100 cord by Christmas (?)

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Is this a full time thing for you this time of year?
 
Got a Sales Tax Letter of Inquiry. I paid, just used the wrong form, not the 'new' form. Just came from paying someone to straighten it out. Ugh.
Said she was doing a lot of these this year.
I was already sore (in a good way) from doing firewood. Now I'm just... sore
Push on...
I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I have a package coming. Two SS wheels and tires for my wagon running gear build. Still in the planning stage but getting parts together.
 
What are you getting for a cord? Around me it's $200 a cord. I haven't seen anyone around me with the bags. I like the idea. You know exactly how much wood you have. And the wood is always clean. I load with Branco rock bucket and it's a lot better then doing it by hand. I have been thinking about getting a dump truck with a lift gate. I could use a pallet jack to get the pallets of the truck.
 
45 year high school reunion tonight! Wow...

Damato333: The past five years it's been $225. ($12.74, or 6% sales tax included) per cord for Oak. Plus delivery if needed. Next year I expect to hand unload again. When I get to the point of off loading with the forklift (read bigger truck) there will be a pallet charge of $6.00 ea. added, or $24.00 per cord.

This past week a guy made a prototype 'delivery sock' to secure the load on the pallet, which will then be loaded on the truck and secured with two straps, as required by law. We tried it out in the wood lot, and noted two necessary changes. One: raising the upper cinch strap and then centering the two middle ones. Two: Reversing the orientation of the cinching straps for better accessibility if hand unloading. I am having six 'delivery socks' made in a bright yellow. I wanted florescent green but it was only available in a much lighter weight material. Orange was my next choice... so, yellow by default..IMG_3761.jpg
 
No sales tax here thankfully. Outside of city limits.

What law says you need to strap those bags with 2 staps? Here the norm is 1 strap over 2 except the last row gets 1 strap over 2 and one across the back.
That's on a flatbed. With side boards, no need to strap them.
 
Two straps per load, minimum one strap every ten feet. I'm assuming a pallet to be 'a load' or two pallets side by side to be a load. Paraphrasing, but from the MI commercial drivers license manual. I'm also assuming this to be a flatbed, and not a box truck/trailer, dump or otherwise.
As posted before, my first load of loose thrown settled quickly and the straps were loose by the time I got out the drive and on the road. One strap hung unhooked and completely free.
 
Two straps per load, minimum one strap every ten feet. I'm assuming a pallet to be 'a load' or two pallets side by side to be a load. Paraphrasing, but from the MI commercial drivers license manual. I'm also assuming this to be a flatbed, and not a box truck/trailer, dump or otherwise.
The loophole in the law, if you want to call it a loophole. I call it a technicality.... make your sides and rear gate tall enough to at miminum be as tall as a loaded pallet. Pulled into an inspection station years ago and got cited because the B&B trees I was hauling were technically unsecured because the 2' side boards did not extend above the balls. And they were not strapped down. BUT, a single strap across 1 row of root balls would be sufficient. There isn't enough room for 2. If your load consists of a single row of pallets, technically they could cite you for only 1 strap. 2 rows of pallets under 10' long would fall within 2 straps every 10'. Technically. Weigh masters can be rather a holeish if they are having a bad day.

sent from a field
 
I would rather use 6' side boards all the way around and roll-up cover, much simpler. The pallets are 48" wide, and side by side they cover the stake pockets making them unusable. If and when I change trucks I'll be looking for one with a 102" wide bed for that reason.
 
Mods:
Conveyor:
I sometimes get a small chunk of wood or bark on the lower roller of the firewood conveyor that throws the belt tracking off. Fishing it out can be a chore. There is expanded metal protection, it is low to the ground, and very shaded between the belts. The first thing noticed of course is the belt tracking to one side, and then a lump between the drum and belt. Blown snow does the same. When compressed it turns to lumps of ice which also throws off tracking.
I doubt I'll be using the conveyor this winter with my set up. I think it may be a good time for a mod. To remove the expanded metal and replace it with a removable guard and also add an attached tool box for flash light, dedicated wrenches, grease gun, and a spot to pin the removable tongue.
It also need zerks added to the pivot point of the wheel support structure. Seizing at that point has been a long standing issue when I need to raise and lower it. I emailed Built-Rite this summer and got a quote of $450. for components to convert the raising/lowering from crank to hydraulics. It sits stationary for a year at a time, and only on occassion does the height get moved. Without zerks and the ability to get grease in there the tube in tube hinge seizes. No hydraulics at that price.

Another mod is for the SS.
I want to use the quad to move the splitter.
Wheels/tires and bolt-on T axle arrived this past week, and go-kart spindle kit should be here tomorrow. The parts are to make a wagon running gear pivoting front axle with tongue to bolt under the flywheel/engine end of the splitter. The existing axle will be moved to bolt under the wedge/table end allowing me to push the splitter up to the conveyor. Hopefully the forklift tube will still stay and if needed I can still use them. They should bolt back in as it is now with one bolt on each end. The optional SS hitch on the table end does not work for me because of the conveyor. I mentioned this mod to Paul at SS two years ago in an email suggesting he offer it as an option. There was no response. I mentioned it in an email again when ordering the parts, that they are for a four wheel mod.
So the idea is for the axle to pivot side to side to eliminate tipping/rocking when using the splitter. Then cut the axle stubs off and weld on the go-kart spindle kit with trailing arms. The tongue set up will be the interesting part to get it right. I'm guessing the spindle and trailing arm tie rod point distance should be equal to the tongue pivot and tie rod connection point distance, to turn and follow properly. The tongue itself also needs a pivot up and down, and to be able to raise it vertically out of the way. Some one else will be doing the welding so uncertain of the time line. If it is soon, and I hope so, then I'll pull the SS and use the TW-6 for everyday splitting and see how that goes with smaller stuff.
 
Just talking out loud here,
I understand the reasoning for using the netting system in the yard, it reduces the handling of the wood, it seasons better etc.. But for delivery wouldn't it be easier to just lift the pallets over a dump trailer, cut the netting and then just deliver the wood that way. Seems like a lot less screwing around on the delivery end. All of our customers are fine with a big pile of wood in the driveway. Unless your trying to do multiple deliveries at once, or have a long distance between deliveries.
 
Just talking out loud here,
I understand the reasoning for using the netting system in the yard, it reduces the handling of the wood, it seasons better etc.. But for delivery wouldn't it be easier to just lift the pallets over a dump trailer, cut the netting and then just deliver the wood that way. Seems like a lot less screwing around on the delivery end. All of our customers are fine with a big pile of wood in the driveway. Unless your trying to do multiple deliveries at once, or have a long distance between deliveries.
Good point.
 
If I already had a dump that would be the way to do it. Neighbor has one ton with high sides. The high sides make loading difficult as well. From the back works without the tailgate in place, but still climbing about and basically hand loading. The netting hooks on the firewood a bit when removing it. I had thought of loading with the conveyor but that gets into a lot of hand work again. Hand work is all right, but over many, many cords it is a lot of time and effort. In the mean time I'll continue to unload by hand off the flatbed. I wish I could rent a dump trailer to try. It would be lower and easier to load, but I'm picturing hard to maneuver in half the places I go unless I had a hitch on both ends of the truck. I'm good at backing a trailer. Just can't do it very well in the winter months especially up snow covered rises in narrow drives and no where to turn around, unless your parked in the garage to begin with. Friends have a drive like that. The turn around does not work unless you start in the garage. Everybody else has to back 150' around a curve.
Short list: -dump box for truck
-trailer for fork lift
-larger truck to carry piggyback

Only one spindle came in, the other is back ordered. This one will work well with, or without, the one inch axle spacer provided, and lock nut on the end. I know you guys like pictures.... When done I hope it looks like a factory option.
IMG_3769.jpg IMG_3772.jpg
 
Cord split today, (0).
Went to 45 year high school class reunion. Lots of fun, and folks came from all over the country. Lots of hand shaking, moving in close to hear over everyone else and the music. Lots of good finger foods with dinner. Short of it, I have a head cold. Today I gave it Niquil and a rest, tomorrow I am driving the flatbed 260 miles one way to pick up a Kory Farms 3000 running gear and wagon top frame. When I found out 'residential shipping' was $500. I called and canceled shipping. It will still cost sixty gallons of diesel at seven to eight miles a gallon. Fresh air should do me good. I have chronic lung issues that don't bother day to day. A head cold however is a different matter, that if drops in my chest can side line me for weeks. Fresh air and lots of water are good. Stay away from dairy for a bit.
The wagon will be for staging rounds on the opposite side of splitter. I have found I'm getting sore from using one side of my body more than the other every day. I'm hoping this will help balance out how I'm working. Do 1/3 cord on one side of splitter and 1/3 on the other. It may in fact be slower if I load the wagon and then have to move it in place but what I'm doing at the splitter needs adjusting.
 
Sandhill crane, I built this flatbed dump myself. We use it all the time and haul tons of stuff. I have 4' racks for it and for short runs I can put a full cord on it and haul safely. Not sure how much I paid for the truck anymore but I think it was around 5000. The flatbed started out as a slide in insert that I robbed for the parts I needed. I bought the rest of the steel new and it was under 500. For tight places I use the truck and for all others I use the dump trailer. Dump trailer was also used, needed tires was around 2500 a few years ago.
I handload onto my conveyor which dumps into either the truck or trailer. This gets rid of all the small crap. I think you are over thinking the mesh, just use it to dry the wood and make storage easier. Then load onto whatever and dump in the driveway. A truck big enough to haul firewood and the forklift is really going to be a pain to get around to sites.
 
I also have a couple of trailers that I plan to do the same thing you are going to do with. I plan to load the rounds with my manure tine forks. Been thinking of putting a cylinder on it to tip the rounds but I also have conveyor rollers that I might put on the trailer. Now all I need to buy is some time.
 
Thanks for the input. That's why I keep coming back to this site. To see what others are trying and what works, or doesn't work for them. There are pluses to off loading the pallets in the yard. Part of working alone is being mindful of hazards, of getting hurt with no one around. Loading with a conveyor would work, climbing in a dump truck for every 1/4 cord pallet does not. Obviously each delivery system has pluses and minuses. If I choose the forklift route, and the lift is down I'm dead in the water. And the lift approach has other hazards, that of unloading in the road at times with a machine or messing with straps in traffic. I keep adjusting as I go. Sometimes over thinking it...
 
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