Tractors and wood! Show your pics

[Jstpssng]

I guess I could have been more specific that the tag was for Elk.
Got a laugh out me. Thanks.
Patrick

You have to be careful what you say with this crowd.

 

[John_Mc]

The last two years I was able to stack 10cord each, white oak, separated by year, all started as standing dead. Equilibrium moisture content for around here is 13-15%.
Left, stacked two summers 13-15%. Right, stacked one summer 20-24%. Freshly split, no drying, 30-50%.

Pretty much the same results I get here in the Champlain Valley of Vermont. Non-Oak species I can fairly reliably get to 15-17% MC over one summer if I cut/split/stack in the spring. I can get a bit lower if I get it cut and stacked early enough. Mud season sometimes interferes with working early in the year, unless I get it done in the winter. (I actually prefer the winter for this sort of work... at least all but the stacking part. I don't enjoy that in any season, but particularly not in winter.)

I did not measure MC last year, but I'm betting last summer might have been an exception: the whole year was so continuously wet, that things might not have dried as well.

 

[arrow]

Pretty much the same results I get here in the Champlain Valley of Vermont. Non-Oak species I can fairly reliably get to 15-17% MC over one summer if I cut/split/stack in the spring. I can get a bit lower if I get it cut and stacked early enough. Mud season sometimes interferes with working early in the year, unless I get it done in the winter. (I actually prefer the winter for this sort of work... at least all but the stacking part. I don't enjoy that in any season, but particularly not in winter.)

I did not measure MC last year, but I'm betting last summer might have been an exception: the whole year was so continuously wet, that things might not have dried as well.

They didn’t, not left to dry in the sun.
I stack single row (mostly red oak) out to 150’ and 4.5’ high. It shrinks to 4’ as it dries within the two year period it’s left out there. I cover it at the end of summer of the usage year.
The wood l put in shed at the same time, had a lower percentage of dry by 2 -4 points.
It was simply too moist outside this year with a two week period of 8” of rain on one occasion.

 

[Loaderman22]

I guess I could have been more specific that the tag was for Elk.
Got a laugh out me. Thanks.
Patrick

You're welcome, I'm always trying to keep things light! There is way too much negativity out there, usually for no reason other than to make the commenter feel better about themselves.

One of the former members, he was just mentioned a couple pages ago, used to give everyone a gentle ribbing, mostly directed towards a certain current member and his swimming pool!

 

[Loaderman22]

This year I am burning the last I have of a 100 year old Ash tree that was standing dead and felled summer of 2022. It was 50" or so across at the bottom, I posted it here when we cut it. The wood was dry then, and after it was split and stacked in the totes with my plastic bladder covers, it is still dry and solid. if the coals are barely glowing orange, this stuff ignites in seconds and I get very little "ash"es to deal with. I typically burn mostly red/black oak, that I leave as logs a year, then split and wait another. The pieces with the carpenter ants stay outside until the second they go in the stove! I usually knock most of them off at the splitter and leave as a juicy snack for the animals.

 

[hunt4570]

Swimming pool?? WTH?
My biggest problem with firewood is a lack of hardwood trees, I have a spattering of oak and hickory and a lot of the time not in a place I want to cut them. I do have quite a few yellow poplars, AKA tulip trees down here, and gobs of sweetgum which makes up maybe half of my firewood, its not great but its not bad either!
PINE!! I have tons of pine which brings me to my post today. Finally getting past some medical problems that have been plaguing me for a while and got out my cutting gear today, first time since last summer I think! Again, most of my trees are pine, not so good for firewood but excellent for construction lumber and I have a couple projects I want to do so off I went! Just cut one tree today mainly to make sure everything was working properly after a too long layoff, and that's both my equipment and my body! Feels good so far (we will see about tomorrow) and my gear all worked as it was supposed to!
Butt diameter was right at 20" which is pretty normal for me here. About 50 feet up the tree split into two trunks which was good as I used those two trunks to stack my logs on till I bring my trailer over to haul everything off to my mill. Got 4 logs off this tree 2 at 12 feet, and 2 at ten.
Felt pretty good to get after it again!

The tree down

The base log was about all my tractor could handle, 13 feet and according to the log weight calculator 1256 pounds. Unless I was in 4wd the rear tire would just spin!

And here is my start !!

 

[arrow]

Swimming pool?? WTH?
My biggest problem with firewood is a lack of hardwood trees, I have a spattering of oak and hickory and a lot of the time not in a place I want to cut them. I do have quite a few yellow poplars, AKA tulip trees down here, and gobs of sweetgum which makes up maybe half of my firewood, its not great but its not bad either!
PINE!! I have tons of pine which brings me to my post today. Finally getting past some medical problems that have been plaguing me for a while and got out my cutting gear today, first time since last summer I think! Again, most of my trees are pine, not so good for firewood but excellent for construction lumber and I have a couple projects I want to do so off I went! Just cut one tree today mainly to make sure everything was working properly after a too long layoff, and that's both my equipment and my body! Feels good so far (we will see about tomorrow) and my gear all worked as it was supposed to!
Butt diameter was right at 20" which is pretty normal for me here. About 50 feet up the tree split into two trunks which was good as I used those two trunks to stack my logs on till I bring my trailer over to haul everything off to my mill. Got 4 logs off this tree 2 at 12 feet, and 2 at ten.
Felt pretty good to get after it again!

The tree down
View attachment 852621

View attachment 852622

The base log was about all my tractor could handle, 13 feet and according to the log weight calculator 1256 pounds. Unless I was in 4wd the rear tire would just spin!View attachment 852623
View attachment 852624

And here is my start !!
View attachment 852625

Glad to see you back in the saddle hunt.

 

[BnRidge]

4.5’ high. It shrinks to 4’ as it dries within the two year period it’s left out there.

I can tell when the wood is dry by how the piles stop shifting around as they shrink.

 

[Jstpssng]

Glad to see you back in the saddle hunt

I was thinking the same thing. He's been gone for over 2 weeks but all that somebody had to do was mention swimming pool...

Keep that in mind for future reference.

 

[dodge man]

I’ve been told and also noticed dry firewood as a unique sound when you toss it around, kind of a clink.