Mrs. Twigpig likes the Kioti.

[twigpig]

I had to burn a pile of stumps and branches today. they have been accumulating since I sold my Case 580. Nan wasn't very happy with me buying a "new" used tractor. But after today I don't think I'll hear any complaints. She really likes how easy the hst is to use. Nan marveled at the fact that it has a cupholder. Her old 88 Mazda MX6 didn't have a single cupholder and neither does my 89 Ranger. We just baught her an 07 Accord a few weeks ago which has cupholders everywhere. Twigpiglet just got home from school so she jumped up with her mom real quick for a photo-op. I am trying not to run the tractor very much until I get a new hydraulic cooler but I had to burn the pile before things dry out very much around here.

 

[Dmace]

Looks like fun! Great pics.

 

[Thomas]

Now how does that saying go..."If momma happy everybody happy"

 

[RedRocker]

You're doomed, doesn't look like she'll let you back on "her" tractor.

 

[Highbeam]

Looks like you already lost your lower front grille piece! Mine has seen some pokey sticks but is still mostly intact.

Good to see some work getting done.

Here's my Kioti burning last June. I saw how close the tress were to your burn pile. You can see in my photo that tree to the upper right that was licked and killed by the fire.

I can't wait for the mud to dry up.

 

[twigpig]

I have a new grill piece sitting on my front porch along with a new Kioti grill guard from Wallace Tractors. But I don't want to put them on until I change out the hydraulic cooler. Easier access without them on. That's how I got my wife to come out and help. Her job was to warn me if any sticks came close to the front of the tractor. I persuaded her to get on by giving her a choice. She could wrap the chains around the smoking stumps or drive. It didn't take long to decide. Once she was on she picked up the loader controls quickly and before we knew it she was shoving stumps in the burn pile. She is self admitedly severely mechanically challenged. I don't get it. It must skip a generation because her dad can build or work on just about anything and helped out a lot in our house building project (he's a retired MD).

 

[Oleozz]

There is no way I could get Mrs Oleozz on my tractor and I guess that's a good thing!

 

[Oleozz]

After looking again at Twigpig and Highbeam's pics I have a question, What do you use to get your brush piles burning well? I hate to use old tires because of all the smoke and pollution. Do you use diesel fuel or do you have another "trick" that works well? Thanks.

 

[Cota]

Keeping burnpiles going can be difficult. My most successful technique is to use a shop vac on blow with a 5 foot peice of capped on one end 3" pipe with holes drilled for air to escape attached to the end of my flex hose. Stick it in the pile and you will be in pyro heaven.My backpack blower works but has its hazards. The shop vac works perfect.

Cota

CK30 gear

 

[Highbeam]

I don't know if this is the right way to do it but here is a link to my burning slash thread. Lot's of photos there and discussion.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/82008-burning-slash-look-ma-no.html

Here is a photo of my preferred method when no power is available. I have big floor fan for burning with power. The logger had a gas engine powered firefan that was required by the fire department for my premitted burn.

I have actually melted plastic on the blower, it gets very hot and you can watch the pile shrink. The blower only uses a little bit of 2 stroke fuel and is easy to pack to the jobsite. I have found that the best way to start a slash fire is to build a large campfire out of regular dry firewood until you get a good coal bed going and then push a pile of clean slash on top. Then pour a little diesel on as needed. I start all of my fires with the propane weed burner contraption from HD or HF which throws 500,000 btus and will start dirt on fire.

 

[twigpig]

I did like Highbeam did and used one of those HF weed burners. Since I was close to the house I ran an extension cord out with a regular old box fan. You can see the fan on the back patio in the picture. I had most of the pile covered for a couple of years with an old ratty tarp that is now in the dump. I tried to start the pile outside of the tarp covered area but didn't get anywhere. Once I pointed the weed burner and fan on the dried area under the tarp (I removed the tarp first) it started right up. I just had to push things together once in while to keep things going. The last time I burned a pile a couple of years ago I used a couple gallons of diesel fuel to get things going. But the diesel gets all over and it smell like ahhh diesel fuel. The loggers will use a thick kraft paper and put that over the pile weighed down with small logs for a few months to get things underneath dried out and then they light it. It works. I don't know if it is special paper or not but it looks like brown kraft paper. Using tires is a big no no here although I've come across some very suspicious black smoke at the start of some slash pile burning. I had a charged garden hose on either side of the pile which never got used and a shovel. One of the neat things about getting the burn permit from the fire department was that right there on the permit it said I had to have a tractor with a front end loader. Of course I had to show Mrs. Twigpig that part of the permit.

 

[twigpig]

Oleoz
That wasn't the first time I got Mrs. Twigpig on the tractor. Last week I boxbladed the driveway and kicked up a bunch of rocks. She again had a choice. She could pickup rocks and throw them in the bucket or drive the tractor. I don't think she would have felt comfortable driving if it wasn't for the hst. I couldn't get her on the Case 580 if my life depended on it. Her dad really enjoyed the backhoe on that thing. He used to dig ditches for utilities when he was in college. I don't think they had much in the way of backhoes back then.

 

[Oleozz]

That wasn't the first time I got Mrs. Twigpig on the tractor. Last week I boxbladed the driveway and kicked up a bunch of rocks. She again had a choice. She could pickup rocks and throw them in the bucket or drive the tractor. I don't think she would have felt comfortable driving if it wasn't for the hst. .

Twigpig, you are awful tough on the Mrs.
Thanks to all for the burning suggestions. Highbeam, that pic of yours makes me want to roast hot dogs.

 

[twigpig]

Oleozz
I talk brave but if she ever wanted to say no I would just have to drive the tractor and pickup rocks all by myself. This is all in the name of getting her some seat time so she understands why I go gaga over tractors. She even printed off some of the photos I took yesterday to show-off to some of her friends she is meeting with tonight. There looks to be so much heat coming off of Highbeams burn you would have to have one heck of a long stick. Either that or put on full bunker gear.

 

[YOTI]

I had to burn a pile of stumps and branches today. they have been accumulating since I sold my Case 580. Nan wasn't very happy with me buying a "new" used tractor. But after today I don't think I'll hear any complaints. She really likes how easy the hst is to use. Nan marveled at the fact that it has a cupholder. Her old 88 Mazda MX6 didn't have a single cupholder and neither does my 89 Ranger. We just baught her an 07 Accord a few weeks ago which has cupholders everywhere. Twigpiglet just got home from school so she jumped up with her mom real quick for a photo-op. I am trying not to run the tractor very much until I get a new hydraulic cooler but I had to burn the pile before things dry out very much around here.

Hey Brad, I must live in a different Washington than you if it dries out there!!
Unless we're on different sides of the Cascades.

 

[Redneck_Randy]

After looking again at Twigpig and Highbeam's pics I have a question, What do you use to get your brush piles burning well? I hate to use old tires because of all the smoke and pollution. Do you use diesel fuel or do you have another "trick" that works well? Thanks.

I use DuraFlame logs that you can purchase at WalMart. The work very well at getting the brush pile burning. These logs burn for about 4 hours so they are also good at helping to dry out a wet brush pile. I place the logs close to the bottom of the pile and also as far inside the pile I can reach.

 

[RedRocker]

I use DuraFlame logs that you can purchase at WalMart. The work very well at getting the brush pile burning. These logs burn for about 4 hours so they are also good at helping to dry out a wet brush pile. I place the logs close to the bottom of the pile and also as far inside the pile I can reach.

Same here with maybe a little diesel if it's wet.

 

[twigpig]

Yoti
It does indeed get fairley dry in July and August. I worked in Death Valley a long time ago. Not that dry. My burn pile was pretty close to some trees. My house wasn't all that far from the pile. I was afraid if things dried out too much I wouldn't be able to control it as well as I would like. My crew and I got chased by our own backfires in Yellowstone in 88. I have a healthy respect for fire. As it turned out the conditions were perfect several days ago and my pile burned up and did not endanger my trees or house. I like it when a plan comes together.