cord measure of unstacked wood?

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bodhaine1

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I realize that a true cord is 4x4x8ft but does anyone know what the ratio would be to "thrown in" or unstacked wood. I want to build a dump trailer and am trying to figure out the right dimensions so that I don't have to stack a truck with side rails to ensure a true cord. Tired of breaking my back stacking a truck. Anyone?
 
Impossible to figure

Considering all the pieces will never lay the same twice.
I know my son has a commanche pickup with a long bed.
We can stack the wood neatly in it and it will hold a Face just a little over bedside full. But to take the same amount and throw it in to a ladies fullsize dodge dually bed. It almost fills it up just tossed.
 
weight wise

yeah I would say a full size 8' box tossed in to the top should be pretty close

Todd , what are your thoughts on selling fire wood by weight? there is a scale just down the road from me, Iam going to sell wood next year and dont plan on stacking anything, I do have a dump trailer and loader, Ive seen charts on what wood weights and btu"s equal,. And I think its a fair way to sell wood,. I dont plan on makin a living at it, as much as helping friends out, I have zero experince at selling fire wood, but I think the weight of the wood is more important than the size of the pile, considering its seasioned wood of course, Thanks Eric
 
This is the way to get the right answer for _your_ rig.

Make a tight stack of a full cord. One rick, three ricks whatever just so it will total 128 cu ft.

Now toss that cord into your hauling rig. Note what it looks like and take a picture so you can refer to it once in awhile to refress your memory.

You only have to do that drill once, but dumping the load and retossing a couple times will show you how much variation you can expect.

I know of no practical way to accurately determine the cu ft of wood in a loose pile of wood on the ground anyhow.

Harry K

Harry K
 
I just bought a cord from a farmer that he had stacked 4x4x12 and that is a full cord he said and i said it was 4x4x8 .
he said that he has been cutting and selling for years and I was wrong.
oh well ....
if I have to buy an oversized cord for less than others so be it.
the odd thing was he only takes payment in grocery items and after he loads the wood with his wife and 2 kids and I stay in the truck as by his rules he then gives me a list of food and I am to return it to him by the end of the day .
buy the way I had a truck with 30 inch sides and a trailer that was 5 wide and 10 long with 36 inch sides all heaping when I left.
very weird wood guy .
 
Todd , what are your thoughts on selling fire wood by weight? there is a scale just down the road from me, Iam going to sell wood next year and dont plan on stacking anything, I do have a dump trailer and loader, Ive seen charts on what wood weights and btu"s equal,. And I think its a fair way to sell wood,. I dont plan on makin a living at it, as much as helping friends out, I have zero experince at selling fire wood, but I think the weight of the wood is more important than the size of the pile, considering its seasioned wood of course, Thanks Eric

I really don't know all that much about it. I've bought some wood this year from a pole company at $10 ton wet. people are telling me it should work out to about a face cord per ton. Would probably have to split and stack a load to see whats really there. I would think once you get it zero'd in it would be a good way to go.
I work in a scrapyard so it would be easy for me too, but I probly would'nt sell unless someone I knew needed wood.
 
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The original measure of a "CORD" of wood was only used with "CORD-WOOD" which is 4 feet long and consists of a pile 8 feet long and 4 feet deep!
Any other measure or configuration was considered illegal in the early days of logging in America.

So when selling firewood, a stacked pile of 'cut-up & split firewood' means nothing. The only legal measure was when it was 4 feet long and in the round!

Only recently, have the State and Federal Government created 'standards' of weights & measures. The "NEW" measure of a cord of wood is 128 cubic feet in ANY CONFIGURATION!

I use the same method OldFarmerBuck uses and have a 128cf box to 'proof' check it. 6.6 bed on my Toyota loaded three times slightly higher than the bed equals "more than" 128cf or what is know as a cord of firewood.
 
he was talking about loose not stacked.
When i split, i just throw in in the pickup box. When its full (just above the sides) its a 1/3 cord. I've 'thrown in' enough that has been stacked by now to know how full to fill it. I think!! lol
 
Wow! I thought it was 128 cubic feet. I get about 225 logs per face cord. (1/3 cord) So about 675 logs per cord. 16" long

I think 232 cubic feet is a cord. The is the measurement I use. I never have an issue.


Scott
Nope.

You thought right Farmerbuck, a cord is 128 stacked. Do the math, 4x4x8.
 
Nope.

You thought right Farmerbuck, a cord is 128 stacked. Do the math, 4x4x8.


Your right it is 128 stacked. But if you read the post the man wants to know about a LOOSE cord meaning thrown in. My figure for that is 232. I have a 14x7 dump trailer with 4ft sides. For me to get a little over 2 true cords I stack the back row and throw in the rest. That gie me a bit over 2 cords with a mounding it a little. But like the origional topic said LOOSE

Scott
 
the odd thing was he only takes payment in grocery items and after he loads the wood with his wife and 2 kids and I stay in the truck as by his rules he then gives me a list of food and I am to return it to him by the end of the day .

That is a strange way indeed to buy wood. I guess they really don't like going to the grocery store. :)

Concerning the original post, loose thrown wood outside my woodshed seems to reduce itself by half when I stack it inside. The idea of a dry run or two with a known cord sounds like the best idea, but if it varies to much each time you throw it then you might be better off selling it by the trailer or truck load, and not worry about hitting the mark on each cord.
 

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