Yesterday, someone asked me if I wanted three big blowdown red oaks. I do, but I asked can I get my truck/trailer to them. He said yes if 4wd, but it's not. So, he said he could drag them out with his tractor. If I were to take him up on that, they will get muddy. And that means wet mud. So, I can't envision how you could get that mud off until it dries except for cutting technique like in the video below. A pressure washer would sure work but if there is no water faucet near, that's out. Let it dry, then use a broom for dry mud? But that would still leave quite a bit of dirt in the bark. What about buying a carbide rescue chain just for dirt? Anyone ever done that? I dunno what Stihl cost but Husky is, like, $300 per chain! I guess not, lol. I've also read that you can use semi-chisel instead of full chisel and it stays sharp longer. Here's a $2,200 rescue saw, that could work. Yikes! Tempest VentMaster 572HD Chainsaw Video of cutting technique for dirty wood... Sidenote... the fellow says he has inside chaps on. Underneath his jeans? Never heard of that, that's interesting. Seems that would be hot! And uncomfortable. The last option for the dirty wood... decline the offer for the trees!
If time allows, a simple dray would keep the mud off. Chain the back end of the log to it while the tractor lifts the front of the log up. Out of mud.
He should have showed the technique in a much larger log. But he is correct, always cut so the dirt is being thrown away from the power head. I cut cable skidded logs most of the time, dirty is just the price of admission. The only thing I would add is 404 semi chisel chain on a hard nosed bar does last about 3x longer than 3/8ths chisel before it needs to be touched up. When the cut is started at 2 O Clock on the log, bore cut almost all the way through, continue to the bottom of the log and then push the tip out of the log and cut up. The uncut part on the top of the log also stops the bar from getting pinched.
Since he offered to drag them out with a tractor, can you cut them up where they are, & use the tractor to pack out the rounds?
I drag all my wood to my barn lot, I try to wait till ground is dry or frozen but the tail end always gets covered with dirt. I cut as described above and have no issues. I don’t think I’ve ever taken the time to clean the dirt of.
Hmmm... was not familiar with this Oregon Duracut (formerly Multi-cut) chain. It has thicker chrome on the cutters... wonder if it found a good following. file:///C:/Users/Bill/AppData/Local/Temp/Chain-DuraCut-A108151aa-F-B.pdf
If I guy offed me 3 big red oaks and drug them up were I could drive up to them I would be headed out with my saw and file whistling I cheery tune What ever dirt that doesn't come off f I'm cutting, splitting and stacking I find fire does well removing the rest of the wood from the dirt
I agree! Price of admission. If there’s a lot I’ll try to kick/scrape off the bulk of it. Otherwise just cut through it and change chains more often. Good idea to cut so your not dragging all that crap through the powerhead when able. I’ll have to remember that next time I m facing this dilemma!
I cut from a skidded deck once and would be mind full of where the dirt is and as shown make sure the dirt is thrown away from the cut. Can he drag the log so the back end is only in the mud? Id love to have that chance vs. what i sometimes go through to get logs/rounds. Especially that much. Clean the area where the cut will be made. Hatched as stated works great. Machete too.
I had a big log I pulled through some mud, used my caynt hook to roll the dirt side down, cut most of the way through for all of my rounds, then rolled the log and finished through the dirt on all of the cuts. Do like Casper's Amish idea!
Well like he said at the end, only do that if your experienced with the saw your using. Cutting that way definitely increases risk of a kick back. I whack the logs with a stick to knock off as much crap off the log as I can.
I think what he means is the chap protection material is inside the jeans. Like these: I'm not necessarily promoting these, I just really want to try a pair.
When I'm bucking up dead pine that has been down for years, I clean certain parts of the log off. I have a paint scraper, an old car snow brush and a small whisk broom in the back of the Rhino. I usually use the scraper first, the snow brush second and the small whisk broom last. The reason I had the scraper and snow brush with me is because our stacks are topped covered so I used the snow brush to clean the snow off the cover and the scraper would be used to get any snow or ice off the face of the split. The whisk broom is for cleaning the wood chips off me before I come in.
I believe it was discussed in a different thread on this forum. My experience with it is that it’s not worth the money & doesn’t seem to have any extra longevity. Plus it’s what I believe they call tri-link.
I’d take him up on it. If possible leave it till it gets warm out and hit it with a pressure washer. Or you don’t have to clean the entire log, just the area for each cut, it’s fast and easy to just notch out a clean ring with an axe at each length where you have to cut, no need to debark the entire log. Safety green chain stays sharp longer too.
I cut a ton of skidded logs as well. Do exactly as Firewood Bandit says & you'll be good. If you don't wanna spend on the .404 chain set up, you'll be ok with 3/8 semi chisel. Grab that wood!
Never realized till trying it but 404 is the real deal. A loop must weight at least double what 3/8ths does. I now cut almost all logs like I described above even if they aren't dirty because you can cut really large logs without getting the bar pinched by leaving the top for last.
