The Log Splitter

Oct
29

I’m such a fan of this log splitter!
IMG_3490
I’d never seen such a thing before!

I had a HUGE pile of logs waiting to be split. My winter preparations this year are based on issues I had last year, which include my furnace going out twice, and each time I had to wait a week for the needed part to come in. Meanwhile, it was pretty cold at my house. I didn’t have enough wood laid in–due to my reliance on the free gas and my furnace–and if not for my neighbor helping me out with wood, I would have been even colder. Not this year. I probably have enough wood for two winters, if not more. I’m over-preparing, but after last winter, I’d rather be over-prepared than under-prepared.

I also have a new gas wall heater, which will be installed soon. It doesn’t require electricity to run. So if the furnace goes out, between the wall heater and the wood stove, I should stay warm, even in a power outage.

My hired men split some of the wood with a maul, and some with a small log splitter, but it was frustrating and they aren’t much into hand-splitting. (I can’t blame them.) I thought about buying a log splitter, but they’re very expensive and wood is really only a backup source of heat, so investing in a log splitter made me uneasy. (There are other things that need to be done on the farm, so it didn’t make it to the top of my priority list.) I thought about waiting until the holidays when some other young backs would be available to pitch in–my two sons, my daughter’s boyfriend. Maybe if I divided up the wood and asked everyone to split just a portion of it with a maul, it wouldn’t be too bad. My hired men didn’t like that idea. The wood needed to be split so it could dry properly. I’d already waited pretty late to have the wood cut down from the ridge, which was why they only cut standing dead trees (to give a headstart in drying).

And so they borrowed a trailer and brought over their nice big log splitter.
IMG_3494
It was pretty amazing to watch how fast it went through even huge logs.
IMG_3495
After splitting, the wood was brought over by the truckload for stacking and to be covered with tarps.
IMG_3504
If I’m ever cold this winter, it won’t be because I don’t have enough wood!

(It was a total of six truckloads.)





Comments

  1. Old Geezer says:

    Safety goggles! Safety goggles! Safety goggles! :hissyfit:

    (yes, I’m a PIA when it comes to such things.)

  2. GrammieEarth says:

    I had to have some trees cut down on my property a couple of years ago, and since I’m not overly good with an ax, I rented a wood splitter. I swear it was the most fun I’ve ever had with two cord of wood!!

    Then I had to move it to its seasoning spot <- sigh.

  3. boulderneigh says:

    We have more put by than we need, too, but like my dad said, it’s “money in the bank.”

  4. fowlers says:

    So, FYI….we went through about 8 1/2 cords last year, I’m thinking this year it may be more…one can never have enough wood in our neck of the woods…oil is to expensive right now…don’t know how some manage…free gas! what a blessing…nothing wrong with a back up to your back up, do you have your appliances hooked up to the gas also ? ? I’ve family that has had everything hooked up to their free gas line, even ran it to the barns to help cure their tobacco & keep the babies warm. Have a great Halloween https://chickensintheroad.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/jackolantern.gif

  5. yvonnem says:

    Suzanne, Please be sure to have your chimney checked and cleaned. Flue fires are VERY scary!

  6. Joell says:

    :happyflower:
    You are ready!! ( I remember when you learned how to bild a fire in a stove) You can never have to much wood for the Winters there– it will be a good feel when you go to bed at night to know that your home will stay warm if there is a power outage, and you know there will be some.
    Good for you.

  7. Minna says:

    We have one of those back in the countryside. Log splitter is safer than an axe!

  8. Armenia Mt Mom says:

    Hi Suzanne, My husband and I are in the later years of our lives, we bought a smaller log splitter which is easy to handle. It’s a five ton electric and works great! We always keep track of the weather so when a storm is on it’s way we make sure we have enough split! We have medical issues, Parkinson’s disease and my husband can still use it. It’s great for us, we live in Northcentral PA up on a mountain and our winters can be harsh we heat our whole house with wood. It’s always nice and cozy inside. There are many companies that make them. Just a thought!! On another note we Love your site we Laugh and we cry along with you and your followers!

  9. Mo olelo says:

    When we lived on our acreage from the mid to late nineties, we used our fireplace a lot in the winter. I know they say that it’s not as efficient as the furnace but there’s just something about a fire in the fireplace that make a place feel warm and cozy. The first couple of winters we split ours with an axe and then one fall, my sister and brother-in-law brought down their wood splitter. What a blessing that was! What would have taken my husband and I several days to do was all done in one day. It was great to go out to the woodshed and get wood without the extra step of chopping it.

  10. marielle says:

    Here too in Atlantic Canada, heating with wood is a way of life. One can never have too much wood.

Add Your Thoughts