Komrade
Silver Member
I am considering using a combination of plastic pallets and warehouse racking for firewood stacking. We actually don't burn that much (last year we burned about a cord, and that was primarily bc we had issues with the minisplit), but I'd like to have firewood at hand for emergencies, and we can always sell it in bundles to campers.
Currently my firewood is on wood pallets, and despite being on pallets it's damp (low lying spot). The flat spots are at a premium in the mountains, and I want it to both look good and be functional (e.g. be close to the house)
The pallets are 55x43, which is roughly 16sq feet. Oak (dominant tree around here) is about 5000lb/cord, which turns out to be about 40lb per cubic foot (128cuft in cord). at 3 feet high, that will make the pallet weight of around 2000lb (16sqft X 40lb X 3ft), barely within lifting capacity of my tractor (see below), however with a 2-shelf system about 9ft high (4 ft per shelf + height of shelf), I could keep 8 of these each year, with 3 bottom being green, and top 3 being dryer (easier to lift) and 2 remaining ones being 'leftover' from last year (e.g. dryer). Additionally, since our wood stove only takes 18" logs, we'd be able to only take advantage of about 36" of that 43" depth, reducing overall theoretical weight by 15%. That should give us about 2.5cords of wood (48cuft per pallet X 8 *85% / 128 per cord). If we ever needed to expand, more wood could be stored in random flat spots not so close to the house.
I think I would like to find either steel racks to hold these pallets, or build something of my own.
I think the steel racks might be hard(er) to find to fit my setup. Plus they have the disadvantage of rusting, and having to 'hide' the 'industrial look' (would want to make them look like a regular wood shed). However, the advantage is for a few hundred bucks (if could be found used) it would require minimum labor to setup, and they're pretty durable.
In order to build one looks like a 2x6 can support about 1600lb in a 4ft section, which means a pair of 2x6 with a 4x4 as a pole can easily support this setup.. This popular mechanics wood shed could be modified to fit these needs.
These are high level thoughts, and looking for feedback. I know the pallets could have been smaller, but for $3 per found locally I can't beat that price.
Breakout force (lift): 2,160 lbs [979 kg]
Lift to full height (at pin): 1,345 lbs [610 kg]
Lift to full height (at 500mm): 1,003 lbs [454 kg]
Currently my firewood is on wood pallets, and despite being on pallets it's damp (low lying spot). The flat spots are at a premium in the mountains, and I want it to both look good and be functional (e.g. be close to the house)
The pallets are 55x43, which is roughly 16sq feet. Oak (dominant tree around here) is about 5000lb/cord, which turns out to be about 40lb per cubic foot (128cuft in cord). at 3 feet high, that will make the pallet weight of around 2000lb (16sqft X 40lb X 3ft), barely within lifting capacity of my tractor (see below), however with a 2-shelf system about 9ft high (4 ft per shelf + height of shelf), I could keep 8 of these each year, with 3 bottom being green, and top 3 being dryer (easier to lift) and 2 remaining ones being 'leftover' from last year (e.g. dryer). Additionally, since our wood stove only takes 18" logs, we'd be able to only take advantage of about 36" of that 43" depth, reducing overall theoretical weight by 15%. That should give us about 2.5cords of wood (48cuft per pallet X 8 *85% / 128 per cord). If we ever needed to expand, more wood could be stored in random flat spots not so close to the house.
I think I would like to find either steel racks to hold these pallets, or build something of my own.
I think the steel racks might be hard(er) to find to fit my setup. Plus they have the disadvantage of rusting, and having to 'hide' the 'industrial look' (would want to make them look like a regular wood shed). However, the advantage is for a few hundred bucks (if could be found used) it would require minimum labor to setup, and they're pretty durable.
In order to build one looks like a 2x6 can support about 1600lb in a 4ft section, which means a pair of 2x6 with a 4x4 as a pole can easily support this setup.. This popular mechanics wood shed could be modified to fit these needs.
These are high level thoughts, and looking for feedback. I know the pallets could have been smaller, but for $3 per found locally I can't beat that price.
Breakout force (lift): 2,160 lbs [979 kg]
Lift to full height (at pin): 1,345 lbs [610 kg]
Lift to full height (at 500mm): 1,003 lbs [454 kg]
Last edited:
I'll be watching your thread.
