I just hit a scrounge lotto. Saw some trees down since last fall so thought what's the worst that could happen they say no. And a few minutes later...it is all mine if I want it and no worry about clean up just get what I want out. He said it might just be some crappy elm but take as much as I like. Turned out to be a couple elm and 90% ash.
AWESOME ! Major BTU score & some prime wood too. Of course we'll get progress updates & follow up pictures , Yes ?
looks like the row of maple I got from along the edge of a cranberry bog that was shading the bog and had to go. still don't know exactly how much I got but it is in the yard nice grab
I put a little dent in the pile but now am in need of muscle relaxers. I can really feel the winter coming out of my bones. Maybe a few more rounds like this and I might be back in summer shape.
Elm's pretty nice wood for burning. It gets a bad rap as it sucks to split by hand. Hydraulics don't care.
With my setup the only hydro is me losing hydration as I am swinging the old 8# splitting maul. Glad its all been ash so far.
OH BABY !!! that's some nice pictures of some prime BTUs All ready have a great top cover & good air circulation being spread out like that. Nice , big, dry storage unit, we need better pics of your "quonset hut" wood shed/equipment shed/garage/barn/ ??shed
You could always rent a splitter. That's a good amount of wood. Swinging at that all by hand might get old quick. Ash isn't always super easy splitting. The trunks are typically, but limbs can be a twisty pita. I've got some of the tough ash limb wood in my yard now. After nailing a piece 15 times and it won't go, it's hydro time.
Greenstick, I rent a splitter twice a year for a half a day. $40. Sometimes a neighbor and I rent one together and we team up half a day at his place half a day at mine then the rate is $70 a day. I used to own one but now Andy (neighbor) convinced me to rent with him, because it goes faster with two guys one running the splitter and one stacking. We switch off and he is 18 years younger than me. Lately we have gotten our wives involved and they seem to enjoy it. Of course, both of them bring the food which always comes in handy about noon/1:00 when we are running out of gas. The other nice thing is neither Andy nor I have room to store a splitter and our rental store - Arnie always has his equipment in tip-top shape. The way I look at it if I pay $70 per year to rent the splitter ($35 two times per year) We need to rent the splitter over 15 times to pay for the type we are renting to buy. 15 years is a long time. Something to think about.
And... you have no maintenance costs over those same 15 years. Sounds like you've got the perfect arrangement Marty, and you've got the wives stacking too... AND... they came with FOOD...
It's about that here, but maintenance is nearly nothing on a splitter like my buddy has. It's as old as I am, an old didier brand, and was owned by a farmer friend that probably barely ever changed the oil. The recoil needs rebuilding as it doesn't always engage, the exhaust leaks as the port's threads are all stripped, but, it goes. The 5hp Briggs on it is literally 40 years old, original. My buddy's dad retired from Briggs and Stratton a few years ago and has spare motors and parts on hand. Even if he didn't have extra parts on hand, it's cheap to fix that stuff. The splitter cost my friend $200. At 60-70 a day, it will pay for itself this summer.
