Logistics of firewood hauling and splitting?

[Gordon Gould]

Fully loaded it will haul 3500lbs and put about 800lbs of tongue weight on the hitch (which are the limits of my B3200, hence the design) .

With those hills you have - if you are going down loaded - I hope you have some brakes on that trailer. It wouldn't be fun to get pushed and rolled over the edge of one of those roads. I'm sure you have a handle on this where you deal with them every day, but decending with a heavy load behind looks scarey to me.

 

[Verticaltrx]

With those hills you have - if you are going down loaded - I hope you have some brakes on that trailer. It wouldn't be fun to get pushed and rolled over the edge of one of those roads. I'm sure you have a handle on this where you deal with them every day, but decending with a heavy load behind looks scarey to me.

A lot of the routes I have I go up the steeper trails and load the trailer on my way up. Then I take the longer but less steep route on the way back down. Still have to be careful though.

 

[grnspot110]

Started cutting next year's firewood today, mostly walnut tops for now. Renter has been cutting some walnut logs to pay for fencing on the farm. First two pics are today's work, last two are this year's burning supply, plus quite a bit I already have at home.

I try to have next year's supply cut & stacked at the farm by the first of the year. Then haul it home in the Fall, split it & stack it at home, covered. Hope to have a roof over the home supply by next season! ~~ grnspot110

 

[beenthere]

Seems these blocks should be split before stacking so the wood can dry. It won't dry unsplit.

 

[MikeInEburg]

Seems these blocks should be split before stacking so the wood can dry. It won't dry unsplit.

Not sure that I agree. Wood dries from the ends more than from a split side.
Mike

 

[grnspot110]

Seems these blocks should be split before stacking so the wood can dry. It won't dry unsplit.

It's plenty dry by the time I split it! As Mike said, wood dries more from the ends than the split side. Besides, it splits a lot easier after it's dried!

The big blocks on the trailer won't be split until just before using them. I store them closer to the shop & try to use them up just before burning season is over. ~~ grnspot110

 

[Josh61513]

I really like your idea. How long will these last? I need a good source for pallets.

I'm not really sure. I've had a few for almost two years and they still seem solid. I think the pallets will probably rot out first as they sit right on the ground, although I do set them on high-ground so they don't sit in water.

I get the pallets from work (for free). I have to buy the 2x4s, OSB for roof, and rool roofing/nails/roofing cement.

I move the pallets full of dry wood right up to the house as needed during the winter, I have a sliding glass door at the back of the house that's directly across from my wood burning insert.

 

[Gordon Gould]

Besides, it splits a lot easier after it's dried!

Boy, this surprises me. I dont know walnut but the maple, yellow birch, ash, and beech I split goes a lot easier when it is green.

I also burn some iron wood (hophornbeam) which I rarely can split. It dries fine unsplit but white birch and red oak needs to be split to dry in my thinking.
Sun and air are the best ingredients for drying firewood.

 

[Dead Horse]

Boy, this surprises me. I dont know walnut but the maple, yellow birch, ash, and beech I split goes a lot easier when it is green.

Sun and air are the best ingredients for drying firewood.

That is my experience. Plus I believe for thick barked trees, you do need to get the bark off to get the rounds to dry out. Splitting them is the most efficient way to do that.

I have let thick barked logs sit for a year and then bucked. They were as wet to the saw as the day they were felled. The sooner it is split and set in the sun the faster it will season.

Maybe the exception is when the weather drops below 20 degrees.

 

[beenthere]

When it comes to wood, there exists a lot of misunderstanding about how it dries.

True that it dries faster out the end grain than from the side of the grain.

But not true that it dries when not split. And the proof is that it splits easy (as it is still green as mentioned).

And another confusion is that wood (even split) will be dry after one year. It will be less wet than it was when fresh cut from a live tree, but it will not be very dry.
It will be more seasoned than the year before, but it will not be very dry.

The walnut stacked like that in the rounds (blocks) will not dry much over 5-10 years, let alone one.

But each can and will do what they feel best for them, and that is really the only thing that is important.
So feel good about whatever you do, and enjoy the exercise. I do.