CL, you never know what you will get

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PunKid8888

Feeling the Heat
Nov 25, 2008
312
South East NH
When ever I email a post on CL I always end up with a response that its already gone (probably one of you guys)

Or I get there and its real small stuff that does not even fill my bed. I always see people on here getting truck load after truck load. well I was not expecting it but I finally got one full truck load. And I also discovered the limit to my little dakota.

But I am thinking its a face cord or 1/2 cord of wood. I say this because it was some big wood and it crushed my 5900lb GVW to with in an inch of the bump stops. I have weighed my truck before and it came in at 4200lbs with me and 1/4 tank of fuel. today I had closer to a full tank and if I were to take a guess maybe 1200-1500lbs of wood. this is hemlock which he said was cut down 3 months ago, full rounds, maybe 2 feet in dia.

So am I crazy for thinking I got a 1/2 cord? I won't take that much wood again thats for sure. the truck defiantly felt over loaded.


Ok here are the photos

CL-hemllock.jpg


CL-hemllock3.jpg


CL-hemllock2.jpg
 
I would say a little over a face cord, approaching 1/2 cord. I do it on my ranger with coil over shocks. There is a lot of air space in your stacking on the truck. I actually put smaller rounds in as I stack it to take advantage of the nooks and crannys. You should be able to take up that last inch without a problem :p
 
Nice load of wood!

Personally, I'd say that's about 1/3 of a cord. Split and tightly stacked up to the rails with a little mound in the middle, a mid-size truck like a Dakota or Tacoma will take about a 1/3 of a cord. Remember, cords are measured in cubic feet, not pounds. While a cord of green white oak might weight 2 tons and a cord of dry ash might weigh 1 ton, they're both still just a cord of wood.........

NP
 
You are correct with the weight of the wood. I think that because this wood was on the ground in almost wetlands for the last 3 months (extremely rainy 3 months) it weighs a lot more then it should. Just a few months back I cut up a locust with my cousin that had fallen over. It was much larger in dia (only 5 or 6 rounds per truck load) but they were half the weight. So I think now that I have them off the ground they should dry out a bit. I going to throw my maul at it tomorrow and see how they split, if they fight me I will let them sit for a few weeks in the sun and try it again. How does hemlock normally split?
 
Well by normal CraigsList standards this is at least a full cord. If not more. HA! No matter what that is a lot better than the ad's I always see around me. Looks like some good wood....
 
That's an excellent score! Bet the steering was a bit light on the ride home....
 
When I work with my buddy he generally figures three loads of unsplit wood in the bed of his pick up (full size) equals a cord or so of wood.
 
+1 on 1/3 cord. That's the most I get in a completely overloaded Ranger. I agree with what was said above, on CL that's a seasoned cord. Nice work!
 
I know it feels like more wood when you are cutting and loading it in the truck but I also agree with 1/3 cord.

Great score !
 
Dude, time for a bigger truck. Oh, and a trailer while you're at it!
 
drdoct said:
Dude, time for a bigger truck. Oh, and a trailer while you're at it!

Or skip the bigger truck and just get a trailer? The Dakota can prolly pull a fairly decent sized trailer, no?

Peace,
- Sequoia
 
There's no doubt that scrounging saves money. But think about how many cords you'd need to scrounge to justify the expense of a newer and/or larger truck. You'd probably have enough wood to last you until 2053. ;-)
 
Skier76 said:
There's no doubt that scrounging saves money. But think about how many cords you'd need to scrounge to justify the expense of a newer and/or larger truck. You'd probably have enough wood to last you until 2053. ;-)

A used trailer with brakes on it however will pay for itself in a year just in brake jobs and suspension work.
 
I scored about 10 face cord of birch and found a guy that wants 9 ash trees that he already cut down last fall removed from his lot. All kinds of free wood on craigslist
 
firefighterjake said:
When I work with my buddy he generally figures three loads of unsplit wood in the bed of his pick up (full size) equals a cord or so of wood.

+1
I bought a split cord that was stacked and measured last year. Took 3 trips with my F150 6' bed
 
TreePapa said:
drdoct said:
Dude, time for a bigger truck. Oh, and a trailer while you're at it!

Or skip the bigger truck and just get a trailer? The Dakota can prolly pull a fairly decent sized trailer, no?

Peace,
- Sequoia

A trailer is definitely the way to go with a small truck. I can get almost a full cord in my 5x8 trailer and my Colorado has no problem pulling it. You can pull more weight than carry in the back of just about any truck. It's also nice to have a drop down tailgate so you can roll those large rounds up into the trailer, it really saves the back.
 
Well I split 90% of it, but its just too hot to tackle the rest. It does look to be just about face cord, it might even be a little short. But I did confirm that its was well over 1400lbs of wood. I just went and picked up 35bags of wood pellets (1400lbs) and it did not squat my truck as bad as that fire wood. so i am thinking that 1500lbs is dead max for my little truck, and I probably had closer to 1600-1700lbs with that fire wood.

yes I want to get an older utility trailer, something with 1-2ft high side and a drop down ramp, probably 4x8 or 5x10 single axle. I will have to keep my eye out on CL for one.
 
Just wasted the morning on a craigslist bummer. I drove twenty miles to look at a dead 4'' cypress, two 4'' oaks and some pruning she wanted done for free. Would have needed a sky hook to do anything in their outdoor antique shop. Couldn't drop a branch anywhere in the yard without cutiing it to stove length and lowering it with a block and tackle.

The last house before that though had five 20'' oaks in a wide open feild.
 
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