Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[Deleted member 149229]

Backyard locust, fortunately I saw this just before starting to buck, it was about 6’ from ground level so I’m figuring a clothes line anchor.

 

[Jeffkrib]

I don't know how long one piece of any wood burns because I normally put at least 3-4 in at a time. When I'm burning coals I'll set a piece on top and leave the damper wide open, a nice chunk of hard maple will last an hr like that and then there will be nice coals left from it. Outside temperature will change the duration of a burn in my stove dramatically. On a warmer day(few degrees Celsius) I can leave the house in the morning around 5am with a good fire going and I will have lots of large coals at 5 that evening, when it's down below zero I may get 4-6 hrs before its at the same stage.

So a fire with the same size logs, same settings in a fire box surrounded by a water jacket.... why would it burn so much faster when it’s cooler? It must have more air getting sucked in I would assume.

 

[panolo]

You got a block heater? Just got mine. I will now have a block heater and heated battery blanket.

But I know what you mean. Auto transmission do not like weather that cold and colder. Shifts get a little mushy and drawn out sometimes until it gets warmed up.

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Sweet! You'll love the difference. Just going to plug my bobcat in so I can plow when I get home from work later tonight. I don't know if they sell a new car in MN without one?

 

[chipper1]

So a fire with the same size logs, same settings in a fire box surrounded by a water jacket.... why would it burn so much faster when it’s cooler? It must have more air getting sucked in I would assume.

No water jackets on my stove.
Correct, more draw on the pipe when the temps are lower.

 

[bigfellascott]

pix please!

Yeah I will post some pics up when I get around to building it, might not be this winter as I'm flatout at the moment helping my mate with lawnmower repairs and soon the chainsaws will start rolling in too along with a bobcat that needs work done to it and not to mention my extension which needs finishing and the woodheater itself has to be installed yet and we still have to cut wood for his custombers and wood for ourselves and friends and family - it never ends and on top of that I've got to try and get my health in better shape so I can actually do these things!

I'm not sure if it can be done but I will just keep plugging away at it bit by bit and see how it all goes I guess (my health is my main priority, next is getting the wood heater in and the extension finished or close to being finished would be good, then the wood and then the mowers and chainsaws etc - see what happens I guess.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

I have 3 prongs on my forks so that I can cut it into 16" long pieces without them falling off. In the pics you can see my aluminum marking stick, it had 1/2" holes drilled every 16" so I hit it with a shot of marking paint for length. I leave the saws running and sht off only when out of fuel and chain changes.

Three forks for logs. What a beautiful idea!

 

[farmer steve]

Three forks for logs. What a beautiful idea!

I thought about it but I move to many pallets and bins with mine. I may need to look for a junker set of forks at an auction this spring.

 

[bigfellascott]

Cassowaries. You don't mess with them, I'm just glad they don't live down where I do.

I went for another hike the previous weekend, up Mt Bogong, the tallest one in this pic, though without the snow.

View attachment 717010

There was a bit of cloud around so the views weren't quite what they can be but still pretty good.

View attachment 717008

Came close to standing on 3 or 4 of them last year whilst out hunting on a mates property, the bloody joints crawling with em. I'm real careful where I put my feet when out there as they have last quite a few cattle and sheep to snake bites.

Some nice scenery there too Cowboy, it won't be long and the bogong will be covered with snow again.

What's the wood you've cut there, looks a bit green still but should be ready next year I would think.
And just to prove it was me

View attachment 717007

And it was all good until I nearly stepped on this guy...

View attachment 717009

But it's all good. Even if he'd bitten me, the black snake is way down on the world's most venomous snake list. They're like, 9th or something.

 

[U&A]

never actually seen a block heater before. heard about them. similar to stock tank heater I uses to use. nor have I heard of battery heater blankets, guess I will have to google one of those... seen the engine heaters and covers planes use out in bush in up N winters... cant plug them in.

do u also plug it in to a receptacle if u park in town and shop, etc? a guyl up N in Canada, western area... they had them in his town.

No where in town do we have them but I’m not in town long enough to worry about it in anyways. And we don’t get cold enough to where I need to plug it in at the truck is only sitting for an hour or 2. I have it more for when it’s parked overnight at home and outside at work. I pull up to the building at work and there’s a strip of plugs all the way down the building that we plug into.




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[bigfellascott]

This was in a tree we cut down at my mates place, we decided to use one of the cheap camp saws to cut near as we weren't interested in destroying a good chain on one of our main firewood cutting saws. We were worried about where the chain was hence the decision to go with the camp saw, anyway all good it turns out there was no chain!

I bought a couple of cheap chinese Hurricane Brand chains a while back to she how they would handle our hardwood and they didn't go real well, 4 or 5 teeth missing and half a dozen drive links destroyed LOL they cut great at first, then I went to sharpen em and that's when I realised the teeth were missing and the ties were lose and ready to fall apart too so I took it off and then discovered the drive links were being destroyed too LOL, worst part is I still have 2 new chains sitting there, I will use them and see how they go but I have a fair idea how it will end LOL, especially after my mates hurricane chain did the same thing!!! LOL

 

[bigfellascott]

Warm dry snake houses?

Got bitten by a spider the other day while walking through the bush. Didn't see it but hurt pretty good for rest of the day. apart from that, am so pleased to be able to go anywhere without fear of snakes or the like.

On a different note, does anyone across the ditch know anyone in Queensland that an help me source some gum seeds from the Blackdown Tablelands? The gum I'm after is native to that area. Have been test plantations here in NZ that are doing well but have been disappointed by the lack of give-a-***** by at least one of the guys involved in one of those trials so trying to buy my own seeds and have a go myself. Just a bit tricky trying to find anyone I can trust to positively ID the trees and sell me the seeds they collect from them.

Mate snakes love wood piles too, it's not unusual to see em amoungst the firewood heap, even had a copperhead under the front steps last year and you definitely don't leave the ute door open when cutting out in the bush, they don't mind hitching a ride either!! LOL

My mate chases after them when he spots em (bloody lunatic) it doesn't matter what type of snake it is he's after em, I just sit back and watch the action as he dances around as they try and tag him LOL. he's ended up in hospital a few times over the years but he still loves to tell the tale LOL.

My brother was doing water meter readings and due to a sore back he was using a long handled flat blade screwdriver to clean the screens on the water meters to read then and as he lifted the cover on this particular one and started to clean the glass to read it the screwdriver got hit several times, he then looks inside the box and sees a redbelly blacksnake in there!!! LOL

Lucky boy, they generally don't kill you (then can and do kill) but most of the time they just make you awefully sick for a few days.

I'm hopeless I'm always out in the bush wearing shorts and T-shirt and thongs - no doubt I will pay the price one day.

 

[U&A]

I’d rather live with bears and wolves then poisonous snakes and spiders


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[rarefish383]

Have you ever been on a boat and seen the Porpoise jumping in the bow wave? I just heard a rumbling noise and knew it was the snow plow. The road is down a pretty steep hill in the front yard, I could only see half the truck and the tip of the plow, with the wake of snow coming of it. Then I saw something black flash up and down. So, I jumped up and ran to the window for a better view. It was my neighbors Black Lab running next to the plow jumping in the snow.

 

[Deleted member 149229]

Mate snakes love wood piles too, it's not unusual to see em amoungst the firewood heap, even had a copperhead under the front steps last year and you definitely don't leave the ute door open when cutting out in the bush, they don't mind hitching a ride either!! LOL

My mate chases after them when he spots em (bloody lunatic) it doesn't matter what type of snake it is he's after em, I just sit back and watch the action as he dances around as they try and tag him LOL. he's ended up in hospital a few times over the years but he still loves to tell the tale LOL.

My brother was doing water meter readings and due to a sore back he was using a long handled flat blade screwdriver to clean the screens on the water meters to read then and as he lifted the cover on this particular one and started to clean the glass to read it the screwdriver got hit several times, he then looks inside the box and sees a redbelly blacksnake in there!!! LOL

Lucky boy, they generally don't kill you (then can and do kill) but most of the time they just make you awefully sick for a few days.

I'm hopeless I'm always out in the bush wearing shorts and T-shirt and thongs - no doubt I will pay the price one day.

Please tell me that when you said thong you meant the kind on your feet!! My brain is having seizures.

 

[bigfellascott]

I’d rather live with bears and wolves then poisonous snakes and spiders


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At least the bears and wolves are easier to see hey

 

[bigfellascott]

Please tell me that when you said thong you meant the kind on your feet!! My brain is having seizures.

 

[Deleted member 149229]

Feeling better now, thanks.

 

[bigfellascott]

Feeling better now, thanks.

Your welcome, I probably should have trimmed the toenails and cleaned em before I took the pic LOL

 

[farmer steve]

Scrounging put on hold temporarily. Thanks Ma nature. Out to finish plowing .

 

[Deleted member 149229]

Your welcome, I probably should have trimmed the toenails and cleaned em before I took the pic LOL

At first glance I thought either Yeti or a Cassowary. Yeti is probably the only dangerous critter you don’t have down under.