Cutting black locus trees

I've got an ash tree next to my barn that has to come down but before we do there are a couple of black locus trees that need to be removed to make room to drop the ash tree. I've cut and burned a lot of black locus since moving here many years ago and know its great fire wood. Problem is the brush - its full of thorns and is miserable stuff to handle, even with gloves. Fortunately locus trees are no where as brushy as ash trees and they don't blow up when hitting the ground. I dropped the tree into a corn field so I have to make sure its cleaned up pretty well so the thorns don't go into tractor tires (they can). I've got the bigger one on the ground so it gives me something to do for a few days. There is still a smaller one to get down but of coarse it has to be leaning the wrong way then I can get to the ash tree. Probably all the trees will make a full year of fire wood for me on top of about 2 years of wood already cut from previous ash trees. I've got probably 10 years worth of fire wood in standing ash trees and at least some will rot before I ever get to them. Already see wood peckers working on some of them. Its too bad what has happened to ash trees around much of the country.

did you have to start the farmall A ?

No - it was sort of like I suspected - the guys got crazy over nothing. We were able to get the pallet of interest out with the tractor still in place. That was the good news. The bad news is now I'm hooked on buying another tractor. Turns out is a real nice super A with a IH blade on the front and a 1 bottom plow to go with it. Its 6 volt with a distributor and it looks like the battery won't take a charge as we did have a charger on it for a while and it barely engaged the starter. I'm in the process of asking the owner what his plans are and if he has a price in mind. I'm thinking he may let it go for a real good price since its an estate and he has the problem of cleaning up quite a mess over all. He was real good to us on the train stuff we wanted. The tractor would fit real nice between my regular A and my 100.

sounds like your first in line then, good luck. and they are small and dont take much room.

With all those thorns sounds more like Honey Locust then Black Locust

I agree.
Black locust thorns are too short to hurt a tractor tire.
I burn it in my house all winter.

I just did a google search and I'm pretty sure they are black locus. Yes the thorns are shorter than a honey locus but I know from experience they will pierce a tractor tire. I've pulled many out before. Not so likely to cause a flat but I think it depends on the tire. Most of what I have seen have been stuck in the ribs of rear tires.

Agreed.

I've cut, stacked, and burned dozens and dozens and dozens of black locust trees aw well as dozens of honey locust trees.

Never any problem with black locust thorns but honey locust thorns are quite another matter.

That said, if good fire wood, must be black locust. Honey locust wood is soft and just about useless as fire wood.

My wife's maternal grandfather bought a new Super A from Rochester Tractor which was probably not too far away from you. If my memory is any good he also bought a new Cub.

Make that ALL of the country. Ash borers never stop. You think they would die out but as soon as the suckers from the roots get to about 4 inch caliper, the borers hit them again. Here is a picture of my woodlot. The trees on the ground are all ash. The ones standing mostly hickory with some sugar maple and oak. The sticks are ash suckers. I thought I would never see the end of this but once they get ants in them the pileated woodpeckers come and greatly accelerate the logs becoming mulch.

Get a LP torch and fan the thorns with the torch. The sharp points burn off quickly then the tree is more friendly.

I had the same thought. I live in Northern Kentucky and have many black locust trees on my farm. They have very short thorns that are no problem if you wear gloves. Honey locust on the other hand have about 4 inch long thorns. Honey locust is not a good firewood, black locust is, which confuses me a bit. Ellis