# Suggestions for hauling wood on an open snowmobile trailer



## kobudo (Dec 3, 2008)

I have a two place open aluminum snowmobile trailer.
Although I can't fit a tremendous amount of wood weight on it I would still like to be able to haul 1,000 to 1,500 lbs.
Does anyone have a suggestion for securing the wood on the trailer?  I have thought about building some sort of box that I could set on the trailer when not hauling snowmobiles but that will take some work.


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## smokinj (Dec 3, 2008)

can you post a pic.


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## kobudo (Dec 3, 2008)

see link for photo

http://www.tritontrailers.com/products/Subcats.aspx?CatID=31


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## smokinj (Dec 3, 2008)

Thats a tuff one but building sides that you can take on and off would be the least amount of work


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## ManiacPD (Dec 3, 2008)

Don't haul much wood.

The math gets scary very fast.  The typical 8'x8' old snowmobile trailer loaded 1' high holds 1/2 cord.  That's over a ton if it's green wood.  You're already overloading your axle at that point I'd bet.

If that's all you've got to haul the wood can you leave it 4' long?  If so just screw some 4x4 landscape ties to the edges and load the 4' bolts between them.  You'll want to hook the 4x4's to something structrual if possible.  Throw a ratchet strap over them and cinch it up and you can haul it anywhere you want.  Then saw and split the wood where you plan to stack it.

My landscape trailer is a light duty aluminum model with a 3000# Dexter torsion axle.  The trailer weighs 700 lbs empty.  It has 16" high sides and is 5' wide x 12' long.  When hauling cut & split wood I don't ever load above the sides and that's about all it wants.


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## kobudo (Dec 3, 2008)

Thanks.
The carrying capacity is 1,735 pounds.  It is the 12 footer.
Once in a while I get some access to oak that is already split.  If I could get 4', 8', 10' or even 12' I could easily load and carry it but I don't think that will happen.


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## smokinj (Dec 3, 2008)

kobudo said:
			
		

> Thanks.
> The carrying capacity is 1,735 pounds. It is the 12 footer.
> Once in a while I get some access to oak that is already split. If I could get 4', 8', 10' or even 12' I could easily load and carry it but I don't think that will happen.


if you ever tried to move wood that large its whole new game cant remember it being easy


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## meathead (Dec 3, 2008)

for split wood I don't see much alternative to building sides. Sides and front, drop in tailgate (2x4 tracks and 3'4" plywood gate will work fine) and off you go. At 4' or so length, ratchet straps would be your best bet IMO, but split you're kind of stuck.

Or you could always pile it up as is and go with the "don't anyone follow too close" technique.


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## sublime68charger (Dec 3, 2008)

you could try to stack 1 row wood all around the outside of the trailer and then use 4 straps to try and hold each row down.

maybe stack it up about 10" and then strap down if due a good walk around looking for chunks that could slid off and wedge another stick in under strap.  through the middle full and pray you don't loose chunks all the way home.

depends are you driving intersate with this or can you snake your way home on back roads doing 35MPH?

is this a 3 times a year trip or more like 10 times a year?

sometimes my dad and me will stack a flat wagon up for the emergency wood and all that we due is stack the wood around the outside edge and tie the corners in to the corresponding row and slope up from the corners to the middle and down the the other end throuw the middle full of the rest and call it a day.  Though this is also a 25MPH trip home when you due bring the wagon home with a trailing vechile if any wood is lost.

just my thoughts.

some math on this A cord of oak weights 4000lbs,  and is 128 cubic Ft,

you can carry 1735lbs so doing some "swag" math that's 4000/128=31lbs per cublic Ft or you trailer will carry 1735lbs so 
more "swag" math gives you 1735/31=56 Cubic feet to load for capacity.

16" length of wood

lets due 1' sides on the trailer so 1H'x12Lx1.333W "16 inch for length of split" give you 16 cubic feet x2 for both sides your already down to half your Cubic feet to go.

gonna be overloaded in a hurry this way.  

Lets due 6" for the side Height so that 16 cubic feet for both sides stack with  wood.
56-16=40 to go,


front and back row's are 5.33W' "8ft minus the 16 inchsx2 from the side stacks"x1.333 Length of woodx .5 for Height gives us 3.5 Cubic feet for front and 3.55 cubic feet for back row so 7 cubic feet there 
40-7=33

almost half way towards capacity now we have a 9.333' "12foot minus 16inchsx2 for front and back row by 5.333 wide box to throw wood into

we through that in at a 6" height we have 9.333x5.333x.5 
for 25 Cubic feet
though rule of thumb is loose thrown wood in an area if stacked is the same area is .7 smaller.
so we take the 25cubic feet and x.7 give us 17 cubic ft

so we now have 
33-17= 16 cubic feet of capacity to fill.

shoot 
now my brain hurts.  
either redue it all for 8" side's or just mound the middle pile up and call it good.
or stack 2 rows across the back or front.
or stack the side's at 1foot.

I dunno know.

stack it all at 6" and strap the outside rows, 
or stack the outside at 8-10" and throw the middle full.

sublime out.

hoping my math on this was somewhat correct,


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## kevin j (Dec 3, 2008)

stakes with plywood sides probably the easiest. Slip in front and rear panels. run a light chain and turnbuckle across each and and at the middle to prevent bowing out. 
Won't be very deep due to load anyway. 
ON larger trailers i have seen sides and ends made from livestock welded grate panels (4 x 8 openings, made of 1/4 or 5/16 round rod welded together) or from old dog kennel walls. 
BIL loaded his entire dog kennel on the trailer, tied it down, threw all the sandbox and kids playground stuff in there, closed the door (minus the dog) and drove 200 miles on the freeway. Worked great, all the stuff that would have flown out were contained by sides and roof.
coudln't do that with wood, but could make some panels maybe 24 inches high.
But basically, I'd do the plywood and stake pockets approach for very occasional use.

k


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## firefighterjake (Dec 4, 2008)

I've got a stainless steel snowmobile trailer which is also used as my ATV trailer, woodhauling trailer and loam/gravel trailer. I should say that it's custom built by my cousin . . . but what he did could probably be done to the Triton trailer if you know anyone who is handy with metal working.

I had my cousin build the trailer with stake pockets on the outside. When I'm running with the sleds or ATV on the trailer the stake pockets are not used. However, when hauling wood I have sideboards (about 1 1/2-2 feet high) and a rear "gate" made out of 2 x 4s (cut down) and some left over pressure treated decking. I try not to overload the trailer which is one of the reasons I purposefully didn't go to high on the sideboards and rear gate.


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## ccwhite (Jan 6, 2009)

Stock tanks. Something like this. 
http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay_10551_10001_28422_-1______14602|14606|14614|28422?listingPage=true&Special=false

Get em cheap at a farm machinery auction or something. Get 3 or 4. Easy to strap em on the trailer and fill em with wood. Easy to take em off for hauling your snowmobiles. 
Or find some totes (275 gal square tanks roughly a 4 foot cube with a built in pallet) Like these.
http://www.ntotank.com/totetanks.html?gclid=CKK7oZCK-ZcCFQTCDAodU0rvCQ
Try to get em used. I can get em for about $50-60 each. Cut the top out of the tank and you got a four foot deep bin to throw wood in.

Be careful not to overload. Those trailers are pretty light weight. Good luck.


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## kenny chaos (Jan 6, 2009)

Throw a small tarp over the top to keep the top and sides from sliding off and bungee it real good. (Glad you're not building a nuclear sub.) :lol:


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## bsimon (Jan 7, 2009)

kenny chaos said:
			
		

> Throw a small tarp over the top to keep the top and sides from sliding off and bungee it real good.



I do the opposite.  I put the tarp down first & wrap it over the top & use ratchet straps to hold it all down.  Its basically a big burrito strapped onto the trailer.


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## savageactor7 (Jan 7, 2009)

Around here I see ratchet straps used a lot to secure wood to a snowmobile trailers without the sides. Not really a lot of wood but if that's all you have you have to make the best of it...and it all adds up.


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