Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[Marshy]

Looks like I might be done scrounging for the season. The snow machine (lake effect) started up on Friday and hasn't stopped snowing here. Got a healthy 4" an slowly growing with constant light flurries projected out to Tuesday.

Gott'a replace a head gasket in my truck before I can use it again and I have a cord to 1.5 cord left of the big elm that I blocked. Now it's covered in snow and not sure I can borrow anyone's truck to go pick it up... I've got some dry split wood stacked on my property I need moved up to the house before I continue scrounging efforts. I'll see about a pic of the winter wonderland in action.

 

[Ambull01]

You don't have to noodle them all the way through. I usually noodle into the crotch/branch areas/ maximum middle of the trunck only. They are the parts that don't want to be split. Fine lengthy grain wood is easy splitting.

7

I see, that makes a lot of sense.

 

[steved]

Well, I sorta did an extreme move to continue scrounging...quit my job for another that puts me home more often. As I said before, kinda hard to scroung when you're never around.

I'm also reworking a trailer that will serve the scrounging better.

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[Ambull01]

Did a little more scrounging today. Went to the roadside where a power company cut down several trees. It's also the place where my Caddy got stuck in mud lol.

Anyway, brought the van this time. Now I know the value of bringing a hand held splitting apparatus when you scrounge. OMG that green stuff weighs a ton. A Fiskars X27 has been ordered and is awaiting delivery. I'm not going back there without it.

After seeing how large some of the bucked pieces are, I can see why it's still there. It's not too far from the road but there is soft, deep mud between the road and the bucked pieces. I doubt you could bring a splitter in there unless it's attached to a tractor or serious off road truck. I'm expecting the pieces to be safe there so I can take my time and harvest them all.

 

[Ambull01]

Well, I sorta did an extreme move to continue scrounging...quit my job for another that puts me home more often. As I said before, kinda hard to scroung when you're never around.

I'm also reworking a trailer that will serve the scrounging better.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G730A using Tapatalk

Yeah, I'm still waiting to work from home a few days a week. Plus I'll change my schedule to four 10 hour days. The fifth day of the weekday will be my dedicated scrounge day.

Speaking of reworking a trailer, I was wondering about boat trailers. I'm surrounded by water here so there's boat trailers everywhere. How hard would it be to convert one to a wood hauling trailer? Most of the boat trailers I see are double axles. Should be able to handle a lot of wood.

 

[zogger]

Did a little more scrounging today. Went to the roadside where a power company cut down several trees. It's also the place where my Caddy got stuck in mud lol.

Anyway, brought the van this time. Now I know the value of bringing a hand held splitting apparatus when you scrounge. OMG that green stuff weighs a ton. A Fiskars X27 has been ordered and is awaiting delivery. I'm not going back there without it.

After seeing how large some of the bucked pieces are, I can see why it's still there. It's not too far from the road but there is soft, deep mud between the road and the bucked pieces. I doubt you could bring a splitter in there unless it's attached to a tractor or serious off road truck. I'm expecting the pieces to be safe there so I can take my time and harvest them all.

And that's where noodling comes in. I mostly use my husky 371 sporting a 24 for noodling.

 

[zogger]

Yeah, I'm still waiting to work from home a few days a week. Plus I'll change my schedule to four 10 hour days. The fifth day of the weekday will be my dedicated scrounge day.

Speaking of reworking a trailer, I was wondering about boat trailers. I'm surrounded by water here so there's boat trailers everywhere. How hard would it be to convert one to a wood hauling trailer? Most of the boat trailers I see are double axles. Should be able to handle a lot of wood.

You know, I have thought about that too. Another thing with the bigger boat trailers is they have surge brakes, because they get backed down into the water, proly not a good idea with electric brakes. And they usually have a built in decent winch!

I don't recall a discussion here yet on converting a boat trailer, heck, maybe with a stripped boat on it for the wood holding bed! Like cut the transom out, but leave the rest.

 

[steved]

Yeah, I'm still waiting to work from home a few days a week. Plus I'll change my schedule to four 10 hour days. The fifth day of the weekday will be my dedicated scrounge day.

Speaking of reworking a trailer, I was wondering about boat trailers. I'm surrounded by water here so there's boat trailers everywhere. How hard would it be to convert one to a wood hauling trailer? Most of the boat trailers I see are double axles. Should be able to handle a lot of wood.

I see a lot of converted boat trailers, might take a little working to make it what you need.

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[Ambull01]

And that's where noodling comes in. I mostly use my husky 371 sporting a 24 for noodling.

True. Although, If I have to noodle the thing multiple times for each round I may as well slit the things.

You know, I have thought about that too. Another thing with the bigger boat trailers is they have surge brakes, because they get backed down into the water, proly not a good idea with electric brakes. And they usually have a built in decent winch!

I don't recall a discussion here yet on converting a boat trailer, heck, maybe with a stripped boat on it for the wood holding bed! Like cut the transom out, but leave the rest.

What are surge brakes? Oh man, a winch! Forgot about that. Perfect for scrounging.

 

[MechanicMatt]

Surge brakes are hydraulic like your van. Electric use electro magnets to energize the brakes

 

[benp]

True. Although, If I have to noodle the thing multiple times for each round I may as well slit the things.
.

Ambull,

I only noodle the ones that I can't split. I usually know within 4 whacks if the round is going to have to be noodled or not.

 

[Ambull01]

Surge brakes are hydraulic like your van. Electric use electro magnets to energize the brakes

I see. Actually thought zogger was saying that would be a negative but sounds like a plus to me. Trailer would be more durable I guess with hydraulic brakes. I think. I'll see if my father in-law can get me a deal on a boat trailer. I think he welds too. Would be so much easier to load rounds/splits into a low trailer. Plus the built in winch would make it a lot easier to pull stuff out of the woods.

 

[Ambull01]

Ambull,

I only noodle the ones that I can't split. I usually know within 4 whacks if the round is going to have to be noodled or not.

I see. I'm looking forward to noodling, never tried it.

I was thinking about bringing a Fiskars X27 with my scrounging gear but now I'm thinking about a Council Tool 6 pound splitting maul. Can be used to drive wedges too. I like the idea of having fewer tools while still retaining all the necessary functions.

 

[Marshy]

I see. I'm looking forward to noodling, never tried it.

I was thinking about bringing a Fiskars X27 with my scrounging gear but now I'm thinking about a Council Tool 6 pound splitting maul. Can be used to drive wedges too. I like the idea of having fewer tools while still retaining all the necessary functions.

Standard scrounging tools that I take include my Fiskars X-27, 6lb maul, 8lb sledge, 3 steel wedges and both my 2159 and 365, a 2 gal can for mixed gas and a gal of bar oil and 50' of 1/2" rope.

 

[zogger]

I see. I'm looking forward to noodling, never tried it.

I was thinking about bringing a Fiskars X27 with my scrounging gear but now I'm thinking about a Council Tool 6 pound splitting maul. Can be used to drive wedges too. I like the idea of having fewer tools while still retaining all the necessary functions.

One of each would be my druthers....

Ya, surge brakes work, say you are driving and hit your van brakes. The trailer wants to surge ahead, pushes a..don't know the name, actuator I think..activates the hydraulic brakes. You have to lock them out to back up. That's what the humvee trailers have. Now not all small boat trailers have them, but some do. I towed a big sailboat once where the trailer had surge brakes on it and it felt fine, not much different from conventional electric brakes.

Most small trailers, cheap ones, have zero brakes. Where I live, trailers over 3500 lbs gross vehicle weight, that's trailer plus load, are supposed to have brakes. Real easy to hit that hauling firewood....

 

[Ambull01]

Standard scrounging tools that I take include my Fiskars X-27, 6lb maul, 8lb sledge, 3 steel wedges and both my 2159 and 365, a 2 gal can for mixed gas and a gal of bar oil and 50' of 1/2" rope.

Damn, sounds like a workout just getting to the potential scrounge. I need to convince my kids how fun it is to scrounge firewood. Then I can let them be my pack mules.

 

[Ambull01]

One of each would be my druthers....

Ya, surge brakes work, say you are driving and hit your van brakes. The trailer wants to surge ahead, pushes a..don't know the name, actuator I think..activates the hydraulic brakes. You have to lock them out to back up. That's what the humvee trailers have. Now not all small boat trailers have them, but some do. I towed a big sailboat once where the trailer had surge brakes on it and it felt fine, not much different from conventional electric brakes.

Most small trailers, cheap ones, have zero brakes. Where I live, trailers over 3500 lbs gross vehicle weight, that's trailer plus load, are supposed to have brakes. Real easy to hit that hauling firewood....

Okay, big boat trailer it is. Have to research what it takes to turn one of them into a wood hauler. Would love not to worry about the weight I'm loading. Guess of course I do have to be mindful about the tow vehicle's specs.

 

[Marshy]

Damn, sounds like a workout just getting to the potential scrounge. I need to convince my kids how fun it is to scrounge firewood. Then I can let them be my pack mules.

Most of the wood I come across is close to the road or I can drive up close to. I don't have to go hiking up in the woods for it. I only take out what I need when I need it. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

 

[Ambull01]

Gotcha. Guess I wouldn't mind having all that stuff in my vehicle.

 

[dancan]

If you convert a boat trailer with brakes to haul wood be ready to search or shell out some dough if you need hubs,bearings and brake parts , most of it is not as common as electric brakes .
It'll still make a wood hauler though , just has it's issues.