My Firewood Machine

Tommy. I don't let my fire go out so I don't need many firestarters. I fire it up in October and it stays running until March or April. If I go away for a long weekend, I'll need to restart. I buy a case of firestarters (about $5), break each firestarter into about 6 pieces as that's all you really need. That case lasts me years.</p>


Jamie - Congrats on the .45. For proper cutting, use FMJ in the heaviest weight you can find. Shoot the tree at the same height about 1 shot every 1" (e.g. If it's a 6" diameter tree, do 6 shots, 1" apart in a straight line across the trunk). It'll fall...</p>


Tommy - We do have oil burners up here but they're a different setup. Some are setup for #2 fuel oil, others run waste oil.</p>


As for Pine and other soft woods, they produce a large amount of creosote. You just need to keep that cleaned out of your pipes.</p>


Rusty - I'd like to get one of those hedge trimmers but can't justify it yet. I have a 30-year old Homelite that just won't quit. Considering I only have 1 bush to trim, I'll just keep plugging away with that one. Since I didn't need the various attachments for the trimmer (pole saw and such), I went with the 90 with the bicycle style handlebars.</p>


BTW - The best trimmer cord I've found is the Husqvarna Titanium. I trim about 800' and only have to give it a bump once or twice. With the cheap cord, I'll go through 10 times that amount.</p>


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You do need to be careful about creosote when burning softwood, though it partly depends on how you burn. In seven years of burning I have not had enough creosote to make it worthwhile to clean my flues. My Tarm woodboiler burns at 85% or better efficiency, with a fan-fed secondary burn chamber that burns at 2100-2200F, effectively eliminating nearly all creosote. When it's burning, you cannot even see any smoke from the flue. The other woodstoves need more management, but we regularly 'open them up' to burn off any accumulated creosote.</p>
 
thanks for schoolin me guys i like learnin .i gotta make me a splitter so i can split me some of this gustav wood.</p>
 
Tommy, I wish I had your fabricating skills, or that you lived nearer! I am trying to figure out how to get some kind of spring rake/blade to manage smoothing my road once the mud has dried a bit. (Got my F250 stuck in the mud on Monday, just trying to get to the barn. Good thing I have a winch on that puppy, or I would still be there.)</p>
 
[quote user="tommy 20/69"]</p>


i gotta make me a splitter so i can split me some of this gustav wood.</p>
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[/quote]</p>


Why do you need a splitter, and who is Gustav? I thought it was French heritage down there, not German.</p>


A splitter is made to make the things smaller so you can fit them in a stove. If you're doing a bonfire, size doesn't matter.</p>
 
i need a log splitter to split all the wood i have been pileing up from clearing my trails after huricane gustav andhuricane ike.i have about 30 oak trees that are12"/24" in diameter to chop up and spliti figure they are about 25 maybe 30 cords of wood maybe more with all the trees down back there.even the branchses on them are like 8"in diameter so it's alot of wood.</p>
 
you got a winch?you got a reciever?if so i could makeyou a plow that could work off a winch and you could get a wireless winch and operate it from inside the truck or rtv and raise and lower the blade.</p>
 
What I have in fact is an old Fordco 8N tractor with a blade on a three point hitch. It needs a bit of work and two new tires, but I hope to get it going before summer and will see how it works on the road. If I can get it working, I think I will look for a 3 pt spring rake. Between the blade and a rake, I should be able to clean the road up from the mud season. Otherwise I will look for a spring rake to pull behind the RTV. But thanks for thinking of me.</p>
 
[quote user="Onfoot"]the Husqvarna versus Stihl prejudices.[/quote]</p>


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On the Stihl/Husqvarna debate, I sit on the Husky side. Got a 235 and a 42special and they both start as good as my RTV. The Homelite I once had consumed as much effort to get it started as it did to cut up an elm tree. We got a mix of both hard and soft wood in this area. Spruce, Balsam. Pine (red and white), hemlock in the soft woods and Maple, Oak, Elm, Ash, Birch and a variety known locally as IRONWOOD. Not sure what the correct term for this species is but I swear that it give off sparks when you slice it up with a chain saw.</p>


As Onfoot indicates, the chainsaw preference really boils down to dealer and the local husky dealer not only sells a fine product but provides good parts and service.</p>


Thought I'd include a pic of my fire wood machine....Actually it handles whats left over after the saw/splitter are finished. Like Onfoot, my splitter weighs about 5 lbs. Try splitting some twisty elm with an axe some time if you are looking for exercise. In reality, I let my neighbours 20 ton machine handle that stuff, its impossible to split with an axe.</p>
 
Hey Kanook! Quite impressive chipper. What can you tell me about it? It is a 3pt PTO machine--any chance of getting something like that to work with hydraulics of the RTV? I need to figure out how to chip my slash when I am doing woods work in the summer. It is too dangerous (and highly illegal) to burn and I don't want to be building up tinder in the woods. Most of my slash is small stuff--almost never more than than 2" in diameter, and mostly twigs and etc. Was wondering about one of those gasoline garden chippers--e.g. a Troybuilt or similar. But reviews are quite mixed. Potentially could run a 3 pt PTO machine off of my old Fordco 8N if I get it running this summer, but would be a bit less of a nuisance if I could keep it associated with the RTV. Any thoughts or recommendations?</p>
 
Onfoot</p>


The unit in the pic is a Bearcat 70774 build by Crary in north or South Dakota. Its a 3 point hitch and will handle up to 5 inch but i rarely chip anything over 2.5 to 3 in. It has 4 chipper knives on the flywheel and 36 flails to slash up anything fed through the hopper. It was raining yesterday so i took the opportunity to remove and sharpen the chipper knives and rotate the flails. Took all afternoon but what a difference when everything is sharp. You wouldn't want to drop your Rolex into it :).......</p>


I understand this same chipper is available also as a standalone unit with a gas powered engine. Before I acquired this Bearcat about 10 years ago, I had a Troybilt stand alone powered by a 5hp Tecumseh. It was a good machine, a little light for my pounding but never-the -less a good machine that could take 2 inch branches (max) and and got the job done as long as you didn't force it too hard or you would kill the engine.</p>


The Bearcat is a heavy duty contraption and i am thoroughly satisfied with its performance. The 3pth machine would work on your 8n as long as its 540 rpm pto (which I think it is). I had one of those about 30 years ago.it was probably 30 years old then. bought it for $1200 used it for 3 years and sold it for $1600.</p>


i think Troybilt made a 8 or 10 hp unit as well. I think they got bought out by Bolens (I may be wrong) and I'm not sure they still build the Troybilt to the same standards as the old original did.</p>


The Troybilt I had was available with a tow bar that would haul. nicely behind a RTV as would the bearcat stand alone.You can tell that the knives need sharpening when you have to shove the branch into the unit and your fingers start to get numb from the vibration because its poundint the wood instead of slicing.</p>


I produced a RTV load of chips today in about 40 min. of course it was fresh spruce that had blown down in a wind storm earlier this week and fresh stuff chips up nicely as apposed to old dried up (an hardened) branches.</p>


I doubt the RTV hydraulics would be sufficient to power a haydraulic. motor driven machine ( if one is build????)</p>


Any way if you need any additional info let me know and I trust this short blurb is useful to you</p>
 
[quote user="Onfoot"] It is too dangerous (and highly illegal) to burn and I don't want to be building up tinder in the woods.[/quote]</p>


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Onfoot..............</p>


I hear ya on the fire hazzard, that's one of the reasons i chip. I also use the harvest (so to speak) for cosmetic purposes around the wifes gardens to barricade the forest from encroaching into the plantings and it does a reasonable job on smothering the poison ivy.</p>


About 10 years back we had a forest fire that got started by some young folk having a bush party. The fire never got closer than 12km from our place but the hot and glowing ash was falling on our property even at that distance. We had 2 water bombers and a couple helicopters dumping water on it and they finally built a fire break with a couple D8 Cats. but you can see how these things can jump. fortunately they got it out without it consuming any residential areas but it got very close to some. in the wilderness up your way I'd hate to think of the destruction one of those fires would do.</p>


Wise of you to consider keeping the slash cleaned up ..... it would make good kindling.</p>
 
man i got a sears craftsman and that thing fires right up everytime i have been havin it sinse katrina and it's still on the same chain i sharpen it everytime i use it and i keep it up as in maintanance. it's never let me down i know you guys are sayin CRAFTSMAN!!! one thing you have to know about sears is they buy a leading brand and they put their name on it so for all i know it could be a homelite/huskyvarna or whatever radio shack does the same thing.i do need a favor though does anyone have a old outboard motor that burnt up something like a 9.5 i have a trimmer and i welded a shaft to the end and i want to make a go-devel out of it but i need a prop. i know i already tried a trolling motor and no matere what way i put it on it pulls the boat ??? so i need a regular prop i would try to make one but man if it's off one tinny bit it's gonna cavitate all to hell.</p>
 
Fire is the most scary part of living where we live. We are surrounded by 1000's and 1000's of acres of mature forest. Will only take one careless cigarette or unfortunate lightning strike to set it all on fire. So year by year I work at 'fire-smarting' around our property--removing brush and tinder, limbing trees up about 6', and making sure I don't leave slash when I cut firewood. Fortunately we are on the river, so the fire guys tell me that if we were threatened they would have 300gpm pumps on the river dropped by helicopter within 10 minutes of being called. So some hope. But still scary every summer.</p>
 
DAMN IT. I had a nice post but lost it.</p>


Here's a recap as I don't have time to re-write.</p>


Sorry to hear y'all have to chip. I found it laborious compared to burning. I sold my chipper and just burn it.</p>


Tommy - Your Crapsman is either a Husqvarna or Poulan. (I'd need a model to know). They used to be made by Homelite.</p>


KK - Nice chipper</p>


OnFoot - Considering your 8N isn't running, I question whether a 3PH chipper is a wise choice. Considering the tractor vintage and not knowing what the engine can take, I'd hate to run it at PTO RPM's until you knew for sure it could take it. Having a stand-alone version keeps the tractor free for other chores. Ditto with a splitter.</p>
 
[quote user="Onfoot"]Fire is the most scary part of living where we live[/quote]</p>


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Onfoot...............</p>


Yup! I googleEarth'd your location and it looks more like millions of acres..Thats some driveway..I know its you cause I can see what looks like solar panels and there's a winter scene photo down by the Yukon posted by you. Just behind (north) of you theres what looks like a crater pond. (and look at that...Whitehorse has streetlights and paved streets...whats the world coming to).</p>


Beautiful area...keep those dope smokin" hippies out of the woods....Oh thats right, its 2009 ,,,,,,,,,not 1969 eh!</p>
 
And behind the pothole pond (what we call them), there is the Whitehorse 'state of the art' sewer lagoon. Always a bit awkward when giving directions to the place--telling people to go towards the sewer lagoon... Not exactly romantic! And you're right--millions and millions of acres of woods is more like the reality. Terrible to think of what a forest fire could do!</p>


Rule number one is no pot on the property. Hippies are welcome, but gotta leave their tokes home!</p>
 
One of the pre-reqs of being a hippie back in the sixties was having long hair. Trouble is the only hair that I can now get to grow long is on my face and on my ears and in my nose. Ah! ....the good old days of driving around in a beat up VW or a gently used Impala convertible with a six in it but pretending its a 409...........SIGH!..............</p>
 
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