WinterDeere
Super Member
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2011
- Messages
- 6,085
- Location
- Philadelphia
- Tractor
- John Deere 3033R, 855 MFWD, 757 ZTrak; IH Cub Cadet 123
The time to ask about firewood management is usually before building the shed, as shed size and construction should be dictated by handling method. Of course, this may be more useful to others stumbling into this thread, than the OP who has already built their shed.
If you have a tractor heavy enough to lift and safetly move pallets of firewood from your storage lot to your patio, or the place from which you retrieve your daily supply, then that's always a great solution. However, do plan on bringing lots of rodents, giant spiders, occasional snake corpses, and everything else that comes with not shaking your wood out near the house. Heck, I found another dead squirrel stuck between two rows in the wood I was moving just yesterday.
Hopefully you're processing and drying your wood some distance from the house, to keep the bugs, snakes, rodents, and other mess that comes with all of that away from the house. Now you need a way to cart wood from the shed to the house, and a place to store it at the house, all while minimizing handling and foot steps.
Because the tractor I owned when I started all of this wasn't really great for moving full pallets of wood, I never even considered that option, instead choosing a wagon as my storage at the house. I can fill the wagon, park it at the house, and never have to unload it. I have a place to park it under cover, and it can hold 1/2 cord with ease... up to 1 full cord with some care and extra effort. I use about 1/4 cord per week in average weather, up to 1/2 cord per week in blistering cold weather, so ease of moving wood is key to me.
For the shed, you want to avoid anything deeper than an arm's reach, as walking into the shed to retrieve each piece of wood, then walking back out to place it in your loader bucket or wagon, is a monumental waste of time. I built mine to be accessible from both sides, 4 rows deep, so I can retrieve two rows (arm's reach) from each side.
When processing, I just park the splitter directly next to where I'm stacking, which I can do from either side of the shed to minimize reaching deeper than the second row from each side. I essentially grab a log off my pile, lay it next to the splitter, and buck the rounds right there. Then I lift the rounds off the splitter if they're light, or use the loader bucket as my log lift if the rounds are heavy, and onto the splitter. Off the splitter, straight into the stacks.
If you have a tractor heavy enough to lift and safetly move pallets of firewood from your storage lot to your patio, or the place from which you retrieve your daily supply, then that's always a great solution. However, do plan on bringing lots of rodents, giant spiders, occasional snake corpses, and everything else that comes with not shaking your wood out near the house. Heck, I found another dead squirrel stuck between two rows in the wood I was moving just yesterday.
Hopefully you're processing and drying your wood some distance from the house, to keep the bugs, snakes, rodents, and other mess that comes with all of that away from the house. Now you need a way to cart wood from the shed to the house, and a place to store it at the house, all while minimizing handling and foot steps.
Because the tractor I owned when I started all of this wasn't really great for moving full pallets of wood, I never even considered that option, instead choosing a wagon as my storage at the house. I can fill the wagon, park it at the house, and never have to unload it. I have a place to park it under cover, and it can hold 1/2 cord with ease... up to 1 full cord with some care and extra effort. I use about 1/4 cord per week in average weather, up to 1/2 cord per week in blistering cold weather, so ease of moving wood is key to me.
For the shed, you want to avoid anything deeper than an arm's reach, as walking into the shed to retrieve each piece of wood, then walking back out to place it in your loader bucket or wagon, is a monumental waste of time. I built mine to be accessible from both sides, 4 rows deep, so I can retrieve two rows (arm's reach) from each side.
When processing, I just park the splitter directly next to where I'm stacking, which I can do from either side of the shed to minimize reaching deeper than the second row from each side. I essentially grab a log off my pile, lay it next to the splitter, and buck the rounds right there. Then I lift the rounds off the splitter if they're light, or use the loader bucket as my log lift if the rounds are heavy, and onto the splitter. Off the splitter, straight into the stacks.
Bad idea. You'll be brining wood borers, carpenter ants, and many mice into your garage, who will find their way into your home, given sufficient time and warmth. Keep it outside.
