What firewood tools do you find the most useful/can't live without?

Can’t live without a pickaroon. Did without one for twenty years because I guess I was to cool (STUPID) to use one. Now it’s the first thing I grab even before I pull out saw. Live and learn.

 

Agree 100% about the pickaroon. If I forgot it, I would go home and get it or leave off cutting that day!

 

Truck, trailer, PPE and a fairly extensive first aid kit, saws, extra chains and sharpening tools, gas and oil, Tape measure, upside down green marker paint, logging chain and come-along, two cant hooks, Fiskars splitting axe and maul, wedges plastic and iron, gloves and that all-important pickaroon. Hydro splitter waiting at home. My list is light on falling equipment because most wood around here is tree service logs the are down and bucked to 6'-10' lengths or occasionally log length. Did I mention the pickaroon?

 

For the first few years of burning wood I had one saw, gas and oil, a truck and a ice fishing sled to hual it out of the woods, I didn't even sharpen my own chains.
I am still very simple, I have 2 saws, gas/oil, file, isocore, truck, I got a small trailer I can hual with the tractor or 4 wheeler.

 

Pretty much this list & I won't cut without my ppe. Oh yea, & a log skidder or two.

 

For many years, I mostly bought my wood from my younger teenage nephews who would cut me firewood for spending money. About all I needed was the stove, and for me at least, an ax because I still needed to split some if into kindling and smaller sticks when I wanted to squeeze all of the wood I could into the overnight load. So, the ax at least was indispensable IMHO.

But now I am cutting my own wood and splitting it and hauling it. So, I do need either my pickup and trailer sometimes, or side by side if it's a short haul.
At least one chainsaw, and a spare is nice. Got to have tools to keep it sharp and adjusted. Oil and gas can.
Pickaroon? Oh yes! A must have for me.
Cant hook? Sure is nice to have.
Splitting axes, and mauls? Yep, got to have.
Wedges? Falling wedges for sure, I don't have any steel splitting wedges. don't really need them.

What I used today:
I spend about 2.5 hours or so cutting down one pretty good sized Black Locust Tree and bucking it up, and splitting it. Didn't haul it today.
I loaded everything into the side side as I was only going over to the other side of the road, about a mile or better away to work.
I started my saw up, after filling it with gas and oil, the chain was already sharp and adjusted. And made the face cut. This was about a 25" diameter tree at the base and a sort of heavy leaner, so I was a little worried about a barber chair. The V shaped slice on the face cut broke in half and half fell out. So, I knew it was rotten in the middle. I went and got one of my single bit Jersey axes and hit the rest of the slice and it fell out, and I was able to confirm it was rotten in the middle. Grabbed my saw, 24" bar, MS 362 and cautiously made the back cut, I heard it start to pop and crack, and stepped back as I watched it fall. It was pretty much textbook. The tree fell just like I wanted it too, and the hinge held well, despite the rotten core.

This tree fell down a steep bank and I had a lot of air under most of it. I went to work limbing it and stacking the brush as I went. I did a lot of undercutting all went well, until I decided to cut the stump down low, (I always cut them a little high to start with. The stump was thick, but I got the saw down low and started my cut. I sure was glad I had a saw with a 24" bar so I could pretty much cut all the way through it from one side, but my saw eventually got pinched, which didn't surprise me much, but an easy fix, I just went and got a falling wedge out of the side by side and drove it in with the pole of the Jersey ax. Finished the cut all from one side and it was done.

When I started splitting the rounds I used mainly a new to me old True Temper Kelly Works Double bit ax I recently fixed up. It's a big heavy ax, with a great profile. I used it and the Jersey for most of the splitting, but did run into a couple of really stubborn rounds with knots and chose to switch to a splitting maul for a couple of them.

Doing all of this, I had to fill the saw up once and adjust the chain. Oh! and I almost forgot, I did end up needing to roll the log over at one point and I used a cant hook for that. I could have gotten by without it, but it sure was a lot easier with it.

I left the wood on the ground for another day, after splitting everything, and went home.

Having enough and the right tools, does help make life easier, for sure.

 

Love my pickaroons. I didn't even hear about one until a few years ago. I ordered one online then found a homemade one at an estate sale. I won't cut or split wood without one. I don't know if it's just me, but I can't use it for stacking.

 

Needs that I have:
2 chainsaws
hydro splitter
4x4 truck
trailer
monster maul
pickaroons
wood stove
chaps
ATV and cart
canvas firewood carrier

Wants, but don't have (don't see myself getting them anytime soon.)
Skid steer or tractor
Log lift for splitter
dump trailer, or dump box for truck.

 

I guess a stove or fireplace would be pretty high on this list, huh? So you can burn the wood?

 

Never heard of "pre split".
Firewood sellers either sell as CSD , or tree or log length. Selling as rounds makes no sense ( at least here ).
This wood snob, has bought both at one time. The tree length loads ( +/- 8-10 honest real cords ) is close to the work of
harvesting the trees myself. The CSD for a couple of cords gets higher BTU wood that's not here ( like beech, yellow birch, rock maple ).

 

My dad spent 50+ years collecting 5 to 6 cords a year off his 30 acres. His list included a chain saw (old Homie Super XL 'Blue'), 8-lb maul, a steel wedge, a block-and-tackle for the hangers, and his Jeep CJ-5 and a 4x6 trailer for hauling. Before 1980 or so, there was no trailer, just the Jeep. That's all I ever remember him using, and the list hasn't changed much to this day. The saw is newer and the Jeep is newer and we share a Timberwolf splitter but that's still it.

For needs, I'd say something to go through the woods with - I have my tractor but I think I'd rather have a side-by-side UTV with a trailer. Both would be even better. A couple saws because you never know when you're gonna jam one up. Or at least an extra bar and chain. Splitting maul - I just bought a new Fiskars X27 and man that thing is sweet! But when you're doing more than 8 cords a season, a hydraulic splitter is best especially when you're cramped for time. Good gloves and PPE. I use a pulp hook for all my log handling, I've tried everything else and always come back to the hook. I have a lot of the other things people mention, they tend to sit and collect dust or rust but when you need 'em, you really need 'em (like a good log chain for example).

 

I consider back saving/wood handling tools tools a necessity for which I prefer a pickaroon and pulp hooks. A peavey is a necessity to deal with logs when I get them delivered. The tree service that brings them to me chips pretty much everything < 16" so they tend to be larger.

Pulp Hooks work for stacking.

 

Jon got it------
Pulp hookS.....2X.
Two saws always in the woodlot( the baby 170 will get the working saw out of a jam and for lighter limbing ).
Extra sharpened chain-- always.
X27.
Good chaps ( no oil or sap soaked. no slices into the kevlar ) and gloves.

And.....Rock maul and plastic wedges.
Good line and come-a-long.

A rested, thinking, planning brain.

 

Most useful and cant live without would be a chain saw or two or six!
Im with MikeInMa as im a person of simple needs.
Sometimes i wish i had a quad and trailer to retrieve wood in my woods.

 

I am a simple man. After the saws of course, can’t do without my hookaroon
saves my back and keeps my gloves/hands dry while cutting in snow

 

I forgot that on my list, but yes, a hookaroon/ pickaroon is a great tool. I have to remember that mine is not only a great zombie weapon, but great for firewood duty.

 

#1 is definitely my quad
Trailer
Saws
Splitter
Log arch (for pulling logs out of rough terrain.)
Ruger (my firewood dog)

 

Forgot: Pferd (Stihl) 2in1 tool with stump vise.

 

Log trailer on the truck. Log arch for the atv. Winch on the splitter.
My homemade hatcharoon was one of my favorite creations. Havent been using it much lately as most of the logs I’m processing are large enough to use the lift. It’s still with me whenever I work tho.
Saws, chains. I don’t use an axe, maul or sledge and wedge. I built equipment to do the heavy lifting. Sometimes I’ll noodle the big rounds just to make it easier but I’m not lifting or splitting them by hand.