Big Summer Job Done in a nick of time

Cutting my fire wood for the comming winter is finally done. I usually have it done in early July, but health problems set me back this year. I even have a bonus pile that I topped off today. I went up to the landing in the woods and cleaned up all the wood that I coulden't fit onto the trailer load last Friday, which filled the woodshed.
Today is last day of summer, so I beat my deadline of getting my firewood project done before fall. I have just under 19 full cord of wood stacked under cover for the heating season. Last year was tough, and I burned 14 cord to heat the house and 4 bay tractor shop.
Now onto a bunch of other projects around the house and shop before snow fall.
The projects just never end!!!, but this one was the biggie for me this year.
Loren, the Acg.

You do a fine job with that wood! Keep on going. Ron Mn

Working on our firewood like maniacs this week, too, Loren. Weather has finally cooled off and is more pleasant to work. Barring the unforeseen (BIG if, of course) we should have a good portion done this week. Got some dead soft wood to clean up around the hose for early season heat tomorrow, and then we tackle an old 42 inch hard maple that is no longer producing enough sap to be worth hanging buckets on. Not only is it time to remove it so the young stuff can grow, but it's a lot of wood in one place. Park the wood splitter side of it and have at it. Always consider myself lucky if I've got it all cut by the first of October. (chuckle)

great job!!!!

Loren, the Acg,
I was telling my daughter about your wood processing equipment. What I am wondering is did you build everything needed to get the wood up and processed and hauled to the wood shed? My daughter has has been cutting on her 13 cord, and has it down to about 1 1/2 cord,that will have to be split and loaded on the one ton using the bobcat. We have been looking for a small elevator such as you have to load the one ton,hopefully we will find one, before the snow flies or next year. I am going to save your post to show my daughter such ingenious devices that you have for processing your wood. I am totally amazed at your process and the help that you get from your son and wife.

My son normally cuts both wood piles which keeps the family warm during the cold winter, we average between 10- 13 cord to heat the house. My daughter uses around 10, her house is extremely well insulated and she keeps it almost 80 degrees during the cold snap.

We have started with little fire at around 7:30 or 8 pm in the evening,using poplar wood saving the oak elm and maple for drastic cold spells. Again I want to compliment you on your system of making firewood, and wondering about how many years it took you to build that equipment? My compliments to you and yours, you have a wonderful family.
Age and health issues keep me from such activity except my job is to operate the log splitter valve handle. My daughter is waiting to use the new one with electric start. My son built a volt meter holder so we can keep tabs on the battery being charged. Thanks again for your post,which gives us encouragement.
Warmest regards,
LOU & son

WOW a very slick operation. Thanks for the pics

Congat's - Love yer firewood "harvesting" setup!
Glad you are feeling good - BTDT,
Jim in central Illinois

don't know how in the world you find the energy to do it , and do it all so well , but I am glad you can ,loren , you are a inspiration ,

I think that you need to look into getting one of those "free" solar heating packages. LOL.

And you built so much of that equipment yourself. Where do you get all of that energy?

I have had a solar hot water system on my roof for 10yrs., and it provides all the hot water that the wife and I need. I spent the last 5 years of my working life as a certified installer of solar thermo, solar electric, and residential wind generation equipment.
There is no such thing as "FREE". These new lease programs are full of loopholes. People are jumping onto the bandwagon without understanding the fine print, and not understanding the drawbacks of solar systems. They are mearly providing a platform to mount a company's solar system.
Loren

That is a good milestone, relief knowing you are all set, I know the feeling, too much to do, what to start next. Great you had some help, really makes the difference.

That is a real firewood handling set-up. It has to eliminate a lot of backaches. I haven't even started yet, too many skeeters until frost.

What do you guy's consider a cord of wood? We lived in a house, when we were first married, that required 12 cords of hardwood to heat. This house didn't have a stitch of insulation in it, and when the wind blew hard from the northwest snow would blow across the living room floor. LOU from Wi. says that his daughters house is well insulated and she burns 10 cords. Anyway, we later moved into a much larger house that had been insulated some, and we needed 6 cords to heat this house. We now heat with coal and some wood. In a bad winter we burn 7200 pounds of coal. I call a cord 4'x4'x8'. What does your cord measure?

(quoted from post at 08:32:19 09/23/15)
What do you guy's consider a cord of wood? We lived in a house, when we were first married, that required 12 cords of hardwood to heat. This house didn't have a stitch of insulation in it, and when the wind blew hard from the northwest snow would blow across the living room floor. LOU from Wi. says that his daughters house is well insulated and she burns 10 cords. Anyway, we later moved into a much larger house that had been insulated some, and we needed 6 cords to heat this house. We now heat with coal and some wood. In a bad winter we burn 7200 pounds of coal. I call a cord 4'x4'x8'. What does your cord measure?

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Here in NH it is 4'x4'x8'. It is further defined that split wood must be stacked tightly enough that a squirrel may be able to run through the spaces between pieces but that the cat chasing it cannot.

A cord of wood in my mind is 4X4X8' - 128cu.ft. also. I cut 19to 20" wood. We don't use any other fuel for heat. I wish I had a new woodgasifier boiler, but I suspect that my older Royall combination coal/wood boiler will due me for my lifetime. I can switch to coal if I can nolonger continue to cut wood.
Loren