Hand Tools and Machinery for Country Living

[nahtnoj]

Jorn,

Did you ever wind up getting a UTV or some such thing? A tractor? I'm asking because I'm curious how the wood gets from the place you gather it to where you split. That too is a job.

I hear you on the seasonal rhythms of path maintenance. A lot of that comes down to use. I've got an MTB trail now that's a 10-12 minute loop if I ride the whole thing. If I build what I'd like to this winter, that will at least double. Then it becomes a balance of what I/close friends can ride frequently enough to keep it clear. I don't need to add "riding often enough to keep the trail from growing closed" to my list of chores. It can't become a source of stress.

Anyway, back to wood. Why not just gather it into one place throughout the year, then rent a splitter for a weekend, and knock it all out at once?

[j44ke]

I used to look out on the upper Susquehanna Valley every day.

Today, it's all wooded.



But after the Second World War, it was nothing but pastures for dairy cows. I don't have any pictures handy, but it was entirely deforested.

Big Dairy came along and put an end to small scale dairies. Now, most of it isn't used for much. It's too steep to till, or even to timber.

Grazing hearty animals on it seems like a great use for it, especially since it's in such close proximity to prime markets.

Our land had no trees except for a few boundary marker pines (most still standing,) a small apple orchard and a stand of sugar maples. And a couple gravel pits. The rest was sheep. And then cows. And then two ladies from Boston bought it in the 1920's and that was the end of farming, except for hay.

[j44ke]

Jorn,

Did you ever wind up getting a UTV or some such thing? A tractor? I'm asking because I'm curious how the wood gets from the place you gather it to where you split. That too is a job.

I hear you on the seasonal rhythms of path maintenance. A lot of that comes down to use. I've got an MTB trail now that's a 10-12 minute loop if I ride the whole thing. If I build what I'd like to this winter, that will at least double. Then it becomes a balance of what I/close friends can ride frequently enough to keep it clear. I don't need to add "riding often enough to keep the trail from growing closed" to my list of chores. It can't become a source of stress.

Anyway, back to wood. Why not just gather it into one place throughout the year, then rent a splitter for a weekend, and knock it all out at once?

Still thinking on that one. And the pickup truck. And the wood splitter. I am not running out of firewood either. So if wood rots on the ground, well that's okay. We have asian jumping worms in this part of the county, and the nutrients are needed to replenish the soil. The quad would be a help though. We'd have to connect the two halves of the property with a better road. Most of our paths are not wide enough, and for 1-2 months in spring water flows through the middle section of the woods. These year was kind of epic in that regard.

I've been doing what you describe - sort of. Choice wood gets cut and stacked where it falls. Then later I go back and cut it into shorter rounds. And then I drag it to the wood pile. Actually I drag it near the town road and then load it into our Volvo and drive it to the wood pile. So our Volvo is my quad. Then it waits there until my pal in Woodstock comes over with his splitter for a day of splinters and pasta.

But I get that self-reliance, do-it-myself itch, you know? The same one that's probably wrecking my hands, elbows and back. I have gotten good at slinging wood with a hookaroon though.

I've have seen the bear and the bear is me.

[Mabouya]

Most of our paths are not wide enough

How about a pair of these? I bet they could drag your wood back to the house.

[Tom]

And you could ride the horse.

[j44ke]

I think maintenance on a quad is cheaper but I love horses.

[Mabouya]

I think maintenance on a quad is cheaper

Prepare for the future:



Heavy Horses - Jethro Tull

Iron-clad feather-feet pounding the dust,
An October's day, towards evening,
Sweat embossed veins standing proud to the plough,
Salt on a deep chest seasoning.

Last of the line at an honest day's toil,
Turning the deep sod under,
Flint at the fetlock, chasing the bone,
Flies at the nostrils plunder.

The Suffolk, the Clydesdale, the Percheron Vie
with the Shire on his feathers floating.
Hauling soft timber into the dusk
to bed on a warm straw coating.

Heavy Horses, move the land under me.
Behind the plough gliding slipping and sliding free.
Now you're down to the few
And there's no work to do:
The tractor's on its way.

Let me find you a filly for your proud stallion seed
to keep the old line going.
And we'll stand you abreast at the back of the wood
behind the young trees growing.
To hide you from eyes that mock at your girth,
and your eighteen hands at the shoulder.

And one day when the oil barrels have all dripped dry
and the nights are seen to draw colder
they'll beg for your strength, your gentle power
your noble grace and your bearing.
And you'll strain once again to the sound of the gulls
in the wake of the deep plough, sharing.

Standing like tanks on the brow of the hill
Up into the cold wind facing
In stiff battle harness, chained to the world
Against the low sun racing.
Bring me a wheel of oaken wood
A rein of polished leather
A Heavy Horse and a tumbling sky
Brewing heavy weather.

Bring a song for the evening
Clean brass to flash the dawn
across these acres glistening
like dew on a carpet lawn.
In these dark towns folk lie sleeping
as the heavy horses thunder by
to wake the dying city
with the living horseman's cry.

At once the old hands quicken,
bring pick and wisp and curry comb,
thrill to the sound of all
the heavy horses coming home.

[nahtnoj]

Still thinking on that one. And the pickup truck. And the wood splitter. I am not running out of firewood either. So if wood rots on the ground, well that's okay. We have asian jumping worms in this part of the county, and the nutrients are needed to replenish the soil. The quad would be a help though. We'd have to connect the two halves of the property with a better road. Most of our paths are not wide enough, and for 1-2 months in spring water flows through the middle section of the woods. These year was kind of epic in that regard.

I've been doing what you describe - sort of. Choice wood gets cut and stacked where it falls. Then later I go back and cut it into shorter rounds. And then I drag it to the wood pile. Actually I drag it near the town road and then load it into our Volvo and drive it to the wood pile. So our Volvo is my quad. Then it waits there until my pal in Woodstock comes over with his splitter for a day of splinters and pasta.

But I get that self-reliance, do-it-myself itch, you know? The same one that's probably wrecking my hands, elbows and back. I have gotten good at slinging wood with a hookaroon though.

I've have seen the bear and the bear is me.

I have ash trees, or pieces thereof, that are coming down all the time. If they fall into the woods, great. But I gotta keep the fields and fence lines clear to facilitate haymaking.

The tractor is good for moving poles (6-16" in diameter, on the 3 point carryall) and rounds (bigger, heavier, in the bucket) to the area where I stack everything to dry.

Its also good for taking care of 1-4" branches via the PTO driven wood chipper - soooo many wood chips for flower beds and paths.

Despite my best intentions, I do wind up with piles of wood chips and stacks of rounds scattered to and fro. I think I could remove a transport step or two from the process by splitting the wood where it falls, but I probably wouldn't save as much time as I think. The wood chips in particular would be a lot more convenient to move with a UTV working in tandem with the tractor.

[Scott G.]

How about a pair of these? I bet they could drag your wood back to the house.

Or get two more and drag the house closer to the wood pile.

[SlowPokePete]

Get one of these and solve all your wood splitting problems and concerns.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CSsPwrqgjKx/

SPP

[caleb]

Get one of these and solve all your wood splitting problems and concerns.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CSsPwrqgjKx/

SPP

You can also rent Dynas.

[caleb]

@j44ke and @Too Tall , thanks, that's helpful feedback. I think I've found a contractor supply place in town that stocks both the Jacksons and the Millers, so I'll likely go and touch and feel.

Quick follow-up on a snowy afternoon sitting in front of the woodstove.

Last summer nicer wheelbarrows were more or less unobtainium locally. Nowhere had the Jacksons or Millers in stock.

I ended up finding a place online (I forget where) that offered free shipping on Brentwoods, and so that's what I bought sight unseen.

I got the poly tub and big wide turf tire. It rolls and generally carries a load much better than the old Ace Hardware consumer wheelbarrow I had.

I would guess the options everyone here suggested would have been great (and thanks for them), but I think I've reached the end of my wheelbarrow journey with the Brentwood.

[Too Tall]

Quick follow-up on a snowy afternoon sitting in front of the woodstove.

Last summer nicer wheelbarrows were more or less unobtainium locally. Nowhere had the Jacksons or Millers in stock.

I ended up finding a place online (I forget where) that offered free shipping on Brentwoods, and so that's what I bought sight unseen.

I got the poly tub and big wide turf tire. It rolls and generally carries a load much better than the old Ace Hardware consumer wheelbarrow I had.

I would guess the options everyone here suggested would have been great (and thanks for them), but I think I've reached the end of my wheelbarrow journey with the Brentwood.

Dang, that's a good finish to the story. Thanks.

This makes me want my old Gardenway cart back. Darn thing literally melted away with time and use. It was probably the best garden tool I ever owned.

[j44ke]

That looks like a good one. There is something to be said for a double-wheeled barrow also, especially when wrestling with stones.

Need to clean up some fallen wood this week. A bunch of cherry, a poplar (always a poplar down somewhere) and some damaged trees that need surgery so they don't spend energy trying to grow leaves at the end of shattered limbs this spring. Plus a couple big white pines brought down by ants and wind. So far the Stihl battery saw I got has handled everything with absolutely no problem (knock on wood.)

[AngryScientist]

So you guys who have some of the newer battery operated chainsaws - what about battery performance in cold weather? I need a new chainsaw for pretty light duty homeowner firewood gathering, but just the other day i went to use my cordless drill outside for a few hours and the battery was flanked quickly in the 15 or so degree weather. is frigid cold OK for these higher volts systems? many times you need to use a chainsaw, it's damned cold out...

[j44ke]

So you guys who have some of the newer battery operated chainsaws - what about battery performance in cold weather? I need a new chainsaw for pretty light duty homeowner firewood gathering, but just the other day i went to use my cordless drill outside for a few hours and the battery was flanked quickly in the 15 or so degree weather. is frigid cold OK for these higher volts systems? many times you need to use a chainsaw, it's damned cold out...

I've used my Stihl MSA-220 C-B (uses the AP battery system) in some pretty cold weather - in the low thirties at least - and haven't noticed too much difference in battery life. Some but not enough I could get done what was needed. I think you'd probably see more shortening of battery life if you take the saw out to where you are working and then did a bunch of prep work before using it. Meanwhile the battery would sit in the saw on the ground getting cold. What our landscapers do with their battery tree pruners is put the batteries in a small plastic cooler with a couple of those chemical hand warmers thrown in. The cooler holds the warmth and keep the batteries warm enough.

The other thing to keep after is the sharpness of the chain. With any saw keeping the chain sharp is best practice but it pays dividends on a battery saw in battery life per charge. My saw does pretty well though. I use the AP300S batteries. Recharge time is in the 30 minute or so range.

This is 2 full batteries worth of cutting, plus a bit on a third battery for the large maple rounds in the middle. The right side is two rounds deep, so the batteries are pretty amazing really.

[j44ke]

I'll add here that along with the chainsaw, I purchased a leafblower and two string trimmers from Stihl, all of which run on the same batteries. And I now have three of the 300S batteries, which easily gives me a pretty full day of work. Last summer I was doing about 3 hours of clearing with the string trimmer in the morning, break for lunch and then three hours in the afternoon. With three batteries, I could use up two batteries in the morning, then charge one during lunch and have two batteries to use in the afternoon. I could leave the tools in the woods while I went in for lunch and just carry the batteries back to the house for recharging. I may end up selling one of the string trimmers as it has a bit more power than I need and runs best with a backpack battery that I don't plan to get. Originally I planned to use that trimmer with a blade and then the other trimmer with a string head, but the string heads have changed since the last time I used one and they cut everything I really need cut.

[AngryScientist]

Good data. I bought an EGO leaf blower this fall and will probably add the string trimmer in the Spring. The leaf blower is a beast. The chain saw is the next natural piece to add and agree that three batteries should make any job doable.

[monadnocky]

I have the Milwaukee saw with two batteries. Although I've never used it below 30 degrees F, I can say that I've been consistently impressed with the battery life- much longer than I would have thought, and as all of my cutting is done within eyesight of my home it's never been an issue to charge one battery as the other is used. By the time battery 1 is discharged (longer than you would expect!), formerly drained battery 2 is ready to be used and at 100% capacity.

I now use the electric saw for 95% of my sawing needs. It's amazing.

[monadnocky]

While we're at it, I recently purchased this little guy, and I'm pleased as punch with it. It's pretty small, not a leaf blower, but PERFECT for blowing out my garage, blowing sawdust out of saws, so many other uses. Pretty cheap, too.
So many battery-powered doohickies these days it's enough to make one giddy.

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