Stove chow! Latest method of log load delivery.

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Highbeam

Highbeam

Minister of Fire
Dec 28, 2006
20,909
Mt. Rainier Foothills, WA
I use about 5 cords of softwood a year between the BK and the NC30 in my shop. It just so happens that a dump truck holds about 5 cords. In my part of the country you either get a dumptruck of logs or a full sized real log truck with 34' long logs and a semi front end.

Thank goodness the dolmar has a 28" bar. I also have a 20" bar but this particular load was mostly big stuff. Green douglas fir from tree service jobs.

I built the woodshed last year to hold 10-12 cords. So much nicer than tarps or metal roofing. This current log load will be for the 2020/2021 season.
 

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Sweet. Are those plastic pallets underneath?
 
Highbeam said:
I use about 5 cords of softwood a year between the BK and the NC30 in my shop. It just so happens that a dump truck holds about 5 cords. In my part of the country you either get a dumptruck of logs or a full sized real log truck with 34' long logs and a semi front end.

Thank goodness the dolmar has a 28" bar. I also have a 20" bar but this particular load was mostly big stuff. Green douglas fir from tree service jobs.

I built the woodshed last year to hold 10-12 cords. So much nicer than tarps or metal roofing. This current log load will be for the 2020/2021 season.
Click to expand...
Is that really 5 cords? It just doesn't look like that much to me but I could absolutely be wrong.
In this area we get tri-axle log truck loads of 24' long logs.
 
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begreen said:
Sweet. Are those plastic pallets underneath?
Click to expand...

Those pallets are expanded polystyrene, styrofoam. Higher density like the XPS sheets. They are holding up really well but I don't need as many any more.
 
That is a good looking woodshed.
I am from Georgia. I went out to live with my cousin, he lived in Washington near Spokane.
His only heat, and cooking was a wood stove.

And I asked him "Where is the oak?" All he had was pine or fir in the wood pile.
I was astonished, he said there was no oak or hickory. Well if that is all you have then, I say, burn fir.
 
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bholler said:
Is that really 5 cords? It just doesn't look like that much to me but I could absolutely be wrong.
In this area we get tri-axle log truck loads of 20' long logs.
Click to expand...

The last load I bought was the same size truck with way more waste since it was short butts from a landing at a logging operation. That load was over 4 cords. Maybe 4.25. This load is bigger but you can bet I'll measure when we're done. 14' long by 8' wide, by 6 feet tall is 5.25 cords. I am hoping for 5 cords and will fill the shed along with last years leftovers that you see on the hide-a-bed temporary stack.

Maybe the large diameter logs make more fluff during the splitting.

That truck has three axles (steer axle counts?)so lots of people call it a triaxle. I know that you eastern folks have a different straight truck that you use to haul logs and call it a triaxle. It's confusing but the picture should make it clear.
 
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Simonkenton said:
That is a good looking woodshed.
I am from Georgia. I went out to live with my cousin, he lived in Washington near Spokane.
His only heat, and cooking was a wood stove.

And I asked him "Where is the oak?" All he had was pine or fir in the wood pile.
I was astonished, he said there was no oak or hickory. Well if that is all you have then, I say, burn fir.
Click to expand...

The wood currently in the left side of the shed has a lot of bigleaf maple in it which is pretty nice fuel. We burn a lot of douglas fir here which is also good but all of this is much lower energy density than hickory or oak. I don't believe I've ever burned a stick of oak.

Thank goodness we have fir. There are parts of the county where the only thing they have to burn is cottonwood. They surely stay warm but it takes more wood.
 
Highbeam said:
The last load I bought was the same size truck with way more waste since it was short butts from a landing at a logging operation. That load was over 4 cords. Maybe 4.25. This load is bigger but you can bet I'll measure when we're done. 14' long by 8' wide, by 6 feet tall is 5.25 cords. I am hoping for 5 cords and will fill the shed along with last years leftovers that you see on the hide-a-bed temporary stack.

Maybe the large diameter logs make more fluff during the splitting.

That truck has three axles (steer axle counts?)so lots of people call it a triaxle. I know that you eastern folks have a different straight truck that you use to haul logs and call it a triaxle. It's confusing but the picture should make it clear.
Click to expand...
Yeah the triaxles we have here are 3 rear axles and then the steer axle. So actually 4 axles. I usually get 8 or 9 cords out of one of those loads.

downloadfile.jpg
 
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bholler said:
Yeah the triaxles we have here are 3 rear axles and then the steer axle. So actually 4 axles. I usually get 8 or 9 cords out of one of those loads.

View attachment 244675
Click to expand...

I wish we had more of those type of trucks. We go right to the actual log trucks with 5th wheel hitches and semi front ends. Maybe it's because our trees are taller and thicker. About 1 in 10 is a "self loader" as in this photo.

If all we had was those little 12" stems I would have been able to leave the little 20" bar on the saw. It's easier to keep track of the shorter bar.

I'm hoping for 5 cords but the cost per cord makes even 4 cords a great deal.
 

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That's a load, check out how far the wheels have sunk into the grass yard. Most of us don't see trees like those huge Doug Fir. And there all that big. Definitely need some machines to move them.
 
xman23 said:
That's a load, check out how far the wheels have sunk into the grass yard. Most of us don't see trees like those huge Doug Fir. And there all that big. Definitely need some machines to move them.
Click to expand...

He did leave some ruts in my yard! Didn't break through and spooge mud up though. It's a bit early in the year for this but sometimes I get a wild hair to get the a project done. In august he wouldn't have sunk.

I'm rolling them around with a big cant hook. I can barely roll the big ones to cut the bottom of each round. It's lame when you get your chain in the dirt so I avoid it at all costs. The rounds are easy enough to roll and then flop over onto the splitter foot. I really would prefer a load of 12" logs since the bark is thinner, knots are smaller, lighter to roll the logs, and lighter to manipulate on the splitter. I can't really get too choosy when dealing with waste logs.
 
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Highbeam said:
I wish we had more of those type of trucks. We go right to the actual log trucks with 5th wheel hitches and semi front ends. Maybe it's because our trees are taller and thicker. About 1 in 10 is a "self loader" as in this photo.

If all we had was those little 12" stems I would have been able to leave the little 20" bar on the saw. It's easier to keep track of the shorter bar.

I'm hoping for 5 cords but the cost per cord makes even 4 cords a great deal.
Click to expand...
We have plenty of big logs here as well. I think it has more to do with the type of logging done. The semis wouldn't make it in many of the places guys take the straight trucks here. Some even have a front drive axle so they can get in more places. We do have semis here that carry logs as well but the straight trucks are much more common.
 
Highbeam said:
I use about 5 cords of softwood a year between the BK and the NC30 in my shop. It just so happens that a dump truck holds about 5 cords. In my part of the country you either get a dumptruck of logs or a full sized real log truck with 34' long logs and a semi front end.

Thank goodness the dolmar has a 28" bar. I also have a 20" bar but this particular load was mostly big stuff. Green douglas fir from tree service jobs.

I built the woodshed last year to hold 10-12 cords. So much nicer than tarps or metal roofing. This current log load will be for the 2020/2021 season.
Click to expand...

How much was that load if you don’t mind me asking?


Lopi Rockport
Blaze King Ashford 25
 
DSCF0896.JPG DSCF0892.JPG
This is the first of 2 loads Sugar Maple and Red Oak 7.5 to 8 cord
Second load will arrive today . On the weekend my 2 Sons and 4 Grand Sons
Will Buck Split and stack around 15 to 16 cord . This wood is for the 21/22 season
We cut saw logs in the winter off my 250 acres of hard wood bush . The good saw
logs go for lumber the tops and sub par logs go to fire wood by the log load
they are delivered with in a 50 K radius for 1250 dollars a load ( the going rate now)
and we have no shortage of buyers
 
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Tegbert said:
How much was that load if you don’t mind me asking?


Lopi Rockport
Blaze King Ashford 25
Click to expand...

It was 400$. I would be happy if I only got 4 cords out of it but I’m hoping for 5. In our area I’ve found it’s hard to find delivered logs for under 125-150 unless you can handle a full log truck load.

My truck can haul up to one cord safely but it’s a major time investment and that’s only if you can find logs to scrounge. I’m coming around to the fact that there is no free firewood so I buy logs and do the fun part. Still takes several days of work.
 
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johneh said:
View attachment 244693 View attachment 244694
This is the first of 2 loads Sugar Maple and Red Oak 7.5 to 8 cord
Second load will arrive today . On the weekend my 2 Sons and 4 Grand Sons
Will Buck Split and stack around 15 to 16 cord . This wood is for the 21/22 season
We cut saw logs in the winter off my 250 acres of hard wood bush . The good saw
logs go for lumber the tops and sub par logs go to fire wood by the log load
they are delivered with in a 50 K radius for 1250 dollars a load ( the going rate now)
and we have no shortage of buyers
Click to expand...
Nice logs! I don’t prefer softwood, it’s just what grows here.
 
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Highbeam said:
Same as honey locust according to that source. I’m not sure I trust that source. Might have to check tom’s site.

17.4 mbtu per cord of Doug fir according to chimney sweep
Click to expand...
And 20.7 mbtu according to Utah State University and USDA. Seems everyone has a different source and opinion.
https://forestry.usu.edu/forest-products/wood-heating

Seems to me we had this discussion about a decade ago. ::-) I know when I burned pellets that doug fir were the primo pellets vs hardwood pellets. I think the pelletheads still like them. Low ash and good heat.
https://www.woodpellets.com/blog/2014/05/17/cleanfire-douglas-fir-the-cadillac-of-wood-pellets/
 
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Highbeam said:
My truck can haul up to one cord safely but it’s a major time investment and that’s only if you can find logs to scrounge. I’m coming around to the fact that there is no free firewood so I buy logs and do the fun part. Still takes several days of work.
Click to expand...

Not to mention wear & tear on everything. Re. scrounging with your truck vs. logs showing up right in your yard.
 
I think conifers can be just as dense as deciduous trees and vice versa. In the west you have old growth Douglas Fir. This is much different than a Doug fir that's only 30 years old. I'm sure the Balsam Firs and Spruce here in the east were the same way when humans found several hundred year old forests. Douglas Fir is actually one of the hardest woods extant, but I'm sure that doesn't apply to younger trees. I've seen it myself in the growth rings of trees I've felled. Inner rings are thick, but outer rings get tighter and tighter as the trees age. I found a dead fall Balsam fir that was over 50 years old, and it showed this same pattern.

Now obviously it's not the norm for for conifers to be as dense as deciduous trees, but it does obviously happen. Douglas Fir is just a prime example. Another thing folks don't think about is the thickness of bark on most deciduous trees. Most conifers, aside from pine, have pretty thin bark. Obviously the monster logs will have more bark, but still less than an equivalent oak or maple.
 
Highbeam said:
I use about 5 cords of softwood a year between the BK and the NC30 in my shop. It just so happens that a dump truck holds about 5 cords. In my part of the country you either get a dumptruck of logs or a full sized real log truck with 34' long logs and a semi front end.

Thank goodness the dolmar has a 28" bar. I also have a 20" bar but this particular load was mostly big stuff. Green douglas fir from tree service jobs.

I built the woodshed last year to hold 10-12 cords. So much nicer than tarps or metal roofing. This current log load will be for the 2020/2021 season.
Click to expand...

Awesome looking wood shed. I need to build one this summer since we just moved to a new place. Care to share any more photos?
 
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SpaceBus said:
In the west you have old growth Douglas Fir. This is much different than a Doug fir that's only 30 years old.
Click to expand...
Not much old growth available for firewood around here.
 
blacktail said:
Not much old growth available for firewood around here.
Click to expand...

Even the big 40+” trees I’ve cut are well under 100 years old.

With Doug for pellets the compaction process makes them all the same lbs per cubic foot but the softwoods have the extra zing of resin and almost no ash.
 
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It’s all split and stacked in the shed. Will do some measuring soon. Bucked up all 5 cords on one skip chain and about 3/4 gallon of premix. The splitter used more fuel. 3 days of work for 9 months of heat.
 
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