Hey all. The wife and I are clearing our building lot. Started last summer. Maybe 1/8 done and already have 7 burn piles. Most are about 10' round and 6' high. One was there already. It consists of stumps, roots/dirt, branches, etc. Essentially what you get from stumping an area. It's about 20' round and 12 feet high. I want to burn it this spring when there's still some snow on the ground but not much snow on the pile. Any thoughts on how best to get her going safely is appreciated.
Hope you are far enough off the grid to not attract attention. Try a top down start with a couple of dry skids.
Just burned a few yesterday before this big snow came. The big pile was about a cord and a half of large pine rounds. Put a nice fire on them around a month ago. Hardly touched them. Yesterday they burnt down pretty well. Must’ve gotten a little drying from the first fire. I’m using old scrap lumber to get things running. Big stuff requires time, heat and coals. Don’t wait too long.
Covering now with a cheap tarp or plastic will help out a lot by keeping most of the snow out of the pile. Before all the environmental rules, dad would toss an old tire or two on the pile and fill them with a 2/3 diesel 1/3 gas mixture then toss a road flare in there to light it.
Thin plastic over the top for now. When ready to burn the pile pull the plastic with the snow on it off and lit it rip. A leaf blower could get it going better but be careful of flying embers! We used to fill the bucket of the excavator with flammable liquids and dump it on top but I guess people frown on that now.
Well the horse is long out of the barn when it comes to waiting too long. That big pile was there years before we even saw the place. Someone cleared and stumped about an acre of the property near the road where it's pretty level. I like the idea of a top burn with a couple pallets to get it going. I do have a flame thrower....... a roofing torch I bought to help things along. Dover VT. is not really off the grid but there is no burn permit needed when snow is on the ground. So what I'm dealing with is a big 5 year old (+/-) pile of stumped junk that needs to be gone. The smaller piles we built wont be a problem. They're half pine branches. Hence we kept them pretty small.
5 acres......it's a rectangular lot..... a little over one acre wide. I'm loving that thing Mountain Man! But I'd settle for a little excavator to rearrange that pile.....shake things up a bit......make two smaller piles perhaps. A childhood friend is going to stump the building lot we clear this summer. I'll ask him to spend a half an hour working that pile if I can't get it burned this spring.
I have herd of people digging a hole and burying stuff like that. Just don’t do it somewhere you don’t want a sinkhole
My friend has all the equipment needed to dig big holes. We don't intend on having a show place 1 acre lawn. Far from it. I have no interest in maintaining any more grass that over the leach field. The rest will be wild flowers open meadow that I'll keep weed trees from encroaching on. We like the wild feel.
The more snow on the ground the better for a big pile, I wouldn't worry about snow on the pile, 2/3 diesel 1/3 gas mixture, leaf blower helps get it going. It will smolder for many days after as well.
I also have "heard" used oil and bad tires make a hell of a brush pile starter... But that would be bad of me to recommed
I was told how to do it, by an old guy who still cuts and removes trees, blow downs, and stuff for a living. He said to buy a brush brunner from Tractor Supply, and get a big propane bottle, (outdoor grill size) to hook up to it, and a leaf blower to add enough oxygen to it, to really make it go. Says it works really good. I will probably try it, before too long, as I am getting several piles to burn, also.
