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Due to running over my old Forestry Safety helmet I need to replace it.  I bought a Husvarna "Classic" helmet last week but one of the ear protector swivels has already broke seems a very flimsy  idea to me for forestry work, where kit gets some stick.   Which safety helmet can any of you professional full time foresters recommend.  Also out of interest what boots do you wear, do they last long however much one pays for them?Quality of work clothing,footwear seems poor these days relative to how much it costs.   Durabilty and comfort more important to me than price to me, and I have no preference for any brand name.  

I didn't know where  to put this thread so have put it here.   

A fantastic reply,many many thanks. Great to find someone on the same wave length???

May you have a non back breaking 2019.??

7 minutes ago, gdh said:

You mean a powered infeed to the machine, not a log deck?

 

I would say a definite yes, they make life much easier for 90% of logs and at worst you'll be in the same position as before for the awkward ones.

 

Go for a conveyor not chains or rollers, you don't want to snag clothing or hands when you inevitably wedge it on to push a log in by hand.

Many thanks for putting me correct as to what I really require. Can you recommend some one who may make one to use with an old Japa2100 processor,thank you.??

Are the above help or hindrance??

I ask, as in the real world ,cordwood is never all straight as die as used at demos’s , and in sales promotion videos!!!

I do not do a great amount of firewood with my old Japa 2100 processor, but am wishing to make life as easy as possible as 68yrs young and I am a one man operation.Just wondering if a mechanical ( hydraulic motor/s driving feed chains ) may be a great help. Cost may make it prohibitive.

I have a "Black S2 630" cone splitter which I use  on a hired in 5ton 360 . I split 2.3mtr long cordwood with it up to about 2ft diameter .You can stack the split wood by just screwing the cone in a short distance ,takes a bit of getting used to but once you get the hang of it you will be ok. I like the cone splitter as it is a one man operation.  Ok lengths of wood may a bit more splintery but all looks ok when been through processor. I have broken down Beech butts up to 3 to 4 ft diameter.(4ft long )   Great piece of kit and has made other  2 splitters almost redundant .

BEWARE when buying a cone splitter, they may look the same BUT the angle of the thread that screw into the wood are NOT,  I know "Lasco" and "Black" are very good. 

On 10/12/2018 at 20:01, samtheman365 said:

I do have a cone splitter but i do find it can make a bit of a mess of the timber 

I would tend to agree with you ,but I find that once the wood has gone through the processor it looks ok and the advantages of the cone splitter, outweigh  the wood looking a bit messy /splintered/frayed. I admit I do get a bit more wastage if some cordwood is particularly splintered.  

But we are all individuals and so  what  may be acceptable to one is not acceptable to another.

Have you considered a cone splitter ?   I have a  "Black cone splitter which I use to split lengths of cordwood up to 3MTRS long   up to    900mm diameter. It is a one man job, and you can stack the wood with the cone .To be honest it has  really made my  Uniforest23  and Binderberger 40 tonne redundant !!!!   If you Google "EXAC One  uk you can see the "Black  Cone splitter" on their  website

New customers that do not know where to put logs when you arrive  with their logs!!!

Customers in towns who order logs BUT do not think of where you are going to park when you deliver the logs!!!!!!

Where are these new customers brains!!!

Oh today  I asked a customer if Saturday was her best day to deliver she says yes ,and then her partner says can you deliver on a Sunday !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will leave it that, but do the general  public think firewood suppliers are akin to  travellers and we can be treated as such.   

13 minutes ago, westphalian said:

Thankyou for the info I will try and find some tomorrow.

23 minutes ago, spuddog0507 said:

hi got same problem but the little bas====s did,nt appear till about 10 days ago and seem to be more each day we have been using jungle formula with outstanding success been on it about 5 years now comes in pump spay or roll on but find pump spray best and dont just do your exposed skin spray your t shirt as well even got bit by one through the finger on my glove at wk end.

Agree entirely, horrendous pest, is the jungle formula a trade name or the strength of the srpray? 

Which anti horse fly spray do you use when working in the forest?  I will soon need a new can to replace some I got years ago when living in Canada.

Horse flies horrendous to day when working in a valley with  no wind and very humid,expect you all  suffered the same.

As above does your  cordwood (2.5 mtr length  +) supplier , bill you per load  to you, by the "tonnage or the cu mtr " ,( cu mtr formula  allowing so much for air/ so much for actual wood per load) . I ask the question as the last two loads I have had delivered are by the , tonnage, rather than the old formula

of so many cu mtrs minus  x amount of air per artic load of cordwood for eventual processing.

4 hours ago, Woodwanter said:

That's very helpful, thanks

 

i have been looking in to getting one, i 'only' need to break down about 300 t per annum but it's all for personal use and I am not much bothered by length or size of finished product. I am collecting it locally and then trying to get it dry hence the need for a splitter of sorts as it comes in all sorts of lumps.

 

did you look at log nibblers instead? Did you look at any other cone splitter makes, I hadn't considered the cone angle, what do you think is the optimum angle?

 

i have a 3.5 and 7.5t machine, prefer to use the larger unit as better reach and would assume a little quicker?

 

 

I did not look at log nibblers (????). I did look at a few other makes,but after talking to some owners , I decided to go for the "Black", distributor not far away from me. From I was told it is the screw thread  pitch which  is the critical bit.  I think 7,5t machine  would be safer than 3.5 machine especially  IF swinging 3mtr long 450mm dia material  around.  Cone splitter has almost made my vertical splitter redundant.For any more info PM me .

On 17/02/2018 at 13:53, Woodwanter said:

Interested in the cone splitter, which size have you and on what machine? Any idea on price?

Cone splitter :-   " Black Splitter S2 630 "   list price was  £4,350 but you can negotiate  a discounted price.  Supplied  by Exac-One Ltd   Upton on Severn.

Cone splitter was not the cheapest but be warned that the  "screw thread angle is critical for good splitting"and not the same on all splitters.  I use the cone spliter on a 5 or 6 ton 360 which I hire.

The cone splitter has revolutionised  the splitting process by being able  to split the 2.5 /3mtr lengths of cord wood,and restack it.  All I have to do now  is to cut the seasoned  long lengths  in to two and lift them on the processor  intake belt  and away you go.        

I have to say I bought the cone splitter with money from other income and not money made from firewood, but at 67 I like to make life as easy possible,wise guys will say if that is  the case why bother doing firewood, and I will say that is my business. 

Hope the above helps.  

Many  thanks for your replies . I have to say that I cant recommend our"Black Cone Splitter" highly enough and that if we have our seasons cordwood delivered and split in March we can not do any more to achieve our aims, per thread title.

3 minutes ago, Woodworks said:

Not even close here

 

Can just get our cut and split logs down to 20% in that time. Did process some dry cord for a client the other day and in all honesty it's the only dry cord I have ever seen. It had been there 3 years on a great site facing south, free drainage and very windy. Also had a the top of the stack covered.

Many thanks for your honesty ,a rare trait these days !!!

Do any of you ,during an average u,k summer ,  manage to naturally dry winter cut cordwood (beech ,ash,etc excluding oak)   , 2.5 to 3mtrs long down to around  20%moisture (WITH OUT CUTTING IT IN TO SHORTER LENGTHS) between say March and the beginning of November (8months). If you do please can you tell me how you manage to do it,if you are coping initially with cord wood up to max  450 mm  diameter.   What equipment are you using  to split the 2.5 to 3mtr long cordwood  down to allow it to dry out.    

I ask the above  as burning 20% moisture logs  and below is ok   

I see that Thurlow Estate no longer supply firewood,any idea when and why the gave up the firewood business ??   

I live in Gloucestershire,but I was looking at Thurlow Estate  farming website and then looked at the firewood section,only to see they no longer did firewood!!! 

Many thanks for your replies,I might be wrong but I was thinking that forest under foot conditions will be much harder on boots ,than Arborists would encounter if they are mainly working in suburban conditions, with a lot of concrete and tarmac under foot once they climb down from the trees.  

I did not really know where to put this thread so please excuse me if it is in the wrong place,I do firewood. I need to buy some really hardwearing  boots for working on steep wet banks doing forestry work that I have just taken on. I am sure it has been asked many times before   but please can any of you that are making your living doing forestry work recomend an excellent make of boot to go for that will "LAST "in the harsh environment of the forest.  I do not mind paying for "quality",BUT  I hate being ripped off  by paying for  brand name rather than quality i.e I do not want to buy Husvarna /Stihl branded boots when they are made buy another company. Many thanks.

Can you not winch the tree down the slope before cutting it?

Unfortunately not an option,due to being high up a densely wooded steep hillside.

I have tied a long rope to a tree at the top of the steep bank and found that a great improvement. Is there a device that I could thread the rope through ,which I could lock the the rope so that it supports me while using two hands to use the chain saw on the extemely steep bank,while cutting the nearly 3ft diameter trunk in to winchable lengths. I can not take any risks as unfortunately I work on my own. I carry a mobile with me at all times,and I also

have distress beacon with me,which if triggered sends out a distress call to the emergency services with ones position.

I am in the process of sawing up a large windblown Beech(for firewood) on a very steep bank, that is so steep I can't stand up. Any suggestions what footwear to use.Would climbing spikes be any help?

Thanks for your replies,I think the main problem is that the tyre size on the Isuzu is wider than on the old Nissan. I found with tractors in the past that narrower tyres will grip better on slippery surfaces than wider tyres.

The Quadtrac I drove for a bit would even spin on greasy grass bank!!!!

Been using insa Dakar, Done like 25k miles on them. Great in the woods but when it's real wet your gunna slide whatever younhave

Fair comment,especially when we have had a very long dry spell and then a lot of rain on a very dry surface, which becomes slippery (no grip) compared to a muddy surface (some grip).