Best lengths for handling

[Michigan_JS]

New guy with small dilemma. Made a deal with a local farmer who cleared off an 80-acre semi-wooded field. He has seven house-sized piles of oak, ash, hickory, cherry & maple trees, most in the 12"-20" dia range, to be cleaned up for future planting. He agreed to let me cut all I want & leave the tops & small stuff. I have a 7' x 12' dual-axle trailer with 18" removable sides and ends (126 cu ft) which he will let me fill for $25 per load. Can't start cutting the wood until this year's corn crop is off, hopefully by Thanksgiving. For the sake of speed I'm leaning toward cutting in 6' lengths and transporting them home before someone else gets in on it. I could cut in longer lengths, but it's a 45 minute drive on the Allis 170 I'd use to load them. I'm in pretty good physical shape but short on help. Anybody with similar loading/hauling experiences out there? I really don't want to leave any of it behind. Thanks.

 

[MATTYB11]

What are you pulling the trailer with? a pickup. What size? I think if it was me I might try to make some extensions for the sides to try and get more wood per trip if the truck and trailer will take the weight. I would also fill the bed of the truck. You could probably double your wood per trip like this saving you time and gas. At 12-20 inches I perfer to cut them to firewood length right on site if possible. The mess stays in the woods/field and you don't kill yourself moving 500lb logs.

Matt

 

[KsWoodsMan]

What are you pulling the trailer with? a pickup. What size? I think if it was me I might try to make some extensions for the sides to try and get more wood per trip if the truck and trailer will take the weight. I would also fill the bed of the truck. You could probably double your wood per trip like this saving you time and gas. At 12-20 inches I perfer to cut them to firewood length right on site if possible. The mess stays in the woods/field and you don't kill yourself moving 500lb logs.

Matt

:agree2:
Will the trailer floor stand up to having logs that size dumped on it ? How much time will you lose unloading them ? Any ? or do you have something worked out for that once you get back to the house with them?
I'm guessing the ground will be too soft for a PU to go in and out with a loaded trailer?

No, front loader here so I cut it all to final size before it goes on the load. I had a couple of good sized logs put in the truck once and didnt think they were going to come off when I got home. If I had thought ahead I could have put some 4"-6" stuff crossways in the bed and chunked them to size in the drive. Like they were I spent a lot of time making sure I wasn't going to hit the floor of the PU bed.

 

[Mike Van]

Long lengths save time, but only if you can dump them right off when you get home. If you take the tractor to load, how will you unload when you get home? Your trailer with sides or fenders, you probably can't just roll them off? You'll get more wood on cutting to shorter lengths, they just stack better. To load/unload by hand, I'd cut the bigger ones to length, smaller ones, if you want 18" wood, make them 36" or 48", what ever you can do without killing yourself. You only get one back, once you mess it up, it's never quite the same.

 

[ericjeeper]

Buck it to firewood length

If some are to big to lift rip them in half through the bark side and then load.
It will be easiest without loaders and straps, let alone all the getting on and off the tractor seat doing that alone. Buck em to length stack them neatly and haul like mad.. Hire a couple of teen aged boys for 10 bucks an hour to load and unload.

 

[woodchuck76]

Why don't you hire a logging truck. Renegotiate with the farmer , for the larger loads. Cut the log lengths when you have the time .Just a thought.

 

[Billy_Bob]

I cut them to the *weight* I can somewhat easily lift. Longer for smaller diameter, shorter for larger diameter.

Light stuff about 5 ft.

For the real large diameter stuff and heavy wood, it might be 6 inches, then that cut in half or even quarter rounds.

It all burns no matter what the length!

 

[AIM]

A couple buddies and I cleared a fence row a couple years ago by cutting long logs and loading them onto trailers with a skid steer w/forks.
After it was all said and done we pretty much agreed that if we had done all the cutting and splitting right there on site would have been just as fast or faster.

 

[Swamp Yankee]

No money in transport.

Suggest cutting and splitting as much as possible even if it's only halving the rounds. It will take longer but will also pack in tighter. Longer lengths tend to leave a lot of empty space and voids.

You're going to have to split anyway. This way you can go for the gravy first and leave the nasty stuff for later or the "competition".

Take Care

 

[Octane]

Id cut them to whatever length you can handle picking up. If you are short on help or doing it alone, it would probably be just as fast, if not faster doing it that way than if you cut them to the length of the trailer because with smaller piece you wont be struggling and straining to lift them onto the trailer.

 

[cityevader]

Some good points here.
I love the idea of leaving all the mess of sawchips and bark and what-not by splitting it on site. Of course, then you have to handle much more wood whilst in the time-sensitive frame of others poaching your find.

I'd probably opt for the least handling/fastest time line approach to get as many trips as possible. In the trailer I'd cut three foot lengths of logs and make two rows front-to-back(or whatever the wheel-well width limits)....in order to as easily as possible roll them off at home...without much exceeding capacity and strapping as necessary. And in the pickup, three foot lengths are also manageable depending on size/moisture content.....but then again, you'd have to chuck them over the sides since trailer in the way of unloading. Maybe final length desired in the truck, longer in the trailer.

 

[Zodiac45]

He's hauling with a tractor (Allis 170) and sounds like he's got a loader on the front? If it's a bucket, then I'd buck too length on site and scoop them up. If you've got grapple forks, then go for the best size you can load onto the trailor but whatever you do try and get as much as you can too make the loads profitable. Looks like you can get a cord on that trailor if you can pile it well. Good luck and have fun.

 

[John D]

If you think he is going to let someone else come in and pull out enough wood to affect you,I would cut in 6 ft lenths and get all you can out of there now. You can always cut is smaller and split at anytime once you have the wood on your property. Also you haven't specified what trailer/truck you own,but i have a 14000 GVWR 7x14 dump trailer,and wood is heavy ,I can max it out (9700 lbs of wood,pretty easily when filling it,esp with green oak and locust that i commonly cut around here.If you need to go very far with the trailer,and its only a 7K GVWR ( 5 lug wheels),be very careful as you will be way overloaded on the tires/rims/axles.Short slow speed trips are usually no problem.
Personally I would just get all I could out of there now before it gets real cold and snow slows you down,and cut at my own location later.You never know when the owner may change his mind if your not getting the wood out of there fast enough for him,and someone comes along willing to clean it all up quickly.

 

[Michigan_JS]

Thanks for all your answers. A little more background: I've been heating w/wood for two years, though grew up with it in my parents' house. Hauling the 7' x 12' w/my Ford Ranger XLT 4x4 4.0L - not a big truck, but adequate when used wisely. I have the Allis 170 gas w/loader and a Farmall M w/loader so the M could stay home to unload longer lengths loaded by the Allis, if I go that route. The trailer is 3" I-beam frame w/2" treated lumber floor & sides, and dual axles w/brakes. Dad and his millwright welder cousin built the frame, I built the floor & sides. Tongue weight is very manageable for the Ranger. The sides and ends lift out of their stake pockets for removal, probably not easy under load. I like the idea of keeping the sawdust & bark in the field, and will probably cut & split as much of it as possible on site. At least until someone else starts cutting. Then I'll grab as many of the best pieces I can in longer lengths and bring 'em home. If I find the truck won't haul the loads, I will use the Allis to haul it. It's only gas and the price is coming down...way lower than propane. The wood's been laying there since last winter. Thanks again.

 

[willsaw4beer]

I don't know if you split by hand or not but I would recommend cutting the clean, knotless lengths and leaving the nasty stuff. As some other people have said, cut the largest size pieces that you can quickly and efficiently move. Smaller pieces that you can move faster may not seem quicker initially but it saves time loading and unloading, and won't wear you out as quickly...

 

[KsWoodsMan]

With a loader tractor at both ends and a PU to pull the 12 foot trailer. Cut to 14 foot and get them home. Once there you can take your time processing them at you own convienence.

If 14 foot lengths are too much for the loader go shorter. Make your loads and trips count but not at the expence of the trailer axles.

 

[bore_pig]

This summer I cut a bunch of wood to 4 ft lengths. The big stuff cut to 16 in. I spent so much time screwing around cutting up the 4 ft stuff at home that it really wasn't worth it. Next time it will all be bucked in the woods.

 

[NDtreehugger]

Quit ask-in and start taking all length, get the large trunks first then go back for the large branches.

I know where I would be TODAY if I had a good offer

 

[Garfield]

log truck

You will probably get some free advice from the guy with the log truck too.......i vote yes.

 

[John D]

A rented dump trailer being pulled by a Ranger isnt realistic or very safe.Even small dumps weigh well over 1/2 of a rangers tow capacity.Mine is 4300 empty w 600 lbs tongue weight,thats about all id want on a Ranger without any wood.They will put too much tongue weight on that small truck as well. If you really want it out fast,around here guys get 65-85/hr for a tri axle here with driver and fuel w 4 hr min charge,hire one for 1/2 day,and load him as fast as you can with your machine,have him dump it where you want,you''ll have all the wood you need for yrs in one day.A tri axle should be able to haul 6 cord + a load most are 16ft long w 7-8 ft sides,load the biggest stuff your machine will pick up in there.If you know he is coming pre cut the wood to lenth ,and pre stack it w your machine,so you can load him as fast as possible.It may be cheaper to pay300-400 once,and not have to go back and forth or worry about not getting the wood.