# How do you carry wood from the shed?



## LLigetfa (Nov 18, 2008)

Most often I load up a wheelbarrow and push it up the path to the house.  Then I can carry one sling at at time to my wood box without rebooting.

If my wood box just needs a little topping off or a different mix of sizes, I just boot up and carry a load from the shed to the box.  The problem is every sling load needs a reboot.  I'm thinking about getting a second sling to cut the number of trips in half but concerned the wood would bang up against my legs.

Anyone use a yoke to carry two at a time?


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## deck2 (Nov 18, 2008)

Just roll the wheelbarrow into the house and dump it into the wood box (Just Kidding)   I saw a wheeled carrier at Lowes or Homedepot that might work for you should hold enough wood to fill your wood box


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## Vic99 (Nov 18, 2008)

I used to use a wood sling, then moved to apple barrels (maybe 10 gallons).

This year I decided to move my wood to the basement to make access easier.  Now I go downstairs.  So far so good, but it did take a long time to initially move all the wood from outside to the basement.  I know this will pay off when it is wicked cold and snowing outside.


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## Cory92 (Nov 18, 2008)

When I was a kid it was three  or four trips every other night to the wood barn with the wheelbarrow to fill the wood box.  We had a big brick one built right in  with the fireplace. Now at my house I'm just doing an arm load at a time until it gets bitter. Then I'l do a days worth in the garage.


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## InTheRockies (Nov 18, 2008)

Wheelbarrow from the shed to the kitchen porch then I carry it into the house one armful at a time.  Works for me.


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## velvetfoot (Nov 18, 2008)

Last year I would move 3 slings of wood in a wheelbarrow from the garage into the breezeway.  Then I would carry a sling into the house.  This year I have a wood cart, like a dolly, that has an antiqued iron finish that makes the work a lot easier.

PS:  I've since spray painted the wheels flat black which makes them less noticable.


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## RedRanger (Nov 18, 2008)

Wheel barrow, from the shed to under the covered deck.  Nice and dry there and can fit about a 10 day supply.

Trick thing to know is--is it gonna snow on that 9th day?  Just when you were thinking maybe I should re-supply just in case?

Bet we all would like to have a crystal ball that could tell us that?  Weather man seems to be lacking in that department %-P


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## Bigg_Redd (Nov 18, 2008)

LLigetfa said:
			
		

> Most often I load up a wheelbarrow and push it up the path to the house.  Then I can carry one sling at at time to my wood box without rebooting.
> 
> If my wood box just needs a little topping off or a different mix of sizes, I just boot up and carry a load from the shed to the box.  The problem is every sling load needs a reboot.  I'm thinking about getting a second sling to cut the number of trips in half but concerned the wood would bang up against my legs.
> 
> Anyone use a yoke to carry two at a time?



Sling?  

Reboot? 

Would someone translate this into standard English for me?


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## fattyfat1 (Nov 18, 2008)

Bigg_Redd said:
			
		

> LLigetfa said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I just use my arms! ;-)


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## LLigetfa (Nov 18, 2008)

Sling - A canvas carrier with handles
Reboot - put your boots back on to go back out in the snow


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## LLigetfa (Nov 18, 2008)

fattyfat1 said:
			
		

> I just use my arms! ;-)


Sometimes when I return my empty wheelbarrow to the shed, I will grab an armload to top off the box if there's room for it.

I generally find that carrying armloads tends to drop more dirt on the floor than using the sling.  Somehow it always works out that I refill the woodbox right after the wife just cleaned all the floors.  Why is that?


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## Bigg_Redd (Nov 18, 2008)

LLigetfa said:
			
		

> Sling - A canvas carrier with handles
> Reboot - put your boots back on to go back out in the snow



Aaaahhhhhhh. . .I get it.


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## rowerwet (Nov 18, 2008)

when I was about 6 years old we got a wood stove and I had to keep the wood box fed. for a dollar a week I dragged the wood around the house from the wood shed in my country little red wagon ( the wodden one with the stake sides). this was always done after dark because I couldn't be done until my dad had loaded up the stove for the night, so that the wood box was full for the next morning. the worst part was I had to bring the wood all the way around the house to the door and then all the way through the house to the stove ( that part by the arm load) which was located on the same side of the house as the wood shed. Only once did I convince my dad to open the window right over the wood box so I could cut my trip by 3/4. the wood box was an old wodden typewriter case from smith corona ( my grand father worked for them) and it took about 4-5 wagon loads to fill it. I actualy kind of missed the wood routine when we built a new house when I was 13.


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## Nixon (Nov 18, 2008)

Being the lazy cuss that I am , I use my tractors FEL to take wood from the shed to the porch .Two well stacked loads last around a week and a half.


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## Gooserider (Nov 18, 2008)

I have a wood cart that I purchased from Harbor Freight - I think it was around $40.  It is much more "industrial" looking than VF's, but I find it very effective, much more so than the sling I used to use. 

This is the cart I find it holds about as much wood as I can manage to drag up the stairs into the house at a time, probably about 150-200 lbs, which lasts me for about 2-3 days.  The big bicycle wheels handle rough ground well, and make it relatively easy to get up the stairs.

The tubes in the tires are crap, I had to replace them the first year, along with putting friction tape over the spokes (which had poked holes in the tubes after the OEM rubber spoke protectors fell apart...)  Not a big deal.  The tires themselves are OK

It barely fits through a standard door, but because of the wheel hubs, you can't put more than about a 20" split on it in the area covered by the wheels (not a problem for most of us), and it won't hold splits shorter than about 12".  The open design also lets crap from the wood fall on the floor, but that's liveable, also you can't really get past more than about 3-4" of snow or it starts dragging. (I use the snowblower to clear a path around the woodsheds, just have to be careful not to suck up any dropped chunks of wood.)

IMHO it's the best option I've found for getting wood into our house, I like it a great deal.  (I still use the sling - it sits near the stove and holds the last few splits when I want to finish emptying the cart to get another load...)

Gooserider


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## madrone (Nov 18, 2008)

Pick up wood with left hand, place in right arm. Repeat until almost too heavy to hold.


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## raybonz (Nov 18, 2008)

I have one of these and I find it very handy and not just for firewood...

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=214397-52314-TC4205F&lpage=none

It holds lots of firewood and rolls pretty easy..

Ray


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## firefighterjake (Nov 18, 2008)

Sometimes I use the wheelbarrow, but more often than not I simply grab the sling and take in a load of wood from my stash on the covered back porch (I figure about 7-8 days worth of wood) . . . or if there's enough daylight outside I'll pull some wood from my "junk" wood pile and bring it inside without making a stop on the porch pile.


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## matt701 (Nov 18, 2008)

I use a garden/utility cart (OK, it's a Heavy Duty Wagon) from TSC.  It has a 1,200 lbs rating and is much easier on my back than the wheelbarrow I use to use and it holds a lot more wood and fits through a 36" door.  I don't know how many times I had the wheelbarrow tip over in the snow before I would plow, but I do know my back is happy pulling a wagon.


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## djamwolfe (Nov 18, 2008)

I us an old plastic clothes basket. It's cheap and gets the job done.


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## LLigetfa (Nov 18, 2008)

OK, lots of good ideas but I failed to set ground rules that SWMBO gave me that I must live by.

Boots that trudged through the snow cannot walk across her floors.
Wheels that drove through snow cannot roll across her floors.
The yuppy VC wood box stays.
No other wood box to ever grace the hearth room.
No snow, rain, mud, or particle of wood to fall on the floor.
No motorized equipment purchases.
No wood to be stored on any covered porches or verandas.

Oh, and lastly... The wood box is at the far end of the house and I have to navigate hallways and furniture without touching anything.


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## caber (Nov 18, 2008)

I have to walk by the woodpile several times a day to tend to the animals, so I just grab splits on my way back to the house and toss them in the rack on the porch.


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## Gooserider (Nov 18, 2008)

LLigetfa said:
			
		

> OK, lots of good ideas but I failed to set ground rules that SWMBO gave me must live by.
> 
> Boots that trudged through the snow cannot walk across her floors.
> Wheels that drove through snow cannot roll across her floors.
> ...



Sounds like serious negotiation time...  Or maybe time to convert to gas?

I would suggest that if SWMBO is going to impose those sorts of restrictions, you come back w/ an offer to deliver amounts of wood that she specifies, to a drop-off point of her choosing, and SHE can get it into the house by whatever methods and standards she wishes...

One possible compromise item on the boots issue is something I've seen in various catalogs, Lee Valley among them, but I've never tried - I think they call them boot slippers - they look like a giant version of the open heel "scuff" type slippers made to go over work boots - advertised as protection for floors when making quick trips inside to visit plumbing or other such things so as not to require taking off wet / muddy boots (that with laceups can take longer than the errand did...)  Don't know what you can do about tires.

As wood carrying devices, what my friend uses when making wood deliveries (mostly to yuppies with more money than brains...) is a bunch of steel framed canvas baskets about 16" cubed - I believe they are officially 2 bushel apple orchard baskets.  They have big strap handle loops on two sides, and we normally carry them on our back w/ a handle over one shoulder - they come off the back of the truck the right height, but it helps to have assistance when putting them down.  I'd guess they carry about 60-70 lbs of wood in a load, and about 15-16 baskets full will make a face cord.

They seem to maximize the amount of wood one can carry with minimum effort per trip, and do a reasonably good job of containerizing the wood drippings...  PITA to bring in wood that way, but it might be the best you can do to meet the listed requirements...

Gooserider


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## Bubbavh (Nov 18, 2008)

I got one of those plastic lawn-tractor dump carts... fill it up and drive it into the garage.  If it snows I hook it to the ATV... gives me a reason to play in the snow and get cold ... and that gives me a reason to build a bigger fire... then I get hot and need to play in the snow again.  Thus repeating the cycle!

Edit.  Just saw your rules...  Get a new wife!  
Just kidding!


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## Bugboy (Nov 18, 2008)

FEL on NH TC-30


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## zzr7ky (Nov 18, 2008)

Wheelbarrow to garage, then a pair of 5 Gal buckets to the stove... 

Soon to be wife will feed stove, only gets snarly if wood is dropped on her elderly dogs which are semi permenently camped in front of the stove until late April!

All the best, 
Mike P


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## FireWalker (Nov 18, 2008)

I use pull on boots and will never go back to lace-up type. I can take them off with a full arm load of wood and then head for the wood box next to the stove.

http://workingperson.com/products/2...tm_source=froogle&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=3549

As long as we are at it, these are the best socks and worth every penney ($14.00)

http://www.carhartt.com/webapp/wcs/...1&productId=74116&langId;=-1&categoryId=10903

Sounds like you could lose a limb or worse if you left the seat up. I think we are married to the same woman.


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## matt701 (Nov 18, 2008)

With the rules and obstacles you face, I would say just put another exterior door on your house right by the woodstove.


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## Wrigley (Nov 18, 2008)

Would that be the dog door -- or does it just lead to the doghouse?   :cheese:


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## Rick (Nov 18, 2008)

I use various methods to get the wood to the door, then i transfer it to a garbage can to transport to the stove.  Keeps all the mess in the can.


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## sly22guy (Nov 18, 2008)

I also haul into the garage with the 4 wheeler and yard cart.  (lol ever see one of those carts pulled behind an atv thats wide open in third gear, hilarious!)  I keep a stack in the garage (about 2-3 nights worth)  then when i need more inside i have a 5 gallon bucket that i bring it in with, (most of the time i just grab an arm full.  (my wood is stored into a semienclosed wood shed.  then transfered to a stack in the garage , then finally stacked in the house.  by the time that my wood makes it indoors it has pretty much lost all of the "mess"  and i also have a lil shop vac that i use to clean up around the wood stove.  whatever keeps the wife happy!  although they need to have some sort of consideration that ur doing all the work!  Tell that woman to loosin up a bit!


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## Stevebass4 (Nov 19, 2008)

to get the wood to the door 







and then this from to door to pile inside


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## LLigetfa (Nov 19, 2008)

Gooserider - Already have a gas furnace.  The objective is to minimize gas consumption.  Rebooting is not really too bad.  I don't lace them up tight so can kick them off without putting down the sling full of wood.  Those booties do sound interesting but with my size 12's they would be like snowshoes in the house.

Bubbavh - Motorized power is not permitted.  SWMBO declared that the tractor not be operated in winter to increase longevity.  Would sure love to use it all winter to plow snow as well as haul.  I have one of those poly carts too.  It collects dust all winter.  Upgrading from wife 1.0 to wife 2.0 is never that clean and always has cost implications.

Bugboy - I've had a FEL on my Christmas wish list all my life but Santa has yet to deliver one.  See also no motorized rule above.

zzr7ky - my stove takes 20 inch splits and 5 gal buckets aren't deep enough nor big enough to work well.  I use 5 gal buckets for my kin'lin.

FireWalker - I loose tie my boots and can slip out of them without using hands.  Hands required for rebooting though.  I go out behind the woodshed so no toilet seat involved.

matt701 - I really really REALLY tried to get a back door in the hearth room.  That would have made too much sense.  I would have rolled out a carpet runner to walk on and rolled it up when done.  Wrigley has it pegged.


Rick - hard plastic wheels on my soft pine floors would never meet SWMBO approval.  I was thinking of getting a foldable dolly and rigging it up to hold the sling, thus containing the dirt and making navigating the maze easier.





sly22guy - no attached garage.  In fact no garage at all.  You tell her.


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## Prada (Nov 19, 2008)

Nice system Stevebass! OK as a woman I gotta say that I do understand how she feels but we all have to give a little from time to time. This sounds a little primitive but what I have hubby do is......He gets his wheelbarrow out and goes to the wood rack while I OPEN the window that is in the same room that our stove is in. I place a large piece of heavy clear plastic  (purchased from a big roll in the materal department at Walmarts)  hanging out the window and extending into the room on the floor to catch the mess. He brings his wheel barrow full of splits to the window and tosses them in on the thick plastic. From inside, I start stacking each split in our rack that stays close to the wood burner. When it's full,, I yell STOP and he pulls the plastic outside and shakes it out, folds it and hands it back to me to place under the wood rack till next refill. lol We usually don't have much mess at all with our system. No dirty boots, no rolling wheels or anything! lol


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## LLigetfa (Nov 19, 2008)

Stevebass4 - I have one of those 4 wheel mesh carts and even have a liner for it but it doesn't hold nearly as much as my contractor wheelbarrow stacked to the hilt.  I also have a larger 2 wheel dolly that you can stack a fair amount on and used it a couple of times but the urge to wheel it right down the hall was almost more than I could resist.   M u s t ... f i g h t ... t h e ... u r g e!


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## LLigetfa (Nov 19, 2008)

Prada said:
			
		

> I start stacking each split in our rack...


You know, I have dreams like that but then I wake up.

My woodbox is directly beneath a window and I could put down a board to protect the sill.  OH wait!  That would need someone on the inside!  Scrap that.


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## Prada (Nov 19, 2008)

Actually you might be able to handle it yourself. Maybe just roll the splits down into the wood box? 
I do place an old ratty pillow that I keep hidden the rest of the time, right inside the window and let it conform to the window to protect it.  The first couple of times that I had hubby do this I would try to get him to hand me some splits through the window and that annoyed him to stand there and wait for me to deal with each armful, so I got out that old pillow and 'stood back' while he tossed them in onto our big plastic. By the time he would take his wheelbarrow back and walk back down to our window I would have the splits off the plastic and he could pull it out to shake it etc. lol


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## bsruther (Nov 19, 2008)

Most of my wood is stacked on racks on the covered back porch. Last year I either carried it in or used a two wheel dolly. The dolly sucked because I would always overload it and wood would fall off on the way in.
Over the summer I built a wood cart out of a shopping cart and it works great.


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## sly22guy (Nov 19, 2008)

Just my opinion but man it seems like the wife is way to tight.  I say just do what you need to do without recking the place and when she bitches tell her this is the way ur doing it, if she don't like do it herself.  I mean seriously you are doing all the work for her benefit!  Dont let her walk all over you.  Now im not sayin be rude or mean or anything just need to get ur balls out and be firm.  Besides women like men with backbones!   

BTW i like the shopping cart wood cart!


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## raybonz (Nov 19, 2008)

Woodford said:
			
		

> Most of my wood is stacked on racks on the covered back porch. Last year I either carried it in or used a two wheel dolly. The dolly sucked because I would always overload it and wood would fall off on the way in.
> Over the summer I built a wood cart out of a shopping cart and it works great.



Very cool firewood cart you created! It would be even better if you replaced those wheels with some oversized pneumatic tires so it could be all terrain when the ground is mushy or snow covered.. Even a reg. shopping cart would make a decent wood carrier.. Most anything with wheels works.. I used many baby carriages for firewood hauling and beat them to death lol... 

Ray


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## firefighterjake (Nov 19, 2008)

LLigetfa said:
			
		

> OK, lots of good ideas but I failed to set ground rules that SWMBO gave me that I must live by.
> 
> Boots that trudged through the snow cannot walk across her floors.
> Wheels that drove through snow cannot roll across her floors.
> ...



Doesn't change much from my original posted reply then . . .

I do have the luxury of having a back door and access to a woodsupply on the covered porch which is and will be nice to help remove the snow/ice/some of the mess outside instead of inside.

However, what I've been doing lately is going out to my outside "junk" pile and bringing in the wood without stopping off at the back porch stack. The canvas sling does a pretty decent job of catching most of the mess although my wife did buy a long runner rug with a tight, short weave to help catch anything that might escape from the sling. I also take my boots (well sandals for now until the snow flies) off and on outside . . . which is easy to do since the sandals and boots (a pair of my old zippered leather boots left unzipped) go on and off quite easily.

So far this is working out pretty well in terms of minimizing the mess . . . although I do have to clean off the porch more frequently. However . . . and this is a big one . . . burning with wood is messy. There's no escaping this fact short of packing your wood into sterilized plastic blister packs before stacking them in a woodpile but after totally debarking and removing any errant pieces of dirt or sawdust. 

What you can do is let your wife know that you're saving a ton of money, providing some great heat for the home . . . and then agree to sweep or vacuum up the mess after you're done bringing in the wood . . . which may earn you some Brownie points which you can later redeem as you're both snuggled up next to the fire with a glass or two of wine.


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## firefighterjake (Nov 19, 2008)

Based on the OP's "new rules" I would have to say there isn't much else I would suggest except to say that so far I've been reasonably pleased with the way I've been bringing in the wood.

I do have the luxury of having a back door and access to a woodsupply on the covered porch which is and will be nice to help remove the snow/ice/some of the mess outside instead of inside.

However, what I've been doing lately is going out to my outside "junk" pile and bringing in the wood without stopping off at the back porch stack. The canvas sling does a pretty decent job of catching most of the mess although my wife did buy a long runner rug with a tight, short weave to help catch anything that might escape from the sling. I also take my boots (well sandals for now until the snow flies) off and on outside . . . which is easy to do since the sandals and boots (a pair of my old zippered leather boots left unzipped) go on and off quite easily.

So far this is working out pretty well in terms of minimizing the mess . . . although I do have to clean off the porch more frequently. However . . . and this is a big one . . . burning with wood is messy. There's no escaping this fact short of packing your wood into sterilized plastic blister packs before stacking them in a woodpile but after totally debarking and removing any errant pieces of dirt or sawdust. 

What you can do is let your wife know that you're saving a ton of money, providing some great heat for the home . . . and then agree to sweep or vacuum up the mess after you're done bringing in the wood . . . which may earn you some Brownie points which you can later redeem as you're both snuggled up next to the fire with a glass or two of wine.


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## smokinj (Nov 19, 2008)

LLigetfa said:
			
		

> Gooserider - Already have a gas furnace.  The objective is to minimize gas consumption.  Rebooting is not really too bad.  I don't lace them up tight so can kick them off without putting down the sling full of wood.  Those booties do sound interesting but with my size 12's they would be like snowshoes in the house.
> 
> Bubbavh - Motorized power is not permitted.  SWMBO declared that the tractor not be operated in winter to increase longevity.  Would sure love to use it all winter to plow snow as well as haul.  I have one of those poly carts too.  It collects dust all winter.  Upgrading from wife 1.0 to wife 2.0 is never that clean and always has cost implications.
> 
> ...


Thats what I do the trailer thang is the best i have found!


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## moshiersr (Nov 19, 2008)

I just use an old rubbermaid tote to carry it from the shed to the wood box. The shed is real close to the house.


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## velvetfoot (Nov 19, 2008)

I tried that dolly thing last year to see how it would work.  It had the blow up tires.
I evolved to even putting several slings of wood on it, roping them up so they wouldn't fall off, and dropping them off at hearthside.
Of course you have potential scuffing issues on the wood floor there.
That whole stupid method isn't nearly as good as the cart I got (see page 1).
Even my wife thinks its great. Well, pretty good anyway. You can sweep under those big wheels very easily.  And I believe she's getting used to the look.  She's even said so without prompting.
With the slings, there was always more debris.  
She'd prefer putting it into a tiny rack next to the hearth, but that causes even more debris 'cause you can't sweep under it, and more stupid wood handling.
I can't swear, but I don't think those wheels will mar your floor, even with a big load of wood.

Even though it can't roll through water per your specs, you still must have a staging area where you have a pile of wood that.
That cart's a back saver even for that.


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## LLigetfa (Nov 19, 2008)

Anyone ever try carrying two slings at the same time, one in each hand?  Carrying just one is so awkward and lopsided but at least you can hold it away from the body for the most part.  Carrying two pails of water sure is easier than one.

I think I'm going to buy a second sling and try it out.  Might even go with one of those yuppie leather ones to go with my yuppie VC cast iron wood box.  Maybe I just won't fill them as full.  Not sure how navigating the maze would work out though.  Would have to walk sideways like a crab in places.

If that doesn't work out well, it's back to the wheelbarrow and maybe one of those folding dollies with the no scuff wheels.


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## downeast (Nov 21, 2008)

K.I.S.S. --done it this way for years:

1. Bring wood to door(s)--your choice of cart, carrier, child.
2. Right arm places wood in left arm until full or wimped out.
3. Dump armload into stove wood rack, making sure boots are wiped.
4. Repeat as needed until rack is full.
5. Fetch ( important term) dustpan and brush, then sweep wood debris into dustpan. Empty.
6. Repeat all above as necessary.

This will satisfy SWMBO to no end. 

WARNING!! UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES REFER TO SWMBO AS "THE WIFE". It is trailer talk.


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