IBC Totes -- Firewood system upgrade!

[bigblue0827]

I recently got ahold of some IBC totes and I'm beyond excited for my new way of stacking firewood. The benefit of my old system is it warmed me up several times (from round to the splitter, splitter to trailer, trailer to wood pile, wood pile to wagon, wagon to porch, porch to indoor firewood box, box to wood stove). The downside is most of about half of those happened in summertime .

My next upgrade is putting a little trailer hitch on my splitter to pull behind a yard tractor.

 

[husky455rancher]

I recently got ahold of some IBC totes and I'm beyond excited for my new way of stacking firewood. The benefit of my old system is it warmed me up several times (from round to the splitter, splitter to trailer, trailer to wood pile, wood pile to wagon, wagon to porch, porch to indoor firewood box, box to wood stove). The downside is most of about half of those happened in summertime .

My next upgrade is putting a little trailer hitch on my splitter to pull behind a yard tractor.

Nice! I’ve been wanting to try one of those myself. I know my little Massey won’t pick one up if it’s full. I figured I’d try just thrown in. Either that or use them for off cuts and off ball pieces.

 

[sb47]

They only hold 1/3 rd of a cord. So if you are selling, you have to adjust your price accordingly.

 

[JustPlainJeff]

Nice! I’ve been wanting to try one of those myself. I know my little Massey won’t pick one up if it’s full. I figured I’d try just thrown in. Either that or use them for off cuts and off ball pieces.

I don't know what size or model Massey you've got, but if it's got a 3pt hitch, have you considered trying a pair of 3pt forks? I've got a BX 2350 (SCUT), and I think I'm going to try IBC totes with a set of 3pt forks. According to my manual, my 3pt will lift a maximum of 1K. I know that's in an ideal world, and not 3' behind the actual 3pt, but I think I may give it a try. I have no idea how much an IBC tote filled with hardwood weighs though.

 

[bigblue0827]

I don't know what size or model Massey you've got, but if it's got a 3pt hitch, have you considered trying a pair of 3pt forks? I've got a BX 2350 (SCUT), and I think I'm going to try IBC totes with a set of 3pt forks. According to my manual, my 3pt will lift a maximum of 1K. I know that's in an ideal world, and not 3' behind the actual 3pt, but I think I may give it a try. I have no idea how much an IBC tote filled with hardwood weighs though.

I was moving them with a Bobcat 763, given how light the back end of the machine felt as I was carrying them I'd guess 1500-1600 lbs. I was splitting mostly red oak and locust, so that weight lines up roughly with the chart below.

https://forestry.usu.edu/forest-products/wood-heating

 

[fields_mj]

If you need to be able to pick it up full with a loader, could you split it in half (top and bottom), flip the top half over and mount it to a regular skid? That would give you 2 totes that hold 1/6 of a cord that would weight 600 to 800 lbs loaded. Not sure if that would work or not. Just a thought that I've kicked around in the past.

 

[JRM]

Those totes are really nice but cost an arm and a leg around here. I'd probably need 30 to get me through a winter. I experimented last year with a bunch of old pallets I got for free and I bought some 4ft wide animal netting to wrap around the pallets. Used wood fir strips to sandwich the netting to the pallet edge and "sewed" the seam together with flexible wire. Once I did a few and got a system down I figure it takes 15-20 minutes to do up a pallet. I only made about 10 of them to trial to see how they hold up before committing a bunch of time to them.

 

[husky455rancher]

Those totes are really nice but cost an arm and a leg around here. I'd probably need 30 to get me through a winter. I experimented last year with a bunch of old pallets I got for free and I bought some 4ft wide animal netting to wrap around the pallets. Used wood fir strips to sandwich the netting to the pallet edge and "sewed" the seam together with flexible wire. Once I did a few and got a system down I figure it takes 15-20 minutes to do up a pallet. I only made about 10 of them to trial to see how they hold up before committing a bunch of time to them.

I made small racks one row wide so I can fit it through the cellar door. Plan is to place it in the ramp inside the cellar door then pallet jack the rack wherever I wanna put it. I believe the rack holds something like .2 or a 1/4 of a cord. My little Massey will pick it up with green oak but it’s right in the edge of not being able to do it. I’ve made maybe 25 racks but I have more ready to be done they just need finishing.

 

[husky455rancher]

I don't know what size or model Massey you've got, but if it's got a 3pt hitch, have you considered trying a pair of 3pt forks? I've got a BX 2350 (SCUT), and I think I'm going to try IBC totes with a set of 3pt forks. According to my manual, my 3pt will lift a maximum of 1K. I know that's in an ideal world, and not 3' behind the actual 3pt, but I think I may give it a try. I have no idea how much an IBC tote filled with hardwood weighs though.

I’ve got a 1725mb. I didn’t think about rear forks. Honestly I still haven’t taken the backhoe off. I keep finding uses for it.

 

[bbxlr8]

OP - Those are great and you have already figured out the long game of minimizing the number of "touches" from tree to stove.

I see you are in York. I haven't found any that are reasonable yet in our region, but I know they must be out there...
Can you give a ballpark of cost & source?

 

[djg james]

I recently got ahold of some IBC totes and I'm beyond excited for my new way of stacking firewood. The benefit of my old system is it warmed me up several times (from round to the splitter, splitter to trailer, trailer to wood pile, wood pile to wagon, wagon to porch, porch to indoor firewood box, box to wood stove). The downside is most of about half of those happened in summertime .

My next upgrade is putting a little trailer hitch on my splitter to pull behind a yard tractor.

Seems like a lot of work to stack in them over the top.

I do have two that I built roofs for and cut openings in the front to store off-cuts.

 

[Brufab]

I recently got ahold of some IBC totes and I'm beyond excited for my new way of stacking firewood. The benefit of my old system is it warmed me up several times (from round to the splitter, splitter to trailer, trailer to wood pile, wood pile to wagon, wagon to porch, porch to indoor firewood box, box to wood stove). The downside is most of about half of those happened in summertime .

My next upgrade is putting a little trailer hitch on my splitter to pull behind a yard tractor.

My dad is doing the same thing. He cuts the top off the tank and uses it as a cover. We are waiting for more free totes from the steel plant he retired from. If they weren't free it be too much $, the prices on CL and FB have skyrocketed. The plant has to pay between 50-150$ disposal fee to get rid of them so they are thrilled he wants 15-20 of them. He has pallet forks on the tractor so he can just drop one off by the back door. Looks to be a good system theoretically. Will know more here in a few weeks.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I've been building and splitting firewood into these 1/2 cord boxes for many years,

and guys have offered me those metal totes on and off for a long time, for free. I've always turned them down, but I finally did take a few,

And the other day, my wife and me split some wood into them. I guess I just need to get use to them!

SR

 

[ericm979]

I cut a door in one side to make it easier to reach in and place the splits.

 

[Del_]

Can the metal frame of the tote be removed and mounted to the pallet base on it's side?

That way wood could be stacked into the open sides with the metal frame forming the two sides, top and bottom.

And a part of the plastic part of the tote could be used to fashion a roof.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I cut a door in one side to make it easier to reach in and place the splits.

Getting them in is the easy part, it's getting them out that sucks.

I just tip them over by the basement window and throw the splits down, so far, it's the best way and without a cutout, they hold more.

Not holding enough is one of my bigger complaints!

SR

 

[captjack]

Those totes are really nice but cost an arm and a leg around here. I'd probably need 30 to get me through a winter. I experimented last year with a bunch of old pallets I got for free and I bought some 4ft wide animal netting to wrap around the pallets. Used wood fir strips to sandwich the netting to the pallet edge and "sewed" the seam together with flexible wire. Once I did a few and got a system down I figure it takes 15-20 minutes to do up a pallet. I only made about 10 of them to trial to see how they hold up before committing a bunch of time to them.

Reach out to big farm operations - they will be glad to give you some..... around here they have generic round up and such in them.....

 

[ericm979]

without a cutout, they hold more.

That's not been my experience.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

That's not been my experience.

Then you are stacking it in, I don't have time to make it "look pretty", I have other things to do.

SR

 

[WoodyGuy]

Guess a lot has to do with what you got ....

To me, the downside to the totes looks like not being able to
load and unload without either working over the top (ug), or
fighting with a side access. I liked the suggestion of turning them
on their side and using as a hoop of sorts .... that would be more
like the setup I use.

I have a small bandmill, and end up with pith/cants of low grade
that I saw up and bang into 6' X 2-1/2' pallets with 1X stuff to make
the sides. Tying baling twine from the top of one side to the other
keeps the sides from spreading out at the top.

I wire 4-5" locust rounds to the bottom to keep 'em high
'nuff off the ground to get forks under. Filled to the very top, they're
just shy of a half cord, and, weigh around a ton, depending on species
and moisture content.

I can just pick them up with the front and rear forks on my JD 970,
but moving them any distance that way is dicey, and hard on the front
end. I have a rear 3 pt fork setup, and after the pallet is filled, I'll move
it if needed out of the way with the front forks. When I'm done filling
pallets, I use the rear fork rig to move distances. The beauty of the rear
rig is that there's way less "divot" tracks - a full pallet on the front in
any kind of moist or wet ground leaves real ruts. On the back, I can
go just about anywhere without tracks.

Put a roof on the barn 6 years ago, and use the old tin from the roof
to make lids for the pallets - I fasten the lid to a pallet, and can then
set the lid on/off using the forks.

This arrangement has made a monster improvement in my firewood
work - I put up around 10 cords on pallets ... now the process is off
the splitter, onto the pallet. Then off the pallet a year or two later
onto the 6 cord stash on the porch. Two touches instead of many
more in the old system. Any movement of the firewood is from the
seat of the tractor - a welcome upgrade.

Same logic could be used with smaller pallets for smaller tractors.