Tractors and wood! Show your pics

[John_Mc]

Yesterday I packed a trail that I haven't used this winter and want to start using.

There are a couple soft spots that I hope will stiffen up now that they are exposed and out from under the snow.

I've been doing that myself, every time it looks as though we'll get a good cold snap. Unfortunately, every time it starts to stiffen up, it warms up and we get rain. I'd really like to get some work done on the far end of the property, but don't want to tear up my trails to get there.

 

[Loaderman22]

Ahh, its nice to see snow again! We got 2 different dustings, one just before Christmas, that the rain promptly removed, and some wintery mix last night that the 45 degree weather took care of by 10am today. Not that I want to go plow, but it does help keep everything a bit cleaner.

 

[IndyJay]

Is “need” really ever a requirement for government grants?

Yes, you "need" to be on the list of contributors...

 

[Loaderman22]

Here's a question that I don't think has been asked in a while... What moisture content do you guys prefer in your firewood when ready to burn? The jolly fat man in red brought me a moisture meter, so I have been checking everything! I know the internet says about 20% but that seems high to me. And I know some of you with newer wood stoves need to have the pieces smaller and quite dry to burn efficiently. I know the drier the better, but is there a number you like to get below? Just curious.

 

[stephenh]

I prefer less than 20%. In fact, I don't burn it if it's that high. You probably know this, but you should test the moisture on a fresh face of a newly-split piece. The end of the chunk will always test lower than inside the wood.

 

[John_Mc]

Here's a question that I don't think has been asked in a while... What moisture content do you guys prefer in your firewood when ready to burn? The jolly fat man in red brought me a moisture meter, so I have been checking everything! I know the internet says about 20% but that seems high to me. And I know some of you with newer wood stoves need to have the pieces smaller and quite dry to burn efficiently. I know the drier the better, but is there a number you like to get below? Just curious.

20% is more of a maximmum for efficient and clean burning. I tend to air-dry mine down to under 15% and get good results with that. If the relative humidity in the area of your woodpile is around 60%, the equilibrium moisture content of the wood will not get below about 11% anyway.

A former business partner was a wood combustion guru (designed & troubleshot control systems for commercial wood boilers). He dispelled me of the notion that dryer is always better. I can no longer repeat the science behind it, but what it amounts to is that some moisture is necessary to regulate the combustion.

 

[Loaderman22]

I prefer less than 20%. In fact, I don't burn it if it's that high. You probably know this, but you should test the moisture on a fresh face of a newly-split piece. The end of the chunk will always test lower than inside the wood.

Yes I checked some fresh off the splitter poplar and maple and they ranged 18%-21%. I let it sit a week in my covered totes outside and the pieces went down a little. Now it's in the dry basement about 10 feet from the woodstove so I will check it again to see how much they lost..

I have some cherry I cut down a while ago, (it was that severe leaner tree I posted pics of). It was laying on the ground, so I split and tested various pieces of that. The pieces that were on the top "side" were 20%, the parts that were touching dirt were a bit more. (no surprise there) What I did find surprising were the standing dead cherry trees that blew over in the storm last July, part of the insides were starting to mush, but the solid pieces were still 17%-18%, I figured they'd be much lower. I will keep checking them also.

A kid and his new toy!!

 

[ericm979]

I think it depends on the stove. My EPA I non cat stove does not like wood that's wet. The manual says under 15% and they're right. For my climate and wood species that means at least one summer split and stacked, preferably two. Some species like Eucalyptus need two at a minimum to burn cleanly.

Thanks for the NCRS etc links. All of that and the state Williamson Act as well are for land in production or supporting it. While we do have some vinyards and Christmas tree farms in the area most people including me just live here for the space and quiet and make their living in some other way. Our whole area of private plots and public open space is in desperate need of forest management. It's not burned here in a very long time, maybe a century or more, and the land is very productive. As a result the fuel loading is super high.

 

[goeduck]

I will burn 18% and lower. In our climate wood bottoms out around 16% to 17% (on my meter) when stored outside under cover. I usually burn wood that has gone through 2 summers after being split. My wood goes straight from outside to the stove, I do not keep any inside for bug reasons.

 

[CobyRupert]

I will burn 18% and lower. In our climate wood bottoms out around 16% to 17% (on my meter) when stored outside under cover. I usually burn wood that has gone through 2 summers after being split. My wood goes straight from outside to the stove, I do not keep any inside for bug reasons.

I need one of those meters.
I like to see a test of:
1) How wood in a shed dries compared to wood out in the sun. (And how this varies by covered, not covered, rain, snow, stack spacing, orientation, shed ventilation, etc..)
2) Old timers would say to cut tree and leave leaves on until they whither to draw moisture out. Wonder how this would compare to cutting dormant tree after leaves have fallen in winter?

 

[goeduck]

The meters are not that expensive but there is not a lot of science to just letting the wood dry long enough under cover.

 

[Gordon Gould]

You guys with meters - What does the moisture read on a fresh cut live tree. Just curious and thinking about all those years long past when we would start cutting firewood around Labor Day for burning that winter in an old box stove. When the draft started getting a little weak it was time to climb up and run a brush down thru the chimney which was several times a winter. Some how we didn't burn anything down or even have a chimney fire - that we new of anyway.

gg

 

[Rustyiron]

I think that I've heard (on a firewood forum) that the wind does most of the drying vs. sunlight. I think I can testify to that as I used to double stack my rows and top cover with metal. Now I have about 14 single row "racks" that I fill right off the splitter cutting down handling to the minimum. I top cover with rubber roofing and each rack holds about 90 c/f (cut @26").
It does seem to dry faster but I'm just not nerdy enough to to fool with a moisture meter.
I do let it sit, (split & top covered) for about 18 months at a minimum.
My boiler (indoor gasification)
does like a little moisture, too dry and it starves for oxygen and "chugs" making the stove pipe leak. Not pleasant.

This is not the racks that I mentioned above. I built 2 of these and were too expensive and double row. I have red oak in them and I give oak as close to 3 years drying as possible. My normal fw is beech, got tons of it. I just brought this one up to the house yesterday.

 

[Loaderman22]

2) Old timers would say to cut tree and leave leaves on until they whither to draw moisture out. Wonder how this would compare to cutting dormant tree after leaves have fallen in winter?

I tried this on some storm damage back in early July 2020, cut a lot of red oaks off the stumps, and was letting the leaves draw what they could. Surprisingly, the leaves stayed on and didn't start turning until about 2-3 weeks before the rest of the trees. I have to get back to them and do some fresh cuts and check moisture. I will then cut one that was felled back in 2019 but laying in the log pile. I can compare against a fresh cut red oak that I will fell at the time of testing. should be interesting.

 

[Rustyiron]

Found a picture of the racks.

I load the "table" on the right with 3-4 log length, buck up to 26" then (without bending over) the rounds go on the splitter and directly to the rack.

There's the tractor to be in full compliance with "Tractor and wood" thread title.

 

[goeduck]

^^ I have seen similar racks but never understood the benefit of the outward sloped sides?

 

[goeduck]

You guys with meters - What does the moisture read on a fresh cut live tree.

gg

I can't recall ever checking a fresh cut but I recall seeing north of 30% on blowdowns after cutting them into firewood. I have no idea how long they were down and ground moisture is a big factor with downed wood.

 

[Rustyiron]

^^ I have seen similar racks but never understood the benefit of the outward sloped sides?

The side's fold in/down flat for storage. I built in a slight over center open position so that I didn't need to have perfectly level ground to stay open. Hopefully using my head instead of getting pounded in the head .
So far it's working.

 

[John_Mc]

You guys with meters - What does the moisture read on a fresh cut live tree.

I can't recall ever checking a fresh cut but I recall seeing north of 30% on blowdowns after cutting them into firewood. I have no idea how long they were down and ground moisture is a big factor with downed wood.

Most of these meters will not read accurately as high as the moisture content is in green wood.

Years ago, I found a table of "excess moisture content" in green wood (See attached PDF or scroll down a bit at this link). Note that this is the moisture ABOVE their target 20% moisture content, so you have to add 20 to the percent figures listed in the table. (For example, Ash is listed at 15%. For the actual typical moisture content add 20 for a 35% moisture content.)

It will vary from tree to tree and from site to site, but I found it interesting, and it seems to match my experience with Ash and Beech being two of the trees I might get away with burning with only a bit of seasoning when I'm in a real pinch.

 

[Gordon Gould]

Thanks J_Mc. So is it percent of total weight that is water or is there some other parameter or constant involved ??

BTW - this morning I made one turn on the trail I just packed the other day. . It was 24* here. It was better than expected but a second trip would have been a mistake probably. It warmed up quickly.

gg