Hauling Firewood

[donatello]

Bite the bullet and buy a trailer! I bought a nice 5x8 trailer off of Craigslist for about $800.00. One of the best investments I made. I can get about 3/4 cord of wood in it and I pull it with my chrysler minivan in 3rd gear (not overdrive). Pulls fine, I just take it easy.... I've been getting free wood because I can hook-up and get to the free wood on a moments notice... Drop the ramp, roll the BIG rounds on the trailer without lifting,loads REALLY fast.

 

[savageactor7]

^after reading through this thread I agree the trailer is probably the best route to go...plus it's multi purpose.

 

[fossil]

I have two different trailers, and I use them for lots of things beyond hauling wood. There again, one needs to pay attention to the load capacity of the trailer, the tow capacity of the towing vehicle and the hitch setup, and the tongue weight...and yes, the trailer tires. Keep everything well maintained and within its weight limits, and be careful. Rick

 

[Carl]

I have two different trailers, and I use them for lots of things beyond hauling wood. There again, one needs to pay attention to the load capacity of the trailer, the tow capacity of the towing vehicle and the hitch setup, and the tongue weight...and yes, the trailer tires. Keep everything well maintained and within its weight limits, and be careful. Rick

What do you mean Rick?...... If you can only haul wood 50 miles you don't need very good equipment. Just drive slowly, watch what's happening ahead, slow down early, and go get it. In my poorer days I have used some shabby equipment and it does do the job but not as elequently as more costly stuff.

When I was building the house we now live in I had an old hand me down trailer. I needed drywall so took it to town and loaded it up. It had quite a list on one side and headed home. Got stopped by the State Police. The officer grinned, walked around it, checked the dog chain safety chains and told me to take it easy. He did suggest I had it overloaded and I agreed. After that I had enough drywall so didn't use it for that anymore. It is always nice to have things perfect but this is not a perfect world so we sometimes must make do. The poor people really run into this all the time and have to get by, taking whatever risks they deem ok for them. Sometimes this may risk the safty of others but if everyone drives as safe as possible then that is all we can ask.

As a mailman on the road everyday for 6+ hours and 170 miles I have seen lots of crazy stuff. Lucky for me I have survived so far.

 

[fossil]

...if everyone drives as safe as possible then that is all we can ask.

And therein, my friend, lies the rub...all the people we share the roads with don't think like you and I think. Some of them, it seems, don't think at all. :wow: Be careful out there, Carl ( I know you will be, as you always have been, or we wouldn't be having this delightful exchange.) Rick

 

[BrotherBart]

Sometimes a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

 

[Ken45]

Don't try hauling too much on a trailer without a proper tow vehicle! It's not how much you can PULL, it's how much you can STOP and how much you can handle in an emergency maneuver (like some idiot pulling out on you or running a stop sign).

A full cord of green hardwood will run 3500-4000 pounds. That's above max for a single axle trailer. And it probably ought to be pulled by a full sized pickup or SUV to be safe unless the trailer has it's own brakes.

I do have a full cord sitting on a 6x10 trailer. It's way overloaded but it's only for temporary storage while our wood shed was built. I'll only move it a couple of hundred feet.

I have hauled 4000 pounds in my pickup (two skids of pellets), but it's a 1 ton dually, and even then the front end was light.

Be cautious about the manufacture's load ratings. We had a 3/4 ton Ford pickup. The ONLY way you could carry the full GVW safely would be to take out the engine! The rear axle wasn't rated nearly enough to load up the truck with the rated GVW. IOW, the GVW exceeded what you could safely put in the bed (by about 1200#, IIRC).

As for "does it make sense to buy a trailer", well that depends on how long you will use it. It's a good investment if you are going to use it for many years.

Ken

 

[Carl]

Sometimes a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

You just made my day BrotherBart.....can't stop laughing and this does demonstrate the ability of peoples ingenuity. ROTF

Still laughing.

 

[fossil]

Sometimes a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

"A man's got to know his limitations." I think this guy'd be OK with some heavier string. Rick

 

[begreen]

Give a man enough rope and he'll hang himself.

 

[Ken45]

That first picture looks a little bit too high for changing a flat tire....

;-)

 

[fossil]

That first picture looks a little bit too high for changing a flat tire....

;-)

Probably go ahead and work on the tranny if it needed it. Rick

 

[fossil]

Don't try hauling too much on a trailer without a proper tow vehicle! It's not how much you can PULL, it's how much you can STOP and how much you can handle in an emergency maneuver (like some idiot pulling out on you or running a stop sign).

A full cord of green hardwood will run 3500-4000 pounds. That's above max for a single axle trailer. And it probably ought to be pulled by a full sized pickup or SUV to be safe unless the trailer has it's own brakes.

I do have a full cord sitting on a 6x10 trailer. It's way overloaded but it's only for temporary storage while our wood shed was built. I'll only move it a couple of hundred feet.

I have hauled 4000 pounds in my pickup (two skids of pellets), but it's a 1 ton dually, and even then the front end was light.

Be cautious about the manufacture's load ratings. We had a 3/4 ton Ford pickup. The ONLY way you could carry the full GVW safely would be to take out the engine! The rear axle wasn't rated nearly enough to load up the truck with the rated GVW. IOW, the GVW exceeded what you could safely put in the bed (by about 1200#, IIRC).

As for "does it make sense to buy a trailer", well that depends on how long you will use it. It's a good investment if you are going to use it for many years.

Ken

Ken

Agree totally, Ken. I have a tandem axle 5' x 10' dump trailer, electric brakes on both axles, rated at 7000#. Oh boy!, I can carry 3 1/2 tons of wood. Well, not so fast. That 7000# is gross, the trailer's actual load capacity is 4750#. But wait, there's more! Tow vehicle's a Jeep Grand Cherokee, V-8, class III hitch, rated to tow a max of 5000# and 750# max tongue weight. So, if I put a ton and a half in that trailer, I'm pushing it. Gotta know where the weakest link is in the chain and load with that in mind. Rick