[Tim Harrigan]

Wolfgang, I am curious to know why you haul manure to the other side of town to stockpile it in the field. Will you be spreading it on the field when conditions improve? Do several folks haul to that field and stockpile it there for the winter?

[Tim Harrigan]

Maybe you could winch it up on the headlands. Might get a lot of slip on that coulter in tilled ground.

[Tim Harrigan]

Do you have a forecart? Maybe you could mount it on that.

[Tim Harrigan]

@Does’ Leap 24967 wrote:

Donn:

What are you going to do with the ash?

George

Do you have EAB killing your ash trees yet?

[Tim Harrigan]

If you are not using any chemical weed control and want to minimize the amount and type of tillage you are doing there is no question that weed control is going to be your biggest challenge. Mulches can work well in some situations but they don’t always work well so you have to have a plan B and a plan C and be flexible in your approach. There is a good extension bulletin available from Michigan State University “Integrated Weed Management: Fine Tuning the System”. Not sure how much it costs, it is 130 pages and covers a lot of options. I think it would be a good investment if you are interested in farming in this way. Order information at http://www.emdc.msue.msu.edu

Search for extension bulletin E3065. It is $14 plus shipping.

[Tim Harrigan]

They have a tin roof and a center ventilation tube. When the ear corn is dry and the outer ears get some rain that is pretty much surface water that will dry off pretty fast when conditions improve. I never a wire crib, they were not as protected as the wooden structures that we had, but seems like a pretty inexpensive approach. I do not remember the wood structures as being rodent-proof.

[Tim Harrigan]

Seems like if you can find an old wire crib you could probably pick one up pretty reasonable.

[Tim Harrigan]

Mark, how long have been using your current saw? I am wondering about down-time and repairs. Also, I agree with Carl that the xp will be the best woods saw. I take that to mean mainly that you will really notice and appreciate the extra power when felling, maybe less so when limbing and bucking. I am not a production cutter so sometimes I think a little less power makes me slow down and think about what I am doing a little more than I might otherwise. But that is my problem, not a saw issue.

Also, my logical approach does not really acknowledge the emotional component of your relationship with your saw. That counts for something. I have other professional grade woodworking tools that I suppose are hard to justify on an economic basis, but when I get them out I expect a certain level of performance that you just can not get with lower grade tools. It is nice if you really like your tools.

[Tim Harrigan]

when I was a little younger working on the farm and doing construction work, when I leaned into something it moved. They must be making things heavier now. Hard work is good stuff, focuses the mind. Go to work.

[Tim Harrigan]

@Scott G 24760 wrote:

Stick with a pro saw if you are cutting seriously on a regular basis.

This was the pivot point for me. Husky has 3 grades of saw that they refer to as the homeowner, landowner and commercial. The xp’s are the commercial saws. I don’t remember the prices, it seems to me the last saw I bought was about $400 (landowner grade) and the one I really wanted (commercial grade) was $1000+ Seems to me if you are in the woods every day that is the one to buy, the best business decision. I am mostly a winter, weekend, firewood cutter so it seems like that saw is over-kill for my situation. Of course, if you think of it as a 10 year tool and spread the cost over 10 years it is not a big deal, as long as you don’t mind the big up-front cost. But if you think of it as saw cost per cord or mbf then how much you cut is pretty important. That is if you have limited resources.

I suspect if you are in the woods everyday and pay 3x the cost for the xp but are able to cut 10x the wood as with a landowner grade saw you will think of that as a pretty good business decision.

[Tim Harrigan]

I used the old style milk paint on my yokes. It seemed to soak up the linseed oil really well and actually improved the appearance of the yoke. If you used a hard or glossy paint it probably would not work as well.

[Tim Harrigan]

John, I have also used the 50/50 mix on some painted yokes that I have. I think your painted pole might even hold up better.

[Tim Harrigan]

Geoff, yes, boiled linseed oil. My sense it is cut with turpentine or mineral spirits to thin it out so it soaks into the wood. The linseed oil is carried into the grain and the turpentine evaporates leaving the oil. Seems like heating the oil would help. My experience is boiled linseed oil alone is so viscous that it sits on the surface and penetrates really slowly.

[Tim Harrigan]

I use this on my yokes. I normally apply several coats over a few days time, until it starts to resist soaking in. Then I often give another coat once a year or so. I am not sure how it will weather on something kept outside. Probably at least as good as paint.

[Tim Harrigan]

Mark, not with the 359 but I have a 350 (they call it a 450 now) which is just a little smaller, I think 52 cc versus 59 cc for the 359. They are both made for 18-20 inch bars. I like it, there are times I wish it had a little more zip but it is easy to handle, starts nice and I have not had any trouble with it, yet. I look at the 572 and 575 xp’s like George and Carl and others have and I sure would like one, but it seems to me if you are only cutting 30-40 cords a year a 359 class saw is plenty of saw. I am sure you know how the price jumps from the 359 to 5xx xp class saws. Of course, if I every get a chance to use one of those big xp’s I might change my story. 😀

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