My leukemia's back.

[bruceha2000]

I've had to modify some of my lifestyle, for instance, no lifting over 20-25 pounds which makes handling 50 pounds of chicken feed real interesting.

Hmmm, that could make wood harvesting a bit tricky as well. Might need to get DH a logging wInch.

Hi @Blooie! Where are you today?

 

[microchick]

Hmmm, that could make wood harvesting a bit tricky as well. Might need to get DH a logging wInch.

Hi @Blooie! Where are you today?

HA! He already has one! LOL!

Seriously, we have already thought that one through. so we can continue to heat with wood. This wench won't be using a winch. I'll still be hauling logging chains around and rolling big wheels of wood around like always. Besides we don't need a winch, got a tractor.

 

[microchick]

One of the easier to digest calcium pills with Vitamin C is a good thing to do. Also, do not take magnesium at the same time. There is some research that suggest that causes heart issues

Don't know what I'm going to do since I don't tolerate the Fosamax. Sounds suspiciously like I'll be getting another needle jabbed into me in the future.

 

[bruceha2000]

HA! He already has one! LOL!

Seriously, we have already thought that one through. so we can continue to heat with wood. This wench won't be using a winch. I'll still be hauling logging chains around and rolling big wheels of wood around like always. Besides we don't need a winch, got a tractor.

Need the logging winch ON the tractor 3 point! I asked Al where he kept all his logging stuff to get out to the trees. Turns out he carries only some chain on the winch and the saw in a scabbard on the ROPS. Cuts each tree and drags it back to the area where it will eventually get cut, split and stacked to dry. Doesn't have to carry gas and oil since he goes back to "home base" with each limbed tree.

I found a cardboard box that fits between the ROPS and backhoe controls. I put the gas, oil, sharpener, saw and helmet in that. The heavy stuff - chain, pulling straps, wedges, hand sledge, are in the backhoe bucket. But if I really have to pull on a log, I should be doing it with the tow bar, not the pallet fork rack. That means the backhoe, and all of my "cargo space" wouldn't be with me. Not sure how much I should be pulling on the pallet fork rack but it has a really big, like 5/8", ring on it. Seems they wouldn't have put something that large on if it couldn't take a lot of force. So far, other than the one widow maker Al pulled down and out with his winch, the pulling I've been doing is pretty light weight, at least as far as the tractor is concerned. I've been cutting to 8' then carrying each load back to the barn area.

Those logging chains can get pretty heavy, better stick them on the scale in case they are over your allowed limit.

 

[microchick]

I usually drag the chains around from one spot to another. Very little lifting.

Yeah, we carry most of our equipment in the tractor bucket. Cut large rounds, roll them into the bucket and carry them back to the barn for splitting. We have been doing this since we started heating with wood and have it down to a fine art.

 

[wyoDreamer]

Out in Wyoming, we limbed all the trees, and dragged them out the edge of the field where we cut the logs into 12' to 8' pieces and loaded them onto the trailer with the tractor. DH welded hooks to the top of the bucket and we use logging chains to "tie" the logs to the bucket and he can lift and position then onto the trailer pretty easy. When we got them home, they were pretty easy to unload and then we could cut them at our leisure.

Since we moved back to WI, our decision to install a pellet stove instead of a wood stove was 2-fold.
A. This will be our retirement place. Every thing we do to the place has a "make it easier in our old age" factor. Pellet is a whole lot easier than wood.
B. The place we bought is mostly pasture and hay field. We can scrounge up enough firewood for the campfire, but that is about it. Seriously, we have 2 maples, 3 oaks and 2 pines in the front yard, and that is about it for trees. Besides the 2 pines we cut down in the garden area.

 

[ronott1]

Out in Wyoming, we limbed all the trees, and dragged them out the edge of the field where we cut the logs into 12' to 8' pieces and loaded them onto the trailer with the tractor. DH welded hooks to the top of the bucket and we use logging chains to "tie" the logs to the bucket and he can lift and position then onto the trailer pretty easy. When we got them home, they were pretty easy to unload and then we could cut them at our leisure.

Since we moved back to WI, our decision to install a pellet stove instead of a wood stove was 2-fold.
A. This will be our retirement place. Every thing we do to the place has a "make it easier in our old age" factor. Pellet is a whole lot easier than wood.
B. The place we bought is mostly pasture and hay field. We can scrounge up enough firewood for the campfire, but that is about it. Seriously, we have 2 maples, 3 oaks and 2 pines in the front yard, and that is about it for trees. Besides the 2 pines we cut down in the garden area.

Pellet stoves are great for heating.

I have a pellet BBQ and love it

 

[bruceha2000]

We have a similar quantity of trees near the house @wyoDreamer but about 18 acres of woods. Of course some of it is really ledgy and not very accessible for cutting wood. So far I've just been cutting at the edge of the fields.

 

[microchick]

We have about 22 acres of timber, some of it coming right up to the back of the house. A few years ago we had arborists come in and cut the trees back a safe distance.

We use both standing dead and dead fall for our heating wood. Plus we have an ongoing project of thinning out the hickories that have tried to take over so the oaks have a chance to grow.

The AMish couple that we bought our farm from grazed the timber, which a forrester told us is the worst thing you can do to a forrest. The cattle and sheep hooves damage the root systems and they graze the new growth oaks leaving the hickory trees to take over. We are slowly seeing the oak reestablish themselves but in the mean time we are trying to get rid of some of the shag bark and smooth bark hickory that are overcrowed.

The way we see it is that we will have firewood into the future and wind up with a healthier forrest.

 

[N F C]

Good morning Team Rachel

Hope everyone has a good day!