Trees, tools, vehicles

[coppicer]

What about old tractor

Grey fergie or similar? Should get nice one for £1500

Could put saw bench on it too....

 

Nice idea Arthur, if I go the tractor/quad route this is definitely on the cards. My dad had a little grey fergie when I was a kid, which I sometimes drove on the farm, so it's familiar territory. Spares I guess are cheap, though not sure about whether availability is still good? Not 4wd, but arguably if it's wet enough to need 4wd to get out I shouldn't be working the coppice.

 

you say you have birch which you will cut down. and is good firewood.

your wood can be a better investment than just looking down the route of firewood. Plus other useful advice re besoms, charcoal and tractors.

 

Some intriguing suggestions, I have just been reading up on besoms! I guess my mindset has been that this is a coppice for firewood and I haven't looked beyond that. I failed to mention that I have a full-time job so I'm strictly amateur when it comes to wood and I have limited time for the coppice. If I can supply my own firewood for the woodburner by spending a few hours a week on my woodland I'll be happy. I'd just like to do it efficiently and effectively.

 

I accept your argument about learning from others. I have signed up for a chainsaw handling course with an experienced local tree surgeon and will do small tree felling course also. Coppicing is a possibility, though I suspect there are not many people out there with practical experience of a newly planted high-density ash coppice. Most coppicers seem to be dealing with hazel or chestnut and for tool handles or hurdles, not for firewood.

[ArthurBottlesworth]

I'm in similar position to you but my woods are long standing

I went for alpine tractor as my fields are steep and I scare easily

More wood than I can handle

Coppicing seems to be a paying proposition in sussex to dorset belt, and lake district ( plenty brass to pay for charcoal etc ) not sure about N Wales though - everyone seems to live on grant money here

 

Going to get fergie out again as alpine too small for full ibc containers

[coppicer]

More wood than I can handle

Sweet, wish I was in that situation. I'm told that I do, in fact, have more wood than I need but I'm not yet convinced.

 

I suspect being easily scared in forestry is A Good Thing and I personally would never drive an ATV on serious slopes. I was looking at that thread here where the flail mower on a quad jack-knifed on a slope and threw the quad over; that could have been very nasty. My property is next to a woodland that is unlike my coppice not at all level and is managed by Natural Resources Wales. They often use a little alpine tractor to trundle about the woods, so I'm guessing they scare easily too!

Edited August 4, 2014 by coppicer

[Coletti]

If it were me I would be getting a suzuki jumny and sticking a winch and a set of mud tyres on it, cheap as you like to buy and run and from experience they are fantastic little truck and would be excellent for extraction with one of these behind it http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Logster-ATV-Timber-Trailer-All-new-Design-New-features-/221508015866?pt=UK_BOI_FarmingEquipment_RL&hash=item3392e816fa

 

I beg to differ on the not using atv's on serious slopes. I worked on a hill farm on exmoor for 4 years and it would surprise most people exactly where you can get a quad bike if you know what your doing and with good enough tyres. A decent quad will go literally anywhere!!

[coppicer]

If it were me I would be getting a suzuki jumny

I considered these because of their well-known offroad ability but dismissed them because of the 1.3L engine. If I went for a 4x4 for extraction I'd want it to be able to pull half a ton or more of hardcore in a trailer on the road, up and down some serious Welsh hills. Is a Jimny really up to that?

 

I beg to differ on the not using atv's on serious slopes. I worked on a hill farm on exmoor for 4 years and it would surprise most people exactly where you can get a quad bike if you know what your doing

That may be so but I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to piloting a quad! Fortunately it's not really an issue on my property.

[Coletti]

I've pulled over the rated towing weight with mine for a short distance but it's slow and not really adviseable, if your wanting to be doing that then it isn't really the right vehicle, just thought that for the extraction purposes it would be good but no point in getting one if it's not up to the other jobs you have for it, it's towing capacity is 1300kg by the way

[coppicer]

just thought that for the extraction purposes it would be good

It would fit places most 4x4s wouldn't go, that's for sure.

Like that trailer you linked to by the way.

[sandspider]

I've got a Jimny, and hope one day to get a woodland, so will follow this with interest.

 

The max weight you can tow (unbraked trailer) behind a Jimny is 350kg if I remember right. 1300kg braked trailer. The Jimny is not super powerful, but it does get the job done. I normally drive it on my own, but when I load up with 4 people on occasion (at least two of them fairly porky!) I didn't notice the difference. Can't speak for a half ton trailer load as I've never tried that - but I think the Jim may surprise you...

[Jay]

Hire an avant with a tree shear and log grab!!

 

 

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[njc110381]

It's a shame you need to move things on the road. Otherwise I would have said it's the perfect place for a little compact tractor and a timber trailer. You could run a splitter and log saw on the tractor to save work for the chainsaw.

 

I have a little 12.5hp Kubota which I run a log saw with. A fiver of red diesel will keep it going all day and it will tow over a ton on the flat no trouble at all.