Tractors and wood! Show your pics

[WinterDeere]

I worked at my desk all weekend, while it poured rain, so I could spend a little time out on the frozen turf splitting wood today. Thinking of this thread, I grabbed some pics in process.



Here’s an interesting aside: what saw gear and tools do you carry with you, when out in the field? I just cleaned out and reorganized my own toolbox, mostly eliminating duplicates and throwing away expired granola bars and jerky.

 

[arrow]

When tree stem gathering-One saw w 18” bar. 5 falling wedges of different lengths. A log peavy. 2 chains with sprocket tool and a 26” Hudson bay axe.
That’s it for tools.
Btw; if your saw is at the proposed cut in one of those pics, that's exactly how you handle a fork cut. Cut off the fork at the desired length, stand it upside down resting against the stem and noodle it apart.
When l was logging, we would just cut the fork out and leave it there.

 

[WinterDeere]

 

[ning]

Here's a longer video from the maker - nice product. Wish I had more of a forest; someday I'm going to need one I hope!

 

[John_Mc]

We've had some discussions of Self-releasing snatch blocks in this thread. I find them one of the handiest accessories to have with my logging winch. They tend to be expensive (in the $300 to $400 range). I just stumbled across one of the better deals I've seen on one in quite some time.

Woodland Mills is selling them at $199. There is not a lot of info on their specs, so I emailed to ask. It is rated at 6 tons.

Self-Releasing Snatch Block

Woodland Mills supplies high-quality Bandsaw Mills, wood chippers, trailers, and accessories! Get the equipment to tackle big logs & long hours today!

woodlandmills.com

I have not seen this product in person, so can't comment on the quality. I'm not currently in the market for one, since I already own two different ones. I'd be curious to hear a review if anyone tries one of these out.

 

[dodge man]

I wish the ground was still frozen here. Where I stack my split wood I have to cross about a 100 feet of my yard and it’s really soft now.

 

[Hoobie]

We've had some discussions of Self-releasing snatch blocks in this thread. I find them one of the handiest accessories to have with my logging winch. They tend to be expensive (in the $300 to $400 range). I just stumbled across one of the better deals I've seen on one in quite some time.

Woodland Mills is selling them at $199. There is not a lot of info on their specs, so I emailed to ask. It is rated at 6 tons.

Self-Releasing Snatch Block

Woodland Mills supplies high-quality Bandsaw Mills, wood chippers, trailers, and accessories! Get the equipment to tackle big logs & long hours today!

woodlandmills.com

View attachment 2824066
I have not seen this product in person, so can't comment on the quality. I'm not currently in the market for one, since I already own two different ones. I'd be curious to hear a review if anyone tries one of these out.

Good price comparatively. But I have no idea of quality. Looks kind of light but probably hard to tell. I have an Igland which is great but heavy. Wish it didn't weigh so much. That one sided bearing / spindle takes a lot of stress.
I will say Woodland Mills makes good stuff imo. I have a WM chipper with 200 hrs and no issues.

 

[WinterDeere]

I wish the ground was still frozen here. Where I stack my split wood I have to cross about a 100 feet of my yard and it’s really soft now.

Same. For this reason, I always move 1 full cord up to high ground near my barn at the beginning of the season, while the ground is still dry from summer. That way, if I need to fetch more wood up to the house while the ground is soggy, I don't need to haul my wagon thru the low ground to my main wood staging area.

It's always a game in March or April, to make sure I use up everything stacked up at the barn, so the rack can be empty for summer. I don't like leaving firewood stacked near a structure in summer (bugs), and hauling that wood back down to the racks in the wood lot would screw up my FIFO stock rotation system. So, if I haven't already used it by late-March, I start grabbing from the rack at the barn, just be sure I get it gone and burned during April/May.

 

[wolc123]

Same. For this reason, I always move 1 full cord up to high ground near my barn at the beginning of the season, while the ground is still dry from summer. That way, if I need to fetch more wood up to the house while the ground is soggy, I don't need to haul my wagon thru the low ground to my main wood staging area.

It's always a game in March or April, to make sure I use up everything stacked up at the barn, so the rack can be empty for summer. I don't like leaving firewood stacked near a structure in summer (bugs), and hauling that wood back down to the racks in the wood lot would screw up my FIFO stock rotation system. So, if I haven't already used it by late-March, I start grabbing from the rack at the barn, just be sure I get it gone and burned during April/May.

A poorly timed tractor breakdown caused me to miss the extended “frozen ground” window to drag up some firewood logs this winter. I had my splitter shed all cleared and ready go, but I had to push my Farnall Cub in there, when it quit running mid-winter.

Fortunately, the snowplow was raised when it quit and I was able to open the big swinging doors and push it in there with my John Deere loader tractor.

There will be no trouble hauling firewood up to the house during mud season though. I’ve got a high dry, 10 ft wide gravel driveway all the way around my woodshed and concrete up to the house.

Its been a good winter for burning wood. I’ve gone thru 5-1/2 face cords so far and my average the last (10) winters has been 6. I’m guessing I’ll get up to around 7 this winter.

It was too hot outside to run my woodstove last night, but it’s cooling down again now. 35 degrees at sunup is the upper limit for being able to maintain reasonably cool temperatures in the house with the woodstove operating. The colder the winter, the less natural gas I use because more of my heat comes from wood.

 

[WinterDeere]

Nice setup, there!

I average 10 full cords per winter, but our house is large, old, and mostly uninulated stone construction. We have 60 windows, more than half of which were installed in 1775. We have 14 exterior doors, some of them dating back as far as 1734. This place ain't exactly the picture of optimum efficiency.

The last two winters, we got off easy, just 6-7 full cords. I was actually beginning to tell myself we were more efficient than we had been in the past, but the reality is that we just experienced two very short and very warm winters. This year having been more typical, until this week's warm spell, we're ripping thru a good bit more wood.