OK, loggers in your area do not back drag trails when done? up here most logging is on frozen ground.. I have seen some cut for veneer and leave a mess .... but most land owners require trails back dragged.. brush piled... and landings seeded..
That's why I'd be thinking about renting a dozer and making my own roads, or at least fixing up the ones that are there.
I think in some non common logging areas loggers take advantage of people that aren't aware. Some of it depends on the deal as well.
I guess it depends on your outlook on life. I like to think that people who cut their own firewood still take responsibility for their own actions and I would take on that risk in a calculated manner. Everything in life has risks and benefits and different people have varying appetites for each..
As was mentioned already , a tractor and a logging winch will work . Or a trailer if it's small stuff If I was going to junk it up on the spot I'd just have sides and a floor for the rounds . A 21hp MF1020 , a Norse 180 and a trailer will get stuff done , all used or home built but I've got less than 5K$ in this combo and we've drug out wood to heat 2 households and give a few cord away as well . Fuelrod and Lodgedtree have got totally different setups that will produce more wood than I can , check their posts in Tractor and Logging Winches | Firewood Hoarders Club From there you could ramp up to a skidder or porter , it all depends on what you want to get done and how much you have to work with . Could you find a small scale firewood cutter or logger willing to cut for shares , have all the wood piled in a large landing to keep an even playing field . Plenty of options , sounds like you have lots of wood but you have to get it before it rots .
I remember working on a 50 cord job with my father. He trimmed tops and skidded them from 30 acres that had been cut heavily-raped actually, and I bucked them up. Using a Case 450 dozer to skid, a backhoe to load, and a dump truck that could haul 1 1/3 cords, it took 3-4 weeks to cut it up, load it, and haul the 6 miles home. It was in the winter, and we didn't work a few days during heavy snow, but we worked steady at it-4 hours in the morning, haul a load home and have lunch, and back at it for 3 hours in the afternoon. We cut about 4 loads every day-Dad hauled steady for a couple days after we were done.
I have been on a handful of sites post logging. If the landowner is on top of things, and it is not a super wet area, things are great. If they are not and it's a very wet area, ruts and holes happen and back drag or not there is no base. I agree, it should be usable, but I am very aware now of the pitfalls. Just a point of caution as I found two of these near a semi swampy area.
Went over and cut for the first weekend have my work cut out for me there. Anyone use a processor on tops? What are the pros and cons? What would be a good one to buy or rent?
The biggest problem with processors is they like straight logs and cutting tops, you won't get too many straight lengths. But if one gets the right one they can still be a time saver but you still have to get the wood to them. Personally, I'd just keep hacking away at them as best you can. If anything, get a more powerful saw to shorten cutting time. You won't necessarily need a long bar; get as short of a bar as you can get and still cut. Shoot, we cut 30" or more using a 16" bar and if you have a larger saw and a 16" or 20" bar, they will zip right through fast, which will make the wood pile grow faster....and still save a dollar.
