The Daily Firewood Picture Thread

[mudfarmer]

If it had 10" DIB small end, would make a "saw #2" at the concentration yard here (they will but would prefer not to buy a single small log) - $0.40/bd ft. current price- $16 for a 10ft, before trucking?? You made the right decision 

[cutterboy]

Red maple is paying more than hard maple

WOW!! Red maple has really come up in the world!

[SwampDonkey]

Up here red maple isn't much better than pulp price unless you have a curly buyer. How many curl logs you got? Our red maple suffer from moose rubs, so if you haven't many moose you can find some nice ones as long as it isn't second growth stump shoots. ;D Every time I think I have some nice red maple in an area, the moose move in. :/  Ash and sugar maple have tougher tighter bark moose can't harm as easy.

[mike_belben]

I have a lot of RM stump sprouts turning into small trees.  I plan to tap them to death. 

[SwampDonkey]

I've seen some operations with thick young maples after a clear cut, just lop the top off in spring to collect sap. Probably the ones that look like crap and save the better ones for the crop trees. Just guessing, but that would be how I would do something like that.

Here's an article in Vermont:

Syrup from saplings may substitute for sugarbush production - VTDigger

I'll have to say though, that the sugar is produced in the crown, stored in the roots and stem and in various concentrations I would say, since it isn't a perfect system. Low concentration in water pulls higher concentration from cells during stem flow. You can't pull sugar from ground water. Their science on that is a bit flawed in my opinion. ;)

[Bruno of NH]

I've seen some operations with thick young maples after a clear cut, just lop the top off in spring to collect sap. Probably the ones that look like crap and save the better ones for the crop trees. Just guessing, but that would be how I would do something like that.

Here's an article in Vermont:

Syrup from saplings may substitute for sugarbush production - VTDigger

I'll have to say though, that the sugar is produced in the crown, stored in the roots and stem and in various concentrations I would say, since it isn't a perfect system. Low concentration in water pulls higher concentration from cells during stem flow. You can't pull sugar from ground water. Their science on that is a bit flawed in my opinion. ;)

I don't think it worked out.
I have read a follow up article and it had pictures of a farm that tried it.
They didn't make anymore plots .

[SwampDonkey]

I suspect you are right when I read their 'science' behind it. ;) Besides being very intensive work tapping all them stems.

[sublime68charger]

this is what I pulled into the wood lot area this weekend will get saw down to what ever size I can fit threw the door on the boiler.

Not the best stuff but it'll make some Heat I hope.



 

 

[mike_belben]

Does your tag axle have steer spindles?  Ive come close to grafting a deere 140 front half on back of my quad to fetch tie logs out to the cable jammer. 

[sublime68charger]

Does your tag axle have steer spindles?  Ive come close to grafting a deere 140 front half on back of my quad to fetch tie logs out to the cable jammer.

It does not its 3 point mouted and for getting backed up to the log I can raise they wheels up for better fine tune steering.
going foward it turns a little bit wider than just the ATV but not bad.  It works pretty decent for what it is.  I like that I can get the front of the log up off the ground and not drag so much dirt into the bark and such.  I also have a block cutting deck that the ATV drives up on and has 2 3x5 stringers with 2x4 across and a 1/2 cutting slot every 16"  
Link to the Arch build is here.
The start of my atv logging arch | The Garage Journal
also a follow up is my block cutting deck
ATV Firewood cutting Deck | The Garage Journal
Arch is on a 3 point setup on the ATV on/off in 10 min as I have other 3point stuff that I use the ATV for as well.

[sublime68charger]

I looked at alot of Small Log Arch's for ATV's and most are tow behing units and the ATV dosn't backup things in the woods worth a Darn just dosn't turn short enough and most time's your on a hillside and the Arch will just walk its self downhill and just a pain.  My Arch follows tight to the ATV and keeps the ATV nimble getting around trees and such.  I have done the trick of ATV tied off to a Tree on the front end.  Snatch pulley tied to another Tree base as the rope makes a 90 turn to get up/down to the log.  Pull log up to the snatch pulley and then remove the snatch and pull the rest of way to ATV tie up the chocker chain to the top pull hook Hop on the Atv and away you go.  

Winch has a rope which in nice to work with Vs cable.  Have snapped the end of the rope 3x times now as it takes alot of abuse.  I have a small choker chain that goes around log and rope winch pulls the chain to the arch then chain gets hooked on high point so as when I'm skidding the log and if it snags I done shock loaded on the winch.  Dont know if it helps or not but so far the winch has help up without any problems.

What I like about the 3 point setup is I can set it to float for skidding logs and then when backing up to get a log can lift it off the ground to make ATV steer backwards better.  Also can lock it and put down force on other attachments if I want.  Have a rear blade,  1 bottom plow,  single row disc,  cultivator,  load lifter pallet forks, Lawn Aerator.   I also have a John Deere 140 garden tractor with 3 point on the back which has been super handy to have.  

[mike_belben]

Thats funny i have a pretty built 140 and a quad that thinks its a tractor too!

[sublime68charger]

Thats funny i have a pretty built 140 and a quad that thinks its a tractor too!

are you on weekend freedom machines message board at all?
for classic John Deere Garden Tractor information its a pretty nice board.
What is all on your built 140?
and yep My ATV thinks its a tractor some times as well.  People say use a tractor but the Quad goes places I would not want to try with a tractor and if I get the ATV stuck I can winch it out on its own most time's.  Plust it faster on the empty haul to get where I want to.  My Woodland cutting area is 1/2 mile away and the ATV is Fast on the trip there and if I happen to take a quick trail ride around instead of cutting wood that is all the better for my mental health some days as well!  Wait the trail ride is just a scouting trip looking for wood to cut!

[jb616]

I've been able to pull any of my logs out of the woods with my home made log arch trailer and a 314 John Deere Garden tractor. My biggest to date was a 28" - 13 ft. White Pine. With chains and wheel weights, it's an animal and fits easily through the trees. 

[mike_belben]

Think i lurked on WFM.  I bet MTF has a bunch of pictures of my machine.  I will post some here tonight.  

Quad is really fast for fetching small wood.  I have a little forestry trailer behind the tractor and it takes longer to redo the manual stabilizers and move the tractor than to just fetch to it with the quad.  Pallet wood up to 15ft is no problem. 

 I have an articulated trencher/ micro skidder project collecting parts for this purpose.  Should land around 3,000lbs in an ATV footprint and hopefully grapple a 28" by 16' sawlog. Probably 4 cylinder gas. 

[stavebuyer]

Used my tractor and winch to salvage a few borer killed Ash from a tough access spot at the base of a bluff and across the creek. The winch made it a simple task. I took some pictures of the keyhole sliders and choker chains for those more familiar with cable chokers. Chains are the way to go when using a tractor.



 


 


 


 


 

This is my D-handle rig for getting the chain under the log in a tight spot.


 

Lastly cleaning the tops out of the creek.


 

[mike_belben]

this is about the biggest log i will let the boy pull, there is a chunk of demo ballast in the basket and thats what it really takes for a quad to skid.  thats about a 10" x 13' oak pallet log. 





with me driving on flat ground i will pull 15 footers up to about 13 inches but eventually some tube will snap so we try to go easy.  stuff like this i will skid at a joggers pace and back up for the next one at about 10mph.  the quad makes a lot of trips but it makes them fast and cheap on fuel and if someone comes to the gate or the dogs go off, etc click the shifter and im doing 25 back to the house. if i could get this type of footprint and performance with a cage, a grapple and be able to handle 18inch 20 footers without getting out, it would be easy money. 


































fits enough stuff to keep the other machines running a day at a time to limit theft. 




this is the trencher.  that frame is solid 2x4 steel barstock, not tube. bobcat barely lifts it.  dana 30 rears with 4.88 or 5.13 spools, gear tcase, variable displacement pump and drive motor.  flail mower behind it will go on this too. maybe sideways seat, maybe a swivel john boat seat and ambidextrous 4 way travel control stick. its fully hydrostatic with fast and crawl range in the drive motor.  single speed case. might get duals or double wide offset 36s for sidehills if its not stable enough. dunno.





lemme find the deere pics ...

[mike_belben]

this was how i would grub and root out then smooth regen and briar thickets when the deere was the only machine i had. its a 10way universal attachment..   up/down, tilt, angle, curl and grapple.  so these mean corners can kinda roll around and severe or grub sapplings.  you push them over forward a few times, row the blade at them with the valve while stationary or hook it with the spur and on the back and reverse.. itll pull it out backwards or snap it off.

i had also built a hydraulic tweezer that would grab and pull out a poison ivy vine or rose bush or whatever.  it could shear up to 1.5" plants and also pull fence posts pretty well.  that and the clamshell bucket i will have to take pictures of.





the chains wouldnt clear fender on the 26s. theyre only good in frozen ground.  in dirt the lug tires are better. very lumpy.  but the chains will fit about any size tire from 16 to 40 inch. theyre on skid steer tires now.

[NE Woodburner]

@mike_belben you are a heck of a designer and fabricator.

[mike_belben]

thanks man.  

a welder is all that kept me out of prison, i am certain of it.  i dont make any money, but im content to tinker and enjoy being a free man.  its been a good life so far, praise the lord.   

[jb616]

@mike_belben you are a heck of a designer and fabricator.

Agreed! you built that little Deere into a beast.

[HemlockKing]

Yes I must say that little Deere is impressive. No horsepower was wasted there lol 

[NE Woodburner]

a welder is all that kept me out of prison, i am certain of it.  i dont make any money, but im content to tinker and enjoy being a free man.  its been a good life so far, praise the lord.

I am no where near your level, but I learned how to weld in a factory job while putting myself through college many years ago. I have a decent 220v mig welder and a stick welder in my barn/shop. I have to admit I am not as good with the stick as the mig.

There is a satisfaction with creating something with your hands from a plan or vision in your mind that is peaceful and satisfying. I really enjoy fabrication projects and taught my son a little before he went off to college and USMC.

[HemlockKing]

I learned stick welding first, that made it real easy to make the move over to mig/flux core. Usually it's the other way around and then when someone goes to learn stick they have trouble, but if ya wanna make it out of the shop onto what we called "the road", you'd need to know stick, or else you were a lifer in the dark, Smokey, dusty shop with the grouch foreman. 

[sublime68charger]

Mike Belben,

Thanks for all the pics,  I found your thread over on the MTF site and so far only up to page 2 on that but that's alot of work you did to the 140 and alot of work you have done with that as well!