The way I handle wood

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.

mrc

Member
Jan 1, 2015
86
ohio
Split into baskets. Move with forks on tractor. In fall move baskets under cover. Some go on my patio.Move baskets on my patio with a pallet jack.Have windows on both sides of my woodburner. Load two four foot wood boxes on each side of the woodburner thru the windows. Basket goes back under covered porch. I’ve eliminated a lot of wood stacking. FCC558B5-F06F-4E35-B22C-615ED2557487.jpeg
 
Wow, that looks like a freight train of firewood. How much to do you burn a year?
 
Good Lord! And I thought I was a firewood fanatic.
 
MRC I like that set up. The less I handle firewood the more I like it. I have some big trailers that hold three to four cord and we split into them and I store them in the shed to season . Have my Garn in a shed and just back a loaded one up to the Garn barn and burn away. Have enough trailers now to store around twenty cord. I usually burn around fifteen a year. I burn year around as I heat my domestic water with it also.
 
Good job getting ahead (that is, I hope that's not one winter's burning for you...!!!)

Is your porch structurally strong enough for two of those baskets?
 
I burn about twenty three baskets a year between my house and garage. I have two years supply. Since I don’t stack in a single row it gives two seasons to dry. I notice it really helps with hickory. My house is a ranch on a slab and the patio is stone. I can get eight baskets under the covered portion. I have a 48x40 garage with a 8’ overhang along one side. I can put 12 there. I run baskets straight into my garage with the tractor and set them by the wood burner.
 
  • Like
Reactions: stoveliker
I burn about twenty three baskets a year between my house and garage. I have two years supply. Since I don’t stack in a single row it gives two seasons to dry. I notice it really helps with hickory. My house is a ranch on a slab and the patio is stone. I can get eight baskets under the covered portion. I have a 48x40 garage with a 8’ overhang along one side. I can put 12 there. I run baskets straight into my garage with the tractor and set them by the wood burner.
Wow 23 baskets? That's crazy
 
I cut a tree in the woods and dice it up right where it falls.It’s usually the easiest. I use the forks to lift it to waist height. After it’s cut I switch out the forks and load the bucket. Drive right up to the splitter with the bucket so I just have to roll a chunk onto the splitter.I have a cradle on the splitter that really helps. I have a basket sitting right there that the splits go in. When it’s full I move it with the forks. No more heavy lifting. I’m 66 so I got smarter. Built the house and garage with the idea of burning wood.
 
Very nice set up. I wanted to do something like this, but my tractor is too small. I bought pallet forks that attach to the bucket, but that decreases the lift capacity so much that I could not lift 1/2 face cord. Back to the drawing board....
 
I figure 2 1/2 baskets to a cord. Best thing I ever bought was a Kubota MX 5100. Bought it used with only 15 hours on it for $21,000 dollars 9 or 10 years ago. It would have cost 30,,000 new. Bought forks,box blade, and snow plow for it. The tractors still small enough you can haul it somewhere but big enough you can move those baskets or easily plow 20” of snow. I’ve got an 800’ driveway and forty wooded acres and it gets used all the time.
 
Very nice set up. I wanted to do something like this, but my tractor is too small. I bought pallet forks that attach to the bucket, but that decreases the lift capacity so much that I could not lift 1/2 face cord. Back to the drawing board....
You might try rear forks. You can buy them cheap at tractor supply. Before I bought the bigger tractor I moved the baskets with a 26 hp with rear forks. I was just more limited where I could put them.
 
I wish I had access to those IBC totes for firewood. I have seven totes made from pallets that work pretty well, but not as durable as IBC. Also, I wouldn't expect those totes to hold more than 1/4 or 1/3 cord depending on how long your wood is. My totes of similar size are in that range.
 
You might try rear forks. You can buy them cheap at tractor supply. Before I bought the bigger tractor I moved the baskets with a 26 hp with rear forks. I was just more limited where I could put them.
Ditto. I used to move a lot of stuff using rear forks on a little 2500 lb 23 hp tractor, the rear lift capacity was easily double the bucket, and probably 4x when COG is moved another 2 feet off front of bucket with add-on forks.

That, or add this ti your list of excuses for buying a bigger tractor. That’s what I did, anyway. 😀
 
  • Like
Reactions: Woodcutter Tom
I wish I had access to those IBC totes for firewood. I have seven totes made from pallets that work pretty well, but not as durable as IBC. Also, I wouldn't expect those totes to hold more than 1/4 or 1/3 cord depending on how long your wood is. My totes of similar size are in that range.
I wish I had access to those IBC totes for firewood. I have seven totes made from pallets that work pretty well, but not as durable as IBC. Also, I wouldn't expect those totes to hold more than 1/4 or 1/3 cord depending on how long your wood is. My totes of similar size are in that range.
The wire baskets are 48” x 40” and I wired two 40 “ rough sawn boards on each end so i can go 40 “ high. I cut 16” to 18” and put two rows and then fill in the space in the middle. I think I used those numbers to figure cubic feet and came up with 2 1/2 baskets to a cord. I get way more in a basket by adding those boards. Probably someone can come up with a better number than that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SpaceBus
The wire baskets are 48” x 40” and I wired two 40 “ rough sawn boards on each end so i can go 40 “ high. I cut 16” to 18” and put two rows and then fill in the space in the middle. I think I used those numbers to figure cubic feet and came up with 2 1/2 baskets to a cord. I get way more in a basket by adding those boards. Probably someone can come up with a better number than that.
Oh, sorry, I thought they were loose filled. That makes way more sense. You burn a lot of wood!