Firewood Gathering With A Power Trac

[MossRoad]

Hey. My wife and I had a wood burning stove installed last October. Works great. We gathered a bit of firewood from the ground on our remote property and bought several cords ($40.00 a truck load, split, you load, great deal) last year. However, we (I) decided we should use our own wood from our place and I should split and stack it for exercise. Yikes! What was I thinking???

Anyhow, three or four weekends ago I went to our place and dropped about 50 small sassafras and locust trees in the 12" and under category as well as two larger cherries in the 18"-22" category with my chainsaw. That took a couple hours.

Last Saturday I went back out and dragged all of them up to the landing with the PT425. I was by myself and that meant I had to hop off the tractor, chain the log, hop on the tractor, drive to the landing, hop off the tractor, un-chain the log, hop on the tractor, use the forks to stack the log, then drive to the next tree and repeat. Surprisingly, that only took about three hours and I was not very tired at all. I think that is due to the PT425 being so low to the ground that I have to sit down in it rather than climb up on it. Same thing for getting out of it, rather than climbing off of it like a conventional tractor. Very easy to do. If I would have had a grapple on the front, it would have cut the time down considerably as I could have just grabbed the logs instead of chaining them. I leave the chain dragging behind the tractor and it never seems to interfere with anything. The PT is so maneuverable that I can usually get within 2-3 feet of the log end without running over the chain. Even if I do run it over, the turfs just spin and slide right over it. I just have to pay attention to where I stop so I don't park on the chain.

Anyhow, it worked out pretty nice. We went back Sunday without the PT and I pulled up to the stack of logs and cut a cord and loaded it on the trailer. That took about an hour and a half. We have another cord left to cut from the log pile. I need about three cords more for next year but would like to get four.

Any of you draggin firewood out with your PTs?

 

[stray]

Moss I drag some trees on occasions. I have found that with the size chain I use you can, with no attachment on the pt, lock the chain into one of the two sides of the quick connect thus an easy and quick way to attach and adjust the length of the chain to the log.

 

[MossRoad]

I just drop mine in the pin hitch on the back. The grab hook is so large that it doesn't pull through behind the pin.

 

[kjm3232]

i'll use my towing hitch with a chain to drag trees that i cut down or trees that had been cut down years ago to one of my burn pits in order to get a pasture eventually built in the back part of our property

 

[Central_PA_Chris]

I've been cutting, splitting and stacking where the wood falls/is felled. I've started seasoning it in place so it's out of the way. The PT comes into play in clearing brush from the work area so I don't have to fight briers and such while cutting & splitting. I have a smallish electric splitter that I drag behind the atv (generator in atv bed to run it) thus far it seems to be the right combo of gear and tactics for me. I use a timberjack to get the logs off the ground for cutting, that tool is indispensable for wood cutting. Though I think I need to alter the angle of the spikes or sharpen them, not quite aggressive enough.

Seasoning Firewood How and When

 

[SnowRidge]

Chris, thanks for posting that link. I had never heard of that technique. I think I am going to give it a try.

 

[MossRoad]

That does look neat. I'll give it a try, too. I have to go cut and haul another cord tonight after work. Don't have time to split it yet, but will by mid summer. That should leave enough time to dry it out.

 

[SnowRidge]

I have to say I am a little skeptical. It seems almost impossible to dry firewood that fast in our hot climate, let alone in Germany. For those who have never been there, a description of Germany's four seasons follows:

Winter -- when the glühwein flows and fülligfrauen stick red hot pokers in your drink at the bierhalle. It's cold as the dickens out, but you can't feel it, and you really don't care. Besides, there is nothing else to do.

Spring -- a date on the official calendar when a regimented society doffs its coats and its women switch to light frilly things, despite that fact that there are blizzard conditions in Hamburg and three meters of snow on the ground of the average Bavarian dairy farm.

Summer -- the entire month of August, the only time of year that the snow doesn't stick.

Fall -- a date of the official German calendar when a regimented society dons heavy coats, scarves, and mittens despite the record heat wave crushing Europe, all because the nationale Regierung says its Fall.

 

[MossRoad]

Here is a picture of the logs that I brought up last week before I started cutting them up into firewood lengths.

 

[MossRoad]

The nice thing about the Power Trac is that I was able to drag and stack the logs in the first picture with ease using the forks. Stacking the logs like that allows me to start at one end of the pile with the chainsaw and just start lopping off firewood size pieces. It takes me about a half an hour to cut off a cord of firewood and then about an hour to load it on my trailer.

Here is one trailer load brought back home last week. I went out again tonight and cut a similar amount. From the time I left my house, drove out to our property about 7 miles away, get situated, cut and load and drive home was about 2hrs and 15 minutes.

 

[MossRoad]

There is probably another full load left in the pile, so that means that stack of logs in the first picture will yield about 3 cords total. I need about three more cords to be happy, so that means one more day felling, one more day dragging, and several trips with the trailer bringing it all home. Then I can start splitting the larger ones and stacking it to dry.

The next time I fell and drag I will try to take some photos and maybe a movie or two.

 

[ldabe]

MR,

Do you have a pic of your woodburner?

When I built my house about 4 years ago, I purchased a small wood burning stove:

Vermont Castings NC Wood Stoves
ASPEN 1920
ASPEN - 1920 Stoves | Wood Stoves - Non-Catalytic Wood Stoves by Vermont Castings

It was just going to be for an occassinal fire, and mostly just for looks. I had never had any experiance with a wood burning stove before.

After we started using it (and calculating the cost with and without for heating) we really enjoyed it, and burn all winter long (Michigan: Nov - Mar).

But, I would suggest to anyone getting a wood burning stove to go larger, not smaller (just like out buildings). The one I have does fine to keep our hallway, kitchen, dining, and living room warm, because these rooms are an open design. Plus we like our bedrooms colder for sleeping. But the stove I have is hard to load, and you have to cut the wood/logs very small to load the stove. And if you load it correctly, and damper it all the way down at night before going to bed, in the morning (7-8 hours) you usually have some coals left to fire up another load. But not much, so you can't doddle, get side tracked or sleep in.

If I had it to do over, I would:

-locate the stove in the center of house (or close to)
-get a larger stove (2000 btu's plus, to cover 1800-2400 sqft. easily)
-one that has a large (length wise) front door (or double door)
-one that has a large ash drawer, and removable without openning the door
-and buy one of these:
TractorByNet.com Classifieds Item 831287742 - Aspen wood stove fan - Runs on heat

(btw, am I just a slow typer, or does this reply board "time out" quickly"?)

 

[MossRoad]

This is the model stove we have.
Napoleon Wood Burning Stoves
Although ours is all black with no fancy schmancy trim!

We put ours on an outside wall in the basement for several reasons.

1. That is the only place it would fit without major remodeling of the upstairs.
2. We wanted to be able to use our basement in winter. It gets down in the high 40s if it is below zero outside.
3. The firewood comes in through an outside stairwell, which keeps the dirt down.

Goal was to use 50% less gas and we did more than that this winter and this winter was colder than last winter. Mission accomplished!

I also plumbed in some ductwork above the stove and used an in-line booster fan with a thermostat to send warm air upstairs. That worked well. When temps are in the mid 20s or higher, I can maintain the entire house at 72-74 degrees.

I used a portable thermostat like this
Portable Thermostat | Heaters | Northern Tool + Equipment
in the basement to control the air flow to the upstairs. It is reversible for heating or cooling. I have it set so that when the basement heats up to 72 degrees, it turns the duct booster on and sends the heat upstairs, thus "cooling" the basement. When the stove dies down and the temp in the basement drops below 72, it turns off the fan so that cold air is not moved upstairs. Works well.

 

[ldabe]

Nice!

MR, would you mind (if possible) giving a drawing of how you did that (you know, a pic worth a 1000 words)?

Also, can you give an approx. on the cost of that stove?

 

[MossRoad]

Nice!

MR, would you mind (if possible) giving a drawing of how you did that (you know, a pic worth a 1000 words)?

Also, can you give an approx. on the cost of that stove?

The stove was about $1500.00.
The chimney pipe was about $1000.00
And the company I bought all that from installed it for $500.00. That entailed cutting a hole in the 1st floor's floor, the 1st floor ceiling and the roof.
I boxed in the pipe after they were done.
Not sure what drawing you want?

 

[SnowRidge]

Moss, are you using the outside combustion air feature?

 

[MossRoad]

Moss, are you using the outside combustion air feature?

Nope. I'm using the "my house is so drafty I can fly a flag in the hallway" feature! When I light the stove and sit on the floor in front of it, I can feel the air rush across the basement floor and under the stove.

One thing I should mention is that I installed a smoke and carbon monoxide detector directly above the floor vent where the air comes out on the first floor. That way, if anything should go whacky in the basement and I start sucking gasses upstairs, it will go off fast. And it works, because I had some smoke drift out of the stove when I opened the door one day.

I brought another load of wood home on Friday but it is raining today, so I'll have to wait until later this week to get that last load before felling more trees.

 

[SnowRidge]

We are thinking of getting one of those Napoleons in the next year, probably the same model as yours. Any regrets or tips?

 

[ldabe]

Not sure what drawing you want?

I guess I am not picturing the hook up with the thermostat.

 

[MossRoad]

I guess I am not picturing the hook up with the thermostat.

OK. I got it. Here goes.

The thermostat that I posted a link to is called a portable thermostat. It is a box with a 10' cord on it. At the end of the cord is a piggy-back plug that you plug in to a wall socket. Then you plug the device you want to control into the back of the piggy-back plug. The box has a coil on it to sense temperature and a dial that you set for the desired temperature, just like a home thermostat. Inside the box there is a terminal strip with several color coded screw terminals. The thing comes from the factory set to HEAT. That means, if the temperature DROPS below the point you have set on the dial, it will turn ON anything that is plugged into the piggy-back plug. These things are used in greenhouses to turn on heaters at night. However, by changing a couple wires on the color coded terminal screws in the box, you can have it set to COOL instead of HEAT (the directions come with it, just takes a screwdriver, very easy). When set to COOL, if the temperature RISES above the point you have set on the dial it will turn ON anything plugged into the piggy-back plug, like an air conditioner.

So, now on to the basement room where my stove is.... I have installed some simple duct work between the basement room and the 1st floor. Inside that duct work is a booster fan that runs on 110V. I plugged that booster fan into the back of the piggy-back plug on the portable thermostat. I light a fire in the stove and in about an hour the room starts to heat up. I have the thermostat set to 72 degrees and configured to COOL the room. So, when the temperature in the room rises above 72 degrees, the portable thermostat turns on the duct booster fan and moves the warm air out of the basement and up to the first floor. In about 6-7 hours the fire goes out, the stove cools down, the temp finally drops below 72 and the thermostat shuts the duct booster fan off so no cool air moves upstairs.

Pretty slick. I came home yesterday after noon and the fan was running but I didn't make a fire for two days. Apparently the sun had shone through the basement windows, heated up the room to above 72 and it sent warm air upstairs for a while in the afternoon. Free heat!