Moving Firewood

[NonTypicalCPA]

I have the almost perfect system of getting firewood out of my woods and to my house. I have old auto parts bins that I fill as I cut in the woods. I use my tractor with fel to load the bins onto my 18' trailer (no sides). I then pull the filled trailer to my house which is about 7 road miles from my woods. Here enters the problem. I am trying to figure out a way to unload the bins at home without driving my tractor back home. The bins are about 4 ft by 4 ft and weigh around 800 lbs (est). Of course the most sensible solution is to buy another brand new Kubota, but I could wind up getting shot for that. I have a Kawasaki Mule and I was trying to figure out a simple way to pull the bins off the trailer, then I could move them with a pallet jack or just wait until I'm done hauling wood for the day and bring home the tractor. Any good ideas? I have two removable ramps so I have a wide open rear end of the trailer.

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

too bad you don't have a deck about the same height as your trailer - then you could just use the pallet jack to unload the trailer.

or how about finding a tree or post you could attach a comalong or tow chain to and use that to pull the trailer out from under the parts bins. (hook bin, drive slowly away, bin stays in one place but trailer and ramps pull out from under it) Space the ramps so it'll slide down them then back up and repeat until trailer is empty? (OK, so this may not be the safest option)

third - make something like an oversized engine hoist so you can pick up the bin and swing it off the trailer before lowering to the ground again. (comealong would work well here, too if you wanted a fixed boom instead of hydraulic)

[RFB]

Build a gantry. Two uprights, 6x6 pressure treated. Cross member, I beam.
Trolley with chain or electric hoist.

Pull under it, attach load, raise load, pull out, lower load.

[Deerlope]

Use a dump trailer, just raise it and let then slide off.

[Sandlot]

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices
Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices
Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

[JB4310]

some thing with wheels, like a dolly or a HD hand truck that you could get under one side at least and half drag it.

Or this would take a little extra work but if you are putting the bins on the trailer in two rows then you could dump the bins off each side of the trailer then when you came home with the tractor you would have to load the bins again. this way you could reuse the bins to go get another load, I'm assuming you have to go back to the woods to retrieve your tractor with the empty trailer.

[bx23barry]

I'd just use my engine hoist and some straps.

[NonTypicalCPA]

Thanks for the responses. Sandlot, thanks for sending those links. That looks like the way I should be thinking. I will also have to look into the engine hoist.

Keep the ideas coming!

[Sandlot]

My pleasure. Hope you get it worked out. You may consider adding rollers or wheels to your bins. You could just roll them down some ramps.

[firefighter9208]

Just hook the trailer behind the tractor. Drive home, unhook the trailer, unload it. And then return to the woods. 7 miles isn't that far.

Chris