Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[turnkey4099]

hey turnkey would you not be worried about the firewood rotting if it was cut now and left for 15+years or do you sell firewood

Most of my 'sdtash" is black locust - no worry about that every rotting. I have had willow stacked for 4-5 years with no rot, not even the pieces in direct ground contact. But then I am in a semi arid area with only about 16" rain/yr and almost all of that in the winter time.

I also sell as much willow as I can. last year it was 12 cords. This year looks to be only 4. $120/cord.

 

[Conquistador3]

Driving tractor to jobs means on the first day I need a way to get home if leaving the tractor there. I've seen other rural contractors towing their cars/ute/truck with their tractor and some are even towing a trailer with the car/ute/truck they are towing with the tractor. Will be towing a trailer but don't want to be dragging any more than that. Was going to buy a little 50cc scooter to carry in the front forks of tractor. Don't need a motorbike license if under 50cc. But many of the rural roads are a bit sketchy for the wee biscuit wheel scooters I have seen. Then I found a NZ company doing 2WD electric farm bikes. These things can go just about anywhere and quite a few farmers here are replacing their quads with them.

Here's a link if anyone interested:
http://www.ubcobikes.com/

But the pricing killed it for me. At least twice the price of a 50cc scooter.

Some guys are hunting with 'em too. Can cover plenty of ground quickly, and silently.

It looks like a less chunky and most likely less sturdy version of the venerable Rokon Trailblazer.
I've always fancied the Trailblazer but owning one here would be a complete nightmare and to make matters worse it's all SAE-sized. I have the sockets but losing a single bolt would mean being gouged with a "special" order.

To be honest I am surprised China Incorporated hasn't cloned the Trailblazer. Suzuki tried doing that in the early 90's but found the potential market too small for a major manufacturer like them but Chinese companies seem having no problems going after small or even marginal markets.

 

[rarefish383]

Driving tractor to jobs means on the first day I need a way to get home if leaving the tractor there. I've seen other rural contractors towing their cars/ute/truck with their tractor and some are even towing a trailer with the car/ute/truck they are towing with the tractor. Will be towing a trailer but don't want to be dragging any more than that. Was going to buy a little 50cc scooter to carry in the front forks of tractor. Don't need a motorbike license if under 50cc. But many of the rural roads are a bit sketchy for the wee biscuit wheel scooters I have seen. Then I found a NZ company doing 2WD electric farm bikes. These things can go just about anywhere and quite a few farmers here are replacing their quads with them.

Here's a link if anyone interested:
http://www.ubcobikes.com/

But the pricing killed it for me. At least twice the price of a 50cc scooter.

Some guys are hunting with 'em too. Can cover plenty of ground quickly, and silently.

Yikes, I knew it wouldn't be cheap, but 8000. I'm gonna see what I can find state side that is similar.

 

[LondonNeil]

We have woken to snow here this morning! It wasn't forecast as far south as London, and we rarely get snow, so roads are chaos as no one knows how to drive in it (so despite being prepared and fitting winter tyres, I'll keep my car at home if possible and not get stuck in a big queue, or worse get bumped).

It's only 2 or 2.5" but we have ground to a halt. Pfff

 

[coutufr]

Owned a few bidnesses, got a degree I never used, bailed out of a second one and learned the building trade, got sick of that after a decade so changed it up and became an application programmer and database administrator, and whilst I loved the $, wood always kept calling so hit the bush and am back building until I can get back to the bush. Realising I just love anything to do with wood and especially tipping trees over and the immense challenge of getting them into merchantable products profitably; it's quite a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. Also there'll come a time the body won't let me play in the bush so I try to make the most of it while I can.

Here's a question for the panel - how many in here would scrounge wood full-time if the money was good?

I would do it full time but at my own speed and around my other stuff. Right now I only do it for myself and I have a small yard. I have over 5 years worth of wood seasoning and literally do not know where to put it anymore.

 

[coutufr]

We have woken to snow here this morning! It wasn't forecast as far south as London, and we rarely get snow, so roads are chaos as no one knows how to drive in it (so despite being prepared and fitting winter tyres, I'll keep my car at home if possible and not get stuck in a big queue, or worse get bumped).

It's only 2 or 2.5" but we have ground to a halt. Pfff

In Montreal we are also having our first official (significant) snow fall this morning. It snowed everywhere around Montreal so far but not in the city. We are by law obliged to have winter tires but still for most people it means longer commuting time but not for me. I work from home so no problem with the traffic most of the time and since I learned to drive in the snow with worned out all season tires on a station wagon 1986 chevrolet cavalier, I feel at ease with decent winter tires in the snow. I am a lot less brave when there is an ice storm ...

 

[Bobby Kirbos]

Derail (again)

No pics, sorry but...
I put 24 pounds of York county corn fed free range venison in the freezer last night. Button buck.
100yd shot, 308Win, 168 Barnes tipped triple shock. The shot hit what was the elbow but never made it into the boiler room (weird). Instead... I'll just say that the shock of the hit made the deer field dress itself as it ran for about the next 100 yards... which is why I didn't take the usual successful recovery picture.

This is the first time I processed my own deer. I figured that our ancestors 10,000 years ago figured it out and they only had a pointy stick and sharp rocks. I spent the $$ that I would have spent at a processor to buy a meat grinder instead. 13 pounds of ground meat + 11 pounds of various cuts.

 

[flatbroke]

Owned a few bidnesses, got a degree I never used, bailed out of a second one and learned the building trade, got sick of that after a decade so changed it up and became an application programmer and database administrator, and whilst I loved the $, wood always kept calling so hit the bush and am back building until I can get back to the bush. Realising I just love anything to do with wood and especially tipping trees over and the immense challenge of getting them into merchantable products profitably; it's quite a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. Also there'll come a time the body won't let me play in the bush so I try to make the most of it while I can.

Here's a question for the panel - how many in here would scrounge wood full-time if the money was good?

It would be on like a pot of neck bones and I'd be balls deep in the bush if it were profitable. Now i hope to sell enough wood to pay for my use and costs of acquiring it.
So far I'm ahead. I grew up country, cattle, horses, built our own homes, etc. but took a job in the city and ultimately riding a desk in a high rise without windows supervising a bunch of grown up babies. It pays good but sucks. The body morphed from solid to a gelatinous sack of dung. I'm back out to the hills 2 days a week and enjoying the heck out of it.

 

[coutufr]

Derail (again)

No pics, sorry but...
I put 24 pounds of York county corn fed free range venison in the freezer last night. Button buck.
100yd shot, 308Win, 168 Barnes tipped triple shock. The shot hit what was the elbow but never made it into the boiler room (weird). Instead... I'll just say that the shock of the hit made the deer field dress itself as it ran for about the next 100 yards... which is why I didn't take the usual successful recovery picture.

This is the first time I processed my own deer. I figured that our ancestors 10,000 years ago figured it out and they only had a pointy stick and sharp rocks. I spent the $$ that I would have spent at a processor to buy a meat grinder instead. 13 pounds of ground meat + 11 pounds of various cuts.

Was it a 24 pounds buck?

 

[muddstopper]

Daddy always had a hog or two when I was growing up. Every winter butchering time was a time for all the Uncles and cousins to show up and help. Friday was the first time I had helped kill a hog in probably 40 years. Kevin, my youngest cousin, Has the process down pretty well pat. after the scraping, He had the hogs quartered and in the cooler in less than a hour. The second one we killed, His brother showed up and he's dang near as fast as Kevin, the two of them on a hog was something to watch. They where killing three more yesterday, and the whole crowd was going to be there, and the road was all iced up between my house and theirs so I didnt go. He has about 10 or 15 more he will be killing in the next few weeks. Things will go a little faster on those as they are not 450 and 650 lbs breeder sows.

 

[dancan]

Owned a few bidnesses, got a degree I never used, ...
Here's a question for the panel - how many in here would scrounge wood full-time if the money was good?

In a heartbeat .

 

[flatbroke]

Awe hogs, love em.

 

[svk]

Driving tractor to jobs means on the first day I need a way to get home if leaving the tractor there. I've seen other rural contractors towing their cars/ute/truck with their tractor and some are even towing a trailer with the car/ute/truck they are towing with the tractor. Will be towing a trailer but don't want to be dragging any more than that. Was going to buy a little 50cc scooter to carry in the front forks of tractor. Don't need a motorbike license if under 50cc. But many of the rural roads are a bit sketchy for the wee biscuit wheel scooters I have seen. Then I found a NZ company doing 2WD electric farm bikes. These things can go just about anywhere and quite a few farmers here are replacing their quads with them.

Here's a link if anyone interested:
http://www.ubcobikes.com/

But the pricing killed it for me. At least twice the price of a 50cc scooter.

Some guys are hunting with 'em too. Can cover plenty of ground quickly, and silently.

My neighbor used to have a couple of Trail 90's, loved those things.

 

[svk]

Awe hogs, love em. View attachment 617835View attachment 617836
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The small to medium size hogs yield pork that is second to none. Do you eat those big boys? How do you kill them with the dogs all over them?

 

[svk]

Last night got the Echo together with everything but the oiler ring gear. At least it's mostly in one piece now except for clutch. On the 55 I am waiting for intake boot and impulse tube so there is all kinds of crap that needs to be stowed.

 

[MustangMike]

The farm Matt and I hunted yesterday morning had numerous Chestnut (Rock) Oaks, alive, dead, and in between. I am now more confident than ever that Farmer Steve made the right call on that dead tree I found.

I think the reason I was slow to pick it up is I was looking at the other trees in the area to figure out what it may have been, and there are no remaining live Chestnut Oaks there. Several mature White Oak and Hickory, but no Chestnut Oaks.

Don't understand why, as that down one, and another dead standing one, were both once very mature trees. They should have produced a bunch of acorns over the years.

 

[James Miller]

Awe hogs, love em. View attachment 617835View attachment 617836
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I always thought in another life my pit/cane corso cross would have been happy as a hog dog. Still glad we don't have to deal with them here yet.

 

[farmer steve]

Derail (again)

No pics, sorry but...
I put 24 pounds of York county corn fed free range venison in the freezer last night. Button buck.
100yd shot, 308Win, 168 Barnes tipped triple shock. The shot hit what was the elbow but never made it into the boiler room (weird). Instead... I'll just say that the shock of the hit made the deer field dress itself as it ran for about the next 100 yards... which is why I didn't take the usual successful recovery picture.

This is the first time I processed my own deer. I figured that our ancestors 10,000 years ago figured it out and they only had a pointy stick and sharp rocks. I spent the $$ that I would have spent at a processor to buy a meat grinder instead. 13 pounds of ground meat + 11 pounds of various cuts.

where at in york co. Bobby?

 

[Bobby Kirbos]

Glenn Rock

 

[rarefish383]

I like the Glenn Rock area, I've picked up a couple nice Savage 99's there a bouts, Joe.