Me thinks geographic location is going to have a ton of impact on your need, and the value of advice received.
I HATE stacking wood, and since my families personal comfort isn't dependent on fire heating the home, I pile it as I split it. If the pile is in the way, I grapple it or witht he standard bucket- just push it out of the way....
I do have a small pallet stack right now. Two pallets on the ground, with four pallets around the sides, and a nice big piece of tin over the top. Its packed and prolly pretty dry....
I also have a pile of crotches and wyes and non-uniform splits just laying on the ground. Hell, if I'm going to stack, its going to be stacked orderly and straight.
Again, I could go either way really. If I was in the snow belt, you can bet I'd have bins made of pallets, and the loose thrown would be well air dried, only to be shuttled to the house as needed from their distant drying facility
I aint handling firewood any more than I have to. I enjoy messing about keeping up with the deadfall and the occasional clearing for the next out building, but I also have far too many things that need attention.
Once a month I run every piece of equipment for ten minutes. It saves on "repairs". I have 79 tires, fourteen batteries, fours sets of tracks, thirty IC engines, a license plate bill every year on my birthday bigger than most mortgages, and never enough time. I'd rather spend time riding a dozen boards than ####ing around with clogged carbs or weak batteries.
The plan is to live at the ranch in the winter time, renting the beach house furnished to Canadians, whose rent will pay the taxes on the beach house. I'll still probably not stak firewood though. Bins made of pallets will be forked right up onto the deck of the cabin as needed.
