First firewood trip of 2011

[ts39136]

Well, after a few hiccups, I finally made it out on a scouting/firewood trip.

But the hiccups gave me plenty of time to organize all my stuff...

About 50 miles one way, my goal was to scout out the dead wood on the national forest land, and also fill up the truck to justify the gas. I didn't take the trailer, until I knew where the wood was and where I could turn around.

I attempted to make a time lapse of this tree, but I had forgotten to charge my battery and the camera went dead.
Click for video.


Here is the truck loaded up and at home.

I went through the weigh station each way. 6820 total empty, 9640 full :msp_scared: I was surprised!!!! 2820lbs on my half ton. I knew I was heavy, but wow! I shouldn't have that much weight on it, especially since I was 8 lbs shy of my max tire weight on the rear axle, AND we took a new route home that involved about 18 miles of low range mountain crawling (while loaded). We got a little lost :redface:

So after reading the weight figures, I wanted to measure the wood very carefully. I was sure to stack it nice, fill in the gaps, and keep the top as level as possible. Note - yard stick in middle of frame sitting on top of front row.

The back row is 5' average by 11.5' long by 20" depth, the front row (just counted the bottom logs) average 16" diameter and 11.5' long and 20" length. So... 5'x11.5'x1.666' plus 1.333'x11.5'x1.666' = 120.98 cubic feet divide by 128 cubic feet/cord = 0.95 cords?? In a short bed? Apparently I was WAY underestimating how much wood I've been hauling... Last year I ended up with about two extra cords, now I know why.

So that was my day, thought I'd share. Two of my daughters came out to enjoy nature for a bit.

Only seven more cords to go!!!

 

[ratso]

Nice load,do you have anything on your truck to help with the weight? I have timbrens on my truck.

 

[ts39136]

Nice load,do you have anything on your truck to help with the weight? I have timbrens on my truck.

No modifications... 2003 1500HD quadrasteer. I'm reading that the same setup was changed to a 3/4-ton in 2005. It's got the 8 lug hubs front and rear. From what I'm reading on the internet this morning, the GVWR is 9700, front GAWR 4410, rear GAWR 6000. So I really wasn't over capacity :msp_w00t: except the rear axle was over by 100lbs. That's CRAZY! Does "1/2-ton" mean anything?

I'm really impressed with the tires... I bought these used off of craigslist for $100 (4 tires) about 3 years ago. They are almost bald now. I can't emphasise the amount of "off road" we were doing with 1.5 tons in the back, not on purpose, per say. I was expecting graded roads, but found oversized four wheeler trails (I hope the paint will buff out). There were plenty of off camber spots over sharp rocks where the sidewalls were touching. I can say I WILL be buying those again, general ameritrac load range E.

Thanks for the comment. I am feel a renewed sense of life this morning. Muscles are tense, but mind is r-e-l-a-x-e-d (no artificial sweeteners here)

 

[Garmins dad]

Nice pictures and vid.. Man do you have energy. look at you run around :msp_tongue: Thats a nice load of wood..

 

[Big_Al]

Looks like you like lodge pole. How does it do in the stove? We have a lot of it around here but I've never tried it as stove wood, normally use it for campfires but if it works good in stoves ? I usually go with tamarack or red fir for home use. Kudo's for the wood permit, don't see that very often.

 

[Hedgerow]

Looks like you like lodge pole. How does it do in the stove? We have a lot of it around here but I've never tried it as stove wood, normally use it for campfires but if it works good in stoves ? I usually go with tamarack or red fir for home use. Kudo's for the wood permit, don't see that very often.

Wood permit? What the hell is a wood permit??? :msp_wink:

 

[ts39136]

Looks like you like lodge pole. How does it do in the stove? We have a lot of it around here but I've never tried it as stove wood, normally use it for campfires but if it works good in stoves ? I usually go with tamarack or red fir for home use. Kudo's for the wood permit, don't see that very often.

It does fine, burns hot, I can load the stove at night and still have coals in the morning. It's nice because it's usually standing-dead, and very dry. Plus it hasn't been dead long and is not rotted. We have plenty of beetle-kill with all the beetle bugs around here (note purple staining on wood from beetle juice). We went through about 6 cords last year heating 3000 square feet in southern Idaho, don't know the degree-days off hand, but I think that's pretty darn good for pine in a 2x4 house built in the 70's. We used to use a pellet stove, too, but this last year it was all wood. All we have is the big fire box that came with the house, no baffles or anything, just a big metal box. My dream would be a thermal mass stove of some kind, even a built in stone fireplace if I win the lottery.

Wood permit? What the hell is a wood permit??? :msp_wink:

The price went up this year, it's $50 for eight cords. I like that I don't have to deal with slash or brush as long as I cut it to within 2 feet of the ground. (That stump in the video is not mine, I cut mine to within 6" of the ground.)

 

[ts39136]

Speaking of the stump... that's was where I wanted the tree to go (right where my truck is), but I was trying a new method, for me, of cutting the hinge. I was doing the plunge cut through the back, then around to the side, I cut the hinge too thin for this dry wood and it broke while I was trying to wedge the tree past the backwards lean.

The benefits of cutting in the middle of the woods... :msp_unsure:

 

[Hedgerow]

The price went up this year, it's $50 for eight cords. I like that I don't have to deal with slash or brush as long as I cut it to within 2 feet of the ground. (That stump in the video is not mine, I cut mine to within 6" of the ground.)[/QUOTE]

That's interesting... Pretty logs too. Looks like it would split like a dream. BTU rating on Lodgepole Pine is higher than you'd think too... I really like the time elapse idea...

 

[camr]

You're a braver man than I. That load on that truck with used, nearly bald CL tires for 50 miles is more excitement that I could handle. Glad to hear you had no issues.

 

[ts39136]

You're a braver man than I. That load on that truck with used, nearly bald CL tires for 50 miles is more excitement that I could handle. Glad to hear you had no issues.

Or stupider... I honestly thought I was carrying just over a half a cord at 1300-1600lbs. :taped: I think I passed enough cement through my colon after I calculated the weights to make up for the milage behind me. And it's not like I just went out and loaded that much weight on em, I worked up to it over many trips over a few years. That, and I stop to check tire and bearing temperatures frequently (non-contact thermometer), go well below the speed limit so the tires can dissipate the heat, and drive with 100% attention level for a blowout. I wouldn't suggest someone try this nonchalantly. You must realize the risks and try to mitigate them.

I'm looking for new tires right now, nothing wrong with craigslist, Lots of tires from people putting lifts on their trucks, but they want gold for them. Someday the right deal will come around. I found 7 brand new tires taken off a dually, but they want $750, jeesh. Inflation sucks, granted it would cost me that much for a new set of four, but someday, sometime, someone usually needs money quick and a good eye can get good deals. Especially with cell phone pictures. Many people shy away from the grainy overexposed cell phone pictures and the price will come down over time, but I've found some good stuff going to look in person.

Working on my trailer brakes today, so I can use the trailer for the bulk of the weight and keep it off the truck, but that will also be a learning curve cause the trailer is new to me.

And the saga continues...


Thanks again for the comments, nice to have someone who appreciates the firewooding adventure.

 

[ts39136]

A few more videos. One of these days I'll get a good one, but just like experimenting with different angles and settings. I got the trailer brakes fixed yesterday along with the wheel bearings repacked on all 4, I just removed the rear axle's brakes and replaced used the best looking drums on the front axles along with all new internals. I found out that I have two 6000lb axles under my car trailer. I know the trailer is not rated for that much, but that'll give me some piece of mind. The tires are mismatched, though, and the lowest rated is 1500lb or so. I'll have to get that one replaced, then they will all be rated for 2500 or so.

Also Loaded up two cords on the trailer today. Worked out very well and tow like a DREAM compared to having all the weight in the truck. My welded in hitch held up fine, but I purposely didn't load the trailer all the way, yet. No pictures of the trailer loaded, I forgot :msp_mad:

So I'm up to a solid three cords out of my eight cord goal now.


[video=youtube;IG84Gf5_Kq8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG84Gf5_Kq8[/video]

[video=youtube;kUudLt9W6GY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUudLt9W6GY[/video]

 

[GeeVee]

Tire Kingdom Select Cooper tires are buy 2 get two free.

I got 55k out of the Cooper Discoverer HT's on my Tahoe and put another set on last month, Yesterday my wife's four runner (same size) got Discoverer LSX's after her HT's went 50k.

I paid 505 bucks for four tires and alignment.

(Now i just have to put pads on my Tahoe- 128k on the origional factory brake pads, rotors never been turned)

 

[camr]

I'm looking for new tires right now, nothing wrong with craigslist, Lots of tires from people putting lifts on their trucks, but they want gold for them. :

Didn't intend to imply there is anything inherently wrong with stuff from Craigslist. I use CL myself. The only issue with used tires is you really have no idea how they were used previously. Tires can be damaged by overloading or misuse and not exhibit any visual cues that they are in distress. You might buy them thinking you're getting a great deal and end up with something that is unsafe. The exception might be tires that are obviously new and unused.

Regardless, you didn't have an issue so no harm, no foul. If you go the used route again, just be careful.

 

[WidowMaker]

Boy, that some brushy lodge pole...How ya do that time laspe stuff???

 

[ts39136]

Boy, that some brushy lodge pole...How ya do that time laspe stuff???

It's a cannon pocket camera, point and shoot type. It has the setting built in, one frame in 2 seconds (one frame per second optional). I took about 3 hours worth of video that day on a full charge, and it's still reading full battery. It goes into a power saving mode.


Agreed about the brushyness. Some trees are better than others.



I'm now praying to the firewood gods, to see if today is a good day to go again. :chainsawguy: My brain says yes, but my body is still thinking about it. My daughter's and their friends are all beggin to go. It's hard to refuse the extra help.

 

[Big_Al]

I know what ya mean, my brain is usually more willing than my body!! Luckily I have enough cut, split and stacked for this winter, working on next years wood now. I'll have to try some lodgepole in the stove, we have a couple cords in the woodshed up at camp. Glad to hear you have some young help! Enjoy it, they grow up too fast!

 

[forestryworks]

[video=youtube;kUudLt9W6GY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUudLt9W6GY[/video]

Damn, what do I gotta drink to work that fast? :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[ts39136]

Damn, what do I gotta drink to work that fast? :hmm3grin2orange:

Well, it usually starts with a cup of coffee, then a refill for the road. Otherwise its unchilled water, I usually fill up when I fill the saws.



I did end up going out today, good thing. This was the nicest cutting day I've had. Cloud cover, 65 degrees, breezy, occational rain. Much better than the 98 degrees I was working in a few days ago. Forest service worker stopped by, said they had three individual trees on fire from the lightning, and he was patrolling for more. We had just parked by a HUGE mess that someone left. There were downed trees everywhere with only the sweet spots taken out, so we decided to finish the job. I was sure to let the forest worker know that it wasn't my mess, but we were going to clean it up. Put the smaller stuff in the truck, and bigger stuff in the trailer. No time for pictures at the worksite cause the helpers were outrunning me.

I went through the scales on the way home. 13760 GCVW (truck and trailer) loaded. I know the truck is around 6800 unloaded, I'm guessing the trailer is about 1000lbs unloaded. So that's about 6000lbs of wood. I am REALLY liking this trailer... tows great. I haven't even filled it up yet. We had left the dogs home alone today, so we cut things short and headed for home about 3pm.

Here are the pictures. A little late in the trip, we've already unloaded a bunch by this point.

And my helpers... I'm really suprised by my teenagers and their friends. Seems that everyone wants to come out to get firewood, I mean chomping at the bit bidding for a seat in the truck, and when we're done, they want to come out again. I don't get it, but I'm glad to see it. I know I was like that as a kid, and I think I turned out okay. I was trying to hide joy as they bragged about their battle scars.

I also had my seven year old along, she was the one guarding the new growth. She'd find the small pines, clear the ground around them, then try to keep people from trampling them. She had to approve my felling plans before I started cutting and check the wedge for alignment. I agreed to let her come and check on the same baby trees every year we're out there to see how they are progressing. She proclaimed about half way through the day that she had found my christmas present, I guess we'll see what that is in a few months. I need to start making some pine-wood trinkets for those that come out and help. Like a christmas ornament or something that they can remember the trip by.

As we were packing up and strapping things down, We heard a woman screaming... I mean a loud, painful scream followed by crying and wimpering. It was eye-opening. Seemed about 400 yards or so through the forest. I didn't want to yell over there, cause I didn't know what was going on, so we listened for a bit. I didn't hear the woman any more, just a male voice. Wierd. I hunkered the kids down in the truck and told em if I wasn't back in an hour, drive out to the main road for help. Chambered the .45 and took a stroll.... Turns out that it must have been a city girl out camping, cause it looked like she fell in the mud and it was the worst thing that ever happened to her. Kind of funny, actually, after hearing the blood curdling screams, but I watched and listened from a distance until I was satisfied that everything was okay, then headed home.

Another day in a life well lived...

 

[anymanusa]

Nice pics. I'd 've been worried about my rear window too much to load down like that.