Est. how much wood in a 6-1/2 ft F150

[turnkey4099]

The reason most haul spit wood instead of rounds is 1. because it is easier to lift and load. 2. you are handling the wood one less time.
What would you rather do cut the wood laying on the ground, split it, load it into your truck, then unload and stack it where you want it. Or cut the wood, load it into your truck in rounds, then unload the truck split it, load it back into the truck and haul and stack where you want it.?

Good points but I haul pieces as big as I can load. I want to minimize my time out there as much as possible. But then age is a factor. I can ...or could a year or two ago, fell and buck enough rounds for load without getting too tired. No way could I have added the work and time of splitting it also. Sadly, my loads now are down to about 1/2 of what I used to haul home.

Harry K

 

[turnkey4099]

No need to get but hurt about it and start talking down to me. Iif it was so much better everyone would be doing it wouldnt they? And it would be documented some where to prove how foolish we are by stacking splits.

Challenge accepted. Next tree I cut up I will prove you wrong. Why dont you try to prove yourself right? opcorn:

No need to get uptight, it isn't rocket science. It has been proved right here on the forum several times in the past. Used to be a sticky with some of them.

You can prove it quickly to yourself while watching TV. Take a box top, cut up a tapered tubular item (carrots work well if you can get some big ones, potatos also). Slice into rounds, pack as many as you can into a box top, dump out, split in half and try to fit them back in. You'll have several left over no matter how you fiddle with fitting them in.

You could also use wood dowels sliced into rounds but that doesn't give you different sizes of rounds.

Oddly the naysayers never seem to try any of the various experiments that are put forth...or at least if they do they never report back.

Harry K

 

[singinwoodwackr]

when I worked on a firewood crew in the '80s/90s we sold Almond and Walnut out of the orchards on a 'U-haul it' basis. A full-size puckup bed came out to 1/2 cord if stacked and packed 4" above the bed sides all the way to the tailgate. Method was checked every now and then by unloading and stacking/measuring.

 

[CRThomas]

It is not already cut and split, I have to cut it then split it then load it. 30 pick up truck loads is a lot of work and time. But actually a 10 cord load would last me 2 years so I really only need to do 15 pick up loads a year, but this winter has killed me so far and already wiped out all my dry wood. I would like to stay at least one year ahead on my wood. But it is easier said than done. I can't devote all my spare time to firewood.

Not only is it costing you money in gas and wear and tear on your vehicle, but you also have to take into consideration, what's your time worth. I have access to 70 acres of wood plus what neighbors and friends offer, but it is a lot easier to just have it delivered and cut at my leisure.

if you can find some Ash it will burn good if you have just cut it when the leavers are off. Makes a good filler to burn your wet hardwood. I have a lot of people buy a 4 ft x 4 ft x 16 inch just to get there wet hardwood that some clown sold them my nabor called me to come over and bring my checker and mall the man showed up with wood I. Necked it it was 42 to 62 percent and that was suppose to be dry if that was dry you could burn water. I sold him some Ash and stacked and stocked his hard wood in his garage his garage is heated. Thirty day later and 30.

 

[Coldfront]

Good points but I haul pieces as big as I can load. I want to minimize my time out there as much as possible. But then age is a factor. I can ...or could a year or two ago, fell and buck enough rounds for load without getting too tired. No way could I have added the work and time of splitting it also. Sadly, my loads now are down to about 1/2 of what I used to haul home.

Harry K

I hear you at 56 I cut one tank of gas through my 372xp and I'm done for the day.

 

[mn woodcutter]

interesting, I also would have thought that split and stacked would take up less space than rounds stacked.

 

[turnkey4099]

interesting, I also would have thought that split and stacked would take up less space than rounds stacked.

Yes it is interesting. I first read about that back in 60s and didn't believe it until I tried it. It seems so logical and commone sense that it would be the other way. Part of the cause is the increase in surface area every time you split a piece.

Harry K

 

[mn woodcutter]

so, when figuring a full size truck bed with racks to the top of the cab, how much more wood can I get home with stacked rounds than splits? hmmmm

 

[Big_Al]

The couple times that I checked it I came out being able to fit more split wood on truck. Last summer we found a fairly large blowdown tamarack. Was about 34" at the bottom. We were pressed for time so we just loaded the rounds on truck, no splitting. We were able to fit 24 rounds stacked, cut to 16". They were all large enough that you could fit 2 across by 2 high. Had 6 rows. There was some pretty big gaps between the rounds themselves & the rounds & bed/racks. Well after we got it split & stacked back on truck a few days later , the back 6th row was short by about half. Usually we would split some or use smaller rounds to fill in all the gaps to get a full load.

 

[Coldfront]

so, when figuring a full size truck bed with racks to the top of the cab, how much more wood can I get home with stacked rounds than splits? hmmmm

If I did that my rear tires would be flat, and the rear trailer hitch receiver would be dragging on the ground.

 

[singinwoodwackr]

so, when figuring a full size truck bed with racks to the top of the cab, how much more wood can I get home with stacked rounds than splits? hmmmm

space isn't the issue, weight is. most green hardwoods are in the 6,000#/cord range so trying to get that much into a 1/2ton truck ain't happening. A 3/4ton with beefed up suspension (front and rear) "can" haul a cord of dry with racks in the bed but I wouldn't go far with it since it will still be in the 4000# range depending on the wood. And then there's the issue of stopping the truck
A better way to go is to haul a medium sized trailer that has brakes along with a 1/2 cord in the bed...but make sure you have at least a class 3 hitch.

 

[Big_Al]

We normally cut dead wood and only have softwoods, tamarack, red fir, pines. So it's quite a bit lighter than green hardwood. Can fill up full size pickup with racks without sagging too bad.

 

[mn woodcutter]

space isn't the issue, weight is. most green hardwoods are in the 6,000#/cord range so trying to get that much into a 1/2ton truck ain't happening. A 3/4ton with beefed up suspension (front and rear) "can" haul a cord of dry with racks in the bed but I wouldn't go far with it since it will still be in the 4000# range depending on the wood. And then there's the issue of stopping the truck
A better way to go is to haul a medium sized trailer that has brakes along with a 1/2 cord in the bed...but make sure you have at least a class 3 hitch.

well its a good thing I have a 1 ton then! it handles a serious load!

 

[Coldfront]

I

well its a good thing I have a 1 ton then! it handles a serious load!

I'll bet it burns some serious gas also.

 

[mn woodcutter]

my '89 F350 has a fuel injected 351W which starts on the coldest of days and gets between 13-15 mpg which isn't good but it isn't that bad either when its only real job besides going to the dump on occasion or making a lumber run is hauling wood home from no more than 5 miles down the road and normally less than 5 blocks. I very much enjoy having the heavier springs and axels for the abuse that I put it through.