Wood Stack just fell down (on my leg)

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kalevi

Member
Hearth Supporter
Sep 20, 2007
168
Ottawa Ontario
Just wondering how many of you have had a stacked row of wood fall down. I noticed one was sort of leaning so I was using a brick to hammer the splits back to straighten the stack and it collapsed on me. No permanent damage except to my ego. Anyone else have this happen?
 
Just happened to me last night too. I never pull my truck that far back until last night, and whamo :) right on the side of the truck. No permanent damage done either... I stacked a couple of my racks way too high and I pay the price every once in a while
 
YEP, seems like it will start out real nice and straight then as it dries it starts to lean. I think the bigger splits don't dri as fast and throws the stack off. I have been able to lean against the row and push it back most of the time.
Don
 
Sure glad no damage done- except your 'ego'
I think the stack got pissed off at you for using a brick-
I always use another split, never had a stack mad at me. :-P
 
kalevi said:
Just wondering how many of you have had a stacked row of wood fall down. I noticed one was sort of leaning so I was using a brick to hammer the splits back to straighten the stack and it collapsed on me. No permanent damage except to my ego. Anyone else have this happen?

I've had plenty of "leaners", i've smacked em back straight with both a sledge and a split...aint had the row fall on me though. That sucks!. Usually my rows (this year i've had multiple tip overs due to rain) wait until i'm almost to the house before they make their brake for it >:-( I had one row so arrogant that it did it twice in two days!!!. I've since put multiple kickstands around the repeat offenders...so far so good.
 
Yeah I hated the last time that happened. 1998 I think it was. :coolgrin:
 
never had one fall on me but I have about 3 piles tip per year. My back yard slopes towards the house and even with all kinds of shims I always have a couple tip once they dry out and shift. luckily my kids listen and stay away from them or uh i don't even want to think about it.

i have stacking wood more than cutting, splitting and hauling so it REALLY pisses me off when I have to restack a second time.
 
First row I did was in the spring. It look nice and straight maybe a little to high.
I was proud of myself I left for a few hours. Then came back and what the hell happened
whole row on the ground. I wasn't very proud after that.
 
I noticed some stacks today built with a bit of an arc. That probably adds quite a bit of lateral stability ?
 
I had a stack along side my beloved 1997 Chevy Silverado stellar metallic blue 2500 4x4 with matching fiberglass topper and well you get the point the truck was flawless until this happened :coolcheese: I had a stack about 15' long and for some reason backed the truck in the garage and when I went to go to work the next day I got in and went to pull out and the truck stopped on its own and when I got out and looked on the other side the entire stack had fallen on the side of the truck in the night :vampire: so it peppered the entire side of the truck with dents and small scratches.

Two years later I decided to turn it into insurance and told them a pile of wood fell on the truck in my garage and they wrote me a check for around $2,500 to cover the damage and then I traded the truck off. I had polished the scratches out but the dents were very visible to me but not the salesman that took the truck in on trade so it seemed. I was just crushed though that it had happened. That truck is still my favorite one that I have owned. Our family out grew it and we went to a 4 door truck and no we have no truck thanks to $4 plus diesel fuel.
 
Last year when I was cutting up logs, a round rolled on my toes. Even though I had boots on they weren't steel toed. I wore them since.
I've staked the rows so they're leaning on each other in the garage, so I'm hoping for the best. I don't think they're too stable all by themselves.
 
Oh I have some fall over every year. This year I see that I have three stacks that will be falling over any day now. Never had one fall on me though. Just ask the wife to fix it up before you go to work ;-)
 
Live and learn by our mistakes I guess



First time was a few months back. Stacked it long and a bit too high I guess, while talking to neighbor, heard a nice rumble and we all had a good laugh at my expense

Second time was with a Holz hausen, built on not too level ground, my wife was quick to point out that my side was the side that collapsed.
went back and it is still standing for now, who knows how long!?

Tom
 
SCFA said:
never had one fall on me but I have about 3 piles tip per year. My back yard slopes towards the house and even with all kinds of shims I always have a couple tip once they dry out and shift. luckily my kids listen and stay away from them or uh i don't even want to think about it.

i have stacking wood more than cutting, splitting and hauling so it REALLY pisses me off when I have to restack a second time.

You mentioning about the kids is the scary one and oh so true! I have a two and five year old, both boys.
My rule is now nothing stacked over 4 feet unless its in my wood sheds. My wood sheds are converted dog kennels with chain link around them. Good Point, Very Good Point. N of 60
 

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I use pallets for my base and bricks to level them first. On the ends I use the metal fence post stakes. In my opinion, that is the only way to go. I ahve seen people really tighten up the stacks by using fencing wire and attaching them to each stake and securing it that way.
 
[/quote]
You mentioning about the kids is the scary one and oh so true! I have a two and five year old, both boys.
My rule is now nothing stacked over 4 feet unless its in my wood sheds. My wood sheds are converted dog kennels with chain link around them. Good Point, Very Good Point. N of 60[/quote]

nice tractor does it have pto? lol. oh keeping on topic i have never evr evr had any of my wood even dare to fall from the pile. after i'm done stacking it i give it an intimidating look!!
 
I had built a 7' HH that decided to bulge and give way after a day. Rebuilt it only to have it collapse again. My neighbors still decal all the cussin that followed the second collapse! It was my poor construction, not something external that caused it. I managed to build two proper 7' HH eventually. Live and learn; I've since gone back to racks!
 
I also use discarded pallets as a dry base and for a bit of air below the wood pile. Discarded masonry pallets from cut bluestone, etc. with the two sets of vertical bars each. I keep using all the bars in the middle of the pile to stabilize it. The pallets are free from any contractor using the material. Just ask them. Bricks are great for a level start each time the pile is rebuilt.

How about safety shoes? With steel toes!
 
Haven't had it happen yet. I use pallets leveled with bricks as well. I also shim my end tower sections that hold the stack together. Hoping to try my hand at a holz next year, so there's still potential to experience a collaps.
 
Two of my 10 rows have partially collapsed this year. But I found the culprit! My 8 yr. old golden has a problem with chipmunks, that hide in the spaces. I was not sure about it till I saw him pulling on a small log with his teeth several times. Got after him to stop. But the second time, a pile collapsed, it happened that my wife was watching the golden by the wood pile which was 16 ft. long and 5 ft. high and saw dog pulling on logs and woopile collapse. So that is my dog and woopile story!
 
I don`t go over 4ft and have never had a problem. And I only criss/cross the end of the rows. Also, I keep my rows to a maximum length of 22 ft.
 
I stack a few feet in one location then move down the line and stack a little in the next area. By the time I get back to the beginning everything has dried a bit and I can stack safely again. It's not perfect but the best way I've figured how to do it so far.

Matt
 
I also keep the stacks to about 4 feet high and haven't had one tip over but they certainly avalanche down siedways as I remove splits to bring in for burning.
 
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