couple pics... post what your currently cutting

[chep]

Try a good heavy duty line of grease around the filter where it seals to the housing. Should end the fine dust ending up in the carb. 

[Nealm66]

Lionel root rot. Still got an 80-85' ( can't remember) I keep pulling that long butt around for a rocker to save them. Kicked it to the side on this one

[Nealm66]

Just a question from someone that has zero 500i or CM experience, but isn't the computer chip calibrated for the designed air intake.  Would changing the air filter cause it to be out of whack?  Just wondering ??

The saw shop I go to suggested an aftermarket so I suspect the electronics adjust to it. They're a big shop that ships globally and some very sharp guys working in there. I didn't run it a lot today but will check to see if my foam tape made a better seal tomorrow. 

[Riwaka]

For the standard early Stihl 500i air cleaner, some users put a thin slice of pool noodle on the inside of the standard plastic cover to push down on the air filter more for a tighter seal (plus the K&N air filter sealing grease on the base).
or changed to West Coast muffler &
Max flow etc
https://maxflowfilters.com/  etc

Other big saw users just went and got a Stihl 661 C-M or Husky 592 XP  or rebuilt 395 (from the shelf) after 500i niggles.

Big trees; locals also use track machines to do the push, break at times.

[Firewoodjoe]

Where's all the loggers?! I know some mills looking for hand cutters so it can't be all bad out there. I don't post a lot because it's always the same to me. Maybe someone will enjoy it. Buncher piles and old trusty timbco. Hard maple and basswood. I'll try and get some forwarder pics. Even had to hand buck a few big ones. Ugh hard to go back to that. Time and money just don't add up. I'd rather cut 12-18" wood and make more money. 

[thecfarm]

I never get tired of what you think are the same old pictures.

[ehp]

FJ, here were on a grade system that pretty every 4 inches bigger on the small end of the log puts the value higher with 24 inches and bigger getting quite abit more value per board ft than a bunch of logs at 12 inch diameter , In some types of trees it pretty much double the price per ft

[Firewoodjoe]

EHP you're talking selling your logs? I'm sure you do a lot better the bigger they are. I'm production based. Alot of guys are anymore. Even if they buy the wood they bid so tight they have to produce. If it's 11" log or 30" I get paid the same. Well basically. Some pay more but it's not worth the loss in production. It takes a big harvester to still produce 5-10 cord per hour in 30" trees. Not so much the butt wood but the tops suck on those big trees. Absolutely wreck production. 50 cuts and you get 20 sticks of pulp🤦�♂️ I cut 7 trees and had to sharpen my chainsaw saw already and a tank of gas. Harvester can go all day with one chain and I'm averaging 1.7 gallons of fuel per cord. All three machine. I don't have a fuel meter in machines. Just basing it off what's pumped and hours and cords. 

[ehp]

I understand , I get paid by what my tree is worth as I donot work  by the 1000 or cord or ton, If I was doing it your way sign me up for all the bigger white cuts . I like cutting white pine 

[ehp]

It's totally different here to where you are , If you produce a big volume here like say 150,000 feet a week you would be sitting lots as we just do not have the acres of good timber to be cut . Were getting less loggers all the time as no one is taking the place of guys that quit, died or moved else where 

[ehp]

I was over to Indy last weekend with the family to watch the Supercross race at Lucas Oil Stad.  I drove past some fairly nice white oak and walnut on my trip , I also seen lots of burr out that was not so nice , good to timber logs but thats about it

[Riwaka]

Can the processor saw unit be modified to take a longer bar? A Bell tree cutter wheeled or tracked with bar saw dangle head with a good operator could probably cut the larger trees down. But even the old Bells appear to be gone up in 'the junk is worth more money era'. Does the hot saw rubber tire buncher cost too much to transport or are the trees too big for the hot saw?  

[SwampDonkey]

Yeah, like Joe, no one here will bother much separating the logs unless someone mandates it in crown wood or rare times a marketing board oversees a job on behalf of the owner. You need more room and the pay per stick here is not enough incentive since they are also few and far between these days with a clearcut management that has been going on 40 years now. Seen lots of woodlots you'd have a hard time to fill 2 trucks with nice logs. Seen very rare ones where several loads of maple logs and veneer went down the road. But not huge money per thousand. I can get all kinds of maple lumber, not kilned or graded for less than $1/foot up here. I'm not going to buy 50 trailer loads or anything, just 500 or 600 feet for a wood shop. Does me a long time. I don't need 8 foot clear wood, most stuff I'd make is under 4 foot. All kinds of 4 foot clear to be had. You won't get it at no lumber yard, you stay away from those organizations. 

[Firewoodjoe]

I only bucked the logs. I used the saw head feller buncher to fell everything. Unless it's in a weird spot you cant get the machine to sit right. Or a big double/triple the machine heads won't get in at all. Saw head will cut about 3 foot with ease when double cut. It will cut bigger up to about 40" but have to cut more off one side. And then again even bigger if you don't care on fiber damage. 

I do sort all the logs. This job is 2 species and I have 7 piles. Pulp bolts and logs. But that's not my choice. I think ehp was referring to my comment that I don't like cutting big wood anymore. I do cut it, I have to. But I don't make anymore money on 30" wood rather then if I cut more production, of the same sort, that's averaging only 16". 

[cutterboy]

I don't post a lot because it's always the same to me. Maybe someone will enjoy it.

I ENJOY IT!!! Keep them coming. Nice pictures.

[B.C.C. Lapp]

I agree with cutterboy.  Keep the pics coming.   Heck we all post the same type stuff. I know mine are all basically the same but different jobs, seasons, situations. And we all eat it up.  Its what we are interested in. That's why everybody hangs around. 

[mudfarmer]

Yes looking good please keep them coming! It's so.......... FLAT !  Seems like you cut quite a bit of basswood, market must be decent for it there?

[barbender]

Yep FJ, a harvester is running nice and smooth on 12"-20" wood👍

[SwampDonkey]

We don't have a lot of basswood here. What I've seen on clearcuts is always in the pulpwood. Some are nice clear logs to, no market for the logs.

[Firewoodjoe]

I don't think the market is good here either. I know the mill that bought this job only saws what they can't sell to another mill. I cut a lot of hard maple and oak. Well the basswood grows in the hard maple. Have to cut what they mark and sell with the sale. 

[barbender]

 Here, Basswood goes for pallet and to Nelson Shims in Cohasset. They cut door and window installation shims. So our market for Basswood is typically pretty strong, except the pulp is almost impossible to get rid of. Sometimes the pulp is just left in the woods. 

 There is also a market for Basswood veneer at times.

[Firewoodjoe]

Yes looking good please keep them coming! It's so.......... FLAT !  Seems like you cut quite a bit of basswood, market must be decent for it there?

Yes this is flat. Very flat. I think this is the biggest hill that's been here.

[SwampDonkey]

Yes the basswood up here grows with sugar maple, but also white ash and yellow birch in with it.

[Rhodemont]

Fell 5 Tulip Polar this morning from 26 to 32 dbh.  These will be sawn for the  4x10 roof rafters of my garage/barn build.  Will get 2 20 ft out of each.  Gonna be near max on LT35

[Firewoodjoe]

Well winter hit again. Pretty nasty at times out. Good day to be in a cab. Started with the forwarder this boom extension is crazy. So is the cab. Sure a long way from my iron mule. Bolts/scrag logsbring out enough for a loadtruck came and got my logs then a jumped in the feller buncher while it's day light. This isn't a night type machine. She's seen better days but run every time I need it. If one tire was in a cradle knoll this tree wouldnt fit in the head. That's why I want a track machine with lateral tilt. Double cut it. And another reason I use the machine! Never fails jump out with the saw to save a good one and it's junk anyways. Glad I used the big saw😁well there's some more logging pics for now.