The bags are advertised to last about six times. Bags are $15 delivered. So cost per use in less than $3. I have used a few bags 3 times in testing and no issues so far. Bags do not tear from splits falling into them. I expect them to last 8 times for a cost of $2/use.
Green wood dries well in the bag if you put the bag on a pallet so air can flow from underneath as well as from the sides. Bags are ventilated and wood is loose in bag for good airflow. No piece of wood is more than 2' from the side of the bag. I place the pallet/bag units about one foot apart for seasoning.
For me, these bags are a game changer. I can process wood almost effortlessly. If it costs me $2-3 a face cord to eliminate stacking and to have something I can easily move around it is worth it to me. But the best part is I can stage these in my garage in the winter using a pallet jack. I never touch the splits until I carry them from the bag into the house.
The modified IBC totes I have shown in other posts are my preferred way to handle firewood for personal use. They hold just under 1.5 face cords. The downside is if I process and stack alone, it takes me 2 1/2 to 3 hours to get 1.5 face cords. That works out to 25-30 hours for a year's supply. If I have a person stacking and another running the tractor (to keep the log table on the processor full and move totes) we get a tote (1.5 face cords) in 45 minutes. With three people we process a year's supply of firewood (15 face cords) in 8-9 hours
Using bags, and working alone I get a face cord done in about an hour. My processor will produce about 2 face cords an hour. Time is "wasted" loading the log deck, putting a pallet under the bag stand, mounting a bag, and then moving the pallet/bag to the storage area. Working alone and using bags, I can get 15 face cords (year supply) done in about half the time of using IBC totes. WITHOUT STACKING!
Jon, if you are using a commercial processor your productivity will be higher...say 3 face cords/hr. IMO bags make even more sense in that case if you have a helper. You cannot afford to waste time mounting and moving bags. You will fill a bag in about 20 minutes. The ideal set up would be to have a swinging out-feed conveyor so you can have two bagging stations. When one bag is filled, swing the conveyor to the other bag and keep processing. Your helper can move the full bag and set up the next pallet/bag. My processor has the swinging conveyor, and this is what I plan to do when my fiancé retires next year.
