How many cords for this truck load?

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GrumpyDad

Minister of Fire
Feb 23, 2022
1,232
Champion, PA
How many cords roughly do you think I would get for this load?
It's mostly cherry unfortunately. Im just curious about how much it would be.
Going for $550
 
How many cords roughly do you think I would get for this load?
It's mostly cherry unfortunately. Im just curious about how much it would be.
Going for $550
I can't hazard a guess, since I don't see a pic. 😆
Whadya mean, "unfortunately??" Good medium-output wood that starts easily, smells great when burned, and doesn't leave much ash..what's not to love? 🤗 I'm a big fan of da Cheerywood, and grab as much as I can.
Got my eye on this triple-stem blow-down that's 50' from a White Oak score I'm working on at a neighbor's. Not real big, but I'll ask him if I can have it next time I see him.

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Whoops. Here's the picture. Yea Cherry isnt bad. I actually would get happy when I would get it and would frown upon oak. Mostly because I didnt know better as my oak wasnt seasoned but the cherry would burn more easily. I have alot of cherry now honestly, probably upwards of 35 to 40% in my piles. Right now though Ive gotten into a vein of oak that I really will have a hard time coming back from :). I dont know why, but I love to have about 3 large-ish pieces of red oak, mixed with a few mediums and maybe 2 mediums and a large cherry, and a couple of pieces of whatever, ash, tulip poplar, walnut, maple etc etc etc...the list goes on.
I once burned down said type of load fairly quickly toward the end and stabbed what was left into large chunks then let that burn for awhile. It was so hot I could barely put my hand inside from the top load. Then I loaded that stove like a puzzle as packed as I could get it with nothing but red and some white oak...it took off nicely and within 30 minutes I was back to running on secondary, stove was dialed down to about 1/2 way and I left it there.
next morning I woke up to clean glass and a good bit of wood left over. I let that burn into the afternoon. It was fairly cold that day so I eventually chomped all of what was left up and reloaded with a mixed load, but I tell you I bet I could have gone until mid afternoon early evening with that load if the temps werent below 20 that day. That's why I love oak so much, but I dont dislike cherry. 12+ hour burn on a little stove like mine? I'll take it.
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That look like just about all saw logs not firewood The cherry should be quite valuable. I don’t know what the logs toward the bottom of the load are. Where did the 550 figure come from?
 
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Right now though Ive gotten into a vein of oak that I really will have a hard time coming back from :)....I bet I could have gone until mid afternoon early evening with that load if the temps werent below 20 that day. That's why I love oak so much, but I dont dislike cherry. 12+ hour burn on a little stove like mine? I'll take it.
I can totally relate to that. I've got maybe 1.5 cu.ft. and the more dense woods really stretch out the burn, and keep my stove hot for a long time. Very valuable when it's cold and windy out.
Yep, it's hard to beat Oak. Red is the most common wood I get here, from trees that die in the woods.
Easy-starting Red and long-lasting White are a great combo. I'll put some faster-gassing Red on the front of a new load to get the cat burning, with a shorter burn-in time than more dense woods will. Then some White in the middle, then more Red in the back to keep the heat coming at the end of the load. We are fortunate indeed to be located in two of the top hardwood lumber production states in the country (I think PA may be #1.) And it's great to have the wide variety of species that are available.
I'd guess that load would have to be six cords at least, wouldn't it, maybe eight? I can't judge since I've never bought log loads and then seen what they stack out to. But if my guess is close, for 80-90 bucks a cord, without all the work of getting it out of the woods, just buck, split and stack, that deal would be pretty tempting I think.
That look like just about all saw logs not firewood The cherry should be quite valuable. I don’t know what the logs toward the bottom of the load are. Where did the 550 figure come from?
Yeah, logs are valuable until they arrive at the mill. Then they start discounting for any little flaw that keeps it from being veneer wood, and before long you'd get more money selling it as firewood.
We can't see the entire load, but I don't see anything that doesn't look like Cherry in there..
 
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I’ll take that at $550.
 
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Yeah, logs are valuable until they arrive at the mill. Then they start discounting for any little flaw that keeps it from being veneer wood, and before long you'd get more money selling it as firewood.
We can't see the entire load, but I don't see anything that doesn't look like Cherry in there..

As a veneer mill that reason for selling makes sense. I couldn’t wrap my head around all that wood as saw logs going for 550. Without knowing more it seems a waste to burn what could be some beautiful cherry lumber. As for firewood,even at a good price, I wouldn’t want to get into and saw up piles of wood that size without a some kind of tractor / loader etc.. Got to figure in trucking into that also. Still as logs or firewood one man’s trash……
 
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As a veneer mill that reason for selling makes sense. I couldn’t wrap my head around all that wood as saw logs going for 550. Without knowing more it seems a waste to burn what could be some beautiful cherry lumber. As for firewood,even at a good price, I wouldn’t want to get into and saw up piles of wood that size without a some kind of tractor / loader etc.. Got to figure in trucking into that also. Still as logs or firewood one man’s trash……
We get loads of wood like that here for $700 to $800
 
How many cords roughly do you think I would get for this load?
It's mostly cherry unfortunately. Im just curious about how much it would be.
Going for $550
5 cord
 
I wouldn’t want to get into and saw up piles of wood that size without a some kind of tractor / loader etc.. Got to figure in trucking into that also.
Bucking goes quickly, with no limbs to mess with, and all the logs right there.
But yeah, a tractor with a grapple would make it a lot easier. And safer...gotta be careful trying to pull apart a log heap with a peavey, lest you make a wrong move and damage yourself! _g
 
That's why I love oak so much, but I dont dislike cherry. 12+ hour burn on a little stove like mine? I'll take it.
What stove do you have? What size firebox? I also like red oak when it’s really cold in my little Vista. Does extend the burn.
 
Can't say for sure but a load like that costs 1200$ here and you get between 7 1/2 and 8 cord
some times a little more
 
Bucking goes quickly, with no limbs to mess with, and all the logs right there.
But yeah, a tractor with a grapple would make it a lot easier. And safer...gotta be careful trying to pull apart a log heap with a peavey, lest you make a wrong move and damage yourself! _g
Yes, I‘m sure one would find a way to do it safely without equipment other than peavy and caution. .I haven’t hesitated to jump in to cut up a stacked load load of tree length. It’s those pictured short round logs when piled can roll so easily that would give me pause. Tree length loads have enough curves and irregularities to make things more stable and predictable.
 
Yes, I‘m sure one would find a way to do it safely without equipment other than peavy and caution. .I haven’t hesitated to jump in to cut up a stacked load load of tree length. It’s those pictured short round logs when piled can roll so easily that would give me pause. Tree length loads have enough curves and irregularities to make things more stable and predictable.
I recently managed that size load delivered for $100 in NJ during covid. I used my GT to pull any logs down to prevent any accidents.
 
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Just a gut feeling guess- 6 ish?
I like cherry dries fast . You’re better off with cherry that is at 15 percent mc than oak at 23 percent.
 
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That type of load is usually 6-7 cords. Having a tractor with pallet forks or a grapple definitely helps but you do not need it.