Oklahoma,AR,MO,KS,TX GTG (Next GTG 08/27/2016 ) Fort Scott, KS

[Hedgerow]

Morning Kenneth and the rest of you Gents, looks like the 50's are gone for a while, spit a little snow earlier, but you had to look hard to see it. I make it 68 days to the Mo./Ia. GTG. Later Jim

I split and stacked bout a cord of the stuff everyone loves to hate...
Honey Locust..
Made big splits for the wood incinerator. Should be good stuff next year.. Measured thorns almost 6" long on this one..

 

[lumberjackchef]

Helped out a buddy split down a couple hedge posts with the chainsaw mill. He's making a small shooting range at his place down the road in the pit bottoms and he is using the hedge slabs to make shooting benches.

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[Mo. Jim]

I split and stacked bout a cord of the stuff everyone loves to hate...
Honey Locust..
Made big splits for the wood incinerator. Should be good stuff next year.. Measured thorns almost 6" long on this one..

Matt just about all the honey locust that I have cut around here has been the thornless variety. Now what we call black locust can vary from few to totally covered with those big thorns. I have my eye on several black locust on my buddy's farm that are not to bad.

 

[Locust Cutter]

I split and stacked bout a cord of the stuff everyone loves to hate...
Honey Locust..
Made big splits for the wood incinerator. Should be good stuff next year.. Measured thorns almost 6" long on this one..

Some of us Love Locust... Just sayin.

 

[pdqdl]

Thanks a lot pdq.What I want it for is pulling trees.Sounds like it would work good for this.

Amsteel is rather pricey. You can get even better performance out of a Tenex rope; the only advantage Amsteel has is it's super light strength. Step up in rope thickness a little, and you get a rope that can be tied, stands up to heat MUCH better, it probably withstands more abrasion (due to it's thicker diameter), it is even easier to splice, and it costs a lot less money.

In my opinion, Amsteel costs too much for casual use. It needs to be saved for specialized applications where it excels. The #1 use for this rope is tow lines for the sea shipping industry. The rope is so light that it floats, and it doesn't rust in salt water like a steel cable does. Let's face it: a 4" diameter steel cable 1/4 mile long is HEAVY. What an advantage to have a rope just as strong that floats and doesn't rust. If they manage to break it, they can just splice it back together again. I don't think they can do that with the wire ropes.

 

[Locust Cutter]

I've been thinking about a maasdam myself. It would be handy for retrieving some of the downed red oaks, in a creek, on a friend's ranch. Hmmm.

On anther note of expense, the I just dropped off the dually today at a local shop and will pick it up in about a week. For $3400 I'm getting new stage 1 injectors, totally redone glow system, new valve cover gaskets, gauges, a 6 position chip/controller, a performance style exhaust-side compressor wheel and a high-flow intake that uses tractor filters which are MUCH cheaper to buy than the factory 7.3l "Extreme duty" air filters are... All said and done, that 7.3 is going to be making near the same power as a new 6.7 ford at the wheels (on high setting) and should make another 3-5mpg depending on how I drive it (unloaded of course). I can't wait to hook up to my friends 25' GN tandem dual float trailer and see how she runs now. She did alright with Hedge before, but now the load should feel a bit lighter. I will still have to do all 6 tires, the windshield and some misc. things but she should be darn near a whole new truck after that.

The only real down side of this is knowing that the $$$ I'm spending could have bought a decent trailer or a S.S. HD model... After the truck is fixed though I'l be into it $13K which is A LOT cheaper than a new(er) one with the same or better capacities. I'll try to shoot and upload a video after I get the truck back.

 

[workshop]

I don't know much about diesels but I think you're money ahead repairing and keeping this one as opposed to monthly payments and insurance on a new/newer one.

 

[cobey]

dropped a big old elm tree friday (sent a few pics out) it was odd shaped with big knees on it I had to cut it waist high because it
was about 5' at the bottom, I used the big notch like Matt told me about with the 30" bar on the mac 650, I finished it from the sides
with the 360 homelite buried to the powerhead i got pooped running the two big saws after a while. still got 25 + ft of 30" trunk
left to cut up. the land owner was happy he needed a bunch of small wood for his stove, he had boy that dropped all his big trees for him
and he also taught chainsaw safely in Joplin after the tornado but he died a month ago

edit... they are not BIG saws but a little heavy for me

 

[Locust Cutter]

Considering that a new Dually/4x4/Diesel/crew-cab/long bed (Flat bed would be extra) truck XLT or equivalent new would be pretty darn close payment-wise to my mortgage,... Yes I'm doing fine. I just wish I had the funds to get it all done at once as doing the nickel/dime route can be rewarding on a restoration or resto-mod) but not as much on a work vehicle. However, the Lord has provided thus far and I have no right to complain compared to many in this world. I guess sometimes a reality check is needed.

 

[workshop]

I understand the nickel/dime route, been there, still doing it.

 

[Hedgerow]

I understand the nickel/dime route, been there, still doing it.

Yup.. I picked up a used GMC 6500 with a box and lift gate.
Sold the lift gate and box for 1000 bucks, so I only got 1000 into the truck..
Been welding a flatbed on it since...
Steel is expensive. But when the truck dies, I'll take the bed off and scrap it..
Cat diesels never really die do they?

 

[sam-tip]

Considering that a new Dually/4x4/Diesel/crew-cab/long bed (Flat bed would be extra) truck XLT or equivalent new would be pretty darn close payment-wise to my mortgage,... Yes I'm doing fine. I just wish I had the funds to get it all done at once as doing the nickel/dime route can be rewarding on a restoration or resto-mod) but not as much on a work vehicle. However, the Lord has provided thus far and I have no right to complain compared to many in this world. I guess sometimes a reality check is needed.

I understand I just got me a new mortgage. RAM 5500 dump drop sides. Nice truck till I get first payment. 4.88 rear end. Will pull a house but only at 55 mph.

Total load was 31960lbs. Wood truck loader and trailer. Drove great.

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[Homelite410]

Yup.. I picked up a used GMC 6500 with a box and lift gate.
Sold the lift gate and box for 1000 bucks, so I only got 1000 into the truck..
Been welding a flatbed on it since...
Steel is expensive. But when the truck dies, I'll take the bed off and scrap it..
Cat diesels never really die do they?

If it had sleeves in it then no. When 3116 dies get an 8.3 Cummins

 

[cobey]

Yup.. I picked up a used GMC 6500 with a box and lift gate.
Sold the lift gate and box for 1000 bucks, so I only got 1000 into the truck..
Been welding a flatbed on it since...
Steel is expensive. But when the truck dies, I'll take the bed off and scrap it..
Cat diesels never really die do they?

if its pretty good now it should last a long time with care

 

[cobey]

I understand I just got me a new mortgage. RAM 5500 dump drop sides. Nice truck till I get first payment. 4.88 rear end. Will pull a house but only at 55 mph.

Total load was 31960lbs. Wood truck loader and trailer. Drove great.

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thats some big wood!!

 

[sam-tip]

About 8000 lbs of wood in two pieces. The second one slide across deck with the snow and new paint on deck. I thought it was going to tip the truck sideways. Friend has video of it almost tipping truck on facebook. Taking one of them to Iowa gtg for splitting demo. About 60 to 66 inch ID.

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[Locust Cutter]

Yup.. I picked up a used GMC 6500 with a box and lift gate.
Sold the lift gate and box for 1000 bucks, so I only got 1000 into the truck..
Been welding a flatbed on it since...
Steel is expensive. But when the truck dies, I'll take the bed off and scrap it..
Cat diesels never really die do they?

If it's a 3116 then you should have good service... If it's a 3208, they sound awesome until the bearings fail. They are now making rebuild kits, but I don't think that they're worth the money... If it fails, get the big stick Cummins and laugh all the way to the bank. Or get an 8v92 Detroit and have a cornfield Corvette, plus you'd have a GMC blower (and actual GM product) in that GMC...

 

[Locust Cutter]

Plus the 3208 isn't sleeved (unless you bore it and insert them)... If I had a med duty truck, I would want a sleeved engine to make the rebuilds simple and manage costs.

 

[Hinerman]

Morning mid-landers. Time to start posting. Be safe and have a good day.

 

[67L36Driver]

Article in the St. Joseph News-Press this morning. 'Federal wood burning rule prompts rural backlash'. It's a good read.

EPA wants to impliment rules for new wood burning equipment to reduce emmisions by 80%.

What a batch of turd heads.