Organizing my wood

[Jredsjeep]

just thought i would share, i am probably not the first to do this but i have not seen it before. stacking on skids is an old tradition for many of you and i have done it for years myself. just this year i thought of doing something different. my wife is not a big fan of loading up the trailer in the middle of winter to haul around the firewood to our enclosed porch so she makes me do it all

well with the wood set up this way on the individual skids i can load it up and drive it around with my tractor. i figure each skid hold about 1/3 cord, they are 48"x40"stacked 48" high. i stack the better stuff on the outside and throw all the crotches, shorties and general misfits in the middle so that is usually not real tightly packed.

i built the 3 point forklift attachment for about $20 using mostly metal i had lying around. i know it is not adjustable and i am looking to add a tilt cylinder in place of the top link but it works great overall and is useful for moving all kinds of stuff now.:greenchainsaw:

 

[Wood Scrounge]

just thought i would share, i am probably not the first to do this but i have not seen it before. stacking on skids is an old tradition for many of you and i have done it for years myself. just this year i thought of doing something different. my wife is not a big fan of loading up the trailer in the middle of winter to haul around the firewood to our enclosed porch so she makes me do it all

well with the wood set up this way on the individual skids i can load it up and drive it around with my tractor. i figure each skid hold about 1/3 cord, they are 48"x40"stacked 48" high. i stack the better stuff on the outside and throw all the crotches, shorties and general misfits in the middle so that is usually not real tightly packed.

i built the 3 point forklift attachment for about $20 using mostly metal i had lying around. i know it is not adjustable and i am looking to add a tilt cylinder in place of the top link but it works great overall and is useful for moving all kinds of stuff now.:greenchainsaw:

that is truly awesome, wish I had the equipment for something like that

 

[D&B Mack]

very nice.

 

[giXXer]

Looks like they work really well. I do something pretty similiar, but it looks like mine are a little overbuilt (heavy and kind of scabbed together) and they don't hold as much wood as yours. I end up using scraps of wood that I have laying around and unfortunatley that doesn't include any 2 X 4's that are long enough. I have grown quite fond of loading the boxes up in the summer and when the time comes it is pretty easy to pick 'em up and move them over to the wood burner with the forks. I think handling the wood one less time is something we can all appreciate!

 

[Jredsjeep]

Looks like they work really well. I do something pretty similiar, but it looks like mine are a little overbuilt (heavy and kind of scabbed together) and they don't hold as much wood as yours. I end up using scraps of wood that I have laying around and unfortunatley that doesn't include any 2 X 4's that are long enough. I have grown quite fond of loading the boxes up in the summer and when the time comes it is pretty easy to pick 'em up and move them over to the wood burner with the forks. I think handling the wood one less time is something we can all appreciate!

I figured i wasent the first but thought i would share. my first skid was built from scrap pieces. after i figured it would work and my tractor could lift it fine i invested in some cheap 2x4's. i have about $8 a skid wrapped up in it buying new lumber and screws. i fugure they will last several years and i have thought of sitting them on old cinderblocks to get the wood completely off the ground so they should last longer. it sure is easy to back up and just push a lever and off i go!

i can decide to move my whole firewood pile (about 4 cords) in probubly half an hour to another part of the property if i get the bug.

 

[kemer]

I do the same thing except I use 4 palletts to make a 3 sided box Then I use my skid steer w/forks to move them.I also staple plastic on top to keep dry.[I stack them in a windy area to dry

 

[giXXer]

I figured i wasent the first but thought i would share. my first skid was built from scrap pieces. after i figured it would work and my tractor could lift it fine i invested in some cheap 2x4's. i have about $8 a skid wrapped up in it buying new lumber and screws. i fugure they will last several years and i have thought of sitting them on old cinderblocks to get the wood completely off the ground so they should last longer. it sure is easy to back up and just push a lever and off i go!

i can decide to move my whole firewood pile (about 4 cords) in probubly half an hour to another part of the property if i get the bug.

My thoughts as well. My tractor hasn't been home in a few months and I have certainly missed it, but when I get it home again I'll be able to get all of the wood positioned for the winter. I built my first "box" a couple of years ago when I didn't have a good way to stack and dry all of the odd-ball chunks and crotches. Since it has worked so well for me I have been thinking of different (economical) ways to make all of my wood portable. I was originally thinking of using steel square stock or even chain link fence piping bent in "U" shapes that the wood could be stacked on and moved with the tractor. I just haven't figured a way to do it inexpensively. Your idea at $8.00 per rack I don't think would break the bank!

Just recently we had another local machine shop go out of business and I was able to score 6 of those heavy duty, solid, PVC pallets which will never get soft, break apart, or rott out. I used left over 4 X 4 posts for the vertical supports and some other scraps for the tops. It's 3'2" tall and if I built another one it would be stackable. Now after seeing the simplicity in your rack and how much they hold I am considering a little re-designing. Thanks for sharing.

 

[kemer]

There are bag systems out there that sit on a pallet and hang on a rack till filled then remove the rack.another way is to make a round circle out of concrete reinforcing wire sitting on a pallet

 

[wdchuck]

Gusset your top corners with small triangles of plywood, helps a cord.

The bottom of your vertical pieces, did you use a flat washer under the screw/bolt head? That helps a bunch too.

As long as I have a machine that can use forks and lift a 1/3cord of palleted wood, it will be the only way I move split wood.

 

[1harlowr]

That looks exactly like I've been thinking. All my property is hilly so I worried about the pallets spilling. Thought about plastic wrap but that was going to be a hassle and the wood wouldn't dry.
I could set a couple skids next to my OWB instead of long rows stacked. Could also stack the wood on these pallets where the tree falls and split it right there.

 

[Nosmo]

Good Job

You did a fine job and it looks like you have saved a lot of unloading and restacking.

Nosmo

 

[Jon E]

Build pallets out of osage or locust wood. Last forever.

 

[DieselTech]

I did something similar. I used metal rack decking to build sides on some heavy pallets, then stacked the wood in them. No big worries about spilling, and very open for airflow to dry it. I need to finish the forks for my tractor, I'm planning a set to mount on the loader.

Looks like you did a good job!

 

[Jredsjeep]

thanks guys, i know it could use reinforcing with some corners but i didn't want to dump allot of time and money into them. actually from moving them around i think the most reinforcing could be done to keep the 4 uprights straight. the more wood i stack in them the better they seem supported.

right now they are non-pressure treated pine on free skids and held together with 3" coated deck screws.

i suppose i could update to pressure treated and strengthen them up for future revisions. i know i have been thinking of adding some tin on top if i get my hands on some scrap.

it would be my little army of mini sheds:biggrinbounce2: