Winter 🥶 is in the air!!

[WheelhorseBob 1,549]

Getting chores done after a fruitless hunt this morning. 

[Terry M-(Moderator) 2,175]

Nice log splitter..👍

[Maxwell-8 4,275]

What a combo! Must get a lot of work done fast!

 

Hunting here is also turning to be less and less fruitless. We probably have to close it next year.  Eventhough we feed a lot, the predators are just too plentyfull.

And we are not allowed to take them... (foxes and predatorbirds)

[WheelhorseBob 1,549]

2 hours ago, Maxwell-8 said:

What a combo! Must get a lot of work done fast!

 

Hunting here is also turning to be less and less fruitless. We probably have to close it next year.  Eventhough we feed a lot, the predators are just too plentyfull.

And we are not allowed to take them... (foxes and predatorbirds)

There’s plenty of game in these parts. Just being picky. I have a 10 point and an 11 point on my game cameras. Holding out hope they make a mistake!

[Darb1964 1,042]

15 minutes ago, WheelhorseBob said:

There’s plenty of game in these parts. Just being picky. I have a 10 point and an 11 point on my game cameras. Holding out hope they make a mistake!

I haven't been out yet in Ma. But the bucks are moving, seen a big buck today cross the road when I was delivering some eggs for my wife. I did get lucky in Connecticut last week.

[ebinmaine 67,497]

3 hours ago, WheelhorseBob said:

fruitless hunt

The real question is ~ why are you huntin' fruit???

[Achto 27,571]

Real nice splitter!!! Sold by Tractor Supply, made by SpeeCo. The log cradle is an extremely nice addition. 

 

I've pounded a lot of wood through one of those myself.

Edited November 24, 2021 by Achto

[ebinmaine 67,497]

4 minutes ago, Achto said:

log cradle

Have to admit I've thought about building a lift of sorts for ours... But the Heavy Lifting Department says she don't need no steeenkin' lift.  

 

[Achto 27,571]

4 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

Have to admit I've thought about building a lift of sorts for ours

 

That's not a lift. It's there to catch the log after you split it. Always let the large piece that you want to run through again fall on the cradle and then you don't have to pick it back up off the ground. Saves a lot of back strain when using the  splitter in the horizontal position. 

Edited November 24, 2021 by Achto

[ebinmaine 67,497]

3 minutes ago, Achto said:

 

That's not a lift. It's there to catch the log after you split it. Always let the large piece that you want to run through again fall on the cradle and then you don't have to pick it back up off the ground. Saves a lot of back strain when using the  splitter in the horizontal position. 

Oh oh oh. Nice. 

 

Yeah see our splitter has no cradle of any kind. Straight beam.  

The "cradle" is Trina's arms as she grabs the falling piece. 

 

[WheelhorseBob 1,549]

I took down two red oaks tat measured at least 36”. You ain’t picking up the rounds to put on a conventional splitter without risking permanent back damage. That’s why I love the vertical option on this!

Edited November 24, 2021 by WheelhorseBob

[ebinmaine 67,497]

11 minutes ago, WheelhorseBob said:

I took down two red oaks tat measured at least 36”. You ain’t picking up the rounds to put on a conventional splitter without risking permanent back damage. That’s why I love the vertical option on this!

We got nothing that big here on the property that we would touch on purpose. Largest tree we've split was a beech that was 22". 

[Achto 27,571]

21 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

We got nothing that big here on the property that we would touch on purpose

 

This is hopefully because you don't have "oak wilt" in your state. In Wisconsin we have been battling oak wilt for some time, lots of old stands that get taken down by this disease. 

 

https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/foresthealth/oakwilt

 

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/oak_wilt_disease_1

Edited November 24, 2021 by Achto

[ebinmaine 67,497]

8 minutes ago, Achto said:

 

This is hopefully because you don't have "oak wilt" in your state. In Wisconsin we have been battling oak wilt for some time, lots of old stands that get taken down by this disease. 

 

https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/foresthealth/oakwilt

 

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/oak_wilt_disease_1

No sir. Not here. 

 

The land we live on has been logged for over 200 years and was harvested last about 40 years ago so there are only a few very large trees. 

 

This forest area is roughly 70% beech. It burns great. Has top level BTU output. Can be burned as little as 4 months after felling. 

With 10+ acres we'll never do anything but take the sick/dead trees and prune/clear for enhanced growth. 

 

Most of our oaks are red. A few white.  

Oak takes 3 full years to season. 

 

We don't need to cut any oaks so they stay off our radar screen unless they're blown over. 

[Darb1964 1,042]

When I was doing wood I tried to drop the trees I needed for the next season in winter, if I could get to them. Sometimes just before deer season. The deer like the tops and in the spring the leaves still try to grow and suck a lot of the water out. End of August, September drag them out and split up. I miss doing it, crazy as that sounds, maybe I miss the ability to do it. It was my time.

[ebinmaine 67,497]

5 hours ago, Darb1964 said:

I miss doing it, crazy as that sounds

Not crazy at all. 

Trina and I really enjoy processing firewood. 

 

Every aspect from the choosing of the right trees to take, the felling, sectioning, splitting, moving load after load out of the forest with our tractors. All of it. 

The forest is our favorite place to be. 

 

[Skwerl58 704]

I also enjoy the woods and the wood cutting process. Had a wind snapped red oak kick back on me four years ago and only by God's grace I am here today. I had to have surgery, muscle re-attachment, on my left elbow after the incident. I am 63 and still use a splitting maul to split most of my wood. I have been looking for a good deal on a used splitter but people ask more for used than you can get new equipment for.  I will continue looking and hopefully pick one up one day!

[ebinmaine 67,497]

5 minutes ago, Skwerl58 said:

have been looking for a good deal on a used splitter but people ask more for used than you can get new equipment for.  I will continue looking

 

Agreed.

Trina happened to find the one we have not long after it was posted and luckily enough only about 10 minutes away which was fantastic.

Needless to say we were on that like flies on .... Well anyway we went right over and picked it up. 

😂

 

[lynnmor 7,306]

47 minutes ago, Skwerl58 said:

 I will continue looking and hopefully pick one up one day!

In your search, look behind the box stores for returns.  For example, my son was at TSC and asked about a log splitter in the impound area, the result was that it was returned as non-functioning from new.  He bought it real cheap, took it home and fastened the Lovejoy coupling properly and it worked fine.  These stores don't have a proper repair facility and often need to send the equipment out for work, so they welcome the chance to just get rid of it.

[kpinnc 12,031]

I borrowed my FILs splitter for about a year. Was thrilled to have it too.

 

Then I realized that it would work you every bit as hard as you want it to!

 

There is no heat like wood heat. Not counting the 3 or 4 times it warms you up before using the wood! 

[ebinmaine 67,497]

4 minutes ago, kpinnc said:

There is no heat like wood heat. Not counting the 3 or 4 times it warms you up before using the wood! 

We use wood processing as a mode of exercise. That's one of the biggest reasons we like it.

 

 

[kpinnc 12,031]

1 minute ago, ebinmaine said:

We use wood processing as a mode of exercise. That's one of the biggest reasons we like it.

 

If you can do it while preserving your back, it's absolutely a solid form of exercise.