Passing of the Punkin' Popple

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Here is the inspiration for the title.... 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMbHvW3OiXs

I had pretty much started winding down for the year, getting cold outside, the All Crop is tucked away until spring, maybe this winter I should just hibernate...

BUT THEN, during rifle season, Pa, big brother, and I got to discussing what a mess certain parts of the woods are becoming, with all the popple trees tipping over. Pa said "You know, we could log all the popple, clean out the woods, and maybe make a buck or two."

So, we started looking into it. Talked to a few log haulers, and called a few local mills. Wow, did we get an array of answers. How long to cut it, what qualifies for bolts versus pulpwood, trucking costs, the numbers are all over the place. But, if we can get a load or two out, we should make a few dollars. 

So we worked out a master plan, big brother can cut them down and cut them to length, and I would devise a way to get the logs out. Make a nice pile right in the yard, so a truck can come and get them any time we are ready. That means hauling them 1/4 mile out of the woods, then almost 1/2 mile up the road, out in the open, in the dead of winter. Sounds kind of chilly. 

Oh well, enough talk. Time to fire up the littlemarv R&D department again!

I built a farm crane for the WD a few years ago. One of the handiest attachments I have ever used. I looked it up in the WD attachment manual, the farm crane is rated to lift 1400 pounds. Surely it should handle any 8 foot popple log. 

Got out the old firewood wagon. The floor and sides are made of 2X8's. As we filled it, three boards went up on each side. Made for a pretty good load. But, it will need some modifications for logging. Took all the boards off, and took the the pipes and brackets off one side.

Still has the tag on it. I guess its called a "rocker wagon?" Because the front part actually pivots a small amount. Anyone have any ideas there?

The two cross beams are 7' apart. Perfect for hauling 8'6" logs. 

We had two choices for making firewood. When we needed to get in a tight spot, we took the trailer. When we were in a more open area, we used the wagon, which hauls more. If I'm going to be driving up the road in the dead of winter out in the open, you can be darn sure I am going to get as much wood per load as possible, So, I fabricated a drawbar for the back of the wagon, so I can hitch the trailer on behind. 

Built a swivel to put on the end of the crane. That way I can spin the logs to be in line with the tractor so we can get them out of the woods. Its made from a thrust bearing off a kingpin on a heavy truck steer axle.

Made a toolbox for the side of the tractor. Lord knows you need accessories when you go out in the woods, so this will be a handy spot for the cant hook, straps, chains, etc.

You can see I also added some brackets for putting some weight up front, just in case.

At any rate, big brother went up and dropped three trees, for kind of a trial run. Wound up with 21 sticks. So junior and I went up to check the situation over. 

Also found a pretty sizeable rock. Guess we will be going around this one....

So here we are, outside,  on December 4th, at 9PM, in our t-shirts, painting. Sheesh.

And, in less than twelve hours, a 30 degree temp swing, and 30+ MPH winds. Plus a little snow. 

Hooked up my land train and headed out to the woods. Dropped the trailer at the clearing. I use a couple of jackstands to hold up the trailer to ease hooking it back up. 

Toolbox? More like the "everything but the kitchen sink" box.

I cannot believe how well this works. Dropped the wagon in a spot where I can turn around and back up to it, and went to the first tree, probably 50 yards away.

Backed up to two smaller logs, lift them up, then chain the front to hold them in place...

And deposit them neatly on the wagon.

Repeat. Sure works slick. 

You can pick a log up from any angle,

And swing it right into position.

When you get to the wagon, spin it back and set it down.  Pin the pipes back on, and make a pretty nice load. 

Next comes the trailer. Its a little handier, cause you can take it closer to the logs.

I often wondered why Pa always used the B and never got a bigger tractor. The B is 5' wide. The WD is 6'. Boy, what a difference one foot makes in the woods. Snuck her through some pretty tight spots, that for sure.

So, out to the clearing, to hook this wagon train back up.

The unloading process needs a little refinement. I thought we could use some ramps to gently roll the logs onto the pile.

Yeah right. The ramps kept slipping out and the logs just fell on the ground. The end result is the same, I guess. To unload the trailer, I just backed it up to the pile and pulled them off by hand with a chain. Won't be doing that again, Pa has a swell Gator for just such an activity. 

The most dangerous part? Climbing on and off that slippery tractor 97 times. 
The hardest part? Backing the damn wagon up to the trailer to hook it back up.
The coldest part? The 1/2 mile run up the road across the open. May think about using the truck to haul the loads home. 

So, there you have it. I told the saw man to crack the throttle on the saw and start laying some trees down, we will give er hell until it gets too cold or the snow gets too deep, whichever comes first.  Going to wait to put the chains on until its absolutely necessary. We will be learning and improving our strategies as we go, but it sure looks doable. Big brother loves to work with the chainsaw, I love to work with the tractor, and Pa loves to stay in the house and watch football and cook us supper, so its a win all around!

Thanks for looking!

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