New to wood scrounging

[fabsroman]

Sorry you are hearing from a girl but yes a log truck is best deal. If you can spare the money. No brush to deal with. No liability hassles. If you have a guy friend who owns woods you can barter with him but cutting trees down on private land or homelots is cutting into someone elses livelihood. Plus you should carry workers comp and liability insurance for that.
But Im speaking as a New Yorker. And if you buy a truckload you can ask for smaller diameter logs so you dont need all the ground equipment needed for the big stuff. No fuss no muss. Best way to get ahead.

This made me chuckle. So, I should not do my own auto repairs because I am cutting into somebody's livelihood, or my own furnace install because I am cutting into somebody's livelihood, or my own bicycle maintenance because I am cutting into somebody's livelihood, or my own home improvement because I am cutting into somebody's livelihood, or my own chainsaw maintenance because I am cutting into somebody's livelihood, or my own child rearing because I am cutting into somebody's livelihood. Heck, by heating with wood I am cutting into the livelihood of the utility company's employees by giving them less money.

Just wondering if you do your own taxes or represent yourself on your own speeding tickets/court appearances, because that would be cutting into my livelihood. Plus, giving somebody legal advice like liability insurance and worker's comp is cutting into my livelihood, and fyi, worker's comp is not needed unless a person actually has employees. Now, if I were cutting down a tree on somebody's lot as a "favor" and the felling was questionable, you can bet I would have them sign an Indemnity & Hold Harmless Agreement, but then they probably would not want me to cut the tree down at that point. Then again, their homeowner's insurance would cover any damage. However, the homeowner's insurance just would not be able to use its right of subrogation to come after me if I have an Indemnity % Hold Harmless Agreement signed by the homeowner.

Man, if I didn't cut into other's livelihoods by doing so much myself, my wife and I would be poor.

 

[skrebel33]

Welcome - I bought my huskee 22 ton from TSC on advice from here. A few threads in "The Gear" forum are helpful.

I've been scouring the gear section for suggestions. As for saws, I am leaning towards a Stihl, but have used some good Huskee's with the fire department. As for gear, I already have a brush helmet. I'll need chaps and gloves.

One of the things I am trying to workout is how I am going to process the wood. If it comes in a truck load, I'm going to cutout an area for the truck to dump the wood. That area will be my processing area. Several people on the gear section have mentioned back problems from sawing on the ground. I'd love to come up a system that would allow me to work with the logs at table height. That may come later.


Someone mentioned that after a season or two I'll hate it like the rest of you. I don't doubt this.


Skrebel33

 

[skrebel33]

Sorry you are hearing from a girl but yes a log truck is best deal. If you can spare the money. No brush to deal with. No liability hassles. If you have a guy friend who owns woods you can barter with him but cutting trees down on private land or homelots is cutting into someone elses livelihood. Plus you should carry workers comp and liability insurance for that.
But Im speaking as a New Yorker. And if you buy a truckload you can ask for smaller diameter logs so you dont need all the ground equipment needed for the big stuff. No fuss no muss. Best way to get ahead.

Thanks I don't care if it's advice from a girl or a guy. I know enough to be able to tell if you know what you are talking about. Thanks for chiming in.



Skrebel33

 

[fabsroman]

I've been scouring the gear section for suggestions. As for saws, I am leaning towards a Stihl, but have used some good Huskee's with the fire department. As for gear, I already have a brush helmet. I'll need chaps and gloves.

One of the things I am trying to workout is how I am going to process the wood. If it comes in a truck load, I'm going to cutout an area for the truck to dump the wood. That area will be my processing area. Several people on the gear section have mentioned back problems from sawing on the ground. I'd love to come up a system that would allow me to work with the logs at table height. That may come later.


Someone mentioned that after a season or two I'll hate it like the rest of you. I don't doubt this.


Skrebel33

I doubt you will hate it after a couple years. This is my second season cutting to heat the house with wood and I am just coming up with more ways to make it easier. As time goes along, you will get more tools to help. Just got an X27, X7, and axe sharpener today and have an electric chain sharpener coming. Will eventually get a tractor too and then I will make one of those folding saw bucks that people have showed in the gear section. Going to build a splitter too with a log lift on it. Over time, you will make everything a lot easier for yourself.

 

[ScotO]

I've been cutting, splitting and stacking wood for over 16 years, I've heated my shop with wood since I've been married. I've heated the house exclusively with wood since the winter of 2007-2008, and I have yet to tire of cutting wood. In fact, I get the goosebumps when I get a chance to get some more! I've got lots of jobs scheduled and I'm chomping at the bit to get at them, but the wife's living room remodel isn't done yet, and until that happens, I'll just have to dream about running the chainsaw.....

 

[Thistle]

Been cutting,splitting,stacking & burning for 32 yrs.Sure its more tiring as I get older but I still enjoy it very much.Only time I dont like cutting is temps under 10 degrees,over 90 w/ high humidity,heavy rain/lightning/strong winds or deep snow.I stay out of the woods then for obvious reasons.I plan to keep on working in the woods until my body tells me to stop.That includes splitting all my wood manually too.Moderation is the key as you get older,you want to keep active yet not overdo or do things that you did when younger without hesitation.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

One of the things I am trying to workout is how I am going to process the wood. If it comes in a truck load, I'm going to cutout an area for the truck to dump the wood. That area will be my processing area. Several people on the gear section have mentioned back problems from sawing on the ground. I'd love to come up a system that would allow me to work with the logs at table height. That may come later.

Someone mentioned that after a season or two I'll hate it like the rest of you. I don't doubt this.

Skrebel33

What?!! I've not found many that hate this! On the contrary, most love it. As for myself, I've done this for a few years now and still enjoy it. No, I do not do as much or as fast as I once did but still enjoy it every time I go out.

 

[tfdchief]

40 years, don't hate it, love it. Only thing I hate is I can't do as much, as fast, or as long as I used to. Except enjoy the fire. I probably get more from that now than ever before.

 

[weatherguy]

I've been scouring the gear section for suggestions. As for saws, I am leaning towards a Stihl, but have used some good Huskee's with the fire department. As for gear, I already have a brush helmet. I'll need chaps and gloves.

One of the things I am trying to workout is how I am going to process the wood. If it comes in a truck load, I'm going to cutout an area for the truck to dump the wood. That area will be my processing area. Several people on the gear section have mentioned back problems from sawing on the ground. I'd love to come up a system that would allow me to work with the logs at table height. That may come later.


Someone mentioned that after a season or two I'll hate it like the rest of you. I don't doubt this.


Skrebel33

I love it, I love when I have a free weekend and I have a scrounge to pick up or have some wood to cut and split, its an enjoyable way to spend a day off. You can get started by buying a grapple load so you can get ahead but keep perusing craigslist for the free stuff, most of my wood has come from homeowners that had trees cut down and didnt want to pay the extra to dispose the wood so they put an ad in CL, usually have to be quick though, lately theres a guy advertising a ton of downed trees from one of the storms and offering the wood free to anyone that wants to go to his land and cut it up and haul it away, those are good too.

 

[aussiedog3]

Take anything you can get, and all you can get, and as much as you can get, as easy as you can get it until you are 3 years ahead, then you can get choosey.
Huskee 22 ton splitter, some of the best money I ever spent.
Good luck.

 

[eclecticcottage]

We are scroungers. We almost never drop trees, we've only done it twice. Once because the folks we picked up some already cut rounds from were trying to drop several larger box elder with a small limbing saw and we felt bad and a little scared for them because they were going to tie one to their son's truck and pull it with that while it fell. The other time, it was an open area with no structures or lines, and the people were dropping most of them but their saw wasn't up to one tree. We pretty much just grab stuff that's down and already bucked with the brush trimmed and gone already. A local tree service posts to CL every so often, always soft wood, but worth it because they'll buck it to 18" and cut the really big stuff in half.

My grandpa used to buy log loads, but he had the property to do it with-room for them to drop them, and room to process it. We've got a decently long lot but it's skinny and there's no place for them to drop the logs here. If we ever couldn't find stuff to scrounge we'd end up buying precut/split for that reason.

Get a splitter than can go vertical as well as horizontal. If you scrounge bigger rounds, you'll be happy you did.