The wood lot

[fjcruiser]

I managed to snag a dozen of the totes myself yesterday. Finally found a seller willing to just part with the cages, and not force me to somehow deal with a bunch of chemical stained liners. $25 apiece near Fowerville, MI. PM me if anyone in Michigan needs more info.

The sad part is going to be when I try to pick up a full one of wet split wood, and my loader just says... no thanks. haha.

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Nice score. Seems they are quite a bit more expensive in most of the country.

I'm not sure how much they weigh with wet wood. I can definitely tell there is some weight there when I move them with my tractor. I never stack wood in them, I throw it in loose. The wood dries very fast. I get about 1/5-1/4 of a cord in each one.

 

[Green Acres Homestead]

Nice score. Seems they are quite a bit more expensive in most of the country.

I'm not sure how much they weigh with wet wood. I can definitely tell there is some weight there when I move them with my tractor. I never stack wood in them, I throw it in loose. The wood dries very fast. I get about 1/5-1/4 of a cord in each one.

Most wet hardwood weight approx 5500 lbs per cord. Doing the math that's about 1200 pounds.

 

[deezler]

I'm not sure how much they weigh with wet wood. I can definitely tell there is some weight there when I move them with my tractor. I never stack wood in them, I throw it in loose. The wood dries very fast. I get about 1/5-1/4 of a cord in each one.

I'm too OCD to just toss in my wood loose, I'm sure I'll have to stack it neatly in two rows (plus I like to pick it back up to move in arm bundles, not one piece at a time). The dimensions of the 275-gal tote cages are pretty ideal though - I figure use the 40" dimension to allow for two rows of 15-16" long cut wood with a little breathing room in between. This gives you two stacks of ~46x45", which means you almost get a full face-cord (1/3 cord) in each tote. Could be as much as 1700-1800 lbs when loaded wet, I guess? yikes.

I'm sure that's too heavy for my current tractor/loader - particularly because I don't have SSQA and have to clamp pallet forks onto the loader bucket, putting the load way out in front. So I guess I'll only load these tote cages about half way until I can convince the wife I need a stronger tractor, lol.

 

[fjcruiser]

I'm too OCD to just toss in my wood loose, I'm sure I'll have to stack it neatly in two rows (plus I like to pick it back up to move in arm bundles, not one piece at a time). The dimensions of the 275-gal tote cages are pretty ideal though - I figure use the 40" dimension to allow for two rows of 15-16" long cut wood with a little breathing room in between. This gives you two stacks of ~46x45", which means you almost get a full face-cord (1/3 cord) in each tote. Could be as much as 1700-1800 lbs when loaded wet, I guess? yikes.

I'm sure that's too heavy for my current tractor/loader - particularly because I don't have SSQA and have to clamp pallet forks onto the loader bucket, putting the load way out in front. So I guess I'll only load these tote cages about half way until I can convince the wife I need a stronger tractor, lol.

Are 3pt forks an option? I agree though... Always like the idea of the stronger tractor.

 

[deezler]

Are 3pt forks an option? I agree though... Always like the idea of the stronger tractor.

Shoot, to be honest I didn't even consider that. I only have 1650 lbs lift on my 3-pt, still kinda marginal. And I really don't like the idea of swapping 3-pt implements just to move firewood around, as I mostly do loader work otherwise, and always need a heavy implement for ballast. NOPE! bigger tractor is the only reasonable solution, hahahaha.

 

[Paul Thornton]

Wouldn’t a tote of wood be a heavy ballast?

 

[deezler]

Wouldn’t a tote of wood be a heavy ballast?

Dang, got me again. Yes it sure would, but, a bit less functional than a rear blade or box blade, and I wouldn't want it to ever get wet if my tractor had to work or stay out in the rain or snow.

 

[fjcruiser]

Shoot, to be honest I didn't even consider that. I only have 1650 lbs lift on my 3-pt, still kinda marginal. And I really don't like the idea of swapping 3-pt implements just to move firewood around, as I mostly do loader work otherwise, and always need a heavy implement for ballast. NOPE! bigger tractor is the only reasonable solution, hahahaha.

Lol I like the way you think!

 

[deezler]

Well, bad news everyone. Turns out my tractor can manage these IBC cages ok even when filled most of the way up. When empty, these cages are actually a bit lighter than the wooden pallet setups I had been using previously. So even at 2/3 to 3/4 full of wet wood, they lifted ok! Now I might have to actually break my tractor in order to justify a new one....?

Maybe hard to see in the background of the pics, but I cut out a partial access on the front face of the IBC cages to make loading and unloading a bit easier. They still seem totally rigid/sturdy afterwards. Loading in two rows of wood across the 48" dimension fit perfectly. Basically, these tote cages are AWESOME.

Anyway my father-in-law and his buddy wanted to come check out my pole barn construction and see the new wood setup, so I quickly hauled out the splitter and put them to work to get a few of the totes filled. And yes any safety police here are welcome to tell me not to let my 5 year old run the splitter, but he did a pretty good job and always wears his ear protection. It was a chilly spring day that barely budged above freezing and left a half inch of snow on the ground here and there - in other words, a great day for firewood production! Cheers.

 

[fjcruiser]

I like how you cut out the end of the tote. I am thinking about doing the same thing kinda. I would like keep that cut out location just as you have it, but, hinge it at the bottom so I could fold it down to unload wood, fold it back up to load it. Not sure if that makes sense. Like I said before, I keep the wood in there loose, not stacked.

 

[deezler]

I like how you cut out the end of the tote. I am thinking about doing the same thing kinda. I would like keep that cut out location just as you have it, but, hinge it at the bottom so I could fold it down to unload wood, fold it back up to load it. Not sure if that makes sense. Like I said before, I keep the wood in there loose, not stacked.

Definitely makes sense, if your wood is tossed in loose. Don't want any falling out the gap in the front / loading side. Instead of a hinge setup, you could just use some long slender (but stiff) rods that go inside of the cut tubes.... ? Slide the access portion on and off the rods, or keep the rods in the small cutout piece. Hope that makes at least a little sense.....?

I'm 5'10" and I definitely can't reach the bottom of the tote without cutting an access like I did. But with my wood stacked sideways, I can get at least a couple rows above the cut out without risking much falling out.

 

[Green Acres Homestead]

Don't worry I've been by my dad for many years and I try to never work alone things happen to fast!

It's has been 5 years. You still in the woods.

 

[Green Acres Homestead]

Definitely makes sense, if your wood is tossed in loose. Don't want any falling out the gap in the front / loading side. Instead of a hinge setup, you could just use some long slender (but stiff) rods that go inside of the cut tubes.... ? Slide the access portion on and off the rods, or keep the rods in the small cutout piece. Hope that makes at least a little sense.....?

I'm 5'10" and I definitely can't reach the bottom of the tote without cutting an access like I did. But with my wood stacked sideways, I can get at least a couple rows above the cut out without risking much falling out.

Man they look efficient. Quicker then building totes out of pallets.

 

[deezler]

Man they look efficient. Quicker then building totes out of pallets.

Much quicker, since they're already ready to go! Definitely lighter than a pallet/wood setup of equal strength. And much more durable for the long run (no rot). I love 'em thus far.

 

[Green Acres Homestead]

Much quicker, since they're already ready to go! Definitely lighter than a pallet/wood setup of equal strength. And much more durable for the long run (no rot). I love 'em thus far.

Think I will look for a few. Once you get a line on some, they are quicker to buy than to make out of pallets.