Hard to get wood, is it worth it?

[Marshy]

Not sure what calculator that is, but a cord of green red oak is around 5000lbs. If that log is about 1/2 a cord and is 12ft long, a 2ft length would be about 425lbs roughly.

Yeah, something was wrong with his numbers. I could see 4-500 lbs if it truly is 40" diameter. That's a large oak not to be hollow. Could it be closer to 32"?? Time for a hike!

 

[blades]

would it be possible to drag / winch log down to edge of road without it getting away from you?

 

[SeMoTony]

The town has been cutting quite a few trees on the sides of the roads lately. I've already gotten a few trailer loads worth. I notice most of the smaller stuff, and the easy to get stuff disappears quick. Anything large, down in a gully, or up on a hill stays longer. My question is, about 2 miles down the road there is a good sized oak they cut. It is 40" at the butt end and about 12' long. The problem is it sits on a hill about 7' higher than the road, and is on a sharp corner. I could buck it in place and roll the rounds (hopefully) on my trailer. Likely they'd roll clear across the road though. I also could drive the Kioti down there and load the pieces with the front grapple. Is it really worth the hassle though? I'm guessing the log is probably a half cord or so. Maybe 2/3'rds. I know the closest house's owners wont care.

Last 40" White Oak I came across was 10 feet long & I'm still waiting for the 2 3/4" thick slabs to air dry. I had only a cavalier so it was one slab home & back to the dump to slice the next which brought me to the attention of the Home owner of the Ash in my avatar.
If there is a way to tie off to tree or post & wrap a rope around a spot on the log to ease it down the hill with a helper on the cantilever rolling it might save time. It is a way I use at the yard waste dump to roll logs down off the limb pile & then bring the best side up.
Good luck whatever you deside
Stay safe & enjoy Folks

 

[bayard]

cut, em in half. roll them down then cut again into the truck, done.

 

[sirbuildalot]

The log is definitely 40" across, I measured it the other day. I was surprised myself at the calculators number. Seemed high to me too. The calculator I used is Woodweb, or something like that.

 

[Knobby57]

I love red oak !!! Takes at least 2 years to season usually 3 if cut when it’s still full . Burns like a champ !! Some hate the smell . I love it

 

[c5rulz]

These rounds are in the same size as the OP is talking. These are mighty HEAVY.

(sorry about being upside down, they were fine until formatted for this forum??????????)

 

[muddstopper]

Maybe I am just different, but if I had a tractor and a chain, I would just hook to it and drag it home. Heck might even just hook it behind the truck. A tractor with a FEL, I would get the wife to drive the truck, and trailer if I owned one, drag the log down the bank and load it whole on the trailer or buck n half to load in the back of the truck. I wouldnt buck crap on the steep bank and certainly wouldnt try to split while setting on top of a bank. I had a friend thats now dead because of bucking large rounds on a steep hill side. Cut the log loose and it rolled over top of him. He did some things wrong, but he was also a very accomplished wood cutter, it dont take but one mess up

 

[Husky Man]

Maybe I am just different, but if I had a tractor and a chain, I would just hook to it and drag it home. Heck might even just hook it behind the truck. A tractor with a FEL, I would get the wife to drive the truck, and trailer if I owned one, drag the log down the bank and load it whole on the trailer or buck n half to load in the back of the truck. I wouldnt buck crap on the steep bank and certainly wouldnt try to split while setting on top of a bank. I had a friend thats now dead because of bucking large rounds on a steep hill side. Cut the log loose and it rolled over top of him. He did some things wrong, but he was also a very accomplished wood cutter, it dont take but one mess up

Yep, no doubt about it, some wood is just best walked away from, without looking back.

I will admit though sometimes that is easier said than done
Leaving Good BTU's to rot in the woods can be hard for me

Doug

 

[wej52]

Maybe I am just different, but if I had a tractor and a chain, I would just hook to it and drag it home. Heck might even just hook it behind the truck. A tractor with a FEL, I would get the wife to drive the truck, and trailer if I owned one, drag the log down the bank and load it whole on the trailer or buck n half to load in the back of the truck. I wouldnt buck crap on the steep bank and certainly wouldnt try to split while setting on top of a bank. I had a friend thats now dead because of bucking large rounds on a steep hill side. Cut the log loose and it rolled over top of him. He did some things wrong, but he was also a very accomplished wood cutter, it dont take but one mess up

Big logs and Murphy seem to be best of buddies. And experience cannot overcome one bad decision. I was splitting a 12 ' 32" red ok log lengthwise so it could be loaded on a sawmill. I ripped the log down the middle with my chainsaw and then finished splitting it with a maul and wedges. When it finally broke open it fell over on me and pinned my lower left leg to the ground. I could not budge the log with a cant hook that I had next to me and I could not wiggle my foot out from under the log in the dirt. Fortunately I had my cell phone and called my brother who was working nearby and he came and used the cant hook to roll the half log off of me. Mind you I have been cutting and splitting wood for over 50 years. Stupidity is not hindered by age! Fortunately, because I was wearing chaps and had steel toe boots, I was not injured. Scared the heck out of me and wounded my pride quite a bit also! So whatever you err on the side of safety. W. Jones

 

[sirbuildalot]

Good thing you had your cell phone on you

 

[muddstopper]

What I use to could do and what I still think I can do, is quickly being replaced by what I shouldnt do. Last spring while clearing out the drive way for my new house site, I tripped and fell. This was about 6 or 7 months after my knee replacement and I shouldnt of even been trying to run a chain saw. I was being very careful and taking my time but caught my foot on a old piece of barbed wire and tripped. I landed on my knee and thought I had really messed up. Pain took my breath away and I couldnt get up. I loss my phone and couldnt find it. It took me a while before I could get back up on my feet. My BIL just happen to drive over and saw me crawling on the ground and helped me stand up and get to my truck. I made my mind up right then and there that I would no longer work in the woods alone. I have been eyeing some blow down oak less than a mile from my house. The road bank is at least 45* and the tip is just clear of the ditch line, I can just about throw a chain on the log from the ditch, but It has to be cut from the stump. Two years ago, I wouldnt have hesitated, now I just look at it every time I drive by.

 

[LoveStihlQuality]

If you do buck it and roll it down the hill please,please take a video of it and post it for us! lol

With the obligatory woman screaming OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!!

Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk

 

[moondoggie]

What I use to could do and what I still think I can do, is quickly being replaced by what I shouldnt do. Last spring while clearing out the drive way for my new house site, I tripped and fell. This was about 6 or 7 months after my knee replacement and I shouldnt of even been trying to run a chain saw. I was being very careful and taking my time but caught my foot on a old piece of barbed wire and tripped. I landed on my knee and thought I had really messed up. Pain took my breath away and I couldnt get up. I loss my phone and couldnt find it. It took me a while before I could get back up on my feet. My BIL just happen to drive over and saw me crawling on the ground and helped me stand up and get to my truck. I made my mind up right then and there that I would no longer work in the woods alone. I have been eyeing some blow down oak less than a mile from my house. The road bank is at least 45* and the tip is just clear of the ditch line, I can just about throw a chain on the log from the ditch, but It has to be cut from the stump. Two years ago, I wouldnt have hesitated, now I just look at it every time I drive by.

Let me know when you want to go get it. I will come help you scrounge it.

 

[Marshy]

Maybe I am just different, but if I had a tractor and a chain, I would just hook to it and drag it home. Heck might even just hook it behind the truck. A tractor with a FEL, I would get the wife to drive the truck, and trailer if I owned one, drag the log down the bank and load it whole on the trailer or buck n half to load in the back of the truck. I wouldnt buck crap on the steep bank and certainly wouldnt try to split while setting on top of a bank. I had a friend thats now dead because of bucking large rounds on a steep hill side. Cut the log loose and it rolled over top of him. He did some things wrong, but he was also a very accomplished wood cutter, it dont take but one mess up

No you won't. Not on a 45% grade. That's the OP's point, it's on steep ground and above a road. Only thing you're going to do is winch the log up the hill with a skidder sized winch or take it down hill piece by piece.

I know what I'd do and that would be buck it then sledge and wedge it apart on the hill. Then I'd use my sled and a rope to slide it down the hill to the truck.

Pick your size.

 

[muddstopper]

No you won't. Not on a 45% grade. That's the OP's point, it's on steep ground and above a road. Only thing you're going to do is winch the log up the hill with a skidder sized winch or take it down hill piece by piece.

I know what I'd do and that would be buck it then sledge and wedge it apart on the hill. Then I'd use my sled and a rope to slide it down the hill to the truck.

Pick your size. none of them. Why would any one think they can hold a sled full of wood by a rope and ease it down a steep hill. One slip and you would beat the wood to the bottom. Heck I would toss it down one stick at a time before I tried lowering it down in a sled. And how many trips would it take you up and down that slope dragging that sled, before you realize gravity is working against you. One trip up, hook a chain and done. Sorry, I cant see your point of view.

View attachment 627392

I got the op's point about the grade, which is why I wouldnt work up the wood up on the steep grade. And 45* aint nothing, I have cut timber on the edge of cliffs with vertical drops over 100ft. Aint saying it cant be done, just that I, meaning me personally, aint going to do it any more. If the log is cut loose from the stump, why not snatch it down with a chain or cable to the road where it would be much safer, not to mention much easier, to work up.

 

[muddstopper]

Let me know when you want to go get it. I will come help you scrounge it.

I do appreciate the offer, but if I do decide to get it, I will probably just hook the tractor to it and skid it down the hill.. Its pointed straight down and the stump is up rooted, I can probably pull it stump and all, cut the stump off on the edge of the road and dump it over the bank and just skid the log home. It pretty rural here, get the wife to follow behind in the truck with flashing lights. I am actually looking at the log as a reserve, aint nobody in their right mind going to get it, and if they do they need it more than me, and the longer it lays there, the better wood it will be.

 

[DSW]

The grade is a hurtle but large diameter oak is as good as it gets.

Around here everything but white will split by hand pretty easily. The large diameter not only gives you more heart wood and less bark but it works up quicker. You can get after it without having to keep setting or resetting the round.

 

[JeffHK454]

cut, em in half. roll them down then cut again into the truck, done.

This^^^

I started reading this thread thinking it was gonna be in some crazy steep ravine full of rattlesnakes or something...I'm a scrounge, 90% of the wood I've got was harder to retrieve than that.

 

[lknchoppers]

It all depends how bad you want it. I try not to mess with anything bigger than 24" diameter anymore, I prefer 12"-16" rounds for splitting.