3 pt. hitch wood rack

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chugbug

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I've been trying to come up with a plan so I don't have to handle my firewood so many times and I think maybe I found it . I'm going to build 3 or 4 racks out of pallets , bolt two pallets together with some kind of sides that I can lift with my 3 pt. hitch and take into the woods , leave it on the 3 pt. cut the wood and stack it one time , get home unload the platform in the lean-to. With my concrete floor and pallet jack I can move it right to the owb for burning , only handled the wood ONE time !!!!!! Anyone else try this ?? , not sure if my pallet racks will be strong enough but its worth a try . When one rack is emptied I can grab it and go fill it back up while I'm using wood off of the other racks . The 3pt hitch will look something like this but I have the steel to make my own. Any thoughts ?????


http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp...10551_10001_34338_-1______?rFlag=true&cFlag=1
 
I often dream of doing something similar. I also handle my firewood too many times before its burned. I had thoughts of getting forks and storing my wood in the cage portion of intermediate bulk containers used for shipping liquids. They are 40x48x48 , so they would hold a little under a half cord. Something like this would allow me to stack it in there once, and the only time I need to move it..... it'll be done with the tractor. I'd also like to see other people's methods for making handling of their firewood more efficient.
 
Depending on what you have for a tractor Chug, one pallet might be all you'll pick? A 4x4 pallet stacked 4 ft high with fresh cut oak will be a good load. The stone industry [patio, etc] use to use removable sides [like for a truck] on their pallets, They slipped down into the top layer of the pallet, just reached the bottom. You could edge stack a :censored:load of bluestone on one of those oak pallets. Like 2 tons.
 
I do split the big stuff and if I could get say 4 or 5 racks ahead they would be dry under roof , I cut alot of dead stuff so seasoning is just getting the rain moisture out , doesn't take long . I'm going to try two pallets but you might be right on the weight and maybe to wide in the woods . The time trying to put two together is a pain also . I thought about the totes but thought it would be hard leaning over to get the wood out , would it hurt the strength of the unit if you took one side off so you could get at it easier or maybe make a gate on one side . I have two pallets together so as soon as I make the three pt. hitch attachment I can give it a go , I'll get back with pics when I get it done .
 
I don't know anything about the countryline carryall, but I see they aren't rating it for carrying capacity and it doesn't look that stout to me. I have my sprayer on a cat 1 King Kutter carryall and it's rated at 1000#. So reinforce your home made one well to carry 1/2 a cord.
 
Good advise , I am planning on using the heaviest 2x2 square tubing I have and putting a good gusset in the corners , as long as there out of the way and not hitting the pallet I'll make them reach out as far as possible .
 
I often dream of doing something similar. I also handle my firewood too many times before its burned. I had thoughts of getting forks and storing my wood in the cage portion of intermediate bulk containers used for shipping liquids. They are 40x48x48 , so they would hold a little under a half cord. Something like this would allow me to stack it in there once, and the only time I need to move it..... it'll be done with the tractor. I'd also like to see other people's methods for making handling of their firewood more efficient.

Hi Ductape ,

I like that cage idea , but maybe even cut one side of it out , reinforce those
two corners with welded in angle , that way you would'nt have to bend over
the top to load/unload ...

Later,x595
 
Head over to tractorbynet.com and search for carryall. You'll find a ton of ideas over there.
 
I had some tonight and got a single pallet rack put together , after deciding how to fit it all together it took about 45 min. so from here on out they should take about 30 min. . I also started the carry-all and have most of it tacked together , made it out of 2x2 tubing I had leftover from another project .It went pretty fast and basic , I should have it all done by Sat. sometime and will get back with you with pics !! Hope it works !!! I'll go cut a load and see how it handles the weight .
 
Well I got everything done and tried it out , first was on a load of big pine rounds , it was cut maybe a year ago . The tractor handled it pretty good but you could tell it was heavy !! I did the math and it will hold 1/3 of a cord , with the pine thats about 1000 pds. with green wood , with green oak its going to be about 2000 pds , I don't think the tractor will handle that . So I won't fill them up completely . Here's the pics .

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Well I got everything done and tried it out , first was on a load of big pine rounds , it was cut maybe a year ago . The tractor handled it pretty good but you could tell it was heavy !! I did the math and it will hold 1/3 of a cord , with the pine thats about 1000 pds. with green wood , with green oak its going to be about 2000 pds , I don't think the tractor will handle that . So I won't fill them up completely . Here's the pics .

Interesting. Did you feel the front end lifting at all or did you have extra weight up front?
 
Didn't notice the front getting light with the load pictured but I'll have to see how it does with a load of oak !!! I don't have any weight on the front end yet !!
 
My JD tractor is almost that size, but you have a tad wider rear wheel base. If I have a full ballast box (w/concrete bags) on the back and don't have anything in the bucket up front, I can feel the front end lifting a little if I roll the front wheels over, say, an 8" limb. Therefore, I try to steer clear of obstacles such as those or keep a load in the front bucket.

And thanks for the pics. I think half the fun is experimenting to see what amazing things these tractors can do. :cheers:
 
Its been a fun project and if it can save on the amount of times I have to handle the wood then its worth it . Load it one time on the racks and then right into the OWB and its movable !!! And if storing it outside they might be a little easier to keep covered .
 
Interested in knowing what size Deere that is that you are using for that. Lmbeachy

Me as well, I'd guess by the pictures 2010,2510 or 2520. If I'm right, any of them should handle a ton easily on the 3pt. You may need a bit of weight on the nose, however.

Steve
 
Steve , You got it on your first shot , its a 1964 2010 , about 38 HP , nice to know it can handle a ton , I don't want to hurt the pump .

LMbeachy , looks like you have a deere also maybe a styled A ??
 
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