# Anyone use 275/330 gallon totes for wood storage/transport?



## Freakingstang (Dec 31, 2012)

When I sold firewood years ago I used the cages from the IBC 275/330 gallon liquid totes.  i used to get them free all the time and now I can't seem to find them for less than 75 bucks a pop.  3/4 full is about the perfect weight that my little tractor can safely move with 500lbs of counterweight.


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## blades (Dec 31, 2012)

I would love to get my hands on some of those, but around here they want double your area.


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## Freakingstang (Dec 31, 2012)

yeah 100 bucks is the norm but searching high and low they can be found for 50-60


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## curber (Jan 1, 2013)

Yes I got 19 of these free just a month ago. Now have 17 full of locust/elm/ash!! Guy I got them from says I can have all I want next summer too. I move them with a toro dingo 420tx. This wood will stay in the crates for 2 full years. Pat


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## JP11 (Jan 1, 2013)

I've got a couple of the 330s.  One is full of grease for my biodiesel production.  I'm using a U made of 3 pallets, and a couple braces across the top.  Pallets I get delivered to the house for 2 bucks each.  I've got 70 or so U's built.    I didn't think the metal was all that rugged.  Do you unload out thru the holes?  or do you reach in till it gets too low, then flip it on it's side?

JP


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## Freakingstang (Jan 1, 2013)

curber said:


> Yes I got 19 of these free just a month ago. Now have 17 full of locust/elm/ash!! Guy I got them from says I can have all I want next summer too. I move them with a toro dingo 420tx. This wood will stay in the crates for 2 full years. Pat


 

yeah that was a mega score there.  I found a guy two hours away that has about 50 of them for 35 bucks each.  I like that you can mark them easily on the metal tags to tell when they were cut/split and type of wood.  It makes seperating and identifying it easily. if you are good, you can stack them two high.  That's what i used to do with the bobcat when I sold firewood.


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## Freakingstang (Jan 1, 2013)

JP11 said:


> I've got a couple of the 330s. One is full of grease for my biodiesel production. I'm using a U made of 3 pallets, and a couple braces across the top. Pallets I get delivered to the house for 2 bucks each. I've got 70 or so U's built. I didn't think the metal was all that rugged. Do you unload out thru the holes? or do you reach in till it gets too low, then flip it on it's side?
> 
> JP


 
I prefer the 250 gallon sized, they are shorter. My little tractor wont pick up a full 250 gallon tote of green wood anyways.  the 330 gallon I cut two rows off to make it shorter to get wood in and out easily.  Ive made some out of wood also, but the wieght it what really kills it for my baby tractor.  I keep all my wood at the back of the property and keep one tote close to the house.  i made this wood one and it doesn't work as well as I'd like...  of course my tractor is a midget....I don't own enough property for a real tractor


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## JP11 (Jan 1, 2013)

Whatever works.  As long as you stack once after split.. and go from there to the boiler.. you're ahead of the game.

JP


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## curber (Jan 1, 2013)

I havent quite figured out how I'll get the wood out of the crates yet. Was just thinking of carefully dumping it over and picking it up upside down. or you can cut a little out of one side. It saves a lot of time to just throw the wood in and not stack. Pat


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## imiller1974 (Jan 1, 2013)

I'm a supervisor at a chemical plant. We have them laying around everywhere, I can get them for free, just don't really have a use for them at my house...


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## mellow (Jan 2, 2013)

If I could find these for free I would have to build a wood kiln for sure,  they are perfect for that.


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## Freakingstang (Jan 2, 2013)

I found a guy about 1 1/2 hours from me that said he'll sell me as many as i want for 30 bucks a piece.... thinking about getting 5-6 of them.


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## Freakingstang (Jan 2, 2013)

mellow said:


> If I could find these for free I would have to build a wood kiln for sure, they are perfect for that.


 

hmmm wood stove heated kiln.... i like the idea of that.!


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## mellow (Jan 2, 2013)

http://www.fivestarfirewood.com/Kiln-Dried-Firewood.html

That is where I got the idea from.


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## swagler85 (Jan 2, 2013)

Freakingstang, pm me i have a local guy that sells for $30, also another place for $45. If u take multiple totes they may deal more


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## Freakingstang (Jan 2, 2013)

swagler85 said:


> Freakingstang, pm me i have a local guy that sells for $30, also another place for $45. If u take multiple totes they may deal more



Pm sent. I'd much rather not drive 40 mins south of Mansfield. I was planning on heading down there tomorrow since I had the day off. Let me know. I don't have to have the tanks. I wouldn't mind having one, but I I just want the cages.


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## imiller1974 (Jan 4, 2013)

mellow said:


> If I could find these for free I would have to build a wood kiln for sure, they are perfect for that.


 

I don't see how those totes would work for drying firewood. Are you talking about using the metal cages as framework for a firewood kiln? I don't think the plastic/poly will hold up to the temps needed for drying firewood. I've seen them melt at my last place of employment, when an operator was filling them up with material that was too hot. I don't remember the exact temp., but it wasn't much hotter than the boiling point of water.



Edit; they will handle about 120 degrees Celsius.


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## swagler85 (Jan 4, 2013)

Just an assumption but I believe the plastic would be removed. No need for the plastic wether using kiln or just storing wood in there.


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## swagler85 (Jan 4, 2013)

Freakingstang said:


> Pm sent. I'd much rather not drive 40 mins south of Mansfield. I was planning on heading down there tomorrow since I had the day off. Let me know. I don't have to have the tanks. I wouldn't mind having one, but I I just want the cages.


Did you get the totes?


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## Freakingstang (Jan 4, 2013)

Yeah i picked up 6 of them tonight.  Thanks Again, paul and I shot the bull for an hour freezin our butts off.. Good dude for sure.  Thanks again Sean


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## Freakingstang (Jan 4, 2013)

imiller1974 said:


> I don't see how those totes would work for drying firewood. Are you talking about using the metal cages as framework for a firewood kiln? I don't think the plastic/poly will hold up to the temps needed for drying firewood. I've seen them melt at my last place of employment, when an operator was filling them up with material that was too hot. I don't remember the exact temp., but it wasn't much hotter than the boiling point of water.
> 
> 
> 
> Edit; they will handle about 120 degrees Celsius.


 
Yes, just the metal crate, removing the plastic.  Anyone need any 300 gallon square jugs?


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## DexterDay (Jan 4, 2013)

Freakingstang said:


> Anyone need any 300 gallon square jugs?]



I'd buy one off of you for a "Rain Barrel" attached to my garage? Or 2 maybe?


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## Freakingstang (Jan 4, 2013)

i'm keeping one tank and cage for spare fuel oil in the basement if I can get it down in the basement.  the other five i'm going to use just the cages for wood storage and transporting from the backlot to the house. 

I'm not sure how stable those tanks/jugs would be without a cage around them.  Although now you have me thinking about water as my well water out here is crap....but anyways for now, I'll have 5 tanks sitting out back after tomorrow morning.


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## mellow (Jan 6, 2013)

Man Im sooo jealous,  I would love to have forks on a tractor and about 30 of those totes,  that would make life sooo much easier for moving wood.   I would split straight to one of those containers then double stack them to conserve space.


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## JP11 (Jan 6, 2013)

I'm not bold enough to double stack my wooden ones.   I am planning a set of pallet racks to double up when I build my barn.  Every once in a while I've knocked one apart or made the forks hit the wood, not the hole in the pallet.. and lost a row.  It's a rare occurrence having to re stack.  Lately.. when I've had an OOPS.. I've scooped up most with the bucket, and just dumped it next to the vigas.. destroy the evidence of my mistake.


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## samdweezel05 (Jan 6, 2013)

Freakingstang said:


> I'm not sure how stable those tanks/jugs would be without a cage around them. Although now you have me thinking about water as my well water out here is crap....but anyways for now, I'll have 5 tanks sitting out back after tomorrow morning.


 
There not stable at all.  We have a ton of those totes at work and with out the cage the tank can split.  We tried it once with just water and had one split before it even got full.  We get them for forage inoculants and iodine.


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## swagler85 (Jan 22, 2013)

picked up three of those totes tonight, lookin forward to using them to clean up the mess from the uglies I have


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## curber (Jan 23, 2013)

I double stack the cages! I'll work on getting some pics. Pat


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## swagler85 (Jan 23, 2013)

curber said:


> I double stack the cages! I'll work on getting some pics. Pat


I wish I could double stack them that would save some space for me. Using the tractor 3 pt hitch so only goes a few feet off the ground


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## Bret Chase (Jan 23, 2013)

Freakingstang said:


> I don't own enough property for a real tractor


 

That has got to be the smallest tractor with a loader I have ever seen... ...and I thought my JD1050 was small...


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## skyline (Jan 25, 2013)

Just got my hands on one of these with hopefully more to come for making moving into/out of the future kiln easier.

Here is how I modified mine for using with wood. Cut off the long side between the curves and stuffed some short pieces of round stock into the open pipe for something a bit heavier to weld to.
Put a piece of angle iron on the bottom to retain the front edge which I might not do next time and just leave the bottom rail intact.
The rings welded on the round stock keep the sides from spreading, and let me hang it on the back when I leave it open.

Haven't filled it yet but will let you know how it works when I do.

The pictures show a lot better than the thumbnails, I'm not sure why.


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## kwikrp (Jan 25, 2013)

Looking for some in Massachusetts or Rhode Island


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