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[skorpyd]

My first year with an OWB.  Actually only online since mid January.  I had a few cords but went through that and have been supplementing with pallets and scraps from work.

I have a bunch of dead ash on my property but could only get to a little bit of it this winter because of all the snow.  Now it's too wet.   Hopefully I can gather a bunch before the mosquitos get too bad.

Yep definitely down to the nitty gritty.    Tonight I cut up some box elder that the County left when doing some clearing in the area.

[mlappin]

Hear yah about the wet, have over two dozen dead ash down, almost got the Polaris Ranger stuck in the woods the other day. Hopefully it drys out soon so I can at least get some of them out before I get busy with planting. Did get the new motor in the tracked skid steer so at least I'll have that to use when the time comes.

[skorpyd]

I have a skid loader also mlappin, no tracks on mine though,  they are nice when you can get in there.   I actually plowed some snow to get to some trees but was surprised to find that under the snow the ground was still soft and had trouble getting to them anyway.

I'm hoping to get in there with a 4 wheeler and small trailer soon.    It's along a river floodplain though.

[Pinehouse4]

This winter took a real toll on my firewood. Down to the last few loaders worth for the house.

Today I cut and split ( with my processor ) some ash logs that were stack since October. Put a loader full inside the sugar camp to dry the snow melt off the bark and started burning it today to make syrup. Mix one or two dry pieces with 8 to 10 of these and away we go, burnt great for syrup. Once it was roaring just kept tossing it in.

My older neighbor, a farmer has told me that when they were growing up and wood became short his dad would send them out to cut down an ash tree, that it could be burnt green. They would not have had air tight stoves then anyways, so like my evaporator away it goes.

Bob

[mlappin]

I have a skid loader also mlappin, no tracks on mine though,  they are nice when you can get in there.   I actually plowed some snow to get to some trees but was surprised to find that under the snow the ground was still soft and had trouble getting to them anyway.

I'm hoping to get in there with a 4 wheeler and small trailer soon.    It's along a river floodplain though.

After using the tracked one from everything from clearing scrap metal, to clearing fencerows, cutting wood, pushing snow and feeding the beef cattle in knee deep mud I'd never have a wheeled one. Only ever had it hung up once, the hired man was driving along a fresh trench and got to close, one track slipped in and she was all done, ain't gonna move when that track ain't even touching dirt. Floats across snow as well, I thought this winter if I drove several times up to the trees I wanted to drop I could walk in the track fairly easy, nope was still a slog thru it with a chainsaw as the skid steer didn't pack the snow enough to walk on.


Buying the skid steer is the cheap part, the attachments get salty. Have a grapple and rock bucket which I bought, a splitter and forks that I built and can borrow a hydraulic post hole digger for it anytime I want it. Looking at getting a hydraulic Bush Hog for the front next for cutting brush back in the woods and along fencerows.

Kinda like Harley Davidson stuff, the bike is cheap, the genuine HD chaps, boots, jacket, sunglasses, clothes, chrome, etc is where you need the second mortgage.

[caper]

Here in Nova Scotia, its been a brutal winter, worst one in 20 yrs,and we still have snow,however its melting now,i used about 12 cords I guess, not much left now,gotta start srownging for a lil wood property ,as I still have about three weeks yet to burn,anyhow hopefully after I install my mixn valves and a few other lil things ,the furnace will be alittle more efficient,maybe 9 next yr if im lucky,anyhow that's what we burned up here...thanks again for advice and good reading th epast few months,site is very addicting....wify makes fun of me all the time for lookin at this site too much,lol

[skorpyd]

I have a skid loader also mlappin, no tracks on mine though,  they are nice when you can get in there.   I actually plowed some snow to get to some trees but was surprised to find that under the snow the ground was still soft and had trouble getting to them anyway.

I'm hoping to get in there with a 4 wheeler and small trailer soon.    It's along a river floodplain though.

After using the tracked one from everything from clearing scrap metal, to clearing fencerows, cutting wood, pushing snow and feeding the beef cattle in knee deep mud I'd never have a wheeled one. Only ever had it hung up once, the hired man was driving along a fresh trench and got to close, one track slipped in and she was all done, ain't gonna move when that track ain't even touching dirt. Floats across snow as well, I thought this winter if I drove several times up to the trees I wanted to drop I could walk in the track fairly easy, nope was still a slog thru it with a chainsaw as the skid steer didn't pack the snow enough to walk on.


Buying the skid steer is the cheap part, the attachments get salty. Have a grapple and rock bucket which I bought, a splitter and forks that I built and can borrow a hydraulic post hole digger for it anytime I want it. Looking at getting a hydraulic Bush Hog for the front next for cutting brush back in the woods and along fencerows.

Kinda like Harley Davidson stuff, the bike is cheap, the genuine HD chaps, boots, jacket, sunglasses, clothes, chrome, etc is where you need the second mortgage.

Yep the attachments are what gets ya.  I only have forks and a 6' bucket.  Would love to have a grapple, and have been looking for a post hole auger.   I have seen those steel tracks that kind of go around the existing tires, do you know if they are any good.

That splitter sounds very cool, any pics?

[Jwood]

Steel tracks help floatation in dirt but anything icy I would forget about it.

[Digitaldreams]

Not totally out but down to junk wood semi green slab wood and all the dead branched from last summers storms sure glad the bitter cold is gone was using about a 3/4 of a cord every two weeks during that bitter cold snaps!

[mlappin]

Steel tracks help floatation in dirt but anything icy I would forget about it.

I would think steel tracks would be better than rubber on ice.

If its a sheet of ice I still prefer my rubber tracks over tires.

[mlappin]

Yep the attachments are what gets ya.  I only have forks and a 6' bucket.  Would love to have a grapple, and have been looking for a post hole auger.   I have seen those steel tracks that kind of go around the existing tires, do you know if they are any good.

That splitter sounds very cool, any pics?

Neighbor has the steel tracks for his for over ten years and still uses em so I guess he likes em.

Logsplitter: http://s160.photobucket.com/user/Marty_Lappin/slideshow/Facebook/Logsplitter

Working now on modifying the splitter so on easier stuff I have a four way splitter, get into the ugly stuff and raise the wedge so it's more like whats in the pictures now.

[AirForcePOL]

I was beggining to worry about how much wood I would get cut this spring but then a guy at work said he had two big trees he was having cut down.  I hauled 4 full trailer loads home and this is the pile I got from it.  I'm guessing there's about 4 cords there?  It's all cut to different lengths so it wont stack real good but I didn't even have to start my saw for all of this!  He told me this was Chinese Elm but I really have no clue. 

[skorpyd]

Yep the attachments are what gets ya.  I only have forks and a 6' bucket.  Would love to have a grapple, and have been looking for a post hole auger.   I have seen those steel tracks that kind of go around the existing tires, do you know if they are any good.

That splitter sounds very cool, any pics?

Neighbor has the steel tracks for his for over ten years and still uses em so I guess he likes em.

Logsplitter: http://s160.photobucket.com/user/Marty_Lappin/slideshow/Facebook/Logsplitter

Working now on modifying the splitter so on easier stuff I have a four way splitter, get into the ugly stuff and raise the wedge so it's more like whats in the pictures now.

Thanks for the pics, Marty.

That is quite the splitter.  I recently ran across the commercial version of that and the videos were pretty impressive.  It showed it splitting and stacking into a huge pile all in one motion.

It doesn't look all that complicated to build either.   I have a lot to do this year but it might make a great winter project when I get the OWB lines run to the pole barn workshop.  I may wan't to contact you for advise when I think I may be ready to build one.

That Bobcat looks like a Tiger with those big wide tracks.  I had the Gehl 6635 out this evening fixing the driveway but still can't get it to the woods.

[mlappin]

Thanks, I've been real happy with it, wouldn't change anything other than having a four way.

I either drag the logs out of the woods or carry them with the grapple. Cut em up then use the grapple to load my Uncles 5 yard dump truck. Bring that up and dump it in a pile, then start splitting. Place the splitter over the piece of wood, put just a little pressure on it pick it up then turn and split it over the pile.

I'll try to post some pictures of the four way when I'm done.

Didn't have that much in it, the 8x18.75 channel iron was drops from Alro Steel so a small discount, rest of the stuff I mostly already had.

[ijon]

Yep the attachments are what gets ya.  I only have forks and a 6' bucket.  Would love to have a grapple, and have been looking for a post hole auger.   I have seen those steel tracks that kind of go around the existing tires, do you know if they are any good.

That splitter sounds very cool, any pics?

Neighbor has the steel tracks for his for over ten years and still uses em so I guess he likes em.        Nice setup. Looks like it would be real easy to use.

Logsplitter: http://s160.photobucket.com/user/Marty_Lappin/slideshow/Facebook/Logsplitter

Working now on modifying the splitter so on easier stuff I have a four way splitter, get into the ugly stuff and raise the wedge so it's more like whats in the pictures now.