Tractors and wood! Show your pics

[grsthegreat]

I had the privilege of working on some of that. I worked for an engineering company out of Boise for a while. We did the geotechnical work for the realignment of US-95 from Athol to Granite. There were many fatality accidents through that area, so the state re-engineered it to be a controlled access road. Unfortunately, many trees had to go. Nonetheless, in my opinion, northern Idaho is still some of the most beautiful land in this country. I was blessed to live there for a while.

So your the one……



The road is way safer, but not very nice looking any longer.

But the traffic amounts have increased so much in the 30 years i lived here, i can see why it was necessary.

 

[LouNY]

I haven't been up to Coeur d'Alene since the late 70's before Kellog shut down with the Hunt Brothers fiasco. When that hit the fan I was working down in Nevada at Freeport Golds processing facility. That would have been the early 80's hard times for all in the mineral sector in those days. Ended up in West Texas doing gas plant work.
Idaho and Texas are my favorite States that I've lived and worked in, and both of them were quite favorable with the dollars for me.

 

[Windblown]

I agree with that. No one sells processed firewood for $220 delivered around here. In my area, folks who are in the business (as opposed to those who are just selling the odd cord here and there) are $325 or higher for green wood. Some are significantly higher. Those with a good reputation have no problem selling what they produce.

Damn... $325.00 a cord for green wood?

Here it's runs about $200 a cord for "seasoned" oak firewood from outfits that sell a good bit of wood every year. Of course seasoned usually means about half-dry... I'm sure the best local suppliers delivering truly ready to burn wood get a bit more. I cut and process my own "free" wood but if my time wasn't free I'd not be saving much if any money doing it myself at the local rates folks are charging for it.

 

[BnRidge]

Trees don't live forever.

In northern WI there were vast areas of white pine that were logged early 1900s. Cathedral pines park is one of the few places left with old growth pine trees. I hiked through it 35yrs ago. It's not that big of an area, 10-20ac or so. There were storks nests in the tree tops, yet they were so high up we couldn't see them, but could here them. Trees that were down - trails went around them, the horizontal trunks were large enough they still were over our heads. Last year we went back, couldn't wait to show it off to friends. What a wreck. All the trees now are dead and dying, just a tattered jumble. Nothing at all to see. Could have been cut when they had the chance.

 

[GrandpaSmurf825]

I’m guessing you live near Carthage. I live near Macomb.

Very near. I help a farmer northeast of Macomb though. Lived across from Argyle Lake State Park until we built a new home here in 2018. We lived in or around Macomb for many years. I worked at Bower Roller Bearing AKA NTN Bower for nearly 19 years before I escaped. I wish I had plotted that sooner. Was just surprised to learn we were so close together.

 

[greenie]

I haven't read all 2585 pages of this thread to know if the SuperSplitter has been mentioned. We had one at a state park I worked at that finely split 50 cords a year to make camper firewood to sell. The splitter is fast - using stored kinetic energy from twin cast iron flywheels instead of hydraulics.

We used this for 10 plus years until the Subaru (Robin) engine wore out and replaced the engine with a better quality Honda. Now 21 years old this splitter is still in service. At $3,000+ it's not cheap but it's fast. Many people operated this splitter over the years and there were no injuries associated with the speed of the splitter. I liked it so much I bought one for my own personal use when I retired. I drive past a commercial firewood operation and see two of these splitters in use.
Another game changer was a logging winch. Most trees I can approach with the tractor are leaning toward the tractor. I pull the whole tree out and have a burn pile for the limbs. To do this the tree needs to fall away from the tractor. Murphy's law or whatever invariably most trees are leaning the wrong way. With a snatch block I can pull the tree rather than fart around with felling wedges. Besides, most trees I drop hang up in the surrounding trees and rarely reach the ground when I cut them. Again, the tractor winch will pull these trees to the ground - only rarely getting trapped in another tree's vee.

The Original Kinetic Log Splitter, made in the USA

The original, the fastest and still the best kinetic log splitter on the market. All made in the USA.

www.supersplit.com

I am not a salesman nor do I have any association with the splitter other than owning 1.

 

[shooterdon]

I watched the video of the Super Splitter and it has one downside. You still need to wrestle with large rounds. Both lifting them into place and then resplitting and resplitting them.

I have some logs that are too large for my processor, and I am looking at the Hyper Split:

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/hyper-split-25-ton-log-splitter-with-briggs-208cc-engine-6057192

It has a fast cycle time (6 seconds) and allows vertical operation for about half the cost of the Super Split. Anything less than 15" goes through the processor so my situation is different. I set aside logs 11-15" in diameter and use the 6 way wedge in the processor so I am not flipping splits and resplitting them.

For the person getting logs 12" or less in diameter the Super Split is a nice option. They are very well built and, as you mentioned, some commercial operations use them. But IMO they may not be very efficient. I can process logs into a cord of wood in about 2.5 hours working alone.

Not sure how long it takes to buck logs and split them using the Super Split.

 

[John_Mc]

I used a SuperSplit off and on years ago. They are indeed great splitters and very well made.

When SuperSplit's patent finally ran out, a number of imitators cropped up. I also had the chance to use a couple of those brands: same general idea, but not nearly as well executed. One of them stayed on the market for a little over a year or so and was withdrawn after continued quality problems. The other lasted for a number of years. If you watched their video advertisements, you'd think they invented the concept. I noticed the manufacturer quietly stopped making them a couple of years ago. Meanwhile, SuperSplit keeps chugging along, making top quality splitters.

I almost bought one myself a while back, but ended up finding a used American CLS with 4-way wedge and hydraulic log lift instead. Two main reasons for the choice: 1) the hydraulic log lift (I'm not getting any younger) and 2) concerns about the speed of the SuperSplit: My splitter gets used by a wide number of volunteers with our community firewood donation program (including local Boy and Girl Scout troops). As speedy as the splitter is, I was concerned about the potential for injury. It probably would have been OK, I just didn't want to chance it.

 

[Highlandr]

I got the 20 ton splitter from Harbor Freight a few years ago.

20 ton 212cc Log Splitter

Amazing deals on this 20 Ton Log Splitter at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

Typical hydraulic splitter, but it splits both ways so you're not waiting on the cylinder to retract 1/2 the time.

Video

 

[greenie]

I watched the video of the Super Splitter and it has one downside. You still need to wrestle with large rounds. Both lifting them into place and then resplitting and resplitting them. ......Not sure how long it takes to buck logs and split them using the Super Split.

Correct. There are beautiful huge oaks on my lot I leave stand. I could grapple large rounds up but it would take lots of time doing that alone. Trees I cut are smaller just for that reason. My stove takes a 27" stick - the Super Splitter maxes out at 24" and if the fit is tight the Super Splitter clatters without engaging.
The time it takes to cut & split seems reasonable; if I was younger I could do the work much faster.