# How much wood will truck hold?



## Pepp31 (Oct 12, 2008)

I was wondering if anyone can tell me how much wood a 2001 Toyota Tundra extended cab will hold in regards to being measured in cords.  Do you think I will be able to pack in a 1/2 cord?  I called a wood guy and he said he would sell me a truck load of mixed wood for $25.00  Do you think it is a good buy?  I would have to drive twenty miles round trip to pick it up.


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## jeepin in maine (Oct 12, 2008)

my shortbed full size dodge stacked just a little up over the rails is almost exactly a half cord.
measure the bed length x width x height your gonna stack it to = number of cubic feet.a half cord is 64 cubic feet.


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## woodconvert (Oct 12, 2008)

Pepp31 said:
			
		

> I was wondering if anyone can tell me how much wood a 2001 Toyota Tundra extended cab will hold in regards to being measured in cords.  Do you think I will be able to pack in a 1/2 cord?  I called a wood guy and he said he would sell me a truck load of mixed wood for $25.00  Do you think it is a good buy?  I would have to drive twenty miles round trip to pick it up.



Dunno about he Tayota part...and you'll hear a lot of different answers....but a 3/4 ton will for sure take a half cord of mixed if it's seasoned. A half cord of green hickory, ash or oak is a different story.


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## chad3 (Oct 12, 2008)

Thanks Jeepin (I've got a pretty sweet jeep in SW NE PM me),
I've also got a short bed and was thinking more along the line of 1/3 conservative to the rails.  Sags a bit when really loaded (3/4 ton), but glad when recording that my totals are higher than thought.  I used to say that 3 loads would be a cord, now I might say 5 is 2...
Chad

Hmm, last post (missed it first time around has me thinking).  This is all Oak and big, some burried my 28" bar.  Usually get first course of 4 rounds, second of 3 and then add a few small to fill or on top.  Get 4 courses.


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## bonesneeze (Oct 12, 2008)

Check out this web site...it has a good breakdown on volumes:

http://www.woodheat.org/firewood/cord.htm


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## Dix (Oct 12, 2008)

Pep, what ever you do, please don't overload the truck. Aside from the load damage to the truck, you have safety issues as far as being able to S-T-O-P on short notice. Overloading & quick stopping is a recipe for diseaster.

On the other hand, with the gas mileage that that truck gets over a larger one, I'm sure for the price, it would be worth the extra trips.

Be safe  And welcome to the forums !


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## chad3 (Oct 12, 2008)

Don't know about the mileage issues, mine gets 13.6 both loaded and unloaded (really).  Only thing I notice is I make sure I drop the tow (auto) when going up big hills when on cruise.  Father has a Tacoma and he can get almost the same (well 1/3 cord) in his when we are both cutting but his is pretty maxed out.  One thing I had about the Dodge's is that they didn't cap the rails from the factory and I hate to really beat them up.  Try to keep the wood off the rails almost all the time.  Second, with the short bed, have fun keeping the saws somewhere in there while driving, unless you don't mind them in the back seat.  Either is not a good idea.


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## EatenByLimestone (Oct 12, 2008)

Look at your real axle for the amount of travel it has left.   That should show you when to stop.  

Matt


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## chad3 (Oct 12, 2008)

There is also the actual axle used, brakes on it, etc.  So should you stop at 1" from the stops, 2" from them, or once they are on the bumpstops?  Not digging at you, but once mine starts to sag, I start to say stop.
Chad


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## cd64133 (Oct 12, 2008)

We just delivered a face cord of ash to the MIL in our short bed Silverado.   So short bed holds a face cord.


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## savageactor7 (Oct 12, 2008)

^Well then Pepp31 will get a good deal at 25 a face cord...at that price I'd be stocking up if I had to buy wood. Even with the 20 mile trip, face cords around here go for 55-70 delivered.


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## BurningIsLove (Oct 12, 2008)

Pepp31 said:
			
		

> I was wondering if anyone can tell me how much wood a 2001 Toyota Tundra extended cab will hold in regards to being measured in cords.  Do you think I will be able to pack in a 1/2 cord?  I called a wood guy and he said he would sell me a truck load of mixed wood for $25.00  Do you think it is a good buy?  I would have to drive twenty miles round trip to pick it up.



For a one shot deal or infrequently hauling, a pickup bed will do ya fine.  But if you're going to hauling wood around w/ your truck frequently, I do highly recommend you pick up a medium gauge trailer.  Its a WHOLE lot easier on your vehicle, in terms of suspension, scratches, not shattering your rear window, etc.    You also arent lifting the front of the truck up, potentially causing risk with steering, breaking, etc.  And there is of course the obvious benefit to being able to haul a full cord of unseasoned wood assuming the trailer & truck are rated that high.

My Explorer is rated at 7,000lbs for towing, but much smaller for cargo in the back.  I frequently tow about 4.000lbs in my trailer and it's very easy on the truck.  Drops fuel economy from 21mpg to 15mpg highway, but that's also cuz my trailer is wider than the truck and about as aerodynamic as the side of a building.  A longer tongue will also keep the heavy loads from fishtailing at highway speeds.


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## NHwood (Oct 12, 2008)

If you divide the measured cubic feet of the bed dimensions (not heaped at all) that will carry the "rough load "(just "thrown or dumped in" the transport bed) of fire wood by a factor of 200, you will get the Approximate Number of cubic feet the load will provide when it is neatly stacked.  This will work for any size truck bed type (pickup or dump truck or semi, etc.) for stove wood (about 15-inch lengths).  The factor changes a bit with the log size because smaller pieces pack more closely together.  The shorter and skinner the logs are, the more wood will actually be in the load.  The longer and thicker the logs are (the "bigger" the logs are), the smaller the final volume of stacked wood will be.


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## Reggie Dunlap (Oct 12, 2008)

The general rule of thumb is that a full size truck with an eight foot bed holds a half cord if it's heaped pretty high. A full size short bed carries 1/3 cord, which is roughly a face cord.


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## glacialhills (Oct 13, 2008)

How much wood, would a wood truck truck, if a wood truck could truck wood?


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## CowboyAndy (Oct 13, 2008)

My S-10 6' bed takes 2 loads (stacked) to equal 1/3 of a cord... but my 4x6x4 utility trailer holds 1/2 cord stacked.


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## bluewater_1993 (Oct 13, 2008)

I have a 2000 Tundra (single cab) and can do 1/2+ cord of dry wood, or about 1/3 of green before the bed rides lower than I like. The truck still seems to break safely and all that, but I wouldn't feel comfortable going much more than 1/3 cord of green. Dry, it's SO much lighter that I end up being limited by how high I'm willing to go over the rails. Hope this helps!


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## smokinj (Oct 13, 2008)

woodconvert said:
			
		

> Pepp31 said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yes sir pile it up til the springs squat and go for 3/4 cord


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## JustWood (Oct 13, 2008)

My truck holds 7 cord and trailer 5 cord!  Sorry guys. %-P


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## burntime (Oct 13, 2008)

Thats just wrong!  My ranger holds a face cord pluss a little of green with some mods.  If it is truly dry I would guess you could get a face cord in the toyota.  Like others have said, we can tell you what you can do but you have to white knuckle the steering wheel.  Do what you are comfortable with.


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## CowboyAndy (Oct 13, 2008)

LEES WOOD-CO said:
			
		

> My truck holds 7 cord and trailer 5 cord!  Sorry guys. %-P



what the hell are you driving??????


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## d.n.f. (Oct 13, 2008)

There is a guy out here selling wood and he says his half ton holds a full cord.
Yessiree Bob.


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## burntime (Oct 13, 2008)

He better be hauling dry wood with a bunch of mods to the suspension


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## little river (Oct 13, 2008)

We sell firewood along with many other land based projects and we use an old Dodge Ram one ton with a mopdified dump on the bed and wood sides up to the top of the cab.  We have to stack our wood here first to get it dry in our cool summers  and we stack in cord units.   Frequently new customers are astounded at the amount of wood we bring them, often exclaiming " I didn't order two cords".  There are a lot of shorts delivered out there.  We have found that folks that pick up can generally  fit a half a cord into a full sized PU if carefully stacked/packed in.


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## HittinSteel (Oct 14, 2008)

cd64133 said:
			
		

> We just delivered a face cord of ash to the MIL in our short bed Silverado.   So short bed holds a face cord.






I agree. When I bought a cord earlier in the year, it was 4x4x8. Took exactly 3 trips in my F150 shortbed.


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## Dexter (Oct 14, 2008)

I have your truck, with a topper which matches the tumblome (the slant-in) and height of the cab.  'Have measured carefully, very carefully.  If you pack it full, using lateral ranks, and so the top (glass) portion of the tailgate closes against a matching "slant" of wood, you can squeaze in about .68 cords.  

BTW, it must be seasoned pine, and even then, you will be at GVR (which occurs when the rubber safety pegs are just short of the leaf springs, on the SR5 model.)  With hardwood you WILL over-gross the vehicle.

Regards


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## madrone (Oct 14, 2008)

I'm always amused by the pickups on craigslist that hold "almost a full cord".


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## Pepp31 (Oct 15, 2008)

Hey Dexter thanks for the reply  Does your truck have the TRD offroad package?  Mine does and was wondering if that will make a diff regarding how much hardwood I can haul because of the heavier springs.


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## Adios Pantalones (Oct 15, 2008)

Will a F550 dump body hold a cord?


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## smokinj (Oct 15, 2008)

d.n.f. said:
			
		

> There is a guy out here selling wood and he says his half ton holds a full cord.
> Yessiree Bob.


Now thats funny will he give you a pic.?


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## smokinj (Oct 15, 2008)

Adios Pantalones said:
			
		

> Will a F550 dump body hold a cord?


If the dumb bed big enough!


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## Dexter (Oct 15, 2008)

Pepp:

Mine is a box stock sr5 with NO trd package.  TRD springs will make it not sit as low as mine, and the shocks are stiffer too, so it'll handle better, but it doesn't change the load rating (if my memory serves me.)  Tundra doesn't have a full-floating axle, so it's a matter of axle-load more than springs.  I'm thinking of getting a wood trailer for the weight carrying and the convenience (if I can scrounge a good place to keep it.)

Regards,

Dexter


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## Jabbers (Oct 17, 2008)

When I was growing up my Dad had a 1972 chevey 3/4 ton.  With ladder racks and plywood we could get 3 chords on it


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## Reggie Dunlap (Oct 17, 2008)

Must be face cords, there's no way to get 3 full cords in a pick-up.


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