Easy way of loading chunks into my trailer?

[crowbait]

I've got plenty of sources for logs around me. Seems people are always having trees cut down near by. So, I head on over, chunk up the logs, load my trailer, and take 'er home. Then I split away.

What's killing me, tho, is the loading of the chunks into my trailer. I hate chainsawing the large chunks in half before I load them, too. There's gotta be an easier way.

If I had some kind of lift ramp on the back of my trailer, I could drag chunks to it. The lift gate would then raise, and I could drag them into the trailer. I'd only get one layer that way, but it beats lifting the heavy ones. It's a 16 foot long trailer, so even that way I'd get a nice load...and could top it off with the limbs.

I'm not against putting a winch on the front of my F150, if that would help power something some way.

Someone has to encountered this themselves, before me.
I'm not gonna buy a skid-steer, and have to transport that too.
I thought about some kinda of elevator...but then there's the issue of transporting that to, and from, the tree-site.

I could hire a "day worker" or two, but at $15/hr, my firewood starts to get expensive.

Ideas gang?

 

[STLfirewood]

I have a 16ft trailer with a 2 foot dove that i use to haul wood sometimes. It is a car hauler so I just take the ramp out and roll the blocks up the ramp. I can get a pretty big chunk of wood up the ramp. Do you have a cherry picker. That would be slow but it would work. You could get one of those boom arms that mount in the back of a truck and mount it on your trailer. I think they will lift 1000 pounds. It would be slow but you could modify it with and electric over hydraulic pump. Other then that I don't know.

Scott

 

[ray benson]

Roll pieces to the trailer and lift. Lay one piece flat behind the trailer then roll/walk the big pieces up. Sort of like stairs. My wife usually helps and is also there for safety. The bad part is the big pieces still have to be dealt with once your home.

 

[crowbait]

I'm ok getting the chunks to my trailer, and off of my trailer...I just can lift them all day.

Just seems like there should be a way to make a lift gate that runs off of a winch, or the electricity from the rear outlet of my truck.....

 

[ddhlakebound]

I'm ok getting the chunks to my trailer, and off of my trailer...I just can lift them all day.

Just seems like there should be a way to make a lift gate that runs off of a winch, or the electricity from the rear outlet of my truck.....

We've used a 16' car hauler to haul blocks too, and use the step method with 2/3 guys doing the lifting together for the really heavy stuff. Its much faster than using the winch mounted on the front of the trailer......

But if I was working alone, I'd definatley use the winch. 12volt, mounted on the trailer frame between the front of the trailer and the hitch. Then just set up a ramp on the back of the trailer, choke the block in the cable, and winch it up the ramp and into position. Sort of slow, but a huge backsaver, and you can drag HUGE blocks up the ramp.

Sitting here thinking about it, I guess it would be possible to mount a hinged, bent ramp to the back of the trailer, and use the winch to "dump" the bocks on the trailer from ground level. A sturdy frame, covered in 1" steel mesh, hinging at the back of the trailer, going down the the ground at a 45 degree angle to the ground, then flat along the ground for 3'. You'd probably need a redirect point a few feet from the back of the trailer, raised and braced. Then just run your winch cable through the redirect and to the end of the ramp. When you turn on the winch, the ramp raises and dumps the block/s onto the trailer.

 

[turnkey4099]

Why not work them up to a manageable size before loading? You obviously do it when you get them home so you wouldn't be adding any extra work.
Time restraints where you pick them up is the only reason I can think of.

My practice is to split them (wedges/maul, saw the crotches) to what I can handle, load, haul and finish splitting at home. Of all the things involved with making firewood, splitting/loading is my least favorite.

Harry K

 

[ddhlakebound]

Why not work them up to a manageable size before loading? You obviously do it when you get them home so you wouldn't be adding any extra work.
Time restraints where you pick them up is the only reason I can think of.

My practice is to split them (wedges/maul, saw the crotches) to what I can handle, load, haul and finish splitting at home. Of all the things involved with making firewood, splitting/loading is my least favorite.

Harry K

300-400 lbs is manageable......sort of.....

Ripping/splitting on the jobsite takes way more time than loading them big and taking them to the hydraulic splitter. If I had to split them by hand, then by all means, make them manageable in the first place.

 

[triptester]

Here is a pic of the log lift on my splitter. The winch on your trailer could power it.

 

[CUCV]

I try to process the wood as much as possible on site, I have found it to be a great time saver. I do have a bobcat to lift and move logs but I still find it quicker to process on site.
What I do is (if hauling wood on the truck) I tow a my horz/vert splitter on site. Split the wood, load the truck and tow the splitter home. Where the quantity of wood justifies I use a trailer to haul the wood and put the splitter on the back of the truck with ramps.

 

[crowbait]

yeah, I don't have the time when onsite to do the breaking down of chunks there. Also, there's the whole "hauling" thing. I pull my trailer with my truck...but what do I do with the splitter? In the trailer, you might say...but what about my trip home when the trailer is full.

I'm liking the idea of a long ramp on the back of my trailer, made of heavy duty steel. Then I drag chunks and load up the ramp, then use my truck winch to lift the ramp, thus dumping them into the trailer. Might just work. I've got a steel fabrication joint nearby, and I might turn them onto this idea, and see what they come up with.

 

[jags]

I'm with Triptester. I know its not a real good photo of the log lift, but a design like this on your trailer would do the trick. This is mine.

 

[crowbait]

Could I run a lifter like that, off the 12v elec. outlet on the back of my truck, some way?

 

[jags]

If the 12V electric outlet is wired with the proper size wire to handle the amp draw, then you sure can. Check the specs on whatever winch you plan on using for the amp rating, and then make sure the wire that was used can handle it. If all else fails, make your own set of wires with clamps and just run it external to the truck battery.

 

[Brushwacker]

I would just get a big chainsaw and quarter them up to managable size. It doesn,t take very long with a well maintained 70cc saw or up ,even slightly smaller saws are not that bad. Keep the bar and chain sharp , the saws air cleaner cleaned when needed, proper fuel mix and carb adj., and the added time spent will save more time later. Sounds to me like you will be spending a lot of time and effort with the winch and you will still have a wrestling match come time to split. 2 to $300 should find you a good enough used saw for that job. Some thing like an stihl 045 or bigger works very good.MS660 works great.

 

[Brushwacker]

I would just get a big chainsaw and quarter them up to managable size. It doesn,t take very long with a well maintained 70cc saw or up ,even slightly smaller saws are not that bad. Keep the bar and chain sharp , the saws air cleaner cleaned when needed, proper fuel mix and carb adj., and the added time spent will save more time later. Sounds to me like you will be spending a lot of time and effort with the winch and you will still have a wrestling match come time to split. 2 to $300 should find you a good enough used saw for that job. Some thing like an stihl 045 or bigger works very good.MS660 works great.

 

[beowulf343]

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=38289&highlight=parbuckle

Try this thread. Parbuckling works pretty good.

 

[Mr. Obvious]

Your all missing the obvious. Just get a 2 wheel moving dolly for 30-40 dollars at harbor freight. You can load huge chunks easy with a dolly and ramps. If it works for refrigerators why not chunks of wood.

This solution may be to cheap and to simple though.

 

[ropensaddle]

Yes I used a dolly that was a tire dolly homemade laid down
atv ramp laid plywood down on the ramps that I painted with
hercules liner worked great until purchased grapple truck.
bailey's sell a good dolly but pricey the only problem with the
dolly's I had was flats and the stinking wheels on the chinese
made replacement tires coming apart or warping under the weight
does anyone make a one piece dolly rim for air tires anymore?

 

[SmokinDodge]

Does anyone make a one piece dolly rim for air tires anymore?

Maybe the rims and tires off the front of a riding mower would have the same axle size or be able to be fitted to the frame. Would be a lot more durable I'd imagine.

 

[sperho]

I bought a furniture dolly at Northern tool last winter. Can be had for cheap, but the wheels are too small for this kind of thing. A cheap idea to try: put some cheap air-filled wheels (8" or so) as found at Tractor Supply, Northern Tool, or the like, on a small 2'x4' constructed frame and tip the round onto it and push it or winch it up a ramp into the trailer. I've not actually done this, but I may give it a try sometime.