I have a feeling that some of the other South Jersey hoarders may recognize this pile of oak???? Just went to check it out today and there is decent trailer/truck access. I have never worked a pile like this and have no heavy equip. Any suggestions on where to start would be greatly appreciated. I may be in a little over my head here and want to keep safety my top priority. Will be a bit before I’m ready to take this wood in so I have some time to prep. (Yes the wood may disappear ). So far I’m thinking tow strap that first log away from pile and then buck away without danger of logs rolling down on me. Think I could roll that beast with a 60in cant hook? That log is 29” diameter and about 6’-7’ long. Anyone up to tag team some of this ? I can prob only take 1.5 logs in a trip at best due to trailer capacity limitations. I estimate some of these logs weigh over 1500 lbs each. I think it’s safe to assume that if I attempt this I will also need to quickly acquire a big boy saw. My ms250 ain’t gonna cut it here.
Take your time and plan carefully. Some of the other guys that work big log piles will be along after a bit to offer some gooder advice. huskihl amateur cutter Barcroftb Armbru84 Just to name a few.
60" cant hook will roll those on that ground. 70CC & 24" bar with semi chisel chain, roll one out, cut it, split or noodle to a manageable size load, rinse & repeat. Those are perfect size logs in my world. Quarter the rounds & they're pretty manageable. I'd be tempted to climb that pile & buck up there, no dirt. Just be mindful of the bar tip for kickback. FWIW, those logs are a ways north of 1500lbs. when they're Oak. That's a great score. Working alone that's a couple good days of work without hydraulics. Be well worth the effort though. Edit: Grab a wedge or two to follow your bar through the cut to prevent a pinch, that can cause some headaches.
Thanks for the tips! I do have a splitter I could haul over to the site with me but that takes up a lot of my trailer. Figure once I can get the rounds free’d up id just just roll them on the trailer whole then split at home , I would prob pre-noodle on-site to save the mess back at my place. Then I’d normally carry the quarters over to the splitter. I have yet to get a good system for getting those big rounds on the splitter in the vertical position. Would live to get one of those roller platforms I have seen on some other posts this week. Would you starting pulling logs out with straps or winch to free them up first or just carefully roll them and be ready to jump out of the way if pile decides to avalanche?
I wouldn't screw with a splitter at the sight, by hydraulics I meant a loader & dump trailer. Those things are misery to get under the wedge whole. I'd be real tempted to climb the pile & cut & tip the rounds off the side or roll em down the pile. Once they're down, noodle cut 3/4 of the way through, roll 90 degrees & repeat. Stand the round up with your cant hook & hit it with a maul, they'll break right apart. Then you have a piece you can handle & get into the splitter at home. If you're not comfortable cutting on the pile, roll that first one out & watch what the next one does very carefully. That pile looks pretty stable, but be careful, those logs are enough to flatten you.
Yep I definitely don’t want to get flattened. Ok I got u now on the hydraulics. Gotta love the tap of the mail or wedge that breaks those big 3/4 noodled rounds into two halves! Thanks again for your thoughts on this!
Your 250 should be able to cut those, just not as fast as a bigger saw. Backwoods Savage (his knowledge is what all FHC members strive to achieve) has stated he has cut 25"+ logs with his Stihl MS180. Ive cut larger rounds with my MS290. Got my used MS460 (77cc) February of last year. Lots of larger wood came my way and i think it was a sign from the wood gods! LOL!!! I rolled this 32" oak round with my peavey last week. About the same length as yours. I was able to quarter/sixth the rounds with maul and Fiskars X27 axe. Some i did have to noodle due to knots/twisty grain. As amateur cutter stated those are heavy logs and be very mindful of how the upper ones will move if you buck the lower first (which is what i would do) Bring a stiff bristled brush to remove grit where you will cut. Bring file and/or extra chain as it will dull fast as ive learned. Nice score BTW. Those big uns will fill up a load real fast. I just hate cutting them all the time at my HH.
Gravity. Never stand below where it wants to roll. It's a simple rule that will save you. Good score btw.
Maybe I will take a shot at it with the 250. Great point about bringing a brush to clean up the cutting path.
First of all, welcome to the club. Great to have you. Lots of great folks here with knowledge and humor. Here are my thoughts...what equipment do you have? Yes roll the first log away from pile with cant hook and buck to length. If you have ramps, you could roll on to trailer, or half/quarter if you want to tote it. Second log should drop straight down roll it out, might can get third log to move, just keep hook on the end of the log and stand to the side. If you have a 16" bar you can cut those logs, takes a bit longer. I've cut 28" red oak with a 1800 Poulan from Walmart years ago... As for going vertical, you probably saw the metal rack we built for our splitter. It is just heavy duty angle iron and 1 1/2" pipe welded together. Rounds slide pretty good on it. This is another way to tackle the problem, we built another one with 2 pieces of 2x8 boards with 3 pieces of decking boards screwed cross wise under the bottom. Doesn't slide as good, but works. We roll the rounds up to the platform and tip them over on to the splitter. How much experience do you have? Just take your time and think it through. Like you said, maybe some of the other NJ hoarders can lend a hand.
Tow strap and a set of log tongs you can pull that pile apart a bit from the safety of the drivers seat. Just an option to consider to keep you out of the line of fire. I use a hatchet on the dirt to clean the cut lines.
Thank you for the words of welcome and for all those great tips T.Jeff Veal and jo191145 . As for my equipment: -ms 250 with 18” bar. Yellow chain - arsenal of wedges -arsenal of mauls and axes -long digger pry bar -a pair of hookaroons (love those things) -35 ton yardmax half beam splitter (picked up this year after 6 months of tennis elbow) -5x10 trailer with low ramp and 3500 axle . I regularly roll 30”+ plus rounds right onto the trailer. I use gravity to my advantage by parking trailer a little down hill if possible. -a hundred pairs of leather work gloves that all have holes in the finger tips from handeling splits! -need to pick up a peavy or cant hook . Any recommendations on that would be appreciated. I prob need to order one or just bite the bullet and shell out $150 for the Stihl the have on display at my local dealer. It’s the only one I have been able to find locally. As for experience... I have been hoarding the past 2-3 years. ( hoping my first year of oak will finally be fully seasoned this coming winter!) I have become pretty proficient at processing and moving very large oak rounds but I have never cut them myself from log form. To date I have pretty much scrounged rounds that have already been cut. I have trimmed rounds to length with my 18” bar but it is slow going for sure. I prob need to up my sharpening game.
Just to sew the seeds of thoughts for when your not working and just musing. A winch, a bar and those logs will follow you home at your leisure
I think my peavey came from Tractor supply. Got it for Christmas last year. Wood handle with the "T" fitting for propping logs for bucking that can be removed. I wish it has a smaller diameter handle though and wouldve preferred an all metal one personally.
