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Heading in a new direction..more like a circle.

Started by Stephen Alford, April 02, 2017, 11:40:57 AM

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Stephen Alford

   Well so far so good. Landowner showed up this am..looked around ...then brought over hot coffee and fresh out of the oven chocolate chip cookies...always a good sign. The priorities are to generate a little revenue and have walking trails.  Not sure if this would be considered a typical second thinning.  This is my first so not quite sure what typical would be exactly. There does seem to be a demand for walking trails.
   Just a couple of observations for what there worth.   :-\    Have switched back to the leather stilh work boots. The reduction from a 11.5 rubber boot with liner to a 10 leather makes quite a difference in weight and reduces tripping when dealing with the slash.  Slash is rolled not drug. Switched to a more aggressive file because of cutting low stumps for the tractor. Will use up more chain quicker but hate a dull saw.
    One problem I used to have was with a tree that would get locked behind a stump. The fairlead has put an end to that.



  

 

   Here are a couple pics of the tractor working in the stand.

   

  

 

   Really surprised that the canopy did not close tighter in the 26 years since the thinning.



 


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thecfarm

That looks like a good piece of land. Looks like you can go anywheres there.
My land is a challenge to do that. Big rocks and knolls and uneven places,makes it hard to just go through the woods. Trails are marked and remarked and sometime remarked again.   ;D
I only have a few places that is all hardwood like that. Mine is a mix of soft and hardwood.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

47sawdust

 I too am envious of the apparent easy going,terrain wise.Stephen that winch and fairlead is a very nice piece of work.
What model is that beast of a tractor?You have it tricked out super!
Mick
1997 WM Lt30 1999 WM twin blade edger Kubota L3750 Tajfun winchGood Health Work is my hobby.

Stephen Alford

   Mr cfarm do you have any more pics of your tractor operation and skid trails  ?  Really enjoy seeing how other folks deal with woodlot issues. 

   Mr 47 sawdust it is a ford 5610 (65hp). This is a pic from the cab.


 
   The winch has a mechanical lock. This takes the strain of the hydraulics when twitching. The trick is not to twitch to tight. You have to be able to take the strain of to release it and then unhook the chokers.


 

The problem I had with the wood clam was the wood needs to be on the ground. In a thinning trees are laid into the adjacent crowns.


 

When it goes right the tree remains on the stump. One thing I did not expect was all the sucker growth at  the base of the trees left from the last thinning. On the plus side they serve to protect the trees  to be left. Once by with the twitch they are cut.


  

 

   
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thecfarm

No pictures as yet. Some of my wet holes I fill with rocks,and I do mean fill. I keep talking about the bog crossing. Now there are some rocks in that adventure.  ;D  This is my land,so any improvement I get to use for years. I fill the wet holes or uneven places with rocks. I go in with a bucket of rocks and come out with a twitch of wood. I have a nice wood road,gravel,I can't twitch logs on that. I've been looking at a twitch trail beside that one. I have one wet hole to go through. A spring runs there all the time. Deer come there for water in the winter time. Looks like rocks will be in use there. Than that feeds a wet spot that is about 500 feet long. I kinda have to go through there. So another adventure.
I mostly cut dead stuff or real bad looking trees. I have a OWB,so that is a great way to get rid of dead wood.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Stephen Alford

   Look forward to your pics Mr Cfarm.  Not to get into the "onanon" loop but did want to mention the pintle setup has worked great. Removing the  hook so the butt plate can be flat while the winch is being used is the way to go. The  125'  of   5/16'   mainline has been a dream to drag.   The fairlead as optional  is a plus.  Well its time to scoot ..stay safe



 
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Stephen Alford

    As this is a  "thread in progress" wanted to mention the changes as they occur.  Made a spot for the items used most frequently.  At first drilled some holes by the vise on the exterior of the tractor. The files would drop out of the handles with the jarring. Not to mention rust up over night. mounted them inside were they are easy to reach and handy.



 

  Did not incorporate rollers with the fairlead because winching at an angle is simply not a good idea.  Did bend and install a piece of roundbar over the fairlead thinking it would help keep the cable in the fairlead. That did not workout.  Had to remove it. The winch seems way faster than the the can car .   The payload is way less of course ,just part of the learning curve .   The self releasing  snatchblock seems to be the ticket.



 

   On the production end of things the harvesting of the wood is taking quite a bit longer.  The nice part however is the processing of this kind of wood is much faster.  The customers are really pleased. The question of getting the price up a bit remains to be seen.  Stalling on that till I get all the kinks worked out.    :)



 
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nativewolf

Liking Walnut

Stephen Alford

    Having a rain day so thought adding a couple pics to update this thread would be the thing to do.  The stubbier the machine profile the better when it comes to working in a stand like this. The narrow blade on the winch has worked well to move slash between the stumps in the uneven terrain.  The sugar maple has done well. there is a bit of stump rot in the red maple where stems were removed. Over the years most of the damage has come from winds out of the south. Meetings with the farmers have gone well so at least the access issues are gone.



  

  

  

 

  For the first time in 50 years switching to a stihl saw. Nice to see the trillium a sign of spring and hope.   :)



 
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lopet

Quote from: Stephen Alford on May 26, 2017, 06:37:24 PM
 
For the first time in 50 years switching to a stihl saw.

Now that's something we need to know why.  Can't be the saw, must be the dealer support.  :) :)

Glad that winch is working out for you.
Make sure you know how to fall properly when you fall and as to not hurt anyone around you.
Also remember, it's not the fall what hurts, its the sudden stop. !!

thecfarm

Yes,the trilliums are out here too. My Father called them painted trilliums.There use to be a lot of them coming down the hill,before the bog.
Must have some straight trails to haul out that long.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

mike_belben

Love your setup.  I am doing very similar work in middle tennessee with a 6way dozer on 20" swamp pads, which are ideal for this constantly soft clay terrain. Skidders trash the ground here, bobcats cant go more than a few passes over same spot unless they run tracks.  Dozers are slow and clunky but my work is transforming tangled overgrown rubbish clumps into trails and deer feeder ponds, food plots, animal pens etc.  A skidder wouldnt do and there isnt enough timber to make fast production important.

I skid out backwards with logs tackled off the 6way blade.  Sounds bad but not really.
The challenging work is getting to the tree which i like to be facing forward.  Backing out of a half made trail built on the way in isnt terrible and the blades lift and articulation is excellent for weaving logs around other stumps and stems.  typically short skids in a 5 or 10 acre lots.  I am constantly selecting a buried baby hickory out of a big clump of timber and leaving just that one tree untouched.

   I really like making beautiful land features, trying to blend landscape with farming hunting, drainage and forestry all at the same time.

Praise The Lord

Stephen Alford

   Well Mr. lopet  Huskey quit making the 359 which is what I have been using for a bit. They quit on me so time for a change.



 

Mike would you be able to post some pics ??

  I try to pick the best route for the skid trail. Bumper trees make a difference. Finding yourself on the right side of the barb wire goes a long way to getting along with neighbors.  Ya just never know what ya will find in da woods.   :D :D

  

  

  

 
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47sawdust

When Ray comes for his rock make sure there is a box of grits to go with it. ;D
Mick
1997 WM Lt30 1999 WM twin blade edger Kubota L3750 Tajfun winchGood Health Work is my hobby.

nativewolf

Quite the floor of Husky...from donor to donor to donor to donor.  You can see what gives out  :D
Liking Walnut

thecfarm

I have a lifetime supply of both of those 5 letter words.    ;D
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

lopet

I didn't know they quit making the 359, but good excuse  :D  So whatcha got,  MS 262 ? 
I personally only have one 372 XP with a 20" bar, good reliable saw with lots of power. Only reason I run Stihl is, I get along much better with my Stihl dealer than with my Husquarna one, and at the end of the year I get a free calendar.  8)
Seriously, I am not so happy with my latest 262. Every time I run it out of gas or if it sits for a certain time, it floods.  And because I am right handed, I am having a hard time get it gone again, without setting it down and pull the throttle with my left hand.   PITA   Never had any trouble with the old carbureted ones, just had to choke it . They always think they have to improve something what's nearly  perfect  and then booooom  it goes back words.
May have to switch to another brand.  :D  But then again, I have never seen their calendars either.

Had to laugh about Rays rock.
     
Make sure you know how to fall properly when you fall and as to not hurt anyone around you.
Also remember, it's not the fall what hurts, its the sudden stop. !!

Stephen Alford

   Giving the ms362 a go. Like the see through gas tank. The chain oil grove putting the overflow oil on the chain shows attention to the build. Wanted to jump to a 7/32 file ...same as the clearing saw  which is a stihl fs560. So opted for a 16" bar which gives a pretty good balance and enough snork to block.   My issue with the smaller chain on the 359 was all the chain seems to be made with fuzzy teeth making it hard to get a good edge, I think it is the steel they use...there is chatter that  the real problem is that I need glasses... where do they come up with this  CRAZY TALK   :D :D
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Stephen Alford

   I know going from skidder/huskie to farm tractor/stihl seems a bit..rogue  but just to be clear this is just how things are unfolding. Been a good week. Farmer showed up and left me a dandy access to the woodlot. Did not try and shove me into the roses at all,



 

This an extraction trail from 26 years ago and one from this week.



  

 

Notice the storm damage to the left in the second pic. Trying to leave the tree on the stump when laying it into the canopy and use a riser when it goes to the ground. Twitches are only 2/3 trees averaging 45/50 " of merchantable wood.

  

  

  

 

The stihl is doing fine.



 

Had crusty and a couple of his closest friends over for a dip in the hot tub.   ;D



  

 
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fishpharmer

Not sure which looks better the bright orange Stihl or the bright orange lobsta.   :)
Built my own band mill with the help of Forestry Forum. 
Lucas 618 with 50" slabber
WoodmizerLT-40 Super Hydraulic
Deere 5065E mfwd w/553 loader

The reason a lot of people do not recognize opportunity is because it usually goes around wearing overalls looking like hard work. --Tom A. Edison

Stephen Alford

   Thought I should update the farm tractor logging /with winch experience.  Wanted to first point out a modification that should be made. The narrow push plate has worked well between the stumps. I should have put more webbing to give it more strength. You can see were it has started to crack in the pic.  With the blade on the front of the tractor I thought I would not be using it much. Had to take the front blade off to shorted up the unit in an attempt to reduce damage to the residuals. I may try to add a folding wing on each side to enable grading the width of the tractor.

 
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Stephen Alford

   When i was doing small clearcuts with the skidder it was taking about 16 on average to yield 1@1/2 cords of firewood. From the thinned stand It is taking about 9 trees.  The tractor is skidding on average 2 trees were the skidder hauled 8 trees per twitch.  This is a pic of some of the wood



 

There has been a lot of storm damage. This white birch was snapped off at 12"



 

A lot of debris has been left in the canopy



 
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Stephen Alford

 The trails put in 26 years ago with a small bulldozer were the easiest to reinstate. because the trail was down to subsoil not much regen. Everywhere else a much different story.



 

Had to make a rack to carry the clearing saw. a couple more site pics.   ;D

  

  

  

  

  

  

 


  

 
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mike_belben

Im hoping to work my way into managing a beautiful gun barrel straight, 250 acre oak stand a few doors down thatll be starting to get to veneer grade soon.    In my mind its basically culling the firewood as you are doing. 

May i ask what kinda terms you have going on for this operation?  I think i recall it is someone elses land?  Do you just get to take firewood free or is someone paying the other?  No problem if youd rather not say.. Im just wondering if its silly to think i could get paid or not.   Our firewood prices are too low for me to work very hard for it.
Praise The Lord

Stephen Alford

 Job supervisor had his office upstairs.   :laugh:

 

View from the landing.



 

Been a good day   :)



 
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