Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[Backyard Lumberjack]

so I use several tractors in my scrounging activities for oak firewood... I really like my new New-Holland diesel tractor and its powerful bucket. here we are up at the farm, and it hauls the scrounges well!

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

but, I don't really like that tall first step up into the tractor's cockpit! imo, a real PITA! as I am not 6' tall... lol please, just


so I thot it would be simple to just call the dealer, and buy a 'bolt-on' aux step... nice ez bolt on and all shiny blue to match... are you sitting down? omg... they quoted me $750.00 + tax... for both L and R aux steps! get real man, I could buy a new chainsaw for that! I told the parts guy... are you &*%$ me? I din't say new tractor, I said step... he laffed. "i know what u mean!" he said... dang I said, makes Harley stuff sounds like from 99-cent store. well... needless to say I sure and he** NOT paying $800 or so for some thin tin type step ups! even if it is color matched! lol

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

but I really wanted a nice, easy to use 'first step' that would both work well and look good on the machine!... I pondered... looked under a bit, but no real time on project... other things to do. so other week, I did take the time, crawled underneath on back for a serious 'look-see' and low and behold... I found the center implement bolt holes (4) cast into bottom of the diesel tractor's heavy, massive manual transmission. and ! but metric no doubt, but what size?

so I went to Lowes and got 6 metric bolts about 7/16ths SAE and figured one would fit. and one did. easy screw it in! and so I now had my location point and soon had it all figured out how I would make a cool new aux step for my new tractor... not for $800.00 but for about $10.00 or less! yes, $10.00 or less...

here is my design. I first made a pattern to the bolt holes in trans. cardboard and small ballpeen, tapped the hole areas and made a congruent replication of the pattern, no measuring required. I will trim up an 18" 4x6 and then a 2x6x55 to reach out past the tractors sides to make the step pad. the center bolts are 4 M12-1.75 and I need 160mm. so had to go to specialty fastener store... got 4, flat and lock washers, too. out to the ends of each side of the 4x6 I will use 2 per side 5/16ths lag bolts to further secure the 2x6 to the 4x6...gluing the 2 together with Lock-Tite III wood glue. (waterproof) then once holes drilled, etc will sand, primer and trim out in a New-Holland blue, adding foot step pads at each end. here some pix of work parts, bolts and design-in-progress. I bot a 10 mm hex socket for the socket bolts, but prob will just use the one I made up... 3/8ths with brass shim. besides the store bot 10mm is a loose fit and the one I made is nice and snug. I like snug!!

'engineering plans'



tractor transmission bolt hole pattern for center mount implements...




160 mm bolts, load washers and lock washers




M12-1.75 x 36 mm thread ID finder... screwed right into the trans underside bolt holes like the 'magic key' for curtain # 3 and... started the car lol...
took the others back to Lowes... keeping the ID finder...




bolt place said they had cap screws, 17 in stock, but at counter had -0-! so a hex head socket needed... $7.00 at Lowes... but maybe I can make one... or adapt it up well, so I did. that is brass shim stock .003 cost me $12.00 for the roll back in 1988 or so. I have used that stuff to shim up more than just a few sets of rod bearings on v8s... OHV cam set ups... and main bearnings... the stuff is awesome... bulletproof! time consuming... but beats a new engine. rattling rods at 145,000 miles?... shim em up... dress them out, reset to running range .0015 to .0025 and good for another 50,000 miles... easy!

 

[JustJeff]

but I really wanted a nice, easy to use 'first step' that would both work well and look good on the machine!... I pondered... looked under a bit, but no real time on project... other things to do. so other week, I did take the time and low and behold... I found the center implement bolt holes cast into bottom of the diesel tractors heavy massive manual transmission. and ! but metric no doubt, but what size?

so I went to Lowes and got 6 metric bolts about 7/16ths SAE and figured one would fit. and one did. easy screw it in! and so I now had my location point and soon had it all figured out how I would make a cool new aux step for my new tractor... not for $800.00 but for about $10.00 or less! yes, $10.00 or less...

here is my design. I first made a pattern to the bolt holes in trans. cardboard and small ballpeen, tapped the hole areas and made a congruent replication of the pattern, no measuring required. I will trim up an 18" 4x6 and then a 2x6x55 to reach out past the tractors sides to make the step pad. the center bolts are 4 M12-1.75 and I need 160mm. so had to go to specialty fastener store... got 4, flat and lock washers, too. out to the ends of each side of the 4x6 I will use 2 per side 5/16ths lag bolts to further secure the 2x6 to the 4x6...gluing the 2 together with Lock-Tite III wood glue. (waterproof) then once holes drilled, etc will sand, primer and trim out in a New-Holland blue, adding foot step pads at each end. here some pix of work parts, bolts and design-in-progress. I bot a 10 mm hex socket for the socket bolts, but prob will just use the one I made up... 3/8ths with brass shim. besides the store bot 10mm is a loose fit and the one I made is nice and snug. I like snug!!

'engineering plans'

View attachment 498478

tractor transmission bolt hole pattern for center mount implements...

View attachment 498479


160 mm bolts, load washers and lock washers

View attachment 498480


M12-1.75 x 36 mm thread ID finder... screwed right into the trans underside bolt holes like the 'magic key' for curtain # 3 and... started the car lol...
took the others back to Lowes... keeping the ID finder...

View attachment 498481


bolt place said they had cap screws, 17 in stock, but at counter had -0-! so a hex head socket needed... $7.00 at Lowes... but maybe I can make one... or adapt it up well, so I did. that is brass shim stock .003 cost me $12.00 for the roll back in 1988 or so. I have used that stuff to shim up more than just a few sets of rod bearings on v8s... OHV cam set ups... and main bearnings... the stuff is awesome... bulletproof! time consuming... but beats a new engine. rattling rods at 145,000 miles?... shim em up... dress them out, reset to running range .0015 to .0025 and good for another 50,000 miles... easy!

View attachment 498482
View attachment 498483

View attachment 498484

Nice work!

 

[hardpan]

Here are the piles. I'll be busy for a while now!

View attachment 498380 View attachment 498381 View attachment 498382

Since you find so little hardwood do you somewhat isolate it and burn for the coldest times or have you adapted to the softwood so well that the oak is really no big deal?

 

[svk]

Since you find so little hardwood do you somewhat isolate it and burn for the coldest times or have you adapted to the softwood so well that the oak is really no big deal?

I hoard oak like its platinum.

Honestly I like the best hardwood I can get for overnight burns during cold snaps.

On those -30 nights my indoor boiler will gobble a full load of aspen in a couple hours. I can get 8 hour burns in extreme cold or 12 hours plus on normal cold weather with oak.

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

Nice work!

thanks Wood-N! it tickles me the simplicity of it. how many times have I stepped up wishing had a lower first step? at least more than once! lol... but $800.00? right! I like $10.00; pretty close to free imo. lol. besides $800.00 will buy a whole lot of diesel... did someone say even a new chain saw?

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

I hoard oak like its platinum.

Honestly I like the best hardwood I can get for overnight burns during cold snaps.

On those -30 nights my indoor boiler will gobble a full load of aspen in a couple hours. I can get 8 hour burns in extreme cold or 12 hours plus on normal cold weather with oak.

On those -30 nights

 

[zogger]

On those -30 nights

Here's some of what happens at those temps

If you look like me, your breath condenses on your beard and mustache and it turns into blocks of ice

If you are in an old tarpaper shack or shed where you can look up and see nails showing from the tarpaper or shingles being nailed on, they gradually grow icicles and hang down..sorta pretty in the dark, almost like little ceiling stars

trees crack open and explode, very loud, like a gunshot sometimes

if your ride is outside and not in an enclosed garage, you are sitting on four flats, with a frozen in place square part, when you first get going *if it starts* takes a mile or so to warm the tires out enough to go back to being round and not going whompwwhompwhomp down the road

if there has been a little warming trend and minor melt and then the cold air hits the snow, it will freeze hard enough you can literally go ice skating through the woods on top of the snow

if you break down someplace remote with no comms that work and don't have really adequate clothing and gear (and some skills) with you and some chow..well...you can croak really easy

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

Here's some of what happens at those temps

If you look like me, your breath condenses on your beard and mustache and it turns into blocks of ice

If you are in an old tarpaper shack or shed where you can look up and see nails showing from the tarpaper or shingles being nailed on, they gradually grow icicles and hang down..sorta pretty in the dark, almost like little ceiling stars

trees crack open and explode, very loud, like a gunshot sometimes

if your ride is outside and not in an enclosed garage, you are sitting on four flats, with a frozen in place square part, when you first get going *if it starts* takes a mile or so to warm the tires out enough to go back to being round and not going whompwwhompwhomp down the road

if there has been a little warming trend and minor melt and then the cold air hits the snow, it will freeze hard enough you can literally go ice skating through the woods on top of the snow

if you break down someplace remote with no comms that work and don't have really adequate clothing and gear (and some skills) with you and some chow..well...you can croak really easy

had a friend up in Canada, said always had to plug in engines in winter... and to venture out solo on hiways was a life threatening experience... and always... travel in pairs. man, that is cold! sounds like u have walked the talk... interesting comments.

 

[hardpan]

I hoard oak like its platinum.

Honestly I like the best hardwood I can get for overnight burns during cold snaps.

On those -30 nights my indoor boiler will gobble a full load of aspen in a couple hours. I can get 8 hour burns in extreme cold or 12 hours plus on normal cold weather with oak.

Wow. I had no idea of the extreme difference but I also have no experience with -30. More to it than BTU charts.

 

[LondonNeil]

-30, i presume that's Farenheit. Google tells me that is -34.4 Celcius....or on my scale that's 'kin cold! You can keep that.

 

[svk]

More to it than BTU charts.

Yes there is.

Going from balsam to aspen doubles my burn times.

Going from aspen to birch doubles my burn times again.

 

[Philbert]

Here's some of what happens at those temps

Or, . . .you run out of the sauna naked and roll in the snow!

Philbert

 

[dancan]

No scrounging today

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

-30, i presume that's Farenheit. Google tells me that is -34.4 Celcius....or on my scale that's 'kin cold! You can keep that.

LN - we all like iced tea down here on the trails and ranges... but not that iced!! lol...

 

[Agent Orange]

No scrounging today

No excuses, couple of toasty toes in the undies and get after it.

 

[dancan]

It's the rain at 32* that'll get you .

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

No scrounging today

brrr! boy! that pix says it all! clearly, imo... defines the mood of the day... and if it was my pix... location... would also define my pace for the day, too! lol can anybody say dreary ?

 

[JustJeff]

I'm officially a wood snob. Guy has 6-8 large dump trailers of poplar cut in 6-12' lengths. No brush. Will deliver for free. I turned it down. It's hard to sell anything but hardwood around here.
But it was free and delivered!! It's killing me!!