front tires.  Sometimes put a heat houser canvas on in winter but have one on my 60 for now.  



  

[hedgerow]

The old heat houser's they were great going into the wind boy if you had the wind at your back it was cold. I used to have to drive the  G or later the 620 15 miles hauling and feeding round bales as we had cows at three to four farms in the winter and the last one was 15 miles away and it was were the bales were stored at so I usually took a trailer along and would pickup a load and drop them off at one of the other places coming back home. When I finally got the 4010 with a real cab I thought I had died and went to heaven. It was nice to close a door and have a little heat going on. Back in those days I drive a truck at night for a grocery company and feed cattle all day. Not much sleep when the weather was bad.