Do you dry your wood in IBC totes?

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Totes all the way. Stack em as tight and as high as you can. We put ours closest to the road. (55 MPH speed limit) and the traffic pushes even more air through them. Wasn't designed like that but just how it worked out. Oaks, hickory, elder, elm, locust, walnut, the tight heavy stuff takes 1 year, or at least a really dry hot PA summer. Everything else, cherry, white ash (which is all dead already, anyways), maple, beech, birch take about 6 months. ***TYPICALLY.

Already mentioned, if you stack them level, you can stack the totes 2 high if your footing is good and you are pressed for space. If you do stack them high, they do go everywhere when you move them with forks.
20150721_125653.jpeg wood crates.jpg
 
I have a friend that is starting to use them now. Thanks to the guys here that were using them before, I think it's a great idea. They will be stored inside a lean-to. With his tractor, they can be stacked 3 high, on concrete.

I agree with one of the other posters about what they will hold. Roughly 1/3 cord stacked in each one, it takes roughly 4 and part of a 5th to hold a cord thrown. Cut 16" long. That is filled only high enough that it allows a cage to be safely stacked on top of it, and interlocked.
 
ive found that if I throw it in there loose I can get 3/4 face cord in them or if I take my time and stack it neatly I can get a full face cord in there if I fill over the top slightly. I cut my wood smaller than some though due to the size of my firebox.View attachment 474536

What size tractor is this? I have a 4100 just wondering if I could lift one filled with wood.
 
Some of these may eventually end up for firewood storage. I am not so concerned about using them to dry the wood as I am for being able to move the wood up next to the front door of the house when it comes time to burn it. I am using a 3 point carry all frame from tractor supply as a fork lift. It works well to pick the totes up from the side, but the frame is too wide to fit in the pallet from the ends. Eventually I am going to build a 3 point fork attachment were the forks are not as wide as the carry all frame and use the carry all frame to make an actual carry all.

IMG_20151216_162255.jpg

IMG_20151216_162314.jpg

IMG_20160102_162701.jpg
IMG_20160102_162709.jpg
IMG_20160102_162724.jpg

IMG_20160102_162813.jpg
 
This is what I am currently using to move the firewood up to the house. The horizontal part of the carry all frame that act as the forks are too wide for this pallet tub so I am using a wooden pallet under the tub. The loaded tub in this picture is about the maximum weight that my TO20 can handle. I had to use the left and right brakes to help steer this load into place by the front door of the house.

IMG_20160109_124726.jpg IMG_20160109_130921.jpg IMG_20160109_131011.jpg IMG_20160109_134435.jpg
 
How much are y'all paying for the totes? I bought 10 today with the tops already cut out for $10 each
 
How much are y'all paying for the totes? I bought 10 today with the tops already cut out for $10 each

A lot will depend on what their original use was for. If they are food grade, held some sort of food item, and can easily be cleaned out, they will sell for $75 to $100 around here. If they were used for a chemical or paint they will go for about $30.

The food grade totes are reused for water storage, transporting water for livestock, and even storing grain. The non-food totes are used for storing coal by many of my neighbors. They just cut the tops off of the jug.

$10 is a steal of a deal.
 
just checked CL. they go for 50-80 here in illinois. closer to chicago they go for 125. I bought the last 6 from a feed place and paid $30 per tote.
 
IBC totes are nice but I cannot justify paying the high cost for them, I have one that I acquired for free I use to transport wood from the shed to the burner but I can get pallets for free so when I can I have been stacking and wrapping my pallets the wrap holds up good and allows good airflow

 
What size tractor is this? I have a 4100 just wondering if I could lift one filled with wood.
Its a 2320. My forks can be quick tach mounted on the loader and on the three point and the tractor hates it either way with a face cord stacked tight in the tote. I havnt tried lifting a loose filled tote yet but Im sure it will do ok with that. I believe the specs on a 4100 are a little less than that of a 2320 so it may struggle. Its going to depend on the wood species also though. Im dealing strictly with ash so it can be fairly heavy compared to other species.
 
IMG_1983.jpg I'm going try leaving it to season in the tote's. Anything to cut down on handling. This is how much wood in a tote a Kubota BX will lift with bucket forks, might do a little better with the bucket off and pallet forks on. I'll have to put them on and see. When I fill them up, I'm going to have to use my bigger loader.
 
View attachment 479564 I'm going try leaving it to season in the tote's. Anything to cut down on handling. This is how much wood in a tote a Kubota BX will lift with bucket forks, might do a little better with the bucket off and pallet forks on. I'll have to put them on and see. When I fill them up, I'm going to have to use my bigger loader.
What's the rated lift on the BX in that picture?

Is that green or dry wood?


(I'm trying to decide if I should expect to be able to move that much with my JD 1023e)
 
Back
Top