shooterdon
Elite Member
- Joined
- Nov 24, 2012
- Messages
- 3,954
- Tractor
- 2019 LS XR4140 HST Cab; 2020 Kawasaki Mule SX; 2021 Bad Boy 54" ZT Elite
I had to laugh deezler! 39 and already looking at ways to save your back. Smart man.Good thread. Some very nice woodsheds in here, but I can't help but think of the repetitive handling whenever I see one. That's the way my dad operated when I was a kid also, we'd take the lawn tractor and 10cu cart over to the woodshed, load it up and back over to the house to unload and stack. I thought it was all fun. Now I am 39, back is starting to ache, and never have any time. So I bought IBC totes. Straight off the splitter into the tote, doesn't get unloaded until it's burning time. Currently I unload the totes by hand into a rack in my screen porch (french doors to it just 6' from the woodstove), but I think I might modify my screen porch to have a giant swinging door opening, and then I can just set the IBC tote directly into the porch and unload/burn directly.
As for seasoning, that was a large part of my motivation to get a metal carport. I used to keep these totes outside, under tarps (I didn't have the plastic liners like Don) - but I would often get mold on my split wood, not fun. This setup is high and dry, and I am finally getting more than one winter ahead on ym production after living here for 7 years with woodstove heating.
In our first years here, I would go after the standing dead ash trees, because while often wet when cut down, they would dry very quickly. I felt ok about burning them in the woodstove after just 3-4 months drying (cut and split). Our green black walnut and black cherry also dry pretty quickly once split, but I'm aiming for 15+ months of curing nowadays on everything I burn. I bought a moisture meter and promptly lost it, doh.
I went with totes a few years ago for the same reason but at 72 they take more work than I want to do. I will be going to bulk bags next year. Tried 6 this year as a test and they worked well. I will be able to load them directly from the wood processor so no handling at all until I carry the wood into the house.
I envy your carport as I will need something like that for bulk bags. Prices over the last 5 years have gone nuts on carports.