Moving...take my wood with me?

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lml999

Minister of Fire
Oct 25, 2013
635
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
We're thinking about moving...have 2-3 cords of good hardwood stacked. Split 9 months ago, it will be ready in a year or so.

We will have one or two wood stoves at the new house, which will be heated by NG, hot water system.

I love heating with wood...probably have provided half our overall heating requirements each winter for the past 6 years.

So we're moving about 60 miles...

If you were in my shoes, would you try to move all the wood, some, none? I have an SUV that will pull a good sized trailer, but I'd have to load/unload/restack it all. On the other hand, I'd start off with good wood. (ahem).

I don't have all the time in the world to relocate 3 cords of wood tho...full time job, new house, etc...

Just leave it? I mean...sell it locally and buy new wood at the new place. Pay someone else to move it for me?

You all know what I'm thinking...what would you do in my situation?

Thanks!
 
First off check if it is even legal to move wood that far in your area.
 
I would take it with me, no doubt about it. As you said it is already seasoned. You ain't gonna buy seasoned wood.
 
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Undoubtedly, take it! Sure you'll have to drive an hour each way, but weight that against the time spent finding, driving, bucking, splitting from other sources, not to mention 9 months seasoning in the bank.

How many trips do you figure it will take?
 
Undoubtedly, take it! Sure you'll have to drive an hour each way, but weight that against the time spent finding, driving, bucking, splitting from other sources, not to mention 9 months seasoning in the bank.

How many trips do you figure it will take?

Depends on how big a trailer I rent. Conservatively, three trips. SUV will tow 7600 lbs, so I can use a good sized trailer... Some googling suggests that a cord of wood may weigh 4000 lbs.

Going from metrowest Boston to Cape Cod. I don't think I've got an issue transporting wood within Massachusetts.

With regard to time spent...that's six hours on the road, plus loading, unloading time. Good workout. :)
 
If at all possible, I would move it. Check out renting a truck vs trailer. Big enough truck to make it in one trip could save a bunch of driving time!! I moved a bunch when I moved. I dumped it and put a tarp over it until I had time to stack it proper. I made it a priority because I did not want the new neighbors to hate the new guy. Little did they know though...
 
Darn, I just stopped in because the 'great' forum design only shows about the first 20 characters of the thread title, so it reads as "Moving...take my wood." :)

Guess if I was closer, I'd say 'give it away'!
 
If weigh the cost total to you of moving plus whatever the wood cost you initially and see if it's worth it in the end. Like another poster said I'd take a bit to get started and sell the rest
 
If you live in the greater Worcester area, you can't move any wood. My understanding is that the quarantine for the Asian Longhorn beetle is still in effect there, Apparently the Boston/Brookline infestation was eradicated however.
For anyone living in the northeast, note also spread of the emerald ash borer has also resulted in extensive federal quarantines across which untreated wood should not be transported.
Not sure if the cape has winter moths yet....another nasty bug that loves to chew through maple tree leaves as the buds begin to open. Yet another good reason to leave your wood behind.
 
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Depends on how big a trailer I rent. Conservatively, three trips. SUV will tow 7600 lbs, so I can use a good sized trailer... Some googling suggests that a cord of wood may weigh 4000 lbs.

Going from metrowest Boston to Cape Cod. I don't think I've got an issue transporting wood within Massachusetts.

With regard to time spent...that's six hours on the road, plus loading, unloading time. Good workout. :)
If SUV will pull that much remember the trailer will weigh something and if you are pulling that much weight your going to want a trailer with brakes.
 
Could you rent a vehicle with a dump body? This way you can get it to the new place, dump quickly and re-stack as you find time. Plus, if the truck's big enough it might only take a couple of runs.
 
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If you live in the greater Worcester area, you can't move any wood. My understanding is that the quarantine for the Asian Longhorn beetle is still in effect there, Apparently the Boston/Brookline infestation was eradicated however.
For anyone living in the northeast, note also spread of the emerald ash borer has also resulted in extensive federal quarantines across which untreated wood should not be transported.
Not sure if the cape has winter moths yet....another nasty bug that loves to chew through maple tree leaves as the buds begin to open. Yet another good reason to leave your wood behind.

Hmm. Needham to Sandwich. I'll have to do some googling. Any sources for information you'd recommend?
 
Could you rent a vehicle with a dump body? This way you can get it to the new place, dump quickly and re-stack as you find time. Plus, if the truck's big enough it might only take a couple of runs.

And less wear/tear on the family hauler. :)
 
lml999, so you're looking at 6 hrs drive time plus gas & trailer rental.......prolly get done in a day if you hump it?......... how long would it take to replace it ? cut, split & stack plus seasoned.......think i'd move it if its legal.......rn
 
We are about to list our house, I have 8 cords in the back yard that aren't dry yet but will be ready in September.

New place is 7 miles away and has no wood stove in it -yet.

I really don't want to move eight cords. If I get a reasonable offer to let it convey with the house I'll do that.

If we get a good offer that requires the wood I have to go away I'll likely put in on Craigslist so someone else can move it. I am early enough in the season here that I can sell what I have, pay to have green wood delivered to the new place and get it seasoned by September. I'd rather split and stack fresh than un-stack, load, haul and re-stack.

A two year drying cycle complicates matters. If the transport is legal - check carefully- i would be inclined to rent a 16-18 foot Uhaul box truck, load all the wood in it, drive to the new place in one trip, unload, sweep it out, return the Uhaul...
 
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Last I knew you can't move ash out of suffolk or essex county any more . Berkshire County and Merrimak have some rules about moving firewood ( and heat treated firewood ) thru and within borders there for Long Horn Beetle. The rules are constantly being updated so the guys hauling logs have o stay up to date.


That said.
Moving firewood wouldn't be on the top of my list of things to move. Especially if you're gonna have to start renting equipment to do it. I might make some time once everything else was done or time was allowed for if only at the planning stage.
I wouldn't leave a $300 bed behind because I prioritized a $250 (valued) cord of wood that maybe only cost me $16.00.
 
3 cords shouldnt be to hard, i moved 5 twice, once to a yard to store it then a couple months later to my new house. I didnt have to pay any extra for storage or dump trailer though. I would never do it again though!
This was 3 dump trailers and one 6' truck bed, prolly 4 cords cause i had already grabbed a couple truck loads
20151121_162220.jpg
 
lml999, so you're looking at 6 hrs drive time plus gas & trailer rental.......prolly get done in a day if you hump it?......... how long would it take to replace it ? cut, split & stack plus seasoned.......think i'd move it if its legal.......rn

I'm thinking about selling it for a couple of hundred dollars, then replacing it in June/July with locally sourced wood. Less wear and tear, maybe same overall cost, just 6 months to a year behind WRT seasoning. Spent some time on Cape Cod CL today...looks like there are a handful of options. Quality unknown...

I get most of my wood delivered. One of the properties we're looking at abuts conservation land and may have a supply of trees on the property, so that may change. Don't know yet what's on the property, woodwise. :)
 
I'd maybe move a cord and sell the other two and start fresh at the new place. I moved 3 once in a big rented truck, would never do it again. If it was under 10 miles maybe but all the way to the cape fagheddaboutit.
 
Do you have any help with the stacking? A wood shed or pallets to stack on there? I would try and get almost one years worth there. And I can get a lot stacked quick if I already have a system in place and the wood is cut split all ready.
Dpending on the price in your area and how much time you have to season buying might not be bad. Around here I found someone selling cut and split cherry and locust for $130 a cord deliverd. For that price I wouldn't even bother with a trailer rent, gas, and time. All while in the midst of a stressful event like moving. But if your looking at $250 delivered totally different story

Sent from my LG-D850 using Tapatalk
 
I left a lot of wood in CT when I moved. Broke my heart. Here's what it says in the FAQ section of the website below. I thought there was a federal 50-mile law, but this sounds more like guidelines. I dunno:

How far is too far to move firewood? And what do you mean by "local" firewood?
When we say local firewood, we are referring to the closest convenient source of wood that you can find. That might be from down the street, or a state forest in your county. As a very general rule of thumb, 50 miles is too far, and 10 miles or less is best. Visit our State-by-state map to help you figure out how far is too far in your area. In many states there are rules, regulations, and quarantines that clearly state how far is too far. Always acquaint yourself with local rules and regulations when transporting wood from one jurisdiction to another.

http://www.dontmovefirewood.org/the-problem/state-state-information/massachusetts.html
 
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