Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[Sandhill Crane]

woodchip rookie: Try a pair of Kinco 'Frost Breakers'. knit glove with rubber palm. $6.00-$7.00 Google them...

 

[LondonNeil]

I just cut and split bit of wood for myself, because I love using the stove, I love wood heat, I love free heat, I love being outside in the garden working on the wood, I enjoy the exercise of swinging the axe and the fresh air as I do it, I enjoy using the chainsaw, and its 'me time' - I get to relax, think, clear my mind, what ever. If the world were such that I could make a good living doing the same, hmmm, somehow I think it would become a chore rather than fun. Being realistic, its hard work, requiring a lot of space and a lot of costly machinery, to make a little money, I don't think its a way to wealth.

 

[Philbert]

Is there a good cold weather work glove that actually keeps your hands warm and isn't just a nylon shell with garbage insulation on the inside?

Check the farm stores. I see lots of good winter work gloves there: leather, rubber, etc.

Philbert

 

[MechanicMatt]

I bought a set of insulated work gloves while at BassPro Shops on Sunday. I tried on every freaking brand they had. I finally settled on these

 

[svk]

Uncle Mike, that car had by far best shifter of all my T5 transmission cars. Mike Scott and I used to put that shifter in what ever car we were going "hunting " with that Friday night along with my BFG radial T/As. Ahh to be a teenager again.

My pops was a more experienced driver than my pal and me. He once got three cars on a big block chevelle in that little turbo coupe, poor guy just about died when he found out it wasn't a built V8.

As for firewood for a living, I think it would turn into mechanics for me. When I was young and hot rodding cars it was fun. When I was fixing the girls in my high schools cars it was very fun. When it became my profession, the fun went away VERY fast. I definitely do not love my job now, but it sure does pay the bills easily.

Ooh I have one like that.

When someone else is paying you by the hour to work on a nearly new car on a lift in a garage and you get to bolt on new parts till the problem is solved, it's fun.

When you are outside with a headlamp in below freezing air laying in gravely slush with no gloves to pull the leaky power steering pump that is dribbling hydro oil on you using a vise grips and a crescent wrench cause that's all you have in the car at the time and need to get to work the next morning, it's not fun (been there).


My bil was a mechanic at a small service station for many years. Of course most of the customers had older vehicles and went there because the GM shop was too expensive and the Ford techs were incompetent. He finally quit and works for a homebuilder. He said he finally got tired of working on rusty **** and arguing with people about how to fix their car.

 

[MechanicMatt]

Yeah, close. We work on everything from the new car that i swear they are using us for the R&D on to the rusted out "what do you mean my parts are discontinued " old *******. None of it was fun after you need to provide for your family doing it.

Back when i was young, it would put a smile on my face fixing something that was broke. Sadly, it became "NO, i dont care if it only took me 45 minutes, the book says three hours now pay me!!"

I did a fuel pump on the side the road for a guy on his suburban. Jacked up the rear pumpkin so the springs would lift the frame rails higher. Then put jack stands under the axle, crawled under pulled the drive shaft to get some working room. Then pulled the same jack under and dropped the tank, slid it out and swapped the sending units. Slid it back under and wrestled the half full tank back onto the jack, used my upper body to steady the tank while using my leg to work the jack. Got the the sender hooked up and the tank straps on. Drive shaft in and lowered it back down. All done in 1.5 hrs busting my ass. I had thought about how i was gonna do it and pre planned/ pregammed how i was gonna do it to bust it out. Putting my tools and jack back in my trunk the guy asks how much. I tell him $250. He replied it didnt even take you 2 hours. I asked him what he thought a tow bill and a shop would have charged him. He still bitched while paying me. That was the last side job i did for him and told our mutual "pal" that his "friend" was a real d1ck head

Thats just a example of times turning wrenches wasnt fun.

 

[MechanicMatt]

Just to clarify Steve. Dealerships dont pay there techs hourly, they get paid flat rate. You beat the clock, you make money. You dont beat the clock, gonna be a ****** week...

 

[svk]

Just to clarify Steve. Dealerships dont pay there techs hourly, they get paid flat rate. You beat the clock, you make money. You dont beat the clock, gonna be a ****** week...

That's kind of crazy. A couple of squirrely jobs in a row and you are working for free.

 

[svk]

Yeah, close. We work on everything from the new car that i swear they are using us for the R&D on to the rusted out "what do you mean my parts are discontinued " old *******. None of it was fun after you need to provide for your family doing it.

Back when i was young, it would put a smile on my face fixing something that was broke. Sadly, it became "NO, i dont care if it only took me 45 minutes, the book says three hours now pay me!!"

I did a fuel pump on the side the road for a guy on his suburban. Jacked up the rear pumpkin so the springs would lift the frame rails higher. Then put jack stands under the axle, crawled under pulled the drive shaft to get some working room. Then pulled the same jack under and dropped the tank, slid it out and swapped the sending units. Slid it back under and wrestled the half full tank back onto the jack, used my upper body to steady the tank while using my leg to work the jack. Got the the sender hooked up and the tank straps on. Drive shaft in and lowered it back down. All done in 1.5 hrs busting my ass. I had thought about how i was gonna do it and pre planned/ pregammed how i was gonna do it to bust it out. Putting my tools and jack back in my trunk the guy asks how much. I tell him $250. He replied it didnt even take you 2 hours. I asked him what he thought a tow bill and a shop would have charged him. He still bitched while paying me. That was the last side job i did for him and told our mutual "pal" that his "friend" was a real **** head

Thats just a example of times turning wrenches wasnt fun.

Fuel pump went out on my truck and during the same time I had a very bad cold and it was cold and rainy. Car parked in front of the house on the street cause my driveway was steep and I was waiting to feel better and a nicer day but my a hole neighbors called me in the minute the car had not moved in 40 hours so the cop comes and tells me to move it. You guessed it, hacking up a lung under the car laying on the wet road. Was so happy to get out of that place.

 

[MechanicMatt]

That's kind of crazy. A couple of squirrely jobs in a row and you are working for free.

Yup

 

[svk]

Corporations always looking for ways to skim extra from their employees.

 

[Cody]

Uncle Mike, that car had by far best shifter of all my T5 transmission cars. Mike Scott and I used to put that shifter in what ever car we were going "hunting " with that Friday night along with my BFG radial T/As. Ahh to be a teenager again.

My pops was a more experienced driver than my pal and me. He once got three cars on a big block chevelle in that little turbo coupe, poor guy just about died when he found out it wasn't a built V8.

As for firewood for a living, I think it would turn into mechanics for me. When I was young and hot rodding cars it was fun. When I was fixing the girls in my high schools cars it was very fun. When it became my profession, the fun went away VERY fast. I definitely do not love my job now, but it sure does pay the bills easily.

I gave up a pretty good job a few years ago to go play mechanic, always loved doing it but doing it everyday drove that passion into the ground. These newer vehicles can be flat out stupid to work on.

woodchip rookie: Try a pair of Kinco 'Frost Breakers'. knit glove with rubber palm. $6.00-$7.00 Google them...

Love those gloves, they also have some black/gray ones where the rubber is textured, they're not as warm but they're more durable. I found the foam on the frost breakers does not like gasoline.

Kinco warm grip gloves: https://www.amazon.com/Kinco-Thermal-Lined-Coated-Medium/dp/B00APL229G

 

[chipper1]

So father in law who is a outdoorsy guy got my kids gift cards to BassPro. What fun is shopping online. After getting home from church we loaded up and made the 1.5hr drive to Bridgeport CT. Had a blast, kids got fun stuff and I picked up a nice set of insulated work gloves. On the way home we roll past a very large shopping mall. Palisades Center, they have a lego store. My little one comes over with a Lego set telling my wife she needs to get it for me. I LOVE this kid!!View attachment 618018

You have some great kids, thinking more about you than themselves .

 

[chipper1]

A while back, Darin had made Arboristsite.com window stickers and occasionally you would see a post asking who they saw at a given spot.

How did those go over .

 

[svk]

How did those go over .

Sounds like they were in high demand before forum software was readily available (and free) for all the me too sites.

 

[Hinerman]

The big boars are usually rank and are best made in to sausage. We process our own. Make Italian , Jalapeño and cheese, and some others. The dogs stop the hogs and we crawl:walk up depending on location and availability of space. Grab a rear leg. A 44 mag behind the ear gets them neutralizes. and start pulling dogs off.
If I'm in Texas we tied them live and haul them off to sell

GRAB A REAR LEG!!!! No thank you.

 

[chipper1]

I think it would lose its fun. The fun is in working out a solution to how to most effectively work the log or drop the tree, swing the biggest saw you own (naturally) and finally load in the trailer while taking pics the whole way so you can post them on the interweb. Getting more equipment to make the whole process more efficient would make it more like work, and I go to work mainly to pay for stuff that I want to do away from work. Like cut wood. Or go fishing. Like I will on Thursday. And Friday. And for the following week or two.

That said, if people wanted to pay me $1000 for a trailer load of dead standing peppermint then I'd hand in my physio rego tomorrow . Providing I had somewhere to cut it, that is. Which I don't .

I did most of what you speak about being fun this summer, and even took some pictures while I was at it .
I've had many pay me over a $1000 to take the wood home to my house and then I get to do what I want with it.
The funny thing is doing one job can net enough to pay to have all my wood delivered to my house split and ready to burn for a whole year lol.
Leaves a lot of time to go fishing and all the other things that may be important to you during a week and all with a minimal amount of equipment if you chose to do it with a minimalist approach .

But if the $ was good would it not justify more gear that made things a little easier on the body? Would still get two days worth of workouts but spread evenly over the week. Stress/recover/stress/recover. But then would having all that gear suck the enjoyment out of it? Would it lose its 'challenge'.
More gear means more production which means more headaches if SHTF.

I look at some of the farmers around here and where I play and they seem to be constantly chasing their tails looking for more production to cover the costs of the current machinery but to increase production they need to get more machinery, etc, etc. We have a very long running (since '66) TV program series here, nationally funded, called Country Calendar. It details different aspects of rural life. On a recent episode they delved into alternative farming. By alternative, I mean low-input/low impact. Various farmers trying to make just 100 acres pay. Owner-operator type of stuff. Their production numbers were laughable, but their costs were minimal. That episode didn't quite give enough info to make a sound determination about who was more profitable, but it seemed the lower input farmers had more smiles.

*edit* It just occurred to me that some of our Northern another-mother-brothers might get a kick out of seeing what rural Kiwiland is all about. If any of you are keen, I'll go buy a few of the Country Calender DVD's and shoot them over for xmas. It''ll be a random selection of DVD's, first come first served. Or better yet, there are a few episodes online from this and recent years:
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/country-calendar

I plan on buying more equipment myself. This year was a full allotment of climbing gear, not cheap, but less than half the price of new for very nice gear.
Personally I would rather stay very small as I recognize that the gains as far as a percentage of the gross profits only decrease as you get larger and are in business longer. But I have been feeling as though it is what I need to do as I have three kids watching their dad, who are not seeing many of the struggles it has taken me to get where I'm currently at, not struggling to get by. I don't think me continuing to do what I am as they get older will be doing them any favors. I don't need to make any more money as I am perfectly content, that doesn't mean I have all the things I'd like to, but I realize I don't have to and I feel that's a great place to be.
For me I am looking forward to the next phase of learning and growth as my kids are watching to see how I face the trials of taking my ship into deep uncharted waters for me. My desire is show them that they can be successful at whatever they put their minds to, and to keep smiling while I do it knowing there is a greater purpose for which I'm living.
Ever watch these guys, they like to have a good time working, I like to run equipment, so for me that part would be fun.
Trust me I like to keep things simple, but if your gonna go big go big lol.

 

[chipper1]

GRAB A REAR LEG!!!! No thank you.

Just do it man.

 

[James Miller]

Just do it man.

Its like breaking up a dog fight grab the rear legs you take away most of the power.

 

[Conquistador3]

Kinco warm grip gloves: https://www.amazon.com/Kinco-Thermal-Lined-Coated-Medium/dp/B00APL229G

$7 in the US, €37 here. Somebody is getting real fat here...