hardwood pulp logs

[rmihalek]

I'm wondering if getting a load of hardwood pulp logs for firewood would be better than having a log truck drop off a bunch of 24 inch diameter stems? If I could get a bunch of 3, 4 or 5 inch diameter hardwood logs that were 4 feet long (or whatever length they sell pulp wood logs in these days), then I could easily move the logs from my driveway (where the truck would unload them) to my backyard where I can saw them up.

Plus splitting the smaller logs for firewood is easy, just split each 16" length in half and stack it!

Has anyone tried this method for stocking up on firewood?

 

[hammerlogging]

hw pulpwood = $25/ton (rough estimate)

sawlogs (roughly estimated) = $350/mbf

1 mbf= 3 to 5000 lbs., or 1.5 to 2.5 tons

sawlogs = $ 125/ton and up (very roughly)

But that is some slackers math, but thats how see it.
Go to find the loggers cutting "gatewood" who can sell it, rather than loggers contract harvesting sold standing timber. Point is, avoid getting into a timber theft situation, inadvertently, by buying pulpwood that is supposed to be going to someones mill. But it would be the loggers problem not yours, whatever. I'd go for the pulpwood- do they run self loaders up there?

 

[Ryan Willock]

Oak weighs 6.5 tons per mbf.

 

[Zodiac45]

hw pulpwood = $25/ton (rough estimate)

sawlogs (roughly estimated) = $350/mbf

1 mbf= 3 to 5000 lbs., or 1.5 to 2.5 tons

sawlogs = $ 125/ton and up (very roughly)

But that is some slackers math, but thats how see it.
Go to find the loggers cutting "gatewood" who can sell it, rather than loggers contract harvesting sold standing timber. Point is, avoid getting into a timber theft situation, inadvertently, by buying pulpwood that is supposed to be going to someones mill. But it would be the loggers problem not yours, whatever. I'd go for the pulpwood- do they run self loaders up there?

+1 yep I doubt you'd find what your describing available for sale. Your not all that far from me (400 mi) down in Mass, but I can tell you up here, the mills don't buy 4s anymore. Everything goes through the chipper and is blown into the back of a tractor with chip trailor.

 

[bwalker]

Shortwood pulp is no longer marketable in my area. Hardwood pulp is sold in 8' lengths and can be up to 32" on the big end I believe.
I buy Hardwood culls for firewood. logs over the 32" limit and to nasty to use as so logs. Saves a bit of money. The downside is sometimes its a pain dealing with 32-40"+ logs.

 

[rmihalek]

My guess is, like Zodiac said, that all the small stuff gets chipped on-site then hauled to the pulp mills in a semi. I haven't seen any pulp wood trucks on the roads around here in the 8 years I've lived here, but there are plenty of saw log trucks as well as chip trucks on the road.

I guess I need to buy a log arch so I can move the bigger logs off my grass and into the woods where I can cut them up and split them.

 

[bwalker]

I see pulp wood trucks on the road everyday and rarely see a chip truck. In fact I do not know if I have ever seen a logging operation that used a whole tree chipper up hear. The mills in the area all chip their own.

 

[Zodiac45]

I see pulp wood trucks on the road everyday and rarely see a chip truck. In fact I do not know if I have ever seen a logging operation that used a whole tree chipper up hear. The mills in the area all chip their own.

That's the way it used to be here too B. But now it's chippers and chip trucks. I'll post some pix of a 25 acre pulp job we just did this week. It's too bad really for the smaller guys. There are a few places they can go and sell too, but it's a rip for them. Sort of like the middleman with chipper.

These pix are of this week's job done with a 3 man crew. Grapple Skidder, buncher, and a Track Harvester that you can't see because it's in the trees.
The chipper and trucks will start too show up on Tuesday because there's just not enough room until we're finished harvesting and bunching.

 

[rmihalek]

Nice pictures Zodiac. That's exactly the kind of equipment I see around here: a grapple skidder, feller-buncher and whole-tree chipper. Once they get a landing decked up and some space cleared, the 18-wheelers start backing in near the chipper and away they go. It's great fun to watch.

 

[Zodiac45]

Yep that's the setup we use the most these days. We've been chipping for 4 days now and looks like another week or so too go. Here's a couple more pix of the gear including Old Chipzilla and our new Feller buncher

.

 

[PB]

Hey Zodiac, where was that? Looks like Studmill Rd. Maybe near Nicotaus Lake, or am I way off?

 

[rmihalek]

Where'd Chipzilla's grapple disappear to?

I was watching a machine very similar to Chipzilla in Lexington, MA about this time last year. I was kind of far away, but I swear that thing was chipping 12 inch trees that were 65 feet tall in one go, and doing it one right after another.

 

[woodfarmer]

Shortwood pulp is no longer marketable in my area. Hardwood pulp is sold in 8' lengths and can be up to 32" on the big end I believe.
I buy Hardwood culls for firewood. logs over the 32" limit and to nasty to use as so logs. Saves a bit of money. The downside is sometimes its a pain dealing with 32-40"+ logs.

if you have a backhoe handy, use the hoe bucket to bust your rounds down to smaller sizes that you can manage

 

[Zodiac45]

Nope your not that far off PB,

It's actually right in Machiasport (I can walk too work!) close too my house. It's a 25 acre parcel that a local Lobsterman inherited and is clearing for home lots. Sort of a bummer because I used to take the dog up here on this ridge hiking, but that's the way things go. Speaking of the Studmill Rd. That picture in the firewood forum on sat, of my old Ranger loaded with firewood was off the Studmill, about 6 miles in on the top edge of 2nd lake area. We cut in there almost 2 yrs ago and had 4-5 landings. I always try to stash myself a little but it's not always there Nice area up there though. Love to have a camp on one of the lakes!

RMI, Yep the grapples pooched out on Chipzilla. The picture I took off the front feed was from a Prentiss grapple mounted on a Mack that we've been using to feed the monster. That pile in back of the wide shot of Chipzilla is about 25 feet high and a football field deep. We've got 3-4 chip trucks running this stuff to a biomass/chip fired generator plant about 20 miles away.

 

[PB]

Nope your not that far off PB,

It's actually right in Machiasport (I can walk too work!) close too my house. It's a 25 acre parcel that a local Lobsterman inherited and is clearing for home lots. Sort of a bummer because I used to take the dog up here on this ridge hiking, but that's the way things go. Speaking of the Studmill Rd. That picture in the firewood forum on sat, of my old Ranger loaded with firewood was off the Studmill, about 6 miles in on the top edge of 2nd lake area. We cut in there almost 2 yrs ago and had 4-5 landings. I always try to stash myself a little but it's not always there Nice area up there though. Love to have a camp on one of the lakes!

RMI, Yep the grapples pooched out on Chipzilla. The picture I took off the front feed was from a Prentiss grapple mounted on a Mack that we've been using to feed the monster. That pile in back of the wide shot of Chipzilla is about 25 feet high and a football field deep. We've got 3-4 chip trucks running this stuff to a biomass/chip fired generator plant about 20 miles away.

Still off by quite a bit. I love Studmill, I wish I could live out there.

I make it to the Cutler coast 2 or 3 times a year, we will have to get together for a beer sometime.

 

[Zodiac45]

Still off by quite a bit. I love Studmill, I wish I could live out there.

I make it to the Cutler coast 2 or 3 times a year, we will have to get together for a beer sometime.

Absolutely!