Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[SS396driver]

Just back from Home Depot the water heater sprung a leak and they had a propane unit in stock . Same brand Rheem the last one was about 20 years old. I bought some ball valves to replace the gate valves that didn’t work well any more. And to my surprise the everbuilt brand were made in Italy . Made my day not buying Chinese junk

 

[JustJeff]

I do round stacks, kind of a modified holzhauzen. I stand the center pieces vertically.
Crazy day was 14°C earlier now 0 and snowing. For the muricians that's about 57 down to 32. Lost almost all our snow. Friday there was a few spots 3ft deep. Lot of flooding in the area.

 

[Woodtroll]

Yesterday's Doug Fir is split and the start of a holzhausen for winter '27.
View attachment 1250352

That's a nice start! Good looking ring.

I have a general curiosity question about stacking split wood that this photo prompted me to ask. Certainly not picking on Haywire at all:

When you're stacking split wood that either is not going to be covered for a while or may be exposed to some rain (like the wood on the sides of a stack that that is covered on top only), do you think it makes a difference whether the bark side is up or down? I try to stack mine with the bark on top and split side down, thinking that since bark is somewhat of a moisture barrier that it will shed more rain than the split side wood. I even wonder if the moisture in wood will drain to the bottom of a stick (like a pair of pants hung on the clothesline to dry will do - drying last at the bottom of the legs) and evaporate better if the split side is down. But that may be stretching my imagination a little far, I don't know, especially since moisture runs better with the grain and vessels in the wood (end to end) rather than laterally to them.

These are just ideas based on random thoughts I have while doing manual labor sometimes, and I dont really have any scientific evidence to base this on. I'm just curious what y'all think?

 

[JimR]

Can't say I agree with you guys. I refuse to **** around with bald, dry-rotted tires that need to be inflated every other day. Everybody's budget and perspective is different, but my time, my vehicles, my personal safety and particularly the safety of others is worth way more a decent set of tires.

Tires are like life insurance.

 

[sean donato]

That’s a huge rim @75 inches
tires about 9 feet tall ?

I was at a Sam’s one day and a guy was getting some tires put on his F350 I was getting them on my 3500 Dodge . I had to special order them because they didn’t stock E rated tires . Casually talking with the guy and I mentioned it took two weeks for them to get the tires in . He said he just stopped in because he had a flat and decided to put all new tires on . I told him he better check the rating . Sure enough they were putting D rated tires on it . Man was he pissed they had to take them off and get some from a local tire shop .

Communist tire size.... think they equate out close to a 35x12.5. at over $300.00 a tire I'm not really interested. Not liking 17" wheels so far.

 

[JustJeff]

That's a nice start! Good looking ring.

I have a general curiosity question about stacking split wood that this photo prompted me to ask. Certainly not picking on Haywire at all:

When you're stacking split wood that either is not going to be covered for a while or may be exposed to some rain (like the wood on the sides of a stack that that is covered on top only), do you think it makes a difference whether the bark side is up or down? I try to stack mine with the bark on top and split side down, thinking that since bark is somewhat of a moisture barrier that it will shed more rain than the split side wood. I even wonder if the moisture in wood will drain to the bottom of a stick (like a pair of pants hung on the clothesline to dry will do - drying last at the bottom of the legs) and evaporate better if the split side is down. But that may be stretching my imagination a little far, I don't know, especially since moisture runs better with the grain and vessels in the wood (end to end) rather than laterally to them.

These are just ideas based on random thoughts I have while doing manual labor sometimes, and I dont really have any scientific evidence to base this on. I'm just curious what y'all think?

I stack bark up especially on top of the stack no matter what type of stack

 

[Haywire]

stand the center pieces vertically.

Might try that on this one, probably can get more in there that way.

That's a nice start! Good looking ring.

I have a general curiosity question about stacking split wood that this photo prompted me to ask. Certainly not picking on Haywire at all:

When you're stacking split wood that either is not going to be covered for a while or may be exposed to some rain (like the wood on the sides of a stack that that is covered on top only), do you think it makes a difference whether the bark side is up or down? I try to stack mine with the bark on top and split side down, thinking that since bark is somewhat of a moisture barrier that it will shed more rain than the split side wood. I even wonder if the moisture in wood will drain to the bottom of a stick (like a pair of pants hung on the clothesline to dry will do) and evaporate better if the split side is down. But that may be stretching my imagination a little far, I don't know, especially since moisture runs better with the grain and vessels in the wood (end to end) rather than laterally to them.

These are just ideas based on random thoughts I have while doing manual labor sometimes, and I dont really have any scientific evidence to base this on. I'm just curious what y'all think?

Thanks. Always have stacked splits sunny side up until the top row, but it probably doesn't really matter. This wood will sit there stacked for a couple years, then be moved into the shed before it gets burned for the winter.

 

[SS396driver]

Communist tire size.... think they equate out close to a 35x12.5. at over $300.00 a tire I'm not really interested. Not liking 17" wheels so far.

I put wranglers ATs on my dodge . The Kevlar reinforced ones. Never heard of the Kevlar ones but the price was right and they have been good so far . Put them on two years ago . Price was 275 a tire then

 

[MechanicMatt]

My best buddy actually reached out to me for advice for tires on his Tundra today. I steered him to AT over HT’s. Told him, you have a company van sir your daily so keep your truck a truck!!

Asked him, do you want to be the guy stuck in the muck while hunting that has to be dragged out? Or the Hero that does the dragging??

As for Firewood, maybe when I have more time on my hands I’ll think that deep into stacking up or down. But I just toss it onto the pile and it dries. Where my pile is on a fence row bordering the field, it gets PLENTY of wind. I’m not worried about bark up or down.

The year I made the Halzhausen, I tossed the wood into the middle. Worked great and the kids had fun making it

 

[benz66]

Don't know if it is just Michelin couple of years ago I bought four "new" Tiger paw tires from Priority Tires, thru Walmart, to put on my daughter's Ford focus before sending her off to school.
One of the tires had a blowout at Highway speed within a few days of being installed on the car
When I had all the tires inspected, the date code showed that they were all six years old
I went to a lot of hassle to get there, but eventually the local Michelin uniroyal dealer replaced all four of the tires and they told me they couldn't believe any dealer would sell me tires with a date stamp six years old
They said they pulled all of their tires out of inventory and sent them back to the manufacturer when they got to be one and a half to two years old
Eventually, the customer service representative at Walmart, reimbursed me the entire price of all the tires
Whether or not priority tires owned up to it and reimbursed walmart, I don't know, but I doubt it because they kept claiming there was nothing wrong with selling in six-year-old tires
At any rate, if I were you, I would get rid of those tires

Michelin is low on my list. Not likely to buy. A lot of them slip belts and go bad. I will never buy a jokohama. I had a new one disintegrate when wife was driving alone, at night. It did $3000 damage to the car with the tread flapping around before she got stopped. They and the dealer refused to pay for anything. Only place to get off near the closest exit was an "adult" store. She had to sit at night in their parking lot the almost 2 hours it took for me to drive there. She was not happy and I was hopping mad at jokohama AND their dealer.

Can't say about truck tires, but i know people who swear by Hankook and Kumho on pickups/light flatbeds <1/5T. Jokohama gave me an aversion to any asian tires. I like continentals, Nokians, Barum, if you can find them (Czech Continental) and most any tire made in Europe. Top of the line goodyears have been good, the mid and low lines are bad. Bridgestone/Firestone have been middling to good, the exception is the Blizzak snow tires. They are fantastic, but you don't want to run them when it is over 70ºF, or the tread wears very fast. Same for Nokian Snow tires. But goodyear, firestone and michelin are generally not worth the price. Mixed results with cooper. I don't get continentals often because they are overpriced since they bought out General. All walmart/Sams tires are junk. Made to bring you back yearly for warranty adjustment, so you are always stuck buying their crap. Wally's really cheap tires are unsafe at any speed.

Some of the no name/brand x you never heard of are actually good tires. But it a crapshoot unless the dealer will tell you straight, and/or they have a good rating on tirerack. A look at tirerack.com ratings is a good place to start. I seldom buy from them but nearly always consult their ratings for the brands in the size I need. One size can be great, and another size of the same exact marking be awful. Best tires I ever saw were 7.50-17 Hercules Mud tires from about 1970. (and the old WWII S-3 truck tires). Back before they compounded the rubber to self destruct.

 

[GrizG]

My best buddy actually reached out to me for advice for tires on his Tundra today. I steered him to AT over HT’s. Told him, you have a company van sir your daily so keep your truck a truck!!

Asked him, do you want to be the guy stuck in the muck while hunting that has to be dragged out? Or the Hero that does the dragging??

As for Firewood, maybe when I have more time on my hands I’ll think that deep into stacking up or down. But I just toss it onto the pile and it dries. Where my pile is on a fence row bordering the field, it gets PLENTY of wind. I’m not worried about bark up or down.

The year I made the Halzhausen, I tossed the wood into the middle. Worked great and the kids had fun making it

Any thoughts on mixing HT front with AT rear on the 4X2 Silverado? They'll age out before I'd wear them out and I'm not too worried about highway noise as that would be the occasional truck trip from the Kingston to Carmel areas. I don't really need an E load range but didn't notice a lighter tire in that size in Wranglers....

 

[Haywire]

Happy St. Patrick's day, folks... On the chest of a barmaid from Yale,
Were tattooed the prices of ale,
And on her behind,
For the sake of the blind,
Was the same information in braille.

 

[benz66]

Maybe tires manufactured today are more sensitive to aging - different rubber compounds, thinner material, less UV protection, I don't know. But I've driven a lot of vehicles on old tires (way past the 6, 7, or 10 year "recommended" life.) You know who recommends short lives? Tire stores and tire manufacturers - just sayin'.

Old tires made in the last 6 years are not good for highway use after 6 yrs. around town, or just go to town and back, you MIGHT get by with them, until you NEED them, then you find out they have lost their gripping ability. I always said good tires are the cheapest insurance you can buy. I want to be able to DRIVE around, or out of a potential accident, and good steering components and good tires are essential for that.

I will drive on stuff I won't send my wife or kids onto the interstate with, but there is a limit to that too. What is the value of the lives inside the vehicle?

 

[benz66]

Any thoughts on mixing HT front with AT rear on the 4X2 Silverado? They'll age out before I'd wear them out and I'm not too worried about highway noise as that would be the occasional truck trip from the Kingston to Carmel areas.

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View attachment 1250441

I see no problem. It is 2WD, and each axle has matched tires. That was standard fare on farm trucks.

 

[GrizG]

Some of the no name/brand x you never heard of are actually good tires. But it a crapshoot unless the dealer will tell you straight, and/or they have a good rating on tirerack. A look at tirerack.com ratings is a good place to start. I seldom buy from them but nearly always consult their ratings for the brands in the size I need. One size can be great, and another size of the same exact marking be awful. Best tires I ever saw were 7.50-17 Hercules Mud tires from about 1970. (and the old WWII S-3 truck tires). Back before they compounded the rubber to self destruct.

My father's life long friend Gus was into European cars and sold Semperit and Vredestein tires. We had those brands of tires on many cars over the years... they were great.

Gus was into Lancia mostly but he also had a Rolls and a Jag. People brought 12 cylinder Lancias to him from all over the U.S. for tuning as he had a reputation for making them work. He rode a Moto-Guzzi too. He saw much of the world when he was a merchant marine... did a stint at IBM in facilities (steam heating) and retired from teaching at the SUNY Maritime College at Fort Schuyler. He'd bring the Moto-Guzzi on the ship during the annual training cruise and ride around in various countries. Interesting life!

 

[H-Ranch]

Old tires made in the last 6 years are not good for highway use after 6 yrs. around town, or just go to town and back, you MIGHT get by with them, until you NEED them, then you find out they have lost their gripping ability. I always said good tires are the cheapest insurance you can buy. I want to be able to DRIVE around, or out of a potential accident, and good steering components and good tires are essential for that.

I will drive on stuff I won't send my wife or kids onto the interstate with, but there is a limit to that too. What is the value of the lives inside the vehicle?

Way too many factors for a blanket statement like that. I would trust a 10 year old tire driven regularly in a northern climate, maintained properly, moderately loaded, and not driven near the speed rating WAY more than a 5 year old tire in a hot climate, exposed to the sun, stored for long periods, driven at or above maximum load, below placard pressure, and at high speed. But you do whatever makes you feel good.

 

[Lionsfan]

Any thoughts on mixing HT front with AT rear on the 4X2 Silverado? They'll age out before I'd wear them out and I'm not too worried about highway noise as that would be the occasional truck trip from the Kingston to Carmel areas. I don't really need an E load range but didn't notice a lighter tire in that size in Wranglers....

View attachment 1250440
View attachment 1250441

Why not just go AT's all the way around so you can keep them rotated?

 

[Lionsfan]

My best buddy actually reached out to me for advice for tires on his Tundra today. I steered him to AT over HT’s. Told him, you have a company van sir your daily so keep your truck a truck!!

Asked him, do you want to be the guy stuck in the muck while hunting that has to be dragged out? Or the Hero that does the dragging??

As for Firewood, maybe when I have more time on my hands I’ll think that deep into stacking up or down. But I just toss it onto the pile and it dries. Where my pile is on a fence row bordering the field, it gets PLENTY of wind. I’m not worried about bark up or down.

The year I made the Halzhausen, I tossed the wood into the middle. Worked great and the kids had fun making it

|I went the other way around. Got away from AT's and went with more of a highway tire.

 

[Lionsfan]

Michelin is low on my list. Not likely to buy. A lot of them slip belts and go bad. I will never buy a jokohama. I had a new one disintegrate when wife was driving alone, at night. It did $3000 damage to the car with the tread flapping around before she got stopped. They and the dealer refused to pay for anything. Only place to get off near the closest exit was an "adult" store. She had to sit at night in their parking lot the almost 2 hours it took for me to drive there. She was not happy and I was hopping mad at jokohama AND their dealer.

Can't say about truck tires, but i know people who swear by Hankook and Kumho on pickups/light flatbeds <1/5T. Jokohama gave me an aversion to any asian tires. I like continentals, Nokians, Barum, if you can find them (Czech Continental) and most any tire made in Europe. Top of the line goodyears have been good, the mid and low lines are bad. Bridgestone/Firestone have been middling to good, the exception is the Blizzak snow tires. They are fantastic, but you don't want to run them when it is over 70ºF, or the tread wears very fast. Same for Nokian Snow tires. But goodyear, firestone and michelin are generally not worth the price. Mixed results with cooper. I don't get continentals often because they are overpriced since they bought out General. All walmart/Sams tires are junk. Made to bring you back yearly for warranty adjustment, so you are always stuck buying their crap. Wally's really cheap tires are unsafe at any speed.

Some of the no name/brand x you never heard of are actually good tires. But it a crapshoot unless the dealer will tell you straight, and/or they have a good rating on tirerack. A look at tirerack.com ratings is a good place to start. I seldom buy from them but nearly always consult their ratings for the brands in the size I need. One size can be great, and another size of the same exact marking be awful. Best tires I ever saw were 7.50-17 Hercules Mud tires from about 1970. (and the old WWII S-3 truck tires). Back before they compounded the rubber to self destruct.

Last set I bought were Sumitomo brand. Nothing fancy, just an inexpensive, plain looking, all-season standard load highway tire. The local tire shop said they hold up well, they balance easy and they stay quiet as they wear. They got around fine this winter, but we'll have to wait and see how they do after a season or two.

 

[farmer steve]

The 2009 f150 came with Hankook tires on it. Put almost 40K on them. Did really good in snow and held up good hauling loads of scrounged wood. On the second set with another 40K miles on them. Ready for the 3rd set. Been buying them from the Ford dealer since they price match.