So I got some permission to go to a golf course to get some cottonwood pieces that were cut and left laying. If your wondering how I got that chunk of wood up there I have a winch on the front of the trailer that I welded on. 5000 pound HF. When dragging it up the whole truck and trailer were moving around pretty good. But it shows what can be done. I stood it up with the winch too. I did that to make it easier to unload with the tractor. I will pick it straight up and put it on a pallet with a choker chain.
That’s a lot of effort for not so many BTU’s. Are you planning on burning it in your stove or a fire pit?
Yep, that's Cottonwood. If you're happy, then that's what matters. I'm not a big Cottonwood fan myself, but I can't hate on a guy for getting it done.
Yep. The only other way would be to drag it off and then start cutting it up. I could not roll this with my peavey.
Well out here where trees are not that plentiful you sometimes take what you can get. I have burned a lot of cottonwood in the past and it does keep the house warm in the winter. I am retired so I can tend to the stove as often as I like.
I know in the east and Midwest there is a lot better wood types to choose from, but I only showed this as an example of what can be done with a trailer and winch. I drug a piece of elm about that size up into the trailer too. I have used it many times. Oh and it does make me happy to get this wood. I will go back for more.
Yeah, no doubt that would have been a heck of a back ache otherwise. Wasn't trying to be all negative on you. Cottonwood around here is a curse word, but it's definitely better than nothing. I'm certainly not in a position to judge a guy, I'm working a huge Poplar this year and that isn't the greatest either. At the end of the day, though, dry wood is dry wood and it all burns. Good Luck!
No hate here on Cottonwood . I like having some Cottonwood in the stacks! Good ss wood and morning wood!
Thats a big ol' chunk of wood. How many pieces left like that? Not having equipment i frown on big wood and so does my back. What saw will you use on them?
This is the first year I’ve ever burned any cottonwood in the stove at the house. With the mild winter and never really having any shoulder season wood ( never even heard that phrase before I joined here) I’m liking it. I took out a bunch of big ones last winter and couldn’t bring myself to burn and bury all of them. I was thinking about trying to get the granddaughter to be partners in selling bundles of campfire cottonwood. But know I’m thinking about a couple good sized holzhausens like Lastmohecken just built. Having enough of the same kind of wood for one has been one of my holdups.
Well I tell ya Brad. I have a Husqvarna 2100 CD here with a 42" bar and a Poulan 505 with a 36" bar. The Husky is 99cc and the Poulan is 83cc, I will probably use those two. There are about 5 more pieces left of that cotton wood but this piece was the biggest and was in the way of getting the others. This tree was cut down next to a lake and I had to pull it up a hill to get it to my trailer. There is some smaller pieces in the edge of the lake but it is frozen right now so I will get them when it thaws out.
There is so much cottonwood here in the Dakotas its crazy. Most shelter belts are nothing but huge trees. Farmers around here used to plant them because they grow fast and big. Now, some farmers are ripping them down trying to get just a few more bushels.
Nice score! I burn a lot of cottonwood. It’s easy to find around here. My 28 ton DHT splitter plows through it with no problem. Yeah, it burns quick. But when my thermostat goes from 64 to 70 in about 30 minutes on cottonwood - I know it puts out some heat. It burns clean too. My stove glass is crystal clear after a few pieces of cottonwood. I’d rather burn cottonwood than give my money to the gas company!
Ok I have it unloaded. Pretty easy with the tractor. Just lifted straight up and over the trailer. As you can see from some of the pics there is not a lot of trees.
IIRC, doesn’t Wyoming have an abundance of Lodgepole? I would be targeting Lodgepole way before Spongewood, that stuff that is In the water, may not be worth the effort before long. I have burned a lot of Cottonwood over the years, and I have found that it MUST be kept Dry and out of the weather, you can practically watch it rot, if exposed to the weather I will Rarely put much effort into Cottonwood, this beast came down in the neighborhood, just around the corner from me. If we didn’t cut it up and take it, the HOA, would have had to PAY someone to cut it up and dispose of it, which in the end, guess WHO PAYS for that??? I figured it was better to make BTU’s out of it than BILLS . This was BEFORE, I contracted a Severe Case of CAD, I bucked that up with my 266XP “Ol Reliable” with a 24” B&C. Back when the 266, and 23 Compact, Top Handle were my “2 Saw Plan” before I knew what a 2 saw plan was, or that I even had one If you don’t have an adequate supply of better wood, then grab what you can, you are working harder for that Cottonwood than I would, my hat is off to you. Cottonwood does burn CLEAN, with little ash, just Fast so if you have time to feed the stove, it will heat your home If you have enough covered space to do it, spli it fairly small (4x4 splits, are usually what I do with it) and Chimney Stack it, will let it dry out the fastest In the end, there is a difference in heating with wood, it has a different feel than a central furnace, and watching the Fire adds a Nice Ambiance too, Cottonwood will give you that as well. Enjoy your Score Doug
