# how to keep pallets off the ground



## punchy (Apr 17, 2013)

jusy checking to see what you guys are doing to help palllets to last longer off the wet ground.  bricks, concrete blocks?


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## TimJ (Apr 17, 2013)

If you keep any amount of wood, pallets are out the door and 3" saplings cut to length are the ticket


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## Jack Straw (Apr 17, 2013)

Luckily I get plenty of wood scraps from construction jobs that include plenty of treated wood. All of my wood racks and pallets sit on treated wood.


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## Machria (Apr 17, 2013)

Even better than treated lumber now is the "fake" treated wood, the plastic stuff that looks like wood often used on docks and decks now. I have some scrap 2x6x8' planks of that which works great as a base for a stack. OR, do what I did and bury four treated 2x4x10' studs into the ground about 2' deep, then bolt (4" galvanized lag bolts) on cross members a few inches off the ground to make racks. My cross members are 8' long, the racks are 8' tall, and 18 to 20" wide (lenght of my splits), so it comes to about 0.75 cords per rack, and takes up very little space, yet dries the wood very nicely!


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## Woody Stover (Apr 17, 2013)

TimJ said:


> If you keep any amount of wood, pallets are out the door and 3" saplings cut to length are the ticket


I've started doing this, using Sassafras trunks from dead trees, 4"+ diameter. I'm waiting to see how stable these stacks will be, but it seems like they should be pretty good as the weight is evenly distributed all the way along the sleeper poles.
I still have a lot of pallets out there on concrete blocks (bricks might be easier to find or cheaper.) Latest configuration is three concrete half-thickness blocks spanning between two pallet ends, under the beams, then three beam supports under the middle of the pallet to prevent sagging. One place I will keep using the blocks/pallets is on my main supply stacks close to the house (no shed yet.) It's twelve pallets in a 4x3 rectangle. I figure it will be easier to walk in this area with pallets instead of poles...


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## bogydave (Apr 17, 2013)

I just replace the pallets as the  beak down.
Free from Lowes & HD & other places here.
the ones under roof last a long time, it's the ones I use out in the open
to season the wood on that are only good for a few years.
They are empty often enough to cull the bad ones.

The plastic one would be sweet .
Might even pay for some of them


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## Ralphie Boy (Apr 17, 2013)

I spray the bottoms of the pallets with a generic brand of Thompson's water seal. I live in an area with a lot of clay and I've found putting bricks, blocks, stones and the like just cause the stacks to lean and fall as the settle into the clay. During the dry season the clay shrinks and causes the stacks to tip and fall as well.


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## velvetfoot (Apr 17, 2013)

Stacking on a rolling surface, using splits right on the ground I would say is easier.  I've had fairly good luck with rotting, but I wonder even if rotting did ocurr, would it only be confined to the bottom layer?  I have a fair amount on pallets, but they are hard to come by, and as I said, it's easier to follow the undulations of the ground without.  The ground isn't really wet though.

Anybody else just stack on the ground?


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## Ashful (Apr 17, 2013)

TimJ said:


> If you keep any amount of wood, pallets are out the door and 3" saplings cut to length are the ticket





Machria said:


> Even better than treated lumber now is the "fake" treated wood, the plastic stuff that looks like wood often used on docks and decks now.


 
I disagree. I have my pallets arranged in three long rows, for three years of storage. Each row is made up of 19 pallets, with 12 laid flat and 7 as book ends. Each "crib" is one cord, when stacked 5.5 feet high, making for very easy tracking of what you have. I figure that a hardwood pallet should last about 3 years under such conditions, so when the wood stacked on it gets moved to the house, the pallet gets cut up for kindling. Saplings and Machria's racks might work well enough if you're storing just a few face cords, but for storing mass quantities, I'll stick with pallet cribs.


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## billb3 (Apr 17, 2013)

I have lots of red bricks lying around.
I prefer the height of a concrete block though.


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## JoeyD (Apr 17, 2013)

I bought plastic pallets for $5 and $6 a piece over the last few years. In about two seasons I should be on all plastic. I am hoping the last because plastic will be more of a pain to get rid of then wood. Cutting up old pallets is only slightly better then stacking in my book, at least I get to use a power tool. I use a sawzall.


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## Machria (Apr 17, 2013)

Joful said:


> I disagree. I have my pallets arranged in three long rows, for three years of storage. Each row is made up of 19 pallets, with 12 laid flat and 7 as book ends. Each "crib" is one cord, when stacked 5.5 feet high, making for very easy tracking of what you have. I figure that a hardwood pallet should last about 3 years under such conditions, so when the wood stacked on it gets moved to the house, the pallet gets cut up for kindling. Saplings and Machria's racks might work well enough if you're storing just a few face cords, but for storing mass quantities, I'll stick with pallet cribs.


 
To each his own, but I'm not sure how "19 pallets" laid about your lawn is going to save any space!      Yikes!     If your only stacking 5.5' high, then your going to almost double the required space that I use on my racks which are stacked 8'+ high.  You can line up as many of them as you like, for as much storage as you like.  They only require 24" wide each(18" splits plus 6" space between racks).  I also add an exta foot between every other rack, so you can walk down the row to access them.   I only have 4 of them, equalling 3 FULL cords (0.75 each X 4), and I keep 1 full cord in the shed in the background which I use to burn.  I only have 4 because that is the only space I have, I have a VERY small yard.  I have the rest of my wood (5 or 6 cords) stacked as rounds on the side of my house.


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## Backwoods Savage (Apr 17, 2013)

I am not a lover of pallets so we simply cut some saplings in the woods, lay those down and stack on top of them. This keeps the wood off the ground and the saplings cost us nothing. Occasionally we do have to replace some saplings when they start to rot but they last several years with no problems. Believe it or not, we also sometimes stack the wood directly on the ground. However, we live on yellow sand and there is no problems with water. But overall, it is a bit better to get the wood off the ground just for some additional air circulation.

The picture below shows a close up of one of the wood stacks so you can see the two saplings under the wood. btw, this particular picture is of a wood stack that was built in April 2009 and the wood pictured is still there. It will probably get burned next winter. Should be nice and dry, eh?


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## Machria (Apr 17, 2013)

Looks like some nice Locust in there ready for next winter!


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## Machria (Apr 17, 2013)

Something I forgot to mention, ah, kinda a MAJOR thing for me!     Pallets won't work in my yard because it's not flat.  My yard is all sloped, so it would be difficult to make the pallets flat.  Burrying 2x4's and bolting the cross memebers on lets me actualy utilize the extra space I get from the slope nicely.


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## firefighterjake (Apr 17, 2013)

I just replace them when they start to break down . . . and then they go on the burn pile . . . it's very easy to find pallets around here.


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## Ashful (Apr 17, 2013)

Machria said:


> To each his own, but I'm not sure how "19 pallets" laid about your lawn is going to save any space!


 
19 per row x 3 rows = 57 pallets! Only 36 are laid flat, though, the rest are propped up as book ends. In this way, 18 cords stacked will take up only about 13,000 sq.ft., with 5 feet space between rows. You're right, though... to each his own! I found this system works well for me, but it's by no means the best system out there. It's just what I was able to come up with quickly, in a time of need. I'm already planning something better, and more permanent. I don't like stacking more than 6' high (0.5' pallet plus 5.5' of wood), as I've seen too many taller stacks capsize after a year.



Machria said:


> Something I forgot to mention, ah, kinda a MAJOR thing for me! Pallets won't work in my yard because it's not flat. My yard is all sloped, so it would be difficult to make the pallets flat. Burrying 2x4's and bolting the cross memebers on lets me actualy utilize the extra space I get from the slope nicely.


 
I put concrete pavers or bricks under the low corner(s), and roughly level each pallet, when I'm setting up a new row. It works well enough on grades up to 20% - 25%, but probably not a good option on anything steeper.

... and we come full-circle to the OP's question.  I keep pallets off the ground by putting pavers or bricks under the lowest corners, and sometimes at mid-span of each pallet.  I don't care if the high side sits right on the dirt... the pallet will be cut up for kindling, after the wood has sat on it seasoning for three years.


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## tigeroak (Apr 18, 2013)

I put all my wood in racks that are 4' wide 5' 6" tall and up to 16 feet long , with a metal roof.


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## USMC80 (Apr 18, 2013)

firefighterjake said:


> I just replace them when they start to break down . . . and then they go on the burn pile . . . it's very easy to find pallets around here.


Same here, last two years or so then replace


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## mywaynow (Apr 18, 2013)

2 words: Plast ic

Worth the effort to find them.


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## USMC80 (Apr 18, 2013)

keeping my eye out for plastic, free ones hard to come by


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## Brewmonster (Apr 18, 2013)

Maybe you could put your pallets up on _other_ pallets. (Kidding!)

Seriously, as others have said, a pallet will last three years or so, which is all I need. After that they can go on the outdoor burn pile. I do enjoy an unlimited supply of free pallets from work.


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## JrCRXHF (Apr 18, 2013)

free pallets at work so i just use those.


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## nate379 (Apr 18, 2013)

Joful said:


> 19 per row x 3 rows = 57 pallets! Only 36 are laid flat, though, the rest are propped up as book ends. In this way, 18 cords stacked will take up only about 13,000 sq.ft., with 5 feet space between rows. You're right, though... to each his own! I found this system works well for me, but it's by no means the best system out there. It's just what I was able to come up with quickly, in a time of need. I'm already planning something better, and more permanent. I don't like stacking more than 6' high (0.5' pallet plus 5.5' of wood), as I've seen too many taller stacks capsize after a year.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I can't really picture that.  When I used pallets it took 7 or 8 of them to fit 3 cords.


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## Ashful (Apr 18, 2013)

nate379 said:


> I can't really picture that. When I used pallets it took 7 or 8 of them to fit 3 cords.


 
Think two 40" x 48" pallets laid flat, with one stood on end at either end. Makes a crib with footprint 40" wide x 8' long. Since I cut to exactly 20", I fit two rows, using the entire 40" width x 8' length. If I stack this 5.5 feet high, I have 5.5 x 3.33 x 8 = 146 cubic feet = 1.15 cords per crib. 6 cribs requires 19 pallets, sharing the intermediate "book end" pallets, so I get almost 7 cords per row. I estimate it at 6 cords per row, though... since it's likely my packing isn't 100% as dense as it could be (uglies / shorties tossed on top, etc.), and not all of my stacks are exactly a uniform 5.500000 feet tall.

The book ends help me get to 4' height, and above that I use the criss-cross method on the ends, for the last 18" of height. Our math is the same, though... your 8 pallets per 3 cords is 2.7 pallets per cord, and my 19 pallets per 7 cords is the same 2.7 pallets per cord.


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## Highbeam (Apr 19, 2013)

I lay the pallets right in the dirt, they do their job for 2 or more years and then get reused only if they are not totally rotten. Pallets are free if you look around. If I could find plastic I would absolutely pay a few bucks to aviod replacing the old rotten ones.


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## velvetfoot (Apr 19, 2013)

I'm thinking of laying down landscape fabric, sans pallets (hard to find here).  Anybody else do that?


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## red oak (Apr 19, 2013)

velvetfoot said:


> Stacking on a rolling surface, using splits right on the ground I would say is easier. I've had fairly good luck with rotting, but I wonder even if rotting did ocurr, would it only be confined to the bottom layer? I have a fair amount on pallets, but they are hard to come by, and as I said, it's easier to follow the undulations of the ground without. The ground isn't really wet though.
> 
> Anybody else just stack on the ground?


 
I did for many years, and still have a couple of stacks directly on the ground.  The very bottom layer doesn't dry well obviously.  The others seem okay, but just okay.  I think more air ciruculation would've helped the wood dry a good bit more.   I'm trying pallets for the first time this year, and those stacks are only going up about 40" or so.  Saplings are a great idea also as I have been using these the last couple of years too.


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## Trilifter7 (Apr 19, 2013)

velvetfoot said:


> I'm thinking of laying down landscape fabric, sans pallets (hard to find here).  Anybody else do that?



I was thinking of putting landscape fabric down under my pallets. It would keep grass and weeds from growing under them and keep the pallets out of the mud. Might still put the pallets on some bricks placed on top of the fabric.


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## Woody Stover (Apr 19, 2013)

Highbeam said:


> I lay the pallets right in the dirt, they do their job for 2 or more years and then get reused only if they are not totally rotten.


That's why I'm putting my pallets on blocks. It's more work up front, but I have some that have been out there more than ten years.


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## velvetfoot (Apr 19, 2013)

My local hardware store, where I used to get them, got an outdoor boiler and now they're burning their pallets in it.  Is that ironic, or what?


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## blacktail (Apr 20, 2013)

I used pallets for the floor of my shed. They're on the cheapest concrete blocks I could find.


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## maple1 (Apr 20, 2013)

TimJ said:


> If you keep any amount of wood, pallets are out the door and 3" saplings cut to length are the ticket


 
If you handle any amount of wood, pallets can decrease the wood handling significantly when combined with a FEL & pallet jack. My wood gets piled on pallets directly from the splitter. The next time I handle it, it's to take it off the pallet & put directly into my boiler fire in my basement. In between, after seasoning, the piled pallet gets set into my ground level basement doorway with a FEL, then gets rolled into place next to my boiler with an old pallet jack.

On the OP question, I have always just stuck some bigger splits off the pile under the pallets. I'm also now thinking of maybe investing in some concrete block seconds (0.50 ea.), or PT landscape ties, on top of landscape fabric. Usually by the time I put my wood inside, the splits have settled into the ground & started rotting. A nice long raised gravel pad would also work pretty good, I think - something else I'm considering.


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## Machria (Apr 20, 2013)

Hmmmm, a big raised gravel pit!   Brilliant!  Cheap, easy and prolly last longer than all of us.  Wood will stay dry, drain well, and no growth....  Great idea.  

With all the work you guys do with pallets... Why not just build simple racks like I did?   Fairly cheap, will last for as long as I need them (treated lumber), easy to build, and great for seasoning.


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## Ashful (Apr 20, 2013)

Machria said:


> With all the work you guys do with pallets... Why not just build simple racks like I did? Fairly cheap, will last for as long as I need them (treated lumber), easy to build, and great for seasoning.


 
I did, and they were great! Then I realized I'd need something like 40 of them scattered about, to hold 3 years worth of wood at my usage rate.

Plans for a more permanent solution are in the works... between building a new shop, barn, replacing 26 windows, new baby, regular maintenance, etc., etc...



maple1 said:


> If you handle any amount of wood, pallets can decrease the wood handling significantly when combined with a FEL & pallet jack. My wood gets piled on pallets directly from the splitter. The next time I handle it, it's to take it off the pallet & put directly into my boiler fire in my basement.


 
I've considered this many times, and every time I have it in my head to do it, I uncover a nest of mice or other varmint in one of my wood piles. There's a benefit to shaking off the splits and re-stacking, when you're moving it to the house. I do aim to eliminate the handling most folks do, when moving from their outdoor stacks to their wood shed, though.


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## jeffesonm (Apr 23, 2013)

I put them on old pavers or bricks.


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## Stegman (Apr 23, 2013)

If you don't mind spending some money, you can do what I did and build a gravel base. Here's a thread I created a couple of years back when I was done with mine:

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/firewood-storage-area.67734/

I've since built a woodshed, so I use this strictly as my drying/seasoning area.


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## Shari (Apr 23, 2013)

18" tapering to around 6" of traffic bond w/pallets laid on top of the gravel works best for me.  I originally tried pallets on top of cement blocks but had too much shifting/setting and big critters living under the stacks.  Now I only have little critters (voles?) that sometimes live between the slats of the pallets.  Those voles (?) are curious creatures - they will get a vantage point and sit there watching me move splits around.


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## lukem (Apr 24, 2013)

velvetfoot said:


> I'm thinking of laying down landscape fabric, sans pallets (hard to find here). Anybody else do that?


 
Landscape fabric is going to do nothing for keeping your wood dry.  If anything it will make it wetter than directly on the ground.  Landscape fabric under whatever you are stacking on would be fine.


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