Working smarter

[Dairyman]

I got the idea from here a while back, put it together Thursday before Issac moved in. I figure it probably holds around 1/4 of a cord.

 

[PapaDave]

Excellent.
If I had something to move that with, I'd make a bunch, put 'em in the field to dry, then fork 'em into the shed a couple years later.
No more throwing the wood from the stacks into the trailer, then restacking into the shed.
What a timesaver.

 

[JP11]

I've got 52 of them sitting out in the side lot. 18 more of Red oak only.

I've found that two braces, on the ends work better. IF you have a blowout, it's gonna be from a side panel. Be sure to set them on level ish ground. I use junk lumber under them and HOPE they don't freeze down. We'll see. It seems like two braces would be tougher to stack under.. But you don't notice them. Assuming you are laying the side pallets on the ground, and screwing together instead of ON the bottom pallet.. and you don't overhang the wood... It's about 36 high, 38 to 40 wide and 48 deep. I got about 10 per 3 cords. or 3.3 pallets per cord.

JP

 

[JP11]

Looking at your pic.. Yup.. 3.3 per cord. It's amazing how you can stack right up to snug under the cross brace, and in a couple months have room for another 4 inch spit in there.

I pile up all the uglies on the top of the pallet. You fill one with oak that's green and you've got a good load for tractor forks. My 35 horse kubota will pick em up.. But I go mighty slow with them. Just gotta remember all the handling you are saving.. and drive slow.

I've busted 2 or 3 out of the 70 I have. All from trying to get creative and put them out at the edge of the woods, and not on my nice level gravel pad. I gave up and bought a couple more loads of gravel!! Made the pad bigger.

JP

 

[JP11]

This is the way I'm doing them now.. smaller lumber and more rugged. I think I use 1and 3/4 screws for all of it. Bottom pallets together and inch boards on top. I was buying 2x2s like what you had. I used them across the front face too. I don't do that anymore. Tension OUT is all that's really on the sides. I buy scrounged pallets and always look for the most rugged one to put on the bottom. I have messed around with using up some junk plywood under the stack too. Seemed like overkill though.

JP

 

[bogydave]

Great thing about most here. We can take an idea & adapt it to fit our individual situation.
"Necessity is the mother of invention".
Always looking to improve.
Great set up for those with the equipment to move them around.

 

[red oak]

Love any idea that saves me work!

 

[Jack Straw]

I would like to be able to do that someday, quite the time saver!

 

[swagler85]

I pile up all the uglies on the top of the pallet. You fill one with oak that's green and you've got a good load for tractor forks. My 35 horse kubota will pick em up.. But I go mighty slow with them. Just gotta remember all the handling you are saving.. and drive slow.

JP

I just bought a tractor this year and am curious about trying that. You dont top cover anything? I need to buy forks for the tractor if Im gona try it. Got a 39 horse Massy so it should do the job, I could bring in a pallet at a time to the garage. Sure would save a lot of handling.

 

[Dairyman]

JP you can't see it in the pic but I also screwed 3 1inch by about 1foot long on the bottom per side. Would you still double brace the top?

 

[Dairyman]

I just bought a tractor this year and am curious about trying that. You dont top cover anything? I need to buy forks for the tractor if Im gona try it. Got a 39 horse Massy so it should do the job, I could bring in a pallet at a time to the garage. Sure would save a lot of handling.

I was thinking of setting the pallet on a pair of furniture dollies in the garage then I could push the pallet right next to the walk in door.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I was thinking of setting the pallet on a pair of furniture dollies in the garage then I could push the pallet right next to the walk in door.

And you can pick them up at Harbor Freight quite reasonable. They have the large one on sale a lot. Probably if one offered a price in the store they would take it if reasonable.

 

[JP11]

And you can pick them up at Harbor Freight quite reasonable. They have the large one on sale a lot. Probably if one offered a price in the store they would take it if reasonable.

I bit the bullet and bought a real roll around pallet jack. I can park em anywhere. Think I can fit 4 along the wall of the garage and still fit the tractor and car in. There's 3 in there now, and room for a fourth if I move around some trash cans and such. That's over a cord. With the radiant heat and center floor drain.. I'm not worrying about covering. I figure it will be warm and dry enough in there to dry em up before use.

Dairyman.. So you are putting corner angle braces on the 45? No, I'd see that in the pic. I only attach sides to bottom using screws thru the holes in the slats on the sides. An impact gun with a 6 or so inch long bit works good to get in there.

I didn't have as much luck with bracing at the mid level using the middle stringer in the pallets. It SEEMS to work good.. but even with a couple screws I tended to pop them out more often. You're screwing into the end grain of the wood, and it doesn't hold near as well at that 1" board with a good screw down thru it. I have probably about 1/3 of mine built the way you show. When I've lost it it's been a side twisting off.. It can catch on anything and rip off as it pivots. With the corner secured ones, I've hit them as I stack them together close, and they don't come apart as easy.

Just a suggestion. I probably will beef up and modify as I re-use mine. We'll see how they hold up. They cost about 8 bucks for me to make, as I don't chase pallets I just have them delivered. 70 bucks for 30 pallets.

JP