I normally process about 25 cord but sometimes a little more. The stack is 150' long, 4 rows deep and 4'4" tall on pallets. This year I am about on track and have 110' of the 150' ranked in rounds to be split for when the snow gets deeper. So............ The Country Club I belong to is taking out about 100 ash trees and I know the Superintendent and have dibs on the wood which will be bucked into 8' 4" logs and will be dumped on level ground next to the maintenance shop. I normally only take Red & White Oak and Hickory. This will be so easy and will be clean wood, not cable skidded and within 5 miles of my house. Then........... Yesterday I met a landowner who had his land logged last year and he wants these pesky cull logs GONE! Even said he would help with his skid steer. The are very dirty and frozen right now. There is at least 10 cord I can have. But he alluded to the aprox 700 tops in the woods too. I don't have a means of dealing with the stuff in the woods but he does. He's a nice guy I did business with back in my working days. Part of pile of dirty logs This is a work truck after all:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't processing and selling firewood, what you do for a living? If that's the case, that's what I would do if I were you. I love cutting wood in the winter. I'm itching to get back out on the woods myself.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This answer! Ash is good firewood & clean Ash will process in no time. Then haul the cull logs. Save the tops for last, income for the future! It doesn't always come that easy.
I wish I had your problem! I’d go after all of it if I had the time! Can always sell a cord or 2 if you run out of space. I like the tarps in the back seat, I’m going to use that idea. There no room in the bed when it’s full of wood! And the seats get pretty roughed up from dirty saws!
Grab a bottle of ibuprofen and get after it! Friend first if he's really a friend and not just a former business associate. Otherwise country club first, because if you don't take it they won't fart around finding someone else who will, even if it costs them. That would be a great connection to have and maintain.
Cutting and selling wood is something that I do for exercise in this God forsaken State in the Winter time. I am retired and this amuses me and generates "mad money". (look at the saws I have) Wood cutting money is 100% committed to frivolous stuff a sane person would never have. Does a person really need 14 saws and 4 chain grinders to process 25 cord a year?
I looked for a couple years finding a decent used truck from a salt free State. This 2011 came from Alaska and had 50,400 miles on it when I got it and 57,000 now two years later. The truck has rubber floors and what Ford calls steel vinyl seats. The back seat has a blue tarp down to protect agains leaks. Then there is a sheet of plywood, next a moving blanket (Harbor Freight freebie) and then cardboard directly under the saws. The board has slot cut in it to hold the bars so they don't flop around. Got to say the truck doesn't smell like lattes and after shave. Your are right, saws in the back of the box take up to much space and I worried a round would shift and smash them. There is a bin in the back with tools gas & oil. Yesterday a round did shift and fell in the bin.
I wouldn't call this a "God forsaken state in winter", because it's a beautiful state, all year long. But I get your point. I get my excercise in winter by cutting wood as well. Having log loads of ash would make easy money and quite frankly, easy money. Definitely get that first, then the cull logs. That will be more work.
You asked what would I do. The first thing is that I'd thank the Lord for the bounty, then I'd get busy. I'd probably take the ash first as the golf course would certainly want it out ASAP if not sooner and ash is a super great firewood. I would also get with said friend ASAP to make plans for how you plan on getting all the wood. Then I might even consider setting an alarm clock (I hate those things) to get up an hour earlier. Good luck and congratulations on this bounty.
One of the things about being retired is not doing anything you don't want to do. I like cutting firewood and always have or I wouldn't do it. My real beef regarding, "This God forsaken State in the Winter" is because we aren't getting cold and snow. Normally snow will shut me down on hauling firewood so I try and get as much home as possible before the snow gets deep. Then split in Jan-Feb. Well this year it has been raining and muddy stopping me from the above. But the real kicker is lack of snow because I have two buddies in Northern WI where I can stay and I have a brand new Ski Doo Renegade Enduro, 800 E-tec that has been driven about 150 yards so far this Winter. Here is are pics, the Yamaha was purchased with firewood "mad money".
I sell firewood on the side and sometimes have to make difficult decisions much like you have to now. I’m younger (42) so I assume my body can probably take more abuse than yours but you also have more time to mess with wood than me. When in a situation like this be honest with both parties as well as yourself. You know how long each job will take. See if you can take the easy ash first and put the other guy on ice. If the other job can pan out over a longer period of time, you may want to go with that. Scratch that. Go with the easy stuff.
I would get that ash first, then work on the tops as time allows. Getting tops out of the bush is work, not fun. Chances of making any progress without frozen ground isn't good either. 100 ash trees is going to be enough to keep you busy for a while...those tops will keep in the woods for a year anyway.
