Anyone else having fun working this winter?

[letsgetitracing]

I have more orders for wood then I can get out of the woods. One day it has 12 inches of snow on the logs then it melts. Then I have to put on my swim trunks then 47 below wind chill right after it was 50 degrees melting all of it again then guess what more snow lol anyone else having as much fun working outside?? we are getting another 8 inches right now fun fun!!

[WH_Conley]

Yeah, 50 degrees here one, below 0 windchill the next. Must be gettin old, dodn't used to get me down. Went to doctor yesterday, at my wifes insistance, sinus infection ear infection and pnuemonia. Told my wife it would have been cheaper to curl up with a bottle of bourbon. Taste better than that one inhalet too. :(

[Ed]

Just cutting firewood this winter has been a challenge. The weather has been so screwed up you can't plan a trip to the woods more than 5 minutes before you leave.

So far I've been lucky enough to get the wood out that I've been cutting. Several places where I had downed trees are now flooded and iced over.

Ed

[roger 4400]

     Hi everyone!!
Overhere in lower Laurentides, Quebec there is 3ft of snow in the wood.In december there was more and my friend have a C6 and could not pull, too much snow, ground was not frozen, he was affraid for his planetaries. today another 8in. will fall.  A lot of snow this winter....have a nice day
     Roger

[letsgetitracing]

All you guys are right on the money the burboun*sp the flooding, logs frozen into the ice, the five minute prep time and the snow. What a winter and it's only half over. can't wait to see what the rest will bring 8)

[OneWithWood]

It has definately been a challenge just to keep up with the domestic firewood.  Have blowdowns to work out but I can't get to them.  It is either too wet or frozen to the point the crawler becomes a bobsled-too much excitement there

Woke up to rain over ice - temps are dropping now and snow is on the way so we will have mud covered by sluch covered by ice covered by snow . . . I think I will work on my taxes  :-\

[Sawyerfortyish]

All I got so far this winter was about 5" of sleet that froze over night. Then for the next 3 weeks you could drive on top of the sleet with a front end loader carrying logs and not break through. Then it rained hot water and that got rid of that and made a big muddy mess. Right now it's freezing rain and tomorrow and the next day it's going to be in almost 50 degrees so the frost will leave again. I can't call this a winter.  I have to carry so many clothes in the truck for differant weather conditions I look like a homeless man living in his truck.

[CLL]

Even the shavings mill shut down here 2-3 days ago, evidently when the logs are frozen it makes to much small shavings and dust. My biggest problem was the wind. I just quit sawing, as most of what I cut was cedar and there was no way to control which way it fell in 25mph winds.

[timberjack240]

ice whats that ..its doesnt get cold enough long enough here for that .. our weather is so screwed up monday it was beautiful tues. rained wed blowed liek crazy wasnt safe to cut trees thurs. mornin colder than blue blazes warm up to liek 40 in the afternoon . today snow turned to sleet turned to rain and last tiem i checked still is  ;D and to really top it off were workin in a really wet place that even when it was in hte 20's all week we still had water pokin through the ground on the part of the landing we dont hafta use  ;D  dont ya just love it  8)   liek my pap sed welcome to winnnnnter logginnnnnnn  ;D

[Norm]

We started out winter with an inch or two of freezing rain. The snow we keep getting keeps it from melting off so it's a constant game of tippy toe and slip slid while walking around here. None of the machinery can get a grip on it any better. I've seen more folks with casts around than ever. To add to this is carrying around a chainsaw. But! I've not been bit by any mosquitoes in a long time. :D

[Quebecnewf]

Ive had a pretty good winter so far 200 logs cut so far and most of them home. We had it very cold for a period of a week or so and that was good because that got our seaice froze up.

We are getting a snowstorm today and high winds forcast but we need a little more snow so thats ok.

Supposed to clear out tomorow so back in the woods tomorrow with any luck.

Quebecnewf

[Furby]

But! I've not been bit by any mosquitoes in a long time. :D

I did several times a few weeks back when it got into the 50's. They were hatching all over the place.

[letsgetitracing]

  Hopefully they froze mid air as soon as they hatched.

[Craig]

Winter?? I am still waiting for it. It has gone from a rainy fall, some snow on top of soft ground to spring. Hopefully witner gets here soon and stays for a little while but that doesn't look likely.

Craig

[Coon]

Craig,  I think you had better move to the "Great White North" if you're still waiting on winter.  It's definately not waiting for you up here. :D :D

[Craig]

Craig,  I think you had better move to the "Great White North" if you're still waiting on winter.  It's definately not waiting for you up here. :D :D

If you need a chopper or an operator I will be right up!!

[grassfed]

Winter is going pretty good in NE Vermont. All of my main skid trails are frozen. I have been thinning aspen overstory and leaving balsam fir, yellow birch, cedar and spruce (the same place I started last year). Here are some Pictures that I took yesterday during my last hour of working. The wind was too much today. I have about two weeks cutting so far this year and am starting to get a rhythm going.



beforeafterfrom the stumpslast hitch (it is getting dark)Last hitch on the landing

[Lud]

Grassfed,   Those are some nice pictures. Nice log sliding weather.  We got mud, rain, wind and floodin'........take what you got anytime. 8)

[Quebecnewf]

Grassfed

What do you do with the aspen you cut

quebecnewf

[Coon]

Craig I am sure I can find a few things to do.  First of all I got several thousands of board feet worth of sawlogs that need bucking and sorting, then I would like to get a couple years worth of firewood split and stacked for my own use, then.......... lets see could keep cutting more firewood for resale......... hmmm there's about 80 acres of bush to clean up.  You think that's enough work for ya???  How many days you figure you'll need to get it done? :D :D :D

[grassfed]

........take what you got anytime.

Lud, it is good for logging...but I spend allot of time and diesel clearing snow (we got about 16 inches today) :

What do you do with the aspen you cut

Quebecnewf, the pulp goes to Rumford or Jay Main paper mills. Somtimes I send it to a log yard 30 miles away from my farm. It just depends what people are paying and what kind of deal I can get on trucking.

Saw logs and veneer go to whatever mill is paying best or the log yard.

Aspen prices are pretty good for this area right now

I mill some of the nicest logs on my MD sawmill. I make 2x6,8,10s and 4x6,8,10s that I use for farm building projects.

[Coon]

That is definately a nice looking building in the making grassfed.  How big is it and what are you planning to use it for?  Nice mill too.

[Ed_K]

 I am getting bumed out. Last week it rain and turned the snow and my haul road to ICE  >:( . This week I worked monday hauling cut logs down to the road side till the haul road got to slippery again, cut and bunched some more pine. tuesday it rained yesterday it rained this morning I plowed for the town 1" maybe 1 1/2"s of slush.Then it spit snow all the rest of the day. Tomorrow it'll be to wet with leftover snow to cut, and not enough snow to set the road again  :( . Oh, did I mention that tractors don't make good tobogans  :-[ .

[letsgetitracing]

I just walked in the door from plowing for two days straight, and over 17 inches of snow and drifts over 6 feet nice eh?  lucky I was in a 60,000 pound loader not a pick-up like most guys. good night

[Ed]

We only got about 12" of snow Wed. night, but with the warmer weather before the snow it melted some of the ice, this is what I saw when I looked behind me.



Looks like I'm not going to be going thru this area of the woods anymore.  :(

Ed

[Ron Scott]

We started a sawlog job today. Plowed and packed the access road in to be ready for the expected cold weather again this week-end.

[Sprucegum]

You can do it Ed - Ya just gotta learn to drive straight  ;D  ;D  ;D

[grassfed]

How big is it and what are you planning to use it for?

Coon, It is 35'x95' we put it up to use it to grow vegi transplants back in'99...after a few seasons we decided that we were in too tough a climate for vegetables. I am going to recover it this summer and use it for wood working projects and storage.

Yesterday right at the end of the day the skidder starter motor died when I tried to start it to pull my last hitch. I knew that the starter was getting old and I bought a replacement from EBay two weeks ago. It was on my list to swap it out but now I will have to do the job in the woods :-\

[Ed_K]

 Don't ya hate it when they do that  :( . I'll bet the skidder is as far from the landing as it could get too. Tool boxes get extra heavy about half way  >:( .

[Coon]

I don't think he'll have to worry bout carrying that tool box too far.  He's got that little SW48 Bombardier for that. ;)

[Gary_C]

I have been cutting a small Aspen job near Faribault in the farm country. The Aspen was getting mature and with the blowdown it was time to clean it out and move on. This is one part of the job that had some open grown and poor quality trees.



This was along the driveway back to the house in the woods. This acreage is part of a small Tree Farm and was estimated at just over 100 cords.



This is one load ready to go to the pulp mill in Cloquet. Most loads have been just over 13 cords and about 30 tons of Aspen.



This is what it looks like in line at 5:15 AM when the mill opens at 6:00. It is just 200 miles from the woods and I arrived at 3:00 AM. I was the first load in the second line and there were about 12 loads in the first line, with some of the first line behind me. Some loads were from the UP and may have been transfer loads from an external yard.



This is the chip pile where the Aspen will be shortly after I was unloaded as the Aspen was unloaded right into the woodroom.

[beenthere]

Thanks for the pics Gary...you just keep goin and goin...night and day... 8) 8)

[grassfed]

Ed_K & Coon,
I used that six wheel Polaris that is in the picture next to my sawmill to get down to the skidder. I took a little 18amp generator and a battery charger. I connected to the block heater and the charged the battery while I swapped out the starters.

The whole top of the old starter had broken off and a chunk was jamming and grinding against the drive gear and the flywheel ring gear. Luckily, only the out side corner of the ring gear was damaged.

The new starter fit like a dream even though it looks completely different from the one it replaced. After I finished putting it back together I pushed the start button and it fired right up.

The new starter works much better than the old one ever did. It spins the motor faster. Yesterday I wanted to give it a test so I tried starting the skidder at about 20f with no block heat and no ether and I left the main Hydraulic pump connected. The motor started in about 3 seconds from stone cold.

The best thing is that the starter only cost $160 delivered to my door from EBay. John Deere wanted $575 and I would have had to wait to get it a couple of days. The whole event cost me 3hrs down time. 8)

[Ed_K]

 Gee Mike, you wouldn't want to trade skidders would ya  ;D ?Glad you back up an runnin.

[Coon]

Hope that new starter hold upfor you.  Seems as if you got all the toys er I mean tools you'd ever need for your operation.  Wished I did. ;D

It is surprising how those old starter get the engine started turning so slow.  I bet it'll use alot less power from the battery now too.

[Corley5]

I take the camera to the woods most everyday but usually don't take the time for pics.  Production you know  ;) ;D  This was a couple days ago when I had to go to the truck for hydraulic hose repairs.  I usually carry an extra of the two most commonly broken ones but ran out this day.  I'm sure glad I bought a hose machine last spring and only wish I'd have done it earlier.  Buying custom hoses really sux  >:(  I figure I can make them myself for less than half the cost of having them made  8)  Someone asked for closeup of the center section of a Mule a while back.  Here's one



We're just short of a load on the landing right now.  Sunday's weather, today's cleanup and tomorrow's firewood orders are cutting into woods time    I've also got to make up some more hoses and sharpen some processor chains for Dad before we go.  Gotta get the oil etc changed in the Dodge too.  I'm hoping to get in some woods time Wednesday to finish the load before we leave for Fl Thursday morning.  Gonna be a busy couple days

[Craig]

I take the camera to the woods most everyday but usually don't take the time for pics.  Production you know  ;) ;D  This was a couple days ago when I had to go to the truck for hydraulic hose repairs.  I usually carry an extra of the two most commonly broken ones but ran out this day.  I'm sure glad I bought a hose machine last spring and only wish I'd have done it earlier.  Buying custom hoses really sux  >:(  I figure I can make them myself for less than half the cost of having them made  8)  Someone asked for closeup of the center section of a Mule a while back.  Here's one



We're just short of a load on the landing right now.  Sunday's weather, today's cleanup and tomorrow's firewood orders are cutting into woods time    I've also got to make up some more hoses and sharpen some processor chains for Dad before we go.  Gotta get the oil etc changed in the Dodge too.  I'm hoping to get in some woods time Wednesday to finish the load before we leave for Fl Thursday morning.  Gonna be a busy couple days

Hi Corley
How much was the hose machine and where did you get one if you don't mind me asking. I get alot of hoses made but I thought those machines were real expensive.
Thanks,
Craig

[Craig]

Craig I am sure I can find a few things to do.  First of all I got several thousands of board feet worth of sawlogs that need bucking and sorting, then I would like to get a couple years worth of firewood split and stacked for my own use, then.......... lets see could keep cutting more firewood for resale......... hmmm there's about 80 acres of bush to clean up.  You think that's enough work for ya???  How many days you figure you'll need to get it done? :D :D :D

Sounds like at least a couple of days of work. :D

[Corley5]

It's a used Dayco NP60 with dies for 1/4 thru 1 1/4" hose and cost 900 and change.  It was used by a hydraulic contractor who did setup work for presses etc in the Detroit area.  I watched Ebay until one showed up close enough for me to pick up.  You don't get many hoses made at a shop for a $100.00.  What I spent on hoses last year would have bought this machine and some supplies.

[Craig]

It's a used Dayco NP60 with dies for 1/4 thru 1 1/4" hose and cost 900 and change.  It was used by a hydraulic contractor who did setup work for presses etc in the Detroit area.  I watched Ebay until one showed up close enough for me to pick up.  You don't get many hoses made at a shop for a $100.00.  What I spent on hoses last year would have bought this machine and some supplies.

I agree, I just spent over $1300 replacing hoses in my wolverine about a month and a half ago. Wish I had one of those, I guess I will have to start watching ebay for one.
Thanks for the info!

Craig

[Corley5]

It was one of those days.  When I ventured out this morning at 8:30 it was 4 degrees.  Plugged in the Bobcat and went to town for gas and off road.  Dad called me when I was at the gas station to get some starter cord for the elevator motor.  I had a roll in the shop  8)  Dad had the Bobcat warming up when I got back and the recoil off the Honda.  Got it re roped and running finally.  The 6.5 Chinese Honda clone on the old elevator starts better than the real thing  :  We were just about finished with the first load and the loader blew a lift cylinder hose.  Luckily I had enough on the live deck to finish  8)   Bobcat sure fits a lot of "stuff" in small package.  Had to take the air cleaner and one of the remote lines off to get the broken hose off plus a couple clamps.  All the connections were original so everything came apart HARD  >:( :  Spent about two hours up to our elbows in Bobcat guts  ;) ;D  The hose was 3/8" with a female #8 JIC and one end and a #8 JIC male on the other.  I had hose and female fittings  :  Off to the hydraulic supply house in Petoskey.  I needed some other fittings for the Mule anyway so it wasn't a wasted trip just an unplanned one and I've got male JIC fittings in the inventory now  ;) 8)  The hose we put back on is longer and routed different to make it easier next time.  We got running again about 4PM and processed another load and in the meantime got an order for another 2 face cord load.  Doesn't look like we'll be going back to the woods until after Fl

[ibseeker]

You probably won't believe this but we got snow in San Diego last Thursday. Hail just north of us in Escondido and 10" in the Laguna Mountains just east. I left on Friday for a 3 day cruise to Ensanada, Baja California.....just couldn't take all that cold weather!  :D

[grassfed]

They just said on the news that someone broke through the ice on a river with his skidder. They got operator out, he was starting to get hypothermic. Well they got an excavator to pull the skidder out and, you guessed it, the excavator fell in. The news reporter said that they are going to bring in a crane today to pull out the skidder and excavator. Stay tuned. :

[Ron Scott]

That's not good!

[boulderridge]

The ground around here has been going from soup one day to frozen solid the next and everywhere in between. >:( Stupid groundhog. :D

[shinnlinger]

Well today It was supposed to get way up into the twenties and I am on vacation this week and need to mill SIX more purlins for my house project. What a great day for getting it done right? If this was summer time those purlins would have been done well before lunch even with a late start, but things are a little different in the snow.

First I had to plow out around the mill (and out to the burn pile) and I dont mind admiting the old 'Bota struggled in the 2+ feet of crusty snow. There were a few times I had to row myself out of a snowbank with my bucket/blade with my foot on the axle lock.

After an hour of this it was time to switch modes, drop the wing blade and put my forks on and grab some logs. Well it sounded easy enough, but the logs were so buried/frozen together that it took me TWO FRICK'N hours to dig up FOUR logs.

In hindsight I should have put the block heater on the old excavator and brought it out to the mill, but I got caught up in the "moments" and stuck with the kubota spinning it's tires and straining its FEL against the ice.

In the end I got the logs I needed, but I still had to dig out the mill, which proved to be even more work since it is mostly by hand. AFter two hours of that I called it quits and it isn't even done yet.

Then my wife had to go to work tonight without the mill even being turned on.

IT BETTER NOT SNOW TONIGHT!

[bull]

We've got 4-8inches coming in friday to saturday..... The mill can stay covered for a few more weeks if need be.. finallly got started working on next years cordwood,today.... now overnight snow event will put me back a few days.. Will have to plow for town probably 20 hours straight through.......

[grassfed]

Well they still haven't gotten the skidder out of the river yet. There is a video at the Chanel 3 WCAX web site. The video is titled "Cleaning Up an Unusual Accident" http://www.wcax.com/

[beenthere]

shinnlinger
You were brave to even start that project....but ya just had to see if you could getRdun... ;D ;D

I've been debating on dropping the plow and putting the loader on, just to start bucketing out the 5-6' piles of snow piled up. May just do it tomorrow, for something to do...or to put the SIL to work..he likes some tractor work.

I like your wing plow, and toy with the idea to build a quick-tach on the side. Thinking of stabilizing the rear tip of the wing with a bar that connects to the drawbar of the tractor..maybe raise and lower it with the 3pt??

Also wonder about sliding a heavy oak board out along the top of the plow to carry more of the windrow of snow out a bit further. Too much idle time thinking.... : :

[shinnlinger]

Been there,

There is another guy who inspired me who braced his wing off of hos rear mounted snowblower, but I used a regular old truck plow and cranked the A frame all the way over. 

This sites photo deal and I dont get along as welll as I like.  If you want more details on the wing go to nettractortalk.com as it is all there.  If you use you tractor for snow removal, I have to say you should put a wing on it.  Mine has been great, especially at pushing back snow banks and has cost me next to nothing.  I raise and lower it by rolling my bucket, and it works so well I wouldnt bother with a piston if someone gave it to me.

Bull,

You have inspired me.  If it doesnt go smooth in the AM I will  take it as a sign and do it in a month or so when the snow melts.  I have just refigured that there is plenty for me to do in the meantime.  I wish I had figured that out earlier this week.....Right now there is a thick frozen crust in the tracks of the mill and it doesn't come off easy.  I will hit it with the flamethrower tomorrow and see what happens, but with more snow on the immeiate horizon I just might have to can it for a bit and chaulk one up to mother nature.

[beenthere]

Thanks
There are many, many great pics on this forum. It's not difficult....in my opinion..

if you can move that snow,,,you can post pics that are 450 pixels and less than 40k in size..I'll bet    - they will be easier to see than the 284 pixel at 7k.   ;D ;D

( I did look at your pics on the construction of that wing...and was impressed at how that A-frame holds that plow...inspiring, to say the least..just thinking how I can make it quick-tach)

Gonna learn a lotta things from you here. 

[shinnlinger]

Mull over your QA, but it only takes me a minute to mount it with the two pins and a clevis.

I do need to remember the 450 pixle thing.

[shinnlinger]

Got up sort of early today and finished digging out the mill. It went a little smoother than I expected and I didnt have to use the flamethrower as much as I thought I would. In less than an hour I had the tracks de-iced and the mill leveled up and sawing. After about three of the 6 purlins were done the mill ran out of gas and I hadn't brought any out with me in my haste to get rolling this morning so I went to dump the slabs I had generated thus far and noticed that one of my front tires was a little low and decided to fill it up when I was back at the barn. When I got out to the burn pile I noticed the tire was completly flat and had unseated itself from the rim.

What to do? I doubt my little air resevoir would reseat an ag tire and I knew driving it the 1/4 mile back to that barn would fill it with snow and probably rip the tire completly off if not outright destroy it. SO I put it in 2 wheel drive and put the bucket all the way down and drove backwards back to the barn skiding on the bucket the whole way. I guess the ice and snowbanks are good for something. It was as gracefull as the Jamiacan Bobsled team and almost as fast.

THen it started snowing pretty hard, but there was no stopping me now and I milled what I needed to keep going...for now.

[OneWithWood]

Where there is a will, there is a way!

[Jeff]

Where there is a will, there is a way!

I read that three times and my brain kept seeing

"Where there is a mill, there is dismay"

I don't know why. :D

[Gary_C]

"Where there is a mill, there is dismay"

I don't know why. :D

There is dismay everywhere.  :(

Isn't winter over yet?    :

[bull]

that really sucks..... any chance of gettin it out

[Gary_C]

Ya, it's out.

But still sitting there. Went to pull the dipstick to se if there was water in the crankcase and the dipstick will not come out. Froze in.  :(

[beenthere]

Gary_C
Hope there is a happy ending to this...??

The plow wing shown in this thread by shinnlinger. So, after kicking around some ideas, came up with a couple versions of a wood model to see if the concept might have any possible merit.

This pic shows a view of the side I initially thought to put the plow on...right side.




This is a top view of the 3x3 stub that the loader mounts to, and which I think is heafty enough to support the front of a wing plow.




And this is a view from the side showing that stub...and that there is little framework under the floorboards to mount something similar to shinnlinger's plow mount.

[beenthere]

The next phase was to test the concept, and after several trials and a lot of error, came up with this wood model of a blade that is a foot too short, a front mount that has two swivel joints and just slides onto the stub and will be pinned, and a rear bar that pins to the drawbar. 
Such as:




and:



and:



and

[beenthere]

While modeling this, the thought passed through the brain that I'd like to have a wing right side and left. With some juggling, this design will fit on either the left or the right sides, if I can get a wing blade made so it flips over and works equally as well (that is the plan, if it pans out).

The left side mount is:



and lifted:




to full height:




and the rear lift bar (plan to make it telescoping to get another 12" of side distance from wheel):





Appreciate any thoughts or suggested changes anyone has to offer.  Don't know if this will go beyond this stage, but it's been fun so far... 8)

[Coon]

One thing I can say is that you NEED to make sure that your back arm is VERY STOUT because there is alot of pressure on it while pushing.  Another thing is you will probably want to put some kind of ski's on either end of the wing.  This will allow it to float better and also helps to prevent it from digging into the ground.  The first few snowfalls of the winter you should pack some snow to make a base to slide on.  Look at some pics of the road graders with wings on em.  The wing blade has a curl that causes the snow to roll or fly through the air  way beyond the end of the wing.  Try to keep your speed up to give the snow some momentum as well.

[shinnlinger]

WOW!!!

I like it.  having yours further back and not as extended as mine will proably work better as it will be less likely to move you sideways in the heavy stuff.  It should work more like the highway trucks.

I can see how your back hitch is taking the strain, not your draw link, so I thiink you will be OK there if your blade is heavy enough.

YOu may want to run a strut from midway to the bottom off your front telescoping mount so it can be supported by the draw hitch as well.  It may not me clear in my photos, but that is what I did.

Sweet!

[beenthere]

One thing I can say is that you NEED to make sure that your back arm is VERY STOUT because there is alot of pressure on it while pushing.  Another thing is you will probably want to put some kind of ski's on either end of the wing.  This will allow it to float better and also helps to prevent it from digging into the ground.  The first few snowfalls of the winter you should pack some snow to make a base to slide on.  Look at some pics of the road graders with wings on em.  The wing blade has a curl that causes the snow to roll or fly through the air  way beyond the end of the wing.  Try to keep your speed up to give the snow some momentum as well.

Thanks
I was thinking of a curve to the blade (have some 3/8 steel plate, 16" wide,  rolled to about a 2-3' radius ??) and with some 1" angle welded on as backing and stiffness. The shoe idea sounds good, and will give that some added thought. The rear back pushing bar will possibly be a pipe within a pipe so it will telescope. Also, it will have to have a stronger connection to the blade than what the model shows. I grabbed what juml I could find in the shop just to try the concept  . The front of the blade planned to be carried about 4" above the ground. Won't try to scrape the snow clean with the wing, just move the rolled-up snow bank further back off the roadway. Don't want to get the wing so low that I can get hung up on a frozen berm of dirt, ice, or rock.
And shinnlinger's idea of a strut is a good one to keep in mind.

Thanks for the thoughts. My thoughts are as Coon mentioned....seeing the snow fly off the end of the wing a long way out.... ;D ;D ;D

[shinnlinger]

Beenthere,

I would think a shoe at the bottom of your front telescoping arm would allow your wing to ride along the ground as needed and clear everything.  Strut it back to the hiitch if you are worried abnout stress.  I like my wing so much it is now my main plow.  YOu can see exactly what you are doing, so I wouldnt sell yourself short on what you can use it for.

If you put a pipe within a pipe on your rear support, throw a stiff spring (an old shock absorber?) in there first to absorb some shock.

[beenthere]

Bring this up again, as I have not finished fabricating the side wing plow.
I thought if I did build it, I'd not need it, and we wouldn't have enough snow to put it on.

But this winter is like last, and a side wing plow would have been a great asset this past week.

Had a line on a 7½' plow for $150, but didn't get there in time.

Still an idea at this point. 

[Corley5]

Snow SUX  >:( :( ;) ;D

[bull]

feezing rain and ice sux more >:(

[Kodiakmac]

Having lots of fun.  Kind of an ordinary winter on this side of the 45.  Coldest night so far was 7-8 December...-11 F (-24 C).  Used a bit of ether to get the old girl purring that morning.  Probably 14 inches of snow on the ground.  Had a wet fall so trails haven't really frozen in low areas.  I'm skidding out a lot of mature ash that is dying off because of top damage during ice storm of '98.  Emerald ash-borer is also making an appearance in the area.   

[OneWithWood]

If it would stay cold with little or no snow I could get some things done.  As it is the ground is very soft and ustable.  I did order chains for the tractor in the hopes I can travers the steep slopes when the ground solidifies enough.
Gots plenty of milling and other stuff to do in the meantime.

[stumpy]

Well, I'm having fun.  I started a new deal this winter to help add some income during the slow season.  I've always had a negative view of Snowplowing, but I jumped in this year to try a different approach.  I sub-contracted out to a company that does snow removal for a large commercial customer.  I provide me and my equipment (truck with plow or skidsteer).  I'm tracking every dollar as a I do with my other business ventures.  I'm giving it one season to see how it pans out.  So far I've logged 60 hours.

[beenthere]

Great Stumpy.
We will now pray for more snow...just to help you out.. ;D ;D

[woodtroll]

As I dug the truck out for the third time in 50feet, laying on my belly to dig the frame out, I took a moment to reflect on my life choices. Guys that I went to school with are working on computers or in nice warm offices. Making big money. They probably have their feet up. They can probably feel their feet.
Thank God I am a Forester, I love my job and what I do.

[Stephen1]

What a winter and it's only half over. can't wait to see what the rest will bring 8)

half over! my winter doesn't start till Dec 21 and then 3 more months will be a long one.

[beenthere]

Stephen1
My fault for bringing this old post up to the top...note letsgetitracing's post date.... ;D ;D
gotcha 

[Stephen1]

Stephen1
My fault for bringing this old post up to the top...note letsgetitracing's post date.... ;D ;D
gotcha 

i guess I should have checked the date on the 1st post, but we been having winter here for a month all ready, which we haven't in a long time. around Toronto I call this the banana belt, winter does not really show till Jan, and is gone by the end of Feb, with a few kicks here and there .

[Sprucegum]

Winter got the best o' me yesterday  :(  >:(
The thermometer on the outhouse at the woodlot only goes to -30 so I don't know how cold it was  My camp is down in the river valley, its always 5 or 10 degrees colder than up top.

My goal was to snowplow the road with the old D4, get the camp accessable for a Christmas visit when all my children are home, and bring home a load of firewood.

I have a small generator that I plug the cat into but it would barely turn when I pulled on the rope. So I wrestled it into the truck cab to warm up for 20 minutes, tossed a bit of wood in the back while I waited.
Got it started and plugged in the cat. Tried to start the pup motor on the cat - dead battery and its a 6 volt, everything else I have is 12 volt  :-\  As I get colder I get stupider so I boosted off the truck anyway (not directly to the battery) and whirled it over for a QUICK start.Let it run for 20 minutes while I tossed more wood in the truck.

The pup motor and the inline heater both only warm up the antifreeze, the oil was still way too stiff to turn over the main. With one thing and another I had been out in the cold for 3 hours by this time so I threw up my hands and went home - with a full load of wood  :

[aksawyer]

When we went to work yesterday it was 20 below at 6:30 A.M.