3 c.i. Stihl or Husky. Which is best/ last longest?

[Cold Logging]

Thanks. I just do firewood small scale now. Mostly my own and maybe 10 more cord a year for friends. Its actually a lot of fun not having the pressure to maximize production for profit.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I wish we got that cold, sorta...

 

[Cold Logging]

Its so warm this winter. Its weird. But, it has been allowing me to do firewood at a more leisurely pace.
But I still want a new little saw :-)

 

[HolmenTree]

Here's a pic of my old work horse I owned when I was into firewood 20 years ago..... 1965 Mercury 800 - 3 1/2 ton. 391 c.i. 4 bbl, 5 speed with 2 speed axle, 10 ton dump hoist and double frame. These Mercs were Canadian edition only.

At that time I lived out at cottage country and I kept up to 300 cottages supplied with birch firewood. The area has lots of birch and table top flat ground. I'd drive the old girl right into the bush to the best stands of birch pushing under brush and small stuff over as I went. Back up to a swath of trees I felled and bucked up then pile it in the box 2 cords level with the top. Was selling it for $100 cord delivered , only had to pay the DNR a few bucks a cord for the timber permit.

I always worked alone and when the snow hit the ground I'd put tire chains on the dualies. At this time I was working at the lumber division grading lumber after taken a transfer from the bush where I spend 20 years as a hand faller....yes I was replaced by a feller buncher.

When the snow got over 2 feet deep I'd skid the wood out with an old 1975 Ski-Doo Alpine 640 double track pulling a 14 ft sleigh with teflon on the runners. Then load it on the ole Merc at road side.
I did this for about 3 years in my spare time and delivered in the neighborhood of a 1000 cords or a little better. Grossed about a $100,000 not bad for a $1,500 old truck, a $1000 Ski Doo and a new Stihl 066 Mag Artic-18".
Sure never would get rich doing this but definitely kept up my cutting skills, if I didn't run out of close access birch I'd probably still be doing it as a side line and working at the mill.

But a tree climbing and rigging course in 1999 changed everything and here I am today.

 

[Burnham]

Ugly beast, sure enough...the truck, not Willard .

 

[Cold Logging]

nice looking setup. . An Alpine sure was a work horse of a sled. Any one that has one around here keeps them. The only places we have birch here in the Copper Basin is steep and broken up. Because we have had lots of beattle kill here DNR Forestry wanted all the standing dead and down targeted. And people have never got it in their heads to get their wood 1 or 2 years in advance. We( firewood producers) logged most all the dead stuff on state land here..The last timber sale they offered me might have produced 1 cord per acre and had the worst hummocks/ niggerheads of any where I've been here. I decided to spend my winters up in the oil patch instead. My best year here was 240 cord. If I had the $$$ I could have started processing green wood but would have had to sit on it for a year or 2 to sell it for the same money I was getting for standing dead. I just couldn't see my way through it profitably.

I'de never heard of a Mercury truck. Looks like a good one. I used my Duce an half one winter to skid with but the snow got to deep. . Waisted deep sugar snow was too much for it even with all 10 wheels chained up. Then the snow machine and sled became more efficient and profitable. Just getting the Duce started burned more fuel each day than the snow machine would use in 3 days.

 

[Cold Logging]

I'de forgot about my Solo. This is the 681 . It flat screamed with this 16" bar on it. . Kinda hard on my back from all the bending over tho. But, it did fit in the rack on my snow go. And it would start and run pretty good. . With an 8 tooth 3/8 s I had seemingly no end to the chain speed. I wrecked the maincase on it with a 36" bar. There just wasn't the meat around the bar studs to take the extra stress of the long bar. Had I stuck with short.bars on it. It probably would have made me.money. as it was I gave it to a friend that is good at tinkering with stuff. I made it about 50 cord with me. But it was a good feeling saw. And it had more power than the 372 Huskies 75cc and the 460 Stihl .

 

[Cold Logging]

Loading 20' logs onto my Duce after I got my loader.

 

[Cold Logging]

Since I still had some wood to put up for the winter and haven't gotten the small saw thing done. I thot I'de do a ( Holmen conversion) . I picked up a 16" bar and chain combo at the local hardware store 3/8 pitch full comp. Chisel bit as I'm in clean wood. I already had a half wrap handle bar. Pulled the outside dog off the clutch cover. With the Micheal Lee engine mod. Tri ported muffler and 8 tooth sprocket. It flat screams in the wood. And I dropped a couple pounds off the saw weight. . I wouldn't want to have to cut.full time with it but it is fun having a stubby screamer.

 

[Cold Logging]

 

[Cold Logging]

Uh oh bad post #

 

[MasterBlaster]

?

 

[Cold Logging]

3 , 6s

Merry Christmas all!
And for those who may not celebrate Christmas. Have a great day!!!
Wishing all Tree Housers a safe, healthy, happy year to come. !