Yesterday I bottled more syrup, today I’ll do some cutting on the maple. I actually started it last Saturday, while my grandson was cleaning up the limbs and stacking the logs from the hemlock. While he doesn’t yet run a gas chainsaw, I do have 2 battery powered saws he uses. One in a 14″ cut, on a 24V saw, the other is an 18″ cut on a 60V saw. So far he’s only used the 14″ one. He is 16 (about 6’3″ and very strong) and very cautious but I just haven’t trained him on that one yet, soon likely.
Anyway, while he piled limbs on the tractor forks, then hauled them into the woods making a brush pile, I made a few cuts on the maple. Then, yesterday, after I bottled more syrup I used the logging winch on the back of the tractor to try to lift the logs to slide a 4×4 timber under it, so I would be less likely to hit dirt as I cut firewood blocks. I got 1 up and slid a 4×4 under it, on the butt end I couldn’t get square enough to the log and the logging tongs kept coming loose. Now, I’ll cut some off the one that’s now elevated, and once I get enough space I’ll go around the back way to get the tractor on the other side. I think then I’ll be able to use the log tongs to winch the butt log out to where I can back up straight enough to it, that I can get the tongs to grab the trunk and lift it. I think those tongs are designed to handle a 25″ diameter log, and the butt log at the smaller end is only 24″, the butt end is 29″. Once I get that one up on a 4×4 timber I’ll cut some blocks off and then try to winch the log out onto the driveway more and either lift again if possible, or try getting the forks under the raised end, if the 36 hp tractor loader arms with forks on it can lift it, otherwise I’ll need to use the chainsaw to remove some of the width so the tongs can fit on it. The winch has a pull of 8800 lbs, or 4000KG. Alternatively I could winch it out far enough to start the cut 1/2 to 2/3 thru for all of the blocks, then roll the log over. The problem with that is that there would likely be dirt and gravel imbedded in the bark, and that’s bad for a chainsaw chain. One way or another, I’ll get it.
Once all of the blocks are cut, my brother has a splitter that mounts on his big skid steer loader, it faces down under the very heavy main beam. He can then while sitting in the seat in the skid steer, pick up and split any block up to 3′ long, I only cut our firewood at 14″ long. He said he’ll come over (his house is less than 1/4 mile away. He will then break the big blocks down into sizes I can lift to split smaller.) Once this maple is all split it should be enough to heat our house for 3 or maybe 4 years. I also have some dead ash trees, mostly no bark left that blew down, I’ll also turn them into firewood.
Before all of this, I need to go to City Hall to handle some paperwork for agricultural assessment. In yrs past they always mailed the forms for each parcel, but a yr ago we sold 4 other parcels and the sugarhouse is on a 5th parcel, we never got that form.