Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[spike60]

Dan, that gets extra credit for ingenuity!

 

[dancan]

I went to the gym this afternoon , brought the RonCo 2.0 prototype with me .

Them stumps were flush cut a month ago .... Really .

Hauled out some rock maple , hard going in the mud , may have to mechanise for hauling out from here on in .

I squeezed another load of maple and pine in the UTV .

I sure wish I had that snow on the right in the big clearing on the left that was in full sun .
I went back after this load and cut another load from softwood that the owner had put in a pile for me so I could be home for supper

 

[mainewoods]

Too bad that van doesn't have a trailer hitch. You could hook up a tow strap and drag them logs right out to the road.

 

[mainewoods]

Nice gym by the way! Bet you get your money's worth,

 

[dancan]

It has a hitch but , the hardwood is 200 yards in , around a corner and then through the woods , no driveway yet
I could sit home and do nothing , call someone and buy some wood but I'm happy at the end of the day because I was outside all day and I can sit back and replenish the carbs and not feel guilty

 

[mainewoods]

Ahh, replenishing of the carbs. The only thing I enjoy more than cuttin' wood.

 

[mainewoods]

I dragged a 20' logging chain and 3- 30' tow straps up this hill to pull out 4 - 50' ash trees. Had to cut each tree in half, but the Dodge Ram 4x4 slid 'em down the hill pretty nice in the snow. I tossed down some extra carbs after 8 trips up that hill to hook up them logs I'll tell ya!

 

[MountainHigh]

You and your van are getting a good work out! How much wood will she take?
ahem .... allow me to rephrase my question!

How much firewood will your van hold?

.

 

[MountainHigh]

I dragged a 20' logging chain and 3- 30' tow straps up this hill to pull out 4 - 50' ash trees. Had to cut each tree in half, but the Dodge Ram 4x4 slid 'em down the hill pretty nice in the snow. I tossed down some extra carbs after 8 trips up that hill to hook up them logs I'll tell ya! View attachment 340573

Nice!! I was scouting up the mountain yesterday in 4x4 and drove past guy I know in his early 80's packing 6 inch x 10' logs on his back to his truck
I think the cougars leave him alone cause he's too skinny - Tough old bird!
There's hope for us youngsters yet

Going to be pulling logs off the hillside tomorrow - carbo loading tonight.

.

 

[dancan]

It'll hold a third of a cord and all my gear , about the limit I want to haul with green hardwood .
If it was all standing dead spruce I'd travel light , take out another seat and go for a half cord LOL
I think I can compete with a 1/4 to truck if I have to
Clint , I wish I had your snow !

 

[mainewoods]

I set the truck up in the only plowed spot there was, my driveway. Pulled till I ran out of driveway, backed up and re-hooked again until I had 'em all down the hill. Pulling downhill is one advantage to living on the side of a mountain. Let's you use gravity, instead of fighting it.

 

[mainewoods]

Dancan I wish you had this snow, gladly. Makes scrounging 3 times as hard when the snow pack is this deep. 50 miles south of me, it's a whole nuther world.

 

[zogger]

How's this for scrounge, milking it out, maximum uglies! I'm busting up and burning the last dregs of a big pile of unsplit whatevers I have had for years. bottom of the pile soaked in mud rotten brand! This is mostly red oak and tulip poplar. Bust it up, let the bugs move out for a few days, burn it. Wet and punky when busted, dries amazingly fast and throws good heat..just kinda sorta real free form pieces. Before and after and my little supervisors. Anvil on a stick action!

 

[steved]

Since scrounging typically involves taking what you can get...

I was offered an ornamental plum for the cutting (storm damage) by a coworker, just to get it out of his FILs yard. Not a small tree, weird shape; but almost 20" at the base. Got a good pickup load out of it for the hauling.

Anyone ever burnt ornamental plum before?

 

[chads]

I just got some plum too it's pretty hard waiting to see how it burns.
Chad

 

[MountainHigh]

Sunday - beautiful day - got another couple of cords of wood from the snow line. Should have taken camera along - sun glistening off snow capped peaks - trees dripping with snow - awesome!

 

[mainewoods]

After a harsh winter such as we are having, there should be plenty of blow downs and broken limbs to scavenge. Good time to reacquaint yourself with your neighbors. They may just welcome an offer to clean up the damage in exchange for the wood.

 

[steved]

I watch the local Craigslist adds too. Every now and again you get lucky. I ended up with two cords of pine and almost four of TOH for the taking. Probably another 3/4 cord of poplar. Pine is fairly easy to get for free...still has the chimney fire stigma around here.

While it might not be prime firewood...its kept my house plenty warm.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G730A using Tapatalk

 

[mainewoods]

Just goes to show, take anything you can get, when you have the opportunity. The trick is finding that opportunity.

 

[BillNole]

Just goes to show, take anything you can get, when you have the opportunity. The trick is finding that opportunity.

Great point! When I first started scrounging for wood, I took anything and everything I came across. There was nothing too small or large, nor too punky or anything else in my book, as it all burned eventually. After a year of that, I started getting choosy and took only the good stuff I saw everyone else going after first, but was getting pretty close to running out. I've found a balance now in that I don't want buggy at all, but will take a lot that I wouldn't before as it will provide a good backup and can always be tossed in the firepit for a nice mid-Summer evening outside with or even at the neighbors. When someone asks for "some wood", I direct them to the less desired wood and they're tickled to get it for free.

I put up all of next years wood last summer and hope to get the year after that put up this spring/summer/fall, if I can. My back went out last week for the first time in years and I'm not sure when I'll be ready to get after it. Good thing I'm ahead and don't HAVE to do it right away!