When I went to bed I left a small fire burning Saturday night. Got up this morning and there were still some hot embers... Threw a couple of small splits on to revive the fire then went outside to get the Sunday paper. Ran back inside and added a couple of larger splits. It was COLD out there. Now reading the paper in front of a nice fire. Today's high should be mid-40s so the stove will burn all day. Need something warm to sit in front of when we get back from the soccer games... Welcome to the burning season, KaptJaq
It burned from Saturday afternoon until this morning, Monday. Got up today and it was sub-freezing outside. Warming trend for the week so I'll probably let it burn out today. It is soooo nice to wake up in a warm home without the sound of the boiler overnight... First two overnight fires of the season and the cats loved it. They slept in front of the stove so they did not jump on the bed all night. KaptJaq
yup, KaptJaq just reloading now from over night. hard frost and bits of snow so just some small splits.
We've had a fire the past several days and nights, hasn't gone out since Friday evening. Coldest morning so far this season here at our place, it was 25° when we woke up this AM! Put a full load of red oak on at 6, should last til mid afternoon.
I'm saving the good stuff 'till it gets cold and I want to sleep through the night... Still using shoulder season uglies... KaptJaq
That's what around 70% of my 46 cord stash is....oak....lol I'm far enough ahead to be picky and only keep the really good stuff......
Yeah I'm with you I am burning popular and birch splits and elm uglies (are there another kind? ) supposed to get to 49 today at 6 it was in low 20s that's shoulder season That's 28 cord of oak plus I don't have that much oak in my town.. Back to splitting ash, sugar maple, waiting to see if we can have a crew together to go fell length 30 black locusts in a weekend that I have access too at least 30 cord there. if I can get it and get it here. I should finally be 3 years ahead. it will take me 3 month to get it all processed
Yup, it was pretty chilly here this weekend. My dog learned a new trick - "beg daddy to start a fire" - lol. He growls at me and lifts his front paw when he wants something. He didn't want to go outside, he didn't want food, didn't want his ball - but when I opened the doors on the woodstove, he went right over to his blanket next to the stove and curled up for a nap.
Very little locust this far north.. or oak in Champlain valley.. I got no truck yet but 1 on the guys who ran out of wood in February and I gave him some cords. Got his dad's old flatbed wrecker. So because home owner wants them gone.. edge of field and making her horses sick. it's got to be a ground frozen day of drop and load and out with brush on fire. Next day clean up and reinstall set up pasture. so I want a few guys and saws with me. I think flat bed will make it easier. winch logs on to bed chain down... anybody ever done it? If not I will write a review with pics on how it works..
We burned all oak last night too, and woke up with enough coals for a reload of oak and poplar. Heavy frost this morning, temps around 25°F. Sure it's nice having a fire, until it becomes a 24/7 chore.
Easiest way I know is to park the truck right beside a tree (I'm talking a flatbed). Put a pulley up in the tree. One end of cable or rope fastened to frame of truck on opposite side of tree. Other end fastened to tractor or truck or even a car. Best to fasten it to the front so the drive can see what is going on. You also need 2 skids to slide the log on as it is going up. Cable or rope runs through pulley then over top of log then to the frame of the truck. Log rolls up very easy and usually one man can guide it so it goes up straight. Two or three men can load a large load quite fast doing this and nobody has to work hard. The only thing one has to be very careful with is how high you stack the logs and realize if you stack more than one tier, remember those logs can roll. You don't want one rolling off truck and onto someone's body! But we've loaded hundreds of loads using this method and never had a problem.
Backwoods Savage thanks for that! never done it that way but I will try it I figure 30 tree got to be heavy so 5 trips. about 40 minutes away. but 300 in gas chains beer and pizza.... a weekend of sweat and ibuprofen... for 30 plus cord of locust in back 20 is a heck yeah, now to organize it all will take hours. but trying to get 3 years ahead!
