Help for aging woodcutters

[Wlmedley]

Every year it gets a little harder to get my firewood cut and stacked. Up until about 10 years ago I split all of my wood with a monster maul and always said if I had to buy a wood splitter I would just quit. Started having trouble with my right shoulder but I figured splitting wood would probably be good for it. Doctor informed me that it wasn't good for it at this point and I would eventually need a complete shoulder replacement but to put it off as long as possible. Needless to say I had to eat my words and buy a splitter. My splitter will work either vertically or horizontal but I always use it vertically. It's been getting harder and harder to get rounds over to splitter and my back pays the price. Today I finally got smart and got out a two wheel dolly that I have had for years . This helps a lot and I don't know why I didn't think of it before. Now I'm debating about a little lighter chainsaw. I've been using a 372 Husqvarna for 25 years and it doesn't owe me anything but it still runs good and I'm not one to waste money but it seems to be gaining weight. Wondering how some of you fellas are compensating while getting older. I didn't think it would happen to me.

[Magicman]

Yes, Birthdays will make it happen. 

I am not familiar with Husky, but I dropped down to a 50cc Stihl pro saw because it is lighter plus it has a decompression valve.

[beenthere]

Yes, birthdays do enter into the equation, but it is different for each person. 
Go at a pace where you feel best, and forget the age you are at. It's more about enjoying what you like to do in life, not what you have to do. 

[Wlmedley]

MM , My 372 is a 72cc saw and probably a little overkill for what I do but I really enjoy the power that it has. I'd hate to go back to a homeowner style saw and was thinking maybe the newer pro style saws might have lightened up a little bit. I guess I should do a little research. Beenthere, you're right. I know people younger than me who are in worse shape and people older who are in better shape than me. I've always loved working outside cutting wood and that sort of thing and would like to continue as long as possible. I really like it when someone says "how did that old man do that ".

[Ianab]

I'd keep the 372 for when you really need it, or just bucking logs where you only have to heft the saw onto the log, and let it's weight cut through. Where a small saw comes on handy is limbing and cutting smaller stuff. Much lighter to wave around for all those awkward cuts. 

I agree with MM, get a Good ~50cc saw with a shorter / lighter bar. You will probably find you use it more often than the bigger saw, but you still have the 372 for jobs that actually need that. 

I've still got my 80 and 60 cc saws, but if I was doing more cutting I'd be looking for a smaller / lighter 3rd saw. 

[SwampDonkey]

I like my 55 cc Husqvarna 555 xp, it's not a home owner saw as it's more metal and has decompression. I only use a 16" bar as I am in a younger forest, so I might cut an aspen that is 30" across the stump now and again. Most larger stuff I'm in would be 20"-24" aspen and fir on the stump. My hardwood is small and I cut the trail and damaged ones and thin spots out that are a little tight. Spread the work out more, don't try to do it all this week. Work half days to. ;)

[thecfarm]

I use a husky 450, that is a 50 cc, about 20 more then cc my 372.
Yes, the 372 will got more wood faster then the 450, but the 372 wears me out faster too.
I ran that RS yellow chain and that helps out on the fastness, if it matters to you.
I like the chain because when I hit a rock with it, I can bring it back in almost one sharping.
Other chains takes me 3-4 times and then by then I might hit another rock. I cut my stumps very low to the ground. I am clearing back places I want to mow.
I use that 450 just about all the time now.
But most of the times the bar is buried, it's in EWP,. Not like I am cutting hardwood over 18 inches.
Go buy a 50cc saw and your body will thank you.
Or your money back. 
When I first got a 50cc saw it felt like a toy.

[TreefarmerNN]

Age has also caught up to me so I compensate some by doing the following.

I quit when I'm tired or my back hurt unless I'm working on a tree that just has to be cut up because it's in the road or across a fence.  I've got a lot more chance of getting hurt when I'm tired. 

When possible, I'll use the tractor to lift sections of log to a comfortable height to cut to length.  I can run a saw a lot longer at waist height than either higher or lower.  There's less chance of running the saw into dirt as well as I can see if mud has stuck to the log.

If you have been using a Monster Maul, buy a Fiskars splitting axe and try it.  I'd give up firewood if I had to use a Monster Maul again.  Even with your powered splitter, I'd get a Fiskars and use it on those nice straight grain pieces, perhaps to make them lighter to lift.

Consider making an infeed table for the splitter and if you have a tractor and FEL, use that to lift the pieces to splitting height.  Then you can just roll them onto the splitter which will be close to waist height.  It makes taking the split pieces off the splitter easier as well.

I store my split wood in bulk totes.  Once split, the totes are covered and moved with the tractor instead of hand carrying stuff into a barn or shed, then in my truck or trailer and brought to my house.  Cut, split, into the tote, set on a little trailer and the next time I touch it is to put it in the stove.

[g_man]

I run a 50 cc saw most of the time too. An old Husky 346 XP with a 16" bar and a decompress now on it's second life. Excellent light saw. My son has a 550 XP MII that is light also but it has no decompress. That is a lot tougher on the bones to start at times.

gg

[Tom K]

I have 4 saws ranging from 35cc to 72cc, typically I will grab the lightest saw that will get the job done. I put more hours a year on my 35cc & 50cc saws than I do on my 60cc & 72cc saws by far, and I'm still relatively youngish at 43. My 50cc is my most used saw, followed by the 35cc, then 60cc, and the 72cc is the least used.

I don't see any sense in wearing your body out when you don't have to, which is why I've never liked the monster mauls either. I picked up a Fiskar splitting axe a few years ago and haven't used a heavier maul since.

[Old Greenhorn]

If it hurts when you do that...Don't do that. Or at least do it as little as possible.

First, yes, smaller saw will help, I run either a 350 or a 450 except for the big stuff when I take out the 562 with 24" bar. The 372 is rarely used.

Second, minimize bending. Get yourself a pickerooon about 18" long. I use that for dragging, positioning, and lifting. Smaller stuff you can just stick and lift, larger stuff you stick one end and grab the other with your hand. This avoids that last 6-12" of bending all the way to the ground and makes a huge difference.

Anything you can do to get the logs up off the ground for bucking is a huge help too. I don't have a machine, but I like bucking logs in the stack, then it is only half a lift to the splitter. Also, I rarely run my splitter vertical because it means I have to pick up every piece of wood from the ground (again, use the pickeroon).

Remove any unnecessary handling steps. If you parked your splitter in front of your woodshed and ran it horizontal, you could take the split wood right off the splitter and throw it on the stack. When I do this, it is by far the fastest and easiest.

All the prior suggestions are helpful too. Pick what works for you, but that pickeroon was a game changer for me. I'd add my +2 on the fiskars splitting axe. For a lot of smaller wood (one split) it goes some much fast than picking it up and putting it through the splitter. Much easier on the back than a maul, and especially a monster maul, which I have never owned..

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to shower and get off to my Chiropractor for a badly needed tune-up. Mushroom logs are killing me this year.

[SwampDonkey]

I work with easier wood as far as splitting. I only have to split aspen and fir mostly and i just use a Collins maul. Very easy wood to split, even easier than ash or white birch. I don't have huge rounds to lift either. If I was in big maple woods I'd probably need to work a little differently and split by machine and probably work something out for the lifting or roll the bucked wood to a vertical splitter using a cant hook or something instead of bending down.

[Hilltop366]

Lower back problems here so working bent over is painful after a short while, 50cc Stihl 261, 36cc Makita, blocking the logs on rear forks on tractor made a huge difference for me also a pickeroon and log lift on splitter. I also reduced handling by loading off of splitter on to pallets then moving pallets with the tractor.

Those vertical/horizontal splitters are usually easy to make a manual log lift or one run from the splitter ram so you can split on the horizontal (not bent over) and not injure your self lifting heavy rounds. Lot of ideas on youtube.

My splitter took a bit more head scratching to get a lift made up because it has a tray on each side of the beam that travels back and forth with the pusher but it was well worth it.

[DDW_OR]

i let the machines do most of the work

my firewood processor
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=85974.msg1316192;topicseen#msg1316192

load the logs with the tractor or excavator with grapple
 

[beenthere]

Age 67 is not old IMO. At 86, I've never been to, or felt a need to see a chiropractor. 
As I see it, age is not the important factor in this game of wood cutting. 
But each year, the combination of many factors will change how we get things done. 

[Mooseherder]

Some people supplement their heating bill with wood.  For others, it may be the only source.  I recommend getting a supplement to wood via a mini split or heat pump. That's what I use when in Maine. Life got a whole lot easier.  These units easily maintain ambient temperature and are very efficient on electricity.  The installation takes one day. I still heat with wood but it's great not having to worry about the stove when you go to bed or start a fire to take out the morning chill. That's gonna be nice down the road as we get older. I average about 2 cords a year and don't care to cut anymore than that. There's too much other stuff needed done.  I'm gonna add a mid size echo this spring.  Most of the poles i use ain't all that anyway.  Something with 16 inch chain perfect. Breakout the bigger stuff as needed,.That's what the dealer close by sells and he also works on my other stuff.  I've got a couple echo and stihl homeowner considered saws that work just fine. Who cares what the 2 cycle oil fiends think.

[thecfarm]

My father did not have a Dr until he was about 65. His only son had to get one at 40. He has lung issues and diabetics, throat trouble, stomach issues, and need I go on.
Some need, some don't. 
Some dig   some don't.  

[trapper]

use a ms2 61 but my ms241 is what  i reach for first  Have a35 cc echo but a little too small for most things but still is a great  saw,  For me  A pulp hook works much better than a  pickerooon . Tip one  end of the wood up grab it and grab the bottom end with the  hook Wanted to get another and bought a couple off amazon but they don't work well.  Any one know where to get a good one.  The logrite  pickerooon  works good for pulling wood down off the pile

[Tim in New York]

Major improvement for me this year was putting forks on my Kubota.  That allowed me to pick up all but the biggest logs, pull them away from the skidding pile a bit, and cut them up at waist height.  Only drawback is moving from one side of the tractor to the other a couple times for each log.  But I was able to work for a couple hrs bucking with little back pain. 

After last year I was not sure I would make it through another season.  But with this new method I may be able to keep cutting a few more years.

[Old Greenhorn]

......  For me  A pulp hook works much better than a  pickerooon . Tip one  end of the wood up grab it and grab the bottom end with the  hook Wanted to get another and bought a couple off amazon but they don't work well.  Any one know where to get a good one.  The logrite  pickerooon  works good for pulling wood down off the pile

I tried pulp hooks with my Mushroom logs with limited success for that grab on one end. I found good ones after many months of searching flea markets for the old stuff. I use my pickeroon several ways. For the large stuff I use it exactly as you describe with your pulp hook, I just choke up on the handle, but for medium and smaller sizes I find I can stab the round (at the midpoint) and swing it right up into position on the splitter. That alone makes thigs go much fast and easier. I use a 16" hook for splitting, I use a 3' hook for dragging mushroom logs and large rounds around as well as reaching an pulling wood out ot the truck bef. I use my 30" Logrite hook at the mill for pulling slabs, etc. We also keep a 30" Logrite on the processor for repositioning rounds that don't fall into the splitter box squarely or other adjustments like snatching out junk pieces. My 18" and 36" are Peavy Co. that I bought before I knew about logright. The short one has a chop blade on the backside which is very handy for hacking off junk. The two 30" hooks are both Logrite.
 Everybody's mileage is different, for me, those hooks save me bending over or bending too far every time I use them, and that's worth a lot to me.

[hedgerow]

Every year it gets a little harder to get my firewood cut and stacked. Up until about 10 years ago I split all of my wood with a monster maul and always said if I had to buy a wood splitter I would just quit. Started having trouble with my right shoulder but I figured splitting wood would probably be good for it. Doctor informed me that it wasn't good for it at this point and I would eventually need a complete shoulder replacement but to put it off as long as possible. Needless to say I had to eat my words and buy a splitter. My splitter will work either vertically or horizontal but I always use it vertically. It's been getting harder and harder to get rounds over to splitter and my back pays the price. Today I finally got smart and got out a two wheel dolly that I have had for years . This helps a lot and I don't know why I didn't think of it before. Now I'm debating about a little lighter chainsaw. I've been using a 372 Husqvarna for 25 years and it doesn't owe me anything but it still runs good and I'm not one to waste money but it seems to be gaining weight. Wondering how some of you fellas are compensating while getting older. I didn't think it would happen to me.

I guess all I can say is yes I have made several changes in our firewood processing . I was burning 10-15 cord of hard wood a year mostly locust and hedge. We buck ever thing at waist high using a skid loader and a grapple no bending over cutting. Have a home made splitter that is waist high plus and it gets loaded with a built in hyd log lift. No bending over. After two shoulder  surgery's I bought two 261's pro Stihl chain saws. So much lighter than the old 461. 

[thecfarm]

I talked to an aging wood cutter today about a small saw.
I think he's going to try it.

[Al_Smith]

About 75 percent of my wood supply is wind blown eab killed ash .Much of it is 6 inch stuff,no splitting ,slice and stack .In the last several years I' m finding a 3 cube saw is a very handy tool . 
I'm done burning wood this season and won't start on next years until about July or August and be done by October .I do however have a big cottonwood that needs processed .That one I'll dig out the big old Paul Bunyan saws ,over100 cc just to give them some exercise .However I'll only going to do  it maybe 2-3 hours a day .After all I'm 77 years old thinking at times I'm still 25 .My mind is lying to me I think .

[Wlmedley]

I stopped by the local saw shop today and picked up some bar and two stroke oil. He sales Husqvarna saws along with several other things. I've been dealing with him for years. I looked at the saws and I think maybe the 550 would be a nice size for what usually cut. I'm thinking a 16 to 18 inch bar . Only thing is it uses a 325 chain but I don't guess that would be a problem. The majority of the firewood I cut is probably around 16". 

[Magicman]

I got an 18" bar on my 50cc MS261 which uses the 325 chain.  It has proven to be a winning combination.