Turf. Some might find this interesting, especially the irish lads

[dogmandont 9,438]

It’s not the cutting of turf that’s the problem it’s the vacuuming of peat.

Edited February 4, 2020 by dogmandont

[jetro 5,349]

3 hours ago, pesky1972 said:

Called peat in Scotland.., turf is something else (turf) In more recent years I’d guess it was only cut on the islands, where it was more difficult/expensive to buy coal. Not sure of the legality of cutting it now but I know it’s frowned upon now as it’s a niche ecosystem and captures carbon etc. etc. Just as well our ancestors didn’t know that years ago or they’d have froze to death.

https://youtu.be/sfzH_WTLulM

 

Thanks for that  pesky.

Very similar to the way we cut it here. That old boy has some peat on the bank lol, 

Atb j 

[jetro 5,349]

1 hour ago, dogmandont said:

It’s not the cutting of turf that’s the problem it’s the vacuuming of peat.

Is that the sausage machines ?. The cause a lot of damage alright.

What they use around me Is a bucket on a track machine, that cuts 14 to 18 sods at a time. Other places the hoppers are used.  A few use the slan as well for the smaller bogs.

Atb j 

[DIDO.1 21,313]

9 hours ago, jetro said:

Probably a silly question, but do the cut turf in the UK.

Atb j 

Im not sure, just guessing, but I think in England at least our moorland dosnt have the thick dense peat. I'd guess it's not as dense as low lying bog. 

We tried it, although in a small way, with no real knowledge of how to....the blocks of peat didn't hold together and just fell apart as it dried. 

[jetro 5,349]

3 minutes ago, DIDO.1 said:

Im not sure, just guessing, but I think in England at least our moorland dosnt have the thick dense peat. I'd guess it's not as dense as low lying bog. 

We tried it, although in a small way, with no real knowledge of how to....the blocks of peat didn't hold together and just fell apart as it dried. 

Did the sods just crumble, and was it very back peat. Here, if it's black peat cut in shallow bog around rocks, it's cut very thickly with a spade, other wise it will just fall apart while drying.  It's the best type of turf. Burns like coal.

Atb j 

[king 11,687]

Interesting video that jetro.

8 lumps every 30 mins in that rayburn and 500 bags a year.

Sound like a lot of turf to go through.

 

[jetro 5,349]

3 minutes ago, king said:

Interesting video that jetro.

8 lumps every 30 mins in that rayburn and 500 bags a year.

Sound like a lot of turf to go through.

 

We cut about 4 tractors loads a year.  That's 8x6 trailers with cribs on. 3 trailers fill an 8 wheeler lorry. That should give you an idea.

It's free heating fuel for us. 

Atb j 

[WILF 44,739]

1 minute ago, jetro said:

We cut about 4 tractors loads a year.  That's 8x6 trailers with cribs on. 3 trailers fill an 8 wheeler lorry. That should give you an idea.

It's free heating fuel for us. 

Atb j 

Mine normally is about 4 dump trailer loads and lasts me a year, works out to €10 a week to heat my house and that also gives me hot water.

 

[jetro 5,349]

7 minutes ago, WILF said:

Mine normally is about 4 dump trailer loads and lasts me a year, works out to €10 a week to heat my house and that also gives me hot water.

 

Them dump trailers are around 16 ton trailers, that's a fair bit of turf.

The turlf is great, nice smelling while it burns ect ect, but I have to admit, there's a lot to be said for the oil as well. 

It's on timed, instant heat and hot water, no ashes to put out, no smoke or dust in the house. I can see the advantages to it.

Atb j 

[TOMO 25,226]

West coast of scotland.....we used to holiday up there.....there was peat  cut everywhere.....

you could see it was hard graft ..

[jetro 5,349]

6 minutes ago, TOMO said:

West coast of scotland.....we used to holiday up there.....there was peat  cut everywhere.....

you could see it was hard graft ..

Looks harder than what it's really. It just gets boring after a while.  You have a stretch of bog maybe 150 yards long, and it had to be cut, one sod at at time by hand, without breaking any. Then they have to be spread out properly to dry, again without breaking any.

You can see how it can get boring, but I loved it.

Atb j 

[dogmandont 9,438]

1 hour ago, jetro said:

Is that the sausage machines ?. The cause a lot of damage alright.

What they use around me Is a bucket on a track machine, that cuts 14 to 18 sods at a time. Other places the hoppers are used.  A few use the slan as well for the smaller bogs.

Atb j 

It’s raked then vacuumed jetro, there’s places where the ground is 8 to 10 feet lower than the road that it used to be level with and the ditches are maybe 6 foot lower than that to drain it. 

[Chid 6,384]

2 hours ago, jetro said:

Did the sods just crumble, and was it very back peat. Here, if it's black peat cut in shallow bog around rocks, it's cut very thickly with a spade, other wise it will just fall apart while drying.  It's the best type of turf. Burns like coal.

Atb j 

We sell the black turf at work , and your right about the burning it's good stuff 

[jetro 5,349]

7 minutes ago, Chid said:

We sell the black turf at work , and your right about the burning it's good stuff 

Once you see that red ash from the fire, you know you've got good turf.

What's the price of a trailer load up north chid, 400 to 450 here for a tractor load. 

Atb j 

[WILF 44,739]

2 hours ago, jetro said:

Them dump trailers are around 16 ton trailers, that's a fair bit of turf.

The turlf is great, nice smelling while it burns ect ect, but I have to admit, there's a lot to be said for the oil as well. 

It's on timed, instant heat and hot water, no ashes to put out, no smoke or dust in the house. I can see the advantages to it.

Atb j 

No, just the mettle tipping trailers mate, it would come to about an 8 wheeler load