wood hauling

[stoz]

Any body know what size trailer would be needed to haul 5 face cord of wood? I am looking at some dump trailers and want to get 5 face on one load.

Thanks

scott

 

[ChrisN]

well, lets try some math: a face cord is 4'X8'X(about)16" = 43 cubic feet. 43X5 = 213 cubic feet. A trailer that is 10 feet long, 5 feet wide, with side boards, lets say 3.5 feet high = 175 cubic feet. That's a ball park size for you to start with.

 

[Corey]

Another thing to consider is weight. If this is a good hardwood - oak, hickory, hedge, etc - the weight could be 4000 pounds per cord or more, so you could be looking at 6500+ for your pile. Also note that this weight and the post above is based on a standard 16" log so your 5 face cords = 1.6 full cords. If the wood is longer than 16", you have even more wood.

Corey

 

[stoz]

My brother said his buddy has a 6x12 w side boards and they can only get 4 face on it, if you figure 6x12x3.5=252 cu ft, that should be plenty of room, the factor that could throw it off is bc you aren't stacking it in there, it is thrown in so the compactness of a neat cu ft measure doesn't apply right? weight shouldn't be a problem bc the trailer I am looking at is 12,000 gvwr.

Scott

 

[elkimmeg]

You won't be pulling that trailer with a Geo Metro. 6 tons is serious weight and you need a serious vechicle to pull it.
The trailer should have electric breaks if not it will push you down hill.

 

[stoz]

Don't worry kids! Been hauling fith wheel campers at practically that weight for years, I am not asking for that info, just want to know what cu ft would realistically handle 5 face cords of wood. Besides it won't be that much weight, at 4000 per cord it should be about 6500 per 5 face, add the trailer weight say 2500, thats 9000#, thats what my trailer weighs in at, no problem.

Thanks for the concern.

scott

 

[wg_bent]

That's a hell of a trailer...and one hell of a truck. I'm jealous. My wood haulin vehicle is a GMC Safari. This spring I have some serious wood cutting to do. Clearing a 3/4 acre lot for a family member. Thinking of renting a flat bed UHaul trailer to move logs. Still I can max out at about a 5500lb trailer, but I'll push it a lot. Wood only has to travel about 1 mile.

 

[stoz]

I know, I moved about 10 face last weekend with a snowmobile trailer, thankfully I only had to go about a mile to home, worked well though bc I rolled it on and rolled it off, about killed it though. A 1/2 ton GMC safari should do more than 5500#'s.
Scott

 

[KarlP]

I know, I moved about 10 face last weekend with a snowmobile trailer, thankfully I only had to go about a mile to home, worked well though bc I rolled it on and rolled it off, about killed it though.

This begs the question. Why do you need to haul 5 (or 10) face cords at once for? Are you getting serious in the firewood business? Would an old dump truck work as well? If you aren't going long distances why haul it all at once?

I typically tow 3.75 cords of seasoned wood with an old Corolla and a $250 trailer...in 10 one face cord (18") trips.

 

[stoz]

Yes, I am looking into the business, an old dump unless it is totally falling apart would be double in cost of what this will be, I am also going to use it for hauling other materials too, does anybody know the answer to my question??????

Scott

 

[ChrisN]

Scott, I thought we already answered your question.

Chris

 

[stoz]

"My brother said his buddy has a 6x12 w side boards and they can only get 4 face on it, if you figure 6x12x3.5=252 cu ft, that should be plenty of room, the factor that could throw it off is bc you aren’t stacking it in there, it is thrown in so the compactness of a neat cu ft measure doesn’t apply right? weight shouldn’t be a problem bc the trailer I am looking at is 12,000 gvwr. "


This is what I was referring to, the correct math you were talking about doesn't quite work.

Scott

 

[OldSnipe]

well, lets try some math: a face cord is 4'X8'X(about)16" = 43 cubic feet. 43X5 = 213 cubic feet. A trailer that is 10 feet long, 5 feet wide, with side boards, lets say 3.5 feet high = 175 cubic feet. That's a ball park size for you to start with.

Mate, I believe a cord to be 4' X 4' X 8' =128 cubic feet. In the neiborhood of 1 ton of dry wood. In my neck of the woods you would play H*ll getting a 10 ton truck around in our forest! I cut a cord at a time. That's all the trees I want to fell, brush out, and cut to 16" in one day and definitly all I'm going to get wife to load. In this area the Forest service will issue permits only for dead or down lodgepole pine. 1/2 the time you have to clear a road to get to it.

 

[MALogger]

Greetings,

I have a 6'x10' u-dump trailer I use for firewood. I throw the wood in loose a little over 3' high. 184 cubic feet is the measure the state of Maine uses for a loose thrown cord so I add a little more just to ensure my customers are getting a full cord.

I could get more in if I stacked it but the trailer is a 7,000gvw and I tow it with my f-150 so I don't really need anymore than a cord.

Hope that helps!

Craig

 

[ourhouse]

If you'r looking at a 12000gvw trailer that might put you into a class A CDL.

 

[stoz]

I found on arboristsite.com that 180 cu ft hand tossed equals a full cord, if anyone else needs that info, thought I'd pass it along. I will have to check into the CDL thing, is that is you are hauling that much weight or if you are hauling trailer capable of that much weight?

Scott

 

[pinetop]

i have used an 8by16 trailer with 4ft sidewallsand loaded out between 3.5 and 4 cords . this trailer was a straight tongue rather than a fifth wheel with dual axles but it still makes you aware of what you're towing...i pulled two loads first with a 250 super duty gas v8 bit of a struggle second with a 250 diesel no struggle..in mn a class b is reqiured for over 10000 gross but that only applies to commercial use ..i believe of course states can all differ

 

[stoz]

Is that 4 full cord?

 

[pinetop]

yes full cords...one consideration with using a dump truck ..unless you use some type of elevator or some young bucks its big heave ho to load maybe five feet to the bed. in high school i worked for a tree farm that..took the ol pea and vinegar right out of you also sold cord wood and we hand loaded 12 and 13 yd. trucks