Are you familiar with the "reverse drop procedure"? Or better yet would be the "reverse/brake check procedure"...
That appears to be Honey Locust, it will have a salmon color when cut. That is a nice score & yes HL will be very dense & heavy but in my experience it splits easily. Give it 3 years & don’t put it in a shed until dry. Boring insects will make a terrible mess of it.
Yeah, to the point of almost not being worth fooling with...I had some that was so covered in wet frass that it went bad....3-4 years CSS.
It looks like this will be a continuing thread for a little while. I went back out to the dump this evening to grab a little more of the easy stuff. The other local saw junkie was there, he just got done running a 61 that he’s been working on. Only had about 4 rounds of ash loaded up, some of it noodled, probably 14 inches diameter. He really likes to visit so I didn’t get a lot done. Just enough to get my hoarding fix for the day. He really doesn’t seem to want any of the locust. That’s fine with me. Told him I’m gonna try and get my skid steer and grapple out there tomorrow & if he is available I’ll help him dig out a bunch of the ash as well. I’m gonna see about borrowing a dump trailer, but even if I can’t I’ll get a bunch of locust logs set off to the side. Not to worried about someone else getting it, seems most wood burners around here don’t get to excited until it’s time to fire up the stove. Tonight’s small score
Most honey locust that is a hybrid won't have thorns. If it came from a city or town, not wild, it more than likely won't have thorns. I've yet to see a HL in person with thorns yet. I always have HL in my stacks, and have a nice one in my front yard. That is HL. You can tell by the bark, and the leaves. BL have wider leaves. BL has more furrows to the bark, and HL is a smoother bark. HL wood also smells sweet . You'll know really quickly.
Just a dribble. Havent split it yet. So with all that experience I’d agree with most others. Just a touch under Black Locust. Seems a little softer and lighter than BL on average. I still havent burnt either in a stove so this opinion is worth exactly what you paid for it. Burnt a few scraps of BL in the stove but I wouldn’t qualify that as knowledge.
Beautiful stuff you got there! Never burned honey myself but I have tons of black locust on my land. When the coals pile up, it burns as hot as the pits of hell! I hear honey has a slightly lower BTU but is still high enough to be considered top tier. I wonder if it splits easily and dries quick like black?
Yep. That and I do think it is a little less BTU wise than BL. I concur that HL really needs 3 years to dry properly. BL definitely dries quicker. I haven't had any issues with it getting demolished by powder post beetles.
Sandhillbilly , why not cut the logs a foot longer than the trailer, load with the grapple, then chain the ends & hook to a tree & drive out? When the dump is empty bring the loader home & process.
I like how you think, but there’s a couple flies in your ointment. 1 Most of the logs are already quite a bit shorter than the trailer. 2 it’s a tilt deck trailer so I can’t over load the back end or risk messing up the tilt latch mechanism. 3 I have no trees in a suitable position at my place to use for an anchor. I do have a plan in mind though, and your suggestion has sparked a couple more ideas. I need to get something done soon because the city maintenance guy is getting antsy about getting it pushed in.
Just take what you can the way it works best/quickest for you. Get out of the city guy's hair asap to keep your access pass in good faith. My thought
Wish i was closer as id give you a hand getting it out of there. I hate having deadlines for wood scores.
