[Rick Alger]

If the landowner is okay with it, it is certainly prudent to girdle or drop and lop up the low grade stuff. It may be challenging to get paid for the work, but if you have a forward looking client, go for it.
The problem is are greatest if you have a high proportion of low grade like Brad mentioned.

[Rick Alger]

Hi Jim,

A pellet plant sounds like a good concept. Here in Berlin, NH there was a German investor looking into starting a plant and shipping to Europe around ten years ago. Nothing came of it, in part I believe because of a perceived long-term shortage of low grade in the “wood basket.” Looks like the shortage problem has gone away. But the economics of harvesting remain. The Berlin biomass plant is now down to $24 a ton delivered for roundwood. I think it may be time to look at European models of forest products utilization. The Scandinavian horse loggers shown harvesting biomass on Youtube must be getting some kind of subsidy.

[Rick Alger]

I have heard old-timers talk of mowing beaver meadows by hand, stacking the hay on cribbing and sledding it out after freeze-up.

[Rick Alger]

Mark nailed it.

I have done this for people who did their own chopping. To avoid problems I walked the site with them before I brought the horse to show them the brush they had to move, the stubs they had to flush, and the trees they had to section before the logs could make the turn. I charged $150 a day and generally twitched 2 – 3 cords if the wood was decent size and the trails reasonably short. In a careful hardwood thinning I figured about 25 pulls per cord. Landing space was often a problem. Some guys wanted a fifty-fifty split, but I passed on that opportunity.

In VT in 2015, you should charge more than $150. You may also want to think about liability insurance.

Good luck.

[Rick Alger]

I have the same problem. Pulp markets are bleak. A couple more Maine mills went down recently. The biomass plant in Berlin NH takes some round wood through truckers with a contract, but the last I knew they paid $27 a ton delivered. There is also a chipping place in Shelburne NH owned by Richard Carrier, but things are tight there and they don’t pay much more than Berlin.

I’ve been turning down work. I’ts impossible to do a clean “worst first” harvest with no acceptable low- grade markets.

If you come across a solution, please let me know.

[Rick Alger]

I am not a plumber.

I have repaired a few hydrants over the years, usually using a brand and model specific kit. I remember getting at least one kit from FW Webb and another from an Ace Hardware. The last repair I did, I used a generic kit from Tractor Supply. The stopper turned out to be the wrong length and the packing was an entirely different type from the original.

I made it work, but I doubt the fix will last long.

So if you can’t identify the make and model, I suggest you bring the parts in to the store see if they match.

[Rick Alger]

The rod that the handle is attached to goes through what is called a packing nut. If the nut leaks only while you are running water, then tighten the nut. If it still leaks, you’ll have to change the packing. You can get repair kits at hardware stores. It usually makes sense to take the top off the hydrant and replace the stopper at the bottom of the rod while you’re at it. Also it’s best to go in with a part# or the hydrant top in hand, because some kits may not work with all hydrants.

[Rick Alger]

C’est bon.

[Rick Alger]

Hi Michael,
I bought a used Kieferbuilt trailer in 1998. It was a 12′ bumper pull, all steel with a wooden floor and mats. Over the years I put roughly 10,000 miles on it, mostly in the winter and often on rough wood roads.

It was a good trailer, but not durable enough for my application. I wound up spending over $2,000 repairing or replacing sheet metal, springs, shackles, lights etc. It is no longer road-worthy.

Lately, I have either driven the horses to the job and kept them in a hovel or hired a trailer. This works better for my budget.

Rick

[Rick Alger]

Hi Lizzy,

Yeah, there are a lot of variables.

Back when we were actively managing our 16 acres of open land ( adding lime, fertilizer, manure and frost seeding) we could figure on enough hay and pasture for seven horses.

Now with no management for years other than clipping, the 16 acres yield no hay and barely enough pasture for two drafts.

[Rick Alger]

Yeah, pine blue-stains in summer if it sits. Last I knew the mill in Berlin didn’t take any this time of year.
Spruce/fir is still around $350 at Milan Lumber.

[Rick Alger]

Last year I paid $2.85 a bale for hay picked up in the field. These were 20-30 pound square bales. I figure 200 bales per draft horse per year along with pasture. A pony would obviously eat less, around .015 pounds of hay per pound of body weight.

For many years we have plowed, harrowed and cultivated roughly an acre of ground with a single horse, sometimes doubling up just to give the second horse some exercise. No need for a tractor except for breaking new ground if it is rocky.

For logging, which I do a lot of, I’ve had half-a-dozen people who know logging say that I skid more in a day with my horse than they skid with their tractor.

Front end loader work is where the tractor is desirable.

Either way, tractor or horse, I’ve found it an uphill battle to make the enterprise pay, but it’s a damn site more enjoyable with a good animal partner.

[Rick Alger]

I’m with Mark regarding price. Over time we spend way more on feed and care than we do on the purchase.

Another thought. If you have doubts, offer to lease for a month with option to buy or return. If the owner balks, maybe they just want to see the horse gone, or maybe there is something they haven’t told you about. Either way you won’t get stuck with something that doesn’t work for you.

[Rick Alger]

Can you wear snowshoes when you walk beside them?

[Rick Alger]

I pull three bolts about 5′ long crossways to the trail, woven together with chains like a raft. First time through I use 6″ diameter stuff, next time something bigger.

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