Log transportation

[andrehoude]

Planning on cutting pine down to bring to my local saw mill to make board and Batton for our cottage just wondering how you guys transport your logs on your trailer we have a sure-trac 20+5 deck over with 2. 7000pounds axels


Thanks for all your info

 

[Diamondpilot]

Build a log cradel.

Chris

 

[andrehoude]

Ya that's what I was thinking just wondering to see if anyone would have pictures an if the stake pocket would be strong enough?

Thanks

 

[Egon]

All the stuff needed to mak a proper log trailer cost't buck's.

Why not just stack the logs naturally and chain them down. You will have to make more trips but the smaller loads will be easier to tow. And might not be too far off the trailers limit.

 

[CliffordK]

On a log truck, the logs are chained around each other, and then sit on the trailer with weight, no chains to the trailer. But, when hauling on a flatbed, chaining to the trailer is a good idea.

How many logs are you transporting at a time? One? Several?

I would probably make some wedges (fixed to the trailer bed somehow) to keep stuff from rolling around, then chain it all down.

A standard binder only has a few inches of pull. A ratchet binder a little more. On occasion I've tightened a load first with a come-a-long, then put the binder on. You can put a cheater on a good binder to make it quite tight.

Another thing. Sometimes it doesn't hurt to start with a chain under your load, so you can wrap it around your load to get a nice tight bundle. It never hurts to plan ahead and put your chain down FIRST.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Go to the projects section of this site and look at a thread called building a stick frame house in 90 days. He hauled lots of logs and used a cradel he built.

There is a logging operation just 1 mile from my daughter's day care. The have straps and cables to hold the logs to the trailer. All logs are secured to the trailer. No way DOT would let them get by without doing so.

Chris

 

[Stimw]

Don't use straps unless you plan to throw them away afterwards!! The pine tar will ruin them, chains are a lot easier to wash off.

 

[jejeosborne]

I have hauled many logs. Our house was built 6 years ago with the logs from our the clearing. You will not be hauling as many logs as you think even with your strong axle rating. Green wood is very heavy. Here is a calculator to use http://www.woodweb.com/cgi-bin/calculators/calc.pl

If you have many with long distances, it may be worth having them picked up and delivered with a larger rig.

 

[CliffordK]

The have straps and cables to hold the logs to the trailer. All logs are secured to the trailer. No way DOT would let them get by without doing so.

It all depends on the type of load and type of truck.
Read page K3 & K4 of this doc.

The only mention of securing the load to the truck or trailer is page K4 section 11 for crossways stacked short logs.

The Washington page has some nice drawings.

Although, around here, the cheese block bunks are no longer used on log trucks.

Anyway, note that the chains go around the load, and do not go to the bunks. And since the bunks swivel, going to the truck would be very bad.

Now, for a small flatbed trailer, without logs going between a truck and trailer, and without full height steel bunks, you would benefit from at least some of the chains going to the trailer.

 

[ahlkey]

I would second the option to have a log trucker do it for you. It may cost you a couple hundred dollars but a lot better than hauling them yourself on a flatbed trailer. It just takes one accident and unless you are license to haul logs it might be problematic for you. A good alternative is hire a portable sawmill to come onsite and saw the pine for you at your place which would eliminate any cost of transportation. Attached is my small log trailer that I use around my sawmill and doing some hauling but if I was to transport any significant amount of logs I wouldn't want to do it myself.

 

[RAS323]

All the stuff needed to mak a proper log trailer cost't buck's.

Why not just stack the logs naturally and chain them down. You will have to make more trips but the smaller loads will be easier to tow. And might not be too far off the trailers limit.

Just chain them to the trailer. If your going to stack them, put some boards in the stake pockets that are higher than the highest log.

 

[spruce Deere]

Not that Fenders make good bunks, I found using blocks again the outer logs keep them from leaning on the fenders so hard or at all.... then chain and binder them down. Hauled many a load this way. I not caught no grief from DOT or anyone but the forest service who tried to pin me for hauling pulp wood because of my log lengths ... fixed that buy cutting the logs shorter.

The best way is a pair of bunks fastened to the trailer. Got to lift the logs a little higher to load but they will be cradled nicely and held off the trailer deck to help in unloading also.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

I would suggest some sort of headache rack on the trailer if at all possible. For somereason even in a tight stack, that one center log might not be pinched in very tightly and if you yak on the brakes, you might have a new swiss cheese tailgate on your truck! Your almost certainly going to have to take smaller loads than your thinking of if the wood is green as well. I also vote for laying down some 4"x4" dunnage so that the place can unload them with their forked machinery. This will also allow you to wrap the load with a pair of chains to make a bundle and then chain the bundle down.


Remember: here on TBN, it didn't happen if there are not pictures to prove it.

 

[andrehoude]

Thanks for all your info we either have the choice of the saw mill coming over we drop the wood off over there it's about a 45 minute ride I think I'll chain the load together first and put more chains from one side to and other and have our welding but make 4 C channel metal pieces that slide in as that I can remove one I'm done the operation

Thanks when it's all dries up here I'm getting started on that lol keep you guys posted

 

[RandyT]

Here in Illinois, it is illegal to haul more that 1 log at a time without a logging licence. Check your state laws before hauling logs on public roads. if caught could get expensive quickly.

 

[andrehoude]

Here in Illinois, it is illegal to haul more that 1 log at a time without a logging licence. Check your state laws before hauling logs on public roads. if caught could get expensive quickly.

Ya ill check in quebec how it goes but we're in logging country up here and lots of guys hauling so pretty big loads
Thanks for the head up!

 

[crazyal]

Is there a reason why you don't want the mill to come to you? The last time I had a guy come over the price was the same as long as I had enough board feet to make it close to a full days work.

 

[andrehoude]

Up here the first 30 km is free after that its a price for km and also we have a couple days of work for the guy but ill call him up and offer him the hunting camp if he wants to sleep there

 

[medic0648]

Don't trust the stake pockets to hold up to the outward pressure exerted by the logs. It's just a long lever with LOTS of weight on it. Make sure you have a cross tie of some sort to protect the stake pockets. Also acts as built in cribbing to keep it off the floor of the trailer.