My favorite pastime - burning brush

[mike_van]

I don't know when this became so enjoyable, maybe i'm just so sick of working on the side of the road, wondering if the next car didn't see the "men working" signs.  Anyway,  i've gotten so I look forward to burning these piles, no traffic, it's quiet, except for the poping, squeaking sounds of the fire. Looks good when you get done too!  Back in the old days, people would put a few old tires under the pile, it gets it going, but sort of looks like Kuwait did for a while.  I've tried gas, deisel, you name it - Best method i've found to get 'em going is one of those propane flamethrowers northern toolhttps://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=position"> Note:Please read the Forestry Forum's postion on this company sells, mkes a real hot spot in about 5 minutes, then they go.  Hardest brush i've burned is Apple, you can't crush it down enough, it won't lay flat.  I've had some truck sized piles that I have to push up with the tractor.  I used to burn pine slabs too till I started making syrup, save all of them now. Today was most enjoyable - 

[Modat22]

Used to love sitting around a big brush fire at night, I can't seem to find the the time to do it anymore though.

[solodan]

I like using deisel, but sometimes I'll get a nice hot spot started with a mapp torch.
What is your method for the syrup?

[Jeff]

Yep, thats what we did weekend before last. Took 4 days for the fire to burn out. We burnt brush and slabs.

[Murf]

Diesel, that's for amateurs.   ;)

A backpack blower like the groundskeepers use to clear away debris, that'll get a fire going.  8)

A good supply of wood and a few minutes with the blower going and you can melt rocks in the fire.   ;D

[moosehunter]

Jeff,
Those trees, that chair, the dog.... it all looks familar for some reason ;)

[Jeff]

   Yup, seems you may have seen that seen before eh?

[mike_van]

What is your method for the syrup?

solodan, right now we tap 50 trees, mostly big yard trees, lots of branches. Usually wind up with 16 - 18 gallons per season.  My avitar pic. is my low budget sugar house, 10x10 everything in it was sawn by me, windows from construction jobs that were getting scrapped, bricks for the chimney came from new high school dumpster, even the metal roof was leftovers from a big boat storage bulding. Theres a 90 gal. stainless tank on the left, pails get dumped in there, I bought a new stainless 2'x4' evaporator that boils off 15 gal. per hour,  good days i'll have 50 - 70 gals. of sap.  I get it up to 215F in there, draw off, and finish at home on a gas burner set up.  Filtered a few times along the way.   This will be about 7 years this spring.  No more fake syrup here - The stuff at Macdonalds?  I can't believe people eat it - It's like 2 part epoxy!   :D

[Jeff]

Mike, do you have a big picture of your sugar bush? If so, email it to me and I will rework your avitar so it shows better. 

[mike_van]

On it's way Jeff - Thank you - 

[Paul_H]

I guess it's true what they say,"White man build big fire, sit far away"  :D

[Jeff]

On it's way Jeff - Thank you - 

There, thats a little better. (If you still see the old pic, hit refresh)

[Furby]

I guess it's true what they say,"White man build big fire, sit far away"  :D

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

[Onthesauk]

Out here we use diesel in a 5 gallon spray can and an airplane prop on a 5hp engine to get a bit of a draft going.  Have heard the stories of old tires laid on their side and filled with diesel. 

EPA is going to prohibit any further outdoor burning up in our area, sometime next year I believe.  Going to be hard on a lot of people.

[ohsoloco]

I just use newspaper, some nicely split pine, and some thin scraps from the sawmill to get the party started...doesn't take long at all  ;)

Gonna have a nice fire tomorrow night 

[Corley5]

Yup like big fire 8) 8)  Let burn piles go two years or more for added effect then burn at night.  Had to call fire Dept off off a couple times because of good samaratins with cell phones ;D ;D  Mom and Dad have a scanner so we know when the VFD gets called.  Brush, pallets, slabs, scrap lumber, other farm debris and time to grow = BIG FIRE ;) ;) ;D 

[clif]

We mix diesel with sawdust in a 5 gallon bucket, dump it on a brush pile and shake the brush pile to let it fall down in then light it.  It lasts a little longer and usually gets the pile going good.

[SwampDonkey]

Back in 2000 I had several bomb fires in the back yard as I was cleaning up the old apple trees and burning the deadwood and tops. I worked at this from November 'til April as we didn't have any snow and it was nice to sit around in the winter months. Sure alot of work though, because those big fire piles only  burn a hole in the middle and I had to keep handling brush. It was the easiest way to get rid of a brush pile and I didn't have to doze the ground. I never used anything but newspaper, a match and dry apple branches to light the fires. When it got going it would burn even water. ;D Most of those old apple trees never resprouted, they were very old. The area was a little bigger than an acre. I left all the nice hardwood and softwood and some cherry (not so nice). I even discovered I had two serviving elms. That was such a jungle down there before. Now I have some yellow birch planted where the apple trees got taken out.  I sure got a good crop of wild flowers about 2 years after I cleaned it up. Some of them up to your neck. :D :D

[crtreedude]

Hey SwampDonkey - those weren't BOMB fires unless you had leftover fireworks or something.  :D

[SwampDonkey]

Well I wouldn't want any wax sculptures sitting next to them fires. They (fires) would burn for two days. :D

[Paschale]

I used to burn pine slabs too till I started making syrup, save all of them now. Today was most enjoyable - 

So you use the pine slabs for heating the syrup I take it?

[mike_van]

I use most any wood, as long as it's dry. It needs to be split well, you can't load up the arch like an airtight stove, much better to feed a piece or two every 5 - 10 minutes.  Wood wants to be burning as your throwing it in.  When you open the door, you can hear the boil die down, all that cooler air rushing under the pan.  I've used pine, spruce, red cedar, hemlock, even some twisty butternut.  Mixed with good dry hardwood - oak, ash, cherry, maple - slabs & round stuff.  Whle that sap is boiling, it smells sooo good.  Besides pancakes, best use i've found for maple syrup  is poured over Breyers vanilla ice cream.   

[Corley5]

Besides pancakes, best use i've found for maple syrup is poured over Breyers vanilla ice cream.

Try it on butter pecan ice cream ;) ;D 8) 8) 8)