Tractors and wood! Show your pics

[Rockbadchild]

Are you cutting them off Crown lands or are you a large landowner? (By standards south of the border)

crown land... Out here we are allowed cut a few tree species on crown land in the lumber cuts, the species they don't used or leave behind, so for us it's Tamarack, cedar and birch. (over a certain amount you need a permit)

 

[wolc123]

I knew that the 20 year old 6 volt battery, that I had in my 1951 Ford 8n, was on borrowed time last fall. It had never been used. They gave it to me at work, after I bought a Farmall Cub (that hadn’t been run in 20 years) at a silent auction.

The cells were half empty and I topped them off with distilled water. I got it charged up to 5.5 volts. I moved the good, 5 year old 6 volt battery from my Ford 8n into the Cub, after my mechanic changed all the fluids, replaced the carburetor, and tuned it up.

That “new” 20 year old battery started my Ford all spring and summer last year, but couldn’t do it when it got cold in the fall. When it failed to start last November, I pushed it into its winter birth with my loader tractor.

Many folks don’t like 6 volt systems, but I would never again consider buying an old tractor that had been converted to 12. I got burned on that once and this ain’t baseball. Too often, that is used as a bandaid, to get a worn out, low compression engine to start. If they start good on 6 volts, you know you got a good one.

It took a while and cost me some cash ($150 after taxes and core exchange), but I got a brand new “Traveller” 6 volt battery at TSC this morning. I was really hoping the old Ford would go when I put it in. The last few springs, it took a shot of starting fluid, to get it running. Not this year. A few turns with that new battery, and just a little choke, and that long dormant flat head four lit right up.

I took it out and split and hauled about 3/4 of a face cord of ash, to top off the last row on the west end of my woodshed. That left just enough room to tuck my 2-row corn planter in there. I also moved the red and white foam padded seat cover from the Cub to the Ford.

I really like that old Ford for firewood Duty. The front hitch works good on the splitter and the 3 point carryall easily carries and lifts about a half face cord of wood.

It’s great for firewood, and planting corn with that little 2-row. It’s best at dirt plowing though, with the 2 x 12 Dearborn plow that it shipped from the factory with, back in 1951. Hopefully, I’ll soon be able to start some of that.

 

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I knew that the 20 year old 6 volt battery, that I had in my 1951 Ford 8n, was on borrowed time last fall. It had never been used. They gave it to me at work, after I bought a Farmall Cub (that hadn’t been run in 20 years) at a silent auction.

The cells were half empty and I topped them off with distilled water. I got it charged up to 5.5 volts. I moved the good, 5 year old 6 volt battery from my Ford 8n into the Cub, after my mechanic changed all the fluids, replaced the carburetor, and tuned it up.

That “new” 20 year old battery started my Ford all spring and summer last year, but couldn’t do it when it got cold in the fall. When it failed to start last November, I pushed it into its winter birth with my loader tractor.

Many folks don’t like 6 volt systems, but I would never again consider buying an old tractor that had been converted to 12. I got burned on that once and this ain’t baseball. Too often, that is used as a bandaid, to get a worn out, low compression engine to start. If they start good on 6 volts, you know you got a good one.

It took a while and cost me some cash ($150 after taxes and core exchange), but I got a brand new “Traveller” 6 volt battery at TSC this morning. I was really hoping the old Ford would go when I put it in. The last few springs, it took a shot of starting fluid, to get it running. Not this year. A few turns with that new battery, and just a little choke, and that long dormant flat head four lit right up.

I took it out and split and hauled about 3/4 of a face cord of ash, to top off the last row on the west end of my woodshed. That left just enough room to tuck my 2-row corn planter in there. I also moved the red and white foam padded seat cover from the Cub to the Ford.

I really like that old Ford for firewood Duty. The front hitch works good on the splitter and the 3 point carryall easily carries and lifts about a half face cord of wood.
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It’s great for firewood, and planting corn with that little 2-row. It’s best at dirt plowing though, with the 2 x 12 Dearborn plow that it shipped from the factory with, back in 1951. Hopefully, I’ll soon be able to start some of that.

Never burnt ash wood.
Hows it compared to say red oak?

 

[wolc123]

Never burnt ash wood.
Hows it compared to say red oak?

The best thing about ash, is that it is the only wood that I know of, that can be burned without any seasoning time. That means if you ran out of wood during the winter, you could go out and cut and split some fresh stuff, and burn it the next day. With a woodshed that holds at least (4) years supply, that advantage does not do me any good. I only burn ash because I’m literally burried in supply right now.

By contrast, red oak is not fit for burning until about (2) years after it is cut and split. Red oak and ash each make about the same amount of heat.

The thing I like the least about ash, is that it does not burn completely, and leaves lots of ashes behind. That means the stove needs to be cleaned much more often, that it does with most other woods. This is the primary reason, why I won’t miss the ash much, when it’s gone. In my estimation, we will only have to put up with ash for about (5) more years, thanks to the emerald ash borer.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

SR

 

[John_Mc]

Never burnt ash wood.
Hows it compared to say red oak?

White ash is close to Red Oak in terms of BTUs: just a few % lower than RO. However, it doesn't seem to coal as well as Oak does.

Black ash has about 80% of the BTU content as Red Oak.

 

[John_Mc]

The best thing about ash, is that it is the only wood that I know of, that can be burned without any seasoning time. That means if you ran out of wood during the winter, you could go out and cut and split some fresh stuff, and burn it the next day.

While Ash will burn when fresh cut, It does burn much better and have higher BTU output if it is properly seasoned.

The attached file shows the "excess moisture content" for various species of wood (the amount of moisture above the 20% MC that is commonly accepted as the desirable max for burning wood efficiently).

 

[wolc123]

I’m really looking forward to burning some other woods again. Ever since the emerald ash borer threat started, over 10 years ago, over 90 % of what I’ve been burning has been ash.

Roughly half of the trees on our 34 acres were ash, as were about 1/4 of those, on my parents 64 acres. Even though that’s mostly what we have been burning, I haven’t put much of a dent in the supply. They are almost all dead or dying now and most are still standing.

If I can’t get to them, when they are mostly alive, I prefer to let them fall on their own or have them pushed over with an excavator. Dead ash trees are very unpredictable and dangerous to fell with a chainsaw.

Our town highway crew cleaned them all out on my west fence line about 5 years ago, dumping many truckloads of logs for me, most of which I gave away. The last few years, most of my supply has been from ones that fell across atv trails over in my parents woods.

There’s also lots of cherry in their woods, and every time one of those falls, I pounce on that prize. Cherry wood is highly sought after in these parts, and sells for more than double what ash goes for.

 

[John_Mc]

@wolc123 where are you from? For your Ash timeline (over 10 years ago), I'm guessing southern Michigan or NW Ohio?

 

[wolc123]

@wolc123 where are you from? For your Ash timeline (over 10 years ago), I'm guessing southern Michigan or NW Ohio?

I am on the north west corner of NY state, about a half hour drive from Lake Erie or Lake Ontario.