Got to spend the day in the woods today putting the new chains to the test. It’s an amazing amount of traction, no tire spinning hauling 4-16’ logs so far. We had gotten a few snow storms since I was last out in the woods, roughly 12” of snow on the trails now. Went out and packed the trails down and skidded logs on the way back. Ended the day with a decent pile of maple, birch, beech, black cherry, ash, and a red oak limb that had broken off. All storm damaged trees from last years storms, it’s slowly making a dent in them. Not the biggest wood, but it’s free. Will spend the morning bucking them to 8’ and adding to the pile.
Spent some time today out in the woods before the wind got to be too much. 30mph + gusts takes all the fun out of felling trees. Cleaned up 2 maple and a birch that were rub trees on the trail from when we had it logged. I had the loggers leave all the hardwood rub trees for firewood, it’s worth more to me as wood than the cash. Shortest log is 16’, the birch was 3-16’ logs before a single branch, and then it split to 3 tops. Both maple gave me 2-16’ logs and then some smaller tops.
As I was skidding logs, and a grapple of top and limb wood it made me think of a question. For people who fell trees for firewood how small of diameter limb/top wood do you take? For me it’s about the size of a soda can, anything smaller goes to the chipper or left for deer to munch the tops this time of year. Here’s a photo of a maple top wood that came out in the grapple today.
Years back when felled trees were our only source we'd harvest down to 2" limb wood. Today I'd go 3" but seldom harvest full trees anymore. If I'm at a score or the dump and its an "exotic" wood il take down to 3" or so. Now with a steady source for larger diameter logs I doubt I'll touch it anymore.
Thanks! My FIL was trying to get me to cut limbs down to 1” diameter for wood as he sees leaving it as wasteful. He cuts his wood that way on his property, and I think dealing with such small limbs would be time consuming for the end results.
Went up to the wood yard after lunch to cut the logs into 8’ lengths and add to the firewood pile. The pile is getting big, 8’ wide, 7’ high avg, and 20’ long, I didn’t include the last couple feet at half height. I’ve got some “poverty sticks” as I call them in the backyard to skid up to the wood yard, cut to 8’ length and add to the stack, and that’s probably it for hardwoods this year. The backyard trees are 40’-60’ tall and at most 8” at the butt, they grew up around existing apple trees, and competed with pines for light. I’ve been slowly cutting them back to expose the apple trees to more sunlight. There will end up being a huge chipper pile from these trees. I’ve marked a couple sugar maples and a beech to save for yard trees, hopefully they grow into nice trees. If not, more firewood.
Spent sometime this afternoon in the woods getting some hemlock logs out before we loose all of the snow and frost. Unless it gets cold again I’m probably done until summer. Went to where I was winching logs yesterday, grabbed the butt log left from yesterday, and a 16’ log from tree #2. Then grabbed tree #3 from that spot which ended up being 43’ long, not quite as nice as the others. my 550xp is out there at the edge of the tree trunks, 160’ away. hard to tell the log on the right is 43’ long as it ended up in a skidder rut.
Finished the afternoon with a third tree that gave a 18’ log and a 24’ log. Didn’t take action shots for some reason. Here is the tractor all geared up for logging, I need to find a better place to put the gas and bar oil. It’s currently between my feet. The end result of two afternoons in the woods, a decent stack of hemlock logs. One butt log has heart rot, so it’s going to get hollowed out and make a couple planters for the wife. I’ll bring the mini ex up tomorrow morning and buck everything to 8’ and stack it on dunnage.
Spent yesterday bucking up firewood logs from the pile. Made a good sized dent by dinner time, and called it a day. It was getting foggy and not nearly as nice as the morning. Lunchtime break. End of the day. On another note my 550XP stopped oiling all of a sudden. Looks like I’ll be tearing into it tomorrow while it’s raining. Also going a little slower today, I’m a little out of shape apparently.
That's a big operation! After the snow melts do you have to wait for the area to dry or can you keep using it?
Just a one guy show. The frost in the ground is quickly leaving as temps have been pushing 50 for a couple days. The snow is also mostly gone, still some frost under the log pile. I can’t drive a tractor on it until it dries up some, but the mini excavator can be used. I smooth out the wood yard each night when I’m done incase it freezes overnight temps have been in the 20’s. Makes working the next day easier.
Today’s progress, not as much done as I wanted. Neighbor came over for a visit which was a nice break. Running the 372XP with a 24” bar all day bucking firewood is a good workout. pics are from the cab of the excavator so the pile looks shorter. What’s left to cut up. Yard all smoothed out before it rains tomorrow. It’s fun trying to grade sloppy mud.
