Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[Deleted member 150358]

I think it's time to find a new 20" Tsumura light and tough bar for it. But, last time I tried to find such a bar it was tricky to find in .063 gauge.

I don't think on a 20" the light is worth the extra coin. Besides the regular tsumara looks so sexy.

 

[Deleted member 150358]

Oh wait. You said light and tough. That is the regular one isn't it!?!

 

[KiwiBro]

L&T Tsumura bars have the plastic/resin inserts. In the smaller bars it's probably 5/8ths of bugger all weight saving over the standard bar option. But then Tsumura bars are such good quality, they last so long the L&T premium is probably just cents per hour of use.

But if I drop back to one chain type for everything, then I won't have my picco bars for felling small stuff. I don't have any such jobs lined up but when I do them, they could be many acres of clear felling small stuff and every ounce counts. Am now re-thinking it and might keep the picco stuff just for that reason. I already have 20/24/32" Tsumura bars but the 20" is on its last legs.

Come to think of it, if they did a 42" L&T I'd be all over it for the 395. It's quite a heavy set-up for me when felling. One or two trees, fine, but if using it for longer periods I'd get pretty tired. Must be getting old.

*edit*
Have just checked and the picco bars won't fit the 261 anyway, unless the slots are machined wider, pin holes widened and oil hole redrilled. Bugga.

*edit 2*
Just had a total sort of bars and if I could keep it to Tsumura and they all had the same noses, that would make things so much simpler. I've got too many bars and spare noses that it's a bit out of control. There are even two brand new cannon supermini picco bars 18 and 20" along with spare noses and i think at least one of those spare noses is .325 just in case I decided to try .325. Then there is a new cheapie GB picco 18 bar and two spare noses. Then the .325 stihl B&C that came with the 261 that I have put a few days use on but is still in barely used condition. And don't get me started on chains and the requisite ties and straps to repair and make up loops. Arrrrg. One chain type and one bar brand is sounding bloody good.

 

[KiwiBro]

G'day troops,

I cut a bit more out at the farm this morning. I'm already sorted with a bit to spare so I'm cutting wood now for fun, exercise and to help out a few people. I ran into the farmer on the way out and while he was happy for me to cut some more, he also has a couple of other people who are interested in some wood so I'm making today the last trip so that I stay in the good books for next year. But my mate Dave could use a bit more so I got one last load for him.

View attachment 645782

I cut this small dead peppermint and the branch in the background along with a few other odds and ends about the place, leaving the better logs there. There were a few rubbishy bits towards the base but it still burns. All 460 action today.

View attachment 645783

About 1.5 cubes all up, including a few bits chucked in the back of the suby. Mostly ready to burn but a few bits need a few months drying time.

View attachment 645784

Dropped that off and then went to work.

Wish my mates would bring me firewood. Lazy bastards will sit on their arses until the first cold snap (from the missus) then call me chasing firewood or where to get cheap parts for the saw that hasn't run since the start of last Winter. Or to borrow the splitter (I laugh the most at those requests).

 

[farmer steve]

the next few days look to be a bit warmer than what i like to scrounge in so i threw the saws on the tractor this morning and took a ride. first victim was a big locust that split off last fall. saw a dead white oak on my way out with the locust and just had to go back and get it. bit of a fire on the mountain across the valley from where i was cutting.

 

[dancan]

Scrounge of the day. Mostly elder and small amount of ash. View attachment 645846

Funny how things grow.
Behind my house there's ash , a mile or less east there's oak but a mile or less northwest to my scrounging grounds it's maple, birch and 2 ash trees in the hundreds of acres I've been trampling through.
I haven't cut the 2 ash trees,,,,Yet lol

 

[MustangMike]

Well, I only had one Tax Appt early, and one late, so during the day I got to play with a couple of saws for the first time in months!

I put new fuel caps on my 026, and they leaked too, so I purchased an O ring at the auto store and all is good now. Ran it a bit and tuned it a bit, so it should be good for the GTG!

Then I played with one of my 660 Asian Twins. It has been bothering me that one saw had noticeably more torque than the other (the one with the more opened up muffler was lacking torque). So even though I had tuned it to 4 stroke, I opened the Hi up some more (from 1 + 1/4 to 1 + 5/8). Well, I only did two cuts with it, but I leaned on it pretty hard and did not slow it down, so I think I resolved the problem! I had been thinking about it a lot, and it just made sense that the saw with the greater muffler mod should be set a bit richer, but I'm very glad it seems to have worked! I wish every problem were that simple to resolve!

 

[Cowboy254]

Cowboy, you have beautiful scenery shots, but for the look of your wood, it must be a lot dryer down under than it is here.

I think this particular tree was dead standing for a fair while before it got pushed over, I'd guess a few years. The sapwood of peppermint deteriorates over time giving that dessicated look while the heartwood is still ok. There was some termite activity in the lower section that kept some moisture in there. Our particular area typically gets 0.8-1.0m of rain per year, being on the west side of the mountain range we get a fair bit more rain than the rest of the state.

Wish my mates would bring me firewood. Lazy bastards will sit on their arses until the first cold snap (from the missus) then call me chasing firewood or where to get cheap parts for the saw that hasn't run since the start of last Winter. Or to borrow the splitter (I laugh the most at those requests).

I don't donate wood to sooks and whiners. I like to help out people who, due to circumstances rather than choice (ie. laziness) find themselves in wood poverty. The two households I have cut wood for in the last couple of weeks didn't (and wouldn't) ask for it, but I had become aware that they needed some wood and since I had the gear and the wood access, I just went and did it. And I need the exercise and running big saws is awesome and the teary gratitude from the recipients makes me feel warm and fuzzy. Lazy whiners need not apply, however.

In unexpected news, the Lady Farmer's relocation/custody decision came out in her favour and about 6 months earlier than might have been expected. She's moving 3000km away next week so the 7m of wood I cut for her around Easter can go to the lady I took a load to a few weeks back (who is also going through a divorce and had to pay $4000 in costs just because the husband chose not to attend the court date).

the next few days look to be a bit warmer than what i like to scrounge in so i threw the saws on the tractor this morning and took a ride. first victim was a big locust that split off last fall. saw a dead white oak on my way out with the locust and just had to go back and get it. bit of a fire on the mountain across the valley from where i was cutting.

Yes, you did need to go back and get that oak . We had some fires in our area today as well. It has been pretty dry for three months and with 35° temps and high winds a few (deliberately lit ) fires got away. Tomorrow the approaching cold front arrives and we have snow forecast for the mountains for Saturday and probably heater lighting conditions here.

 

[KiwiBro]

Onya Cowboy. I'm pretty much the same here too. The lazy can get stuffed. Would rather help those down on their luck or having a tough time of it. Most of us have been in those shoes or will be there again at some stage, and know what it means to have someone lend a hand.

 

[LondonNeil]

Good work cowboy.

I had to look it up but Google tells me London's average annual rain is a mere 601mm (2 feet to those still working on Imperial), so you are wetter than London. However I guess you have prolonged periods of dry and 30C + or even 40C? Where as we normally get just a few days or weeks of around 30C and all complain that is too hot.

 

[muddstopper]

Good work cowboy.

I had to look it up but Google tells me London's average annual rain is a mere 601mm (2 feet to those still working on Imperial), so you are wetter than London. However I guess you have prolonged periods of dry and 30C + or even 40C? Where as we normally get just a few days or weeks of around 30C and all complain that is too hot.

You folks must be in the desert we get 57 inches, thats 1447mm, per year.

 

[Deleted member 150358]

Got the splitter set up and split 1-7' bucket of elm top. Then split the little jag of boxelder.

Too soft to go in with the tractor unless it's froze in the mornings. Don't want to rut it all up. I mow the clearing for my back yard gun range.

Plenty more to go here. I will cut more back here this spring. There is a cherry on the ground and some other blow down oak tops ECT...

 

[Cowboy254]

Good work cowboy.

I had to look it up but Google tells me London's average annual rain is a mere 601mm (2 feet to those still working on Imperial), so you are wetter than London. However I guess you have prolonged periods of dry and 30C + or even 40C? Where as we normally get just a few days or weeks of around 30C and all complain that is too hot.

I think when it rains here it more often rains properly then clear up rather than drizzle for ages. Where I am we don't get so much rain between January and April so the ground is firm and the April temps generally good for the scrounging. Oz's wettest town is a place called Tully way up in northern Queensland - 5+ metres or 200 inches of rain per year!

 

[LondonNeil]

i was thinking that, we get a lot of drizzle! we don't get extremes of any weather.

 

[woodchip rookie]

Got the splitter set up

I'm going to turn my yard wagon into a "fifth wheel" kinda like that. Put a metal plate across the back, mount a 2" ball in the plate then drag the wagon dragging the splitter. Drop off the splitter where I'm gonna split then drag the wagon back n forth from the splitter to the stack. Now I just need a Yamaha TW200 and figure out a way to pull the wagon with it.

https://www.yamahamotorsports.com/dual-sport/models/tw200

 

[Deleted member 150358]

Yep that Old blue dolly is handy.. Neighbor plowed for me once last winter and bent/cracked the handle. Ya can see the little splice in er now. Little crooked yet.

I used the tractor to pull the splitter back there. Carried the dolly in the bucket. Much easier to drag around. About equal to a pallet jack.

 

[Jeffkrib]

My sister and some of her friends walked the Milford track in New Zealand back in the 90’s, they had 1500mm of rain in one night. Luckily they were sleeping in a hut up in the mountain. They had to get air lifted out by helicopter.

 

[James Miller]

I'm going to turn my yard wagon into a "fifth wheel" kinda like that. Put a metal plate across the back, mount a 2" ball in the plate then drag the wagon dragging the splitter. Drop off the splitter where I'm gonna split then drag the wagon back n forth from the splitter to the stack. Now I just need a Yamaha TW200 and figure out a way to pull the wagon with it.

https://www.yamahamotorsports.com/dual-sport/models/tw200

I like that bike. Been thinking of picking up a bigger bike. Something dual sport or super moto. My little hoolgan ride is fun to rip around town on but I want more.

 

[Deleted member 150358]

My son rides a Kawasaki 650 klr all modded. He wants to step up to an African Twin. If he does I have dibs on the Kawasaki.

 

[Deleted member 150358]

Got a start on some more splitting. Getting really windy so may call it a day. We'll see. Some of this is a bit punky but some is real decent.