Help me find a tractor for firewood stacking

[flyingcow]

And if needed, you can easily haul a 40/50hp. or smaller tractor with a 1/2 ton pickup. My unit needs 3/4 or better.

 

[skfire]

moved some pallets under the deck today..here are some pix of the rig and a pic of the barrel sauna..that almost wiped me out...

Scott

 

[TreePointer]

And I'll bet you moved that load like a good BBQ. Low and slow.

 

[skfire]

And I'll bet you moved that load like a good BBQ. Low and slow.

oh yeah...you should have seen me go down the hill....could have roasted a pig and downed a six ....

 

[blades]

What some have done is to use the lift ram set up from a fork lift and fab a mount for the 3 point , then use tractor hydro for the ram power. Lots of messing around and additional valves would be needed or a stand alone pump & valve system operating off 12v like from a snowplow. With any lifting one needs to be aware of the forces involved and how they relate to the mounting of the lifting device. Overloading a fel can break the frame of the tractor depending on how it is mounted same on the 3 point system. Fel on a tractor is a convenience device it does not take the place of say a forklift or a skid steer. An option for tight quarters stacking of pallets would be a walk behind lift there are manual ones as well as electric versions. But has to be on hard relatively smooth surface. Counter balances are fine to a point but can give you an over confidence on the equipments ability resulting damage. Heck we all need more big boy toys anyway. It just the paying for them that tends to get in the way.

 

[clemsonfor]

If u use the three point hitch you can move 2000 lbs with a pretty small tractor.

 

[clemsonfor]

Do you have a tractor now? Have 38 acres and no tractor?

 

[98kx1927]

I just bought the place last fall. I'm in the process of renovating the house and getting things setup. I've just been borrowing my brothers tractors as needed, but want to get my own.

 

[clemsonfor]

I was figuring that wasmaybe the case.

My brother in law bought a place in Kansas... maybe 60 acres? No tractor no access to one and can't afford one and it has open areas?? Doesnt even have someone to hay it for him set up. This will be like the second growing season. I told him he better hurry or else he will spend forever getting.g those pastries back!!

 

[clemsonfor]

pastries....haha

 

[JP11]

I guess I'll be a bit contrarian here.

I'm doing pallets. I actually took a pallet of firewood that was pretty much green down to the scales. I can't remember exactly.. but I was around 1500lbs.

I do have forks that are mounted on a skid steer plate. So it's closer in with the load. My issue ended up being height, as I stack 3 high. So I ended up with forklift. I could have easily stacked 2 high with the tractor.

My tractor is a 35 horse kubota L with a cab and loaded tires.

If you're going to use standard pallets. That's a 40x48. I cut 24" wood. so two rows stacked. I use cross boards to hold the top of the pallets together. That ends up being 48x40x36 or so (pallets overlap at the base). I usually round over the top with the odd pieces.

3.3 pallets of firewood per cord.

The bigger issues are this. Pallet forks need to be 4' or better length, otherwise the forks don't lift flat, and I've dumped a few stacks by boards underneath breaking. A piece of plywood across the bottom of pallet sometimes doesn't hurt either. With short forks you need to make sure your ground touching boards stay rugged. It's tippy if you aren't reaching all the way thru. I'm spoiled now with a real forklift and 6' forks. Much more secure.

The other hard part is this. You gotta be slow and smooth with the tractor. The higher you lift, the more tilting you'll have to do. Go very slow. Think of it this way, you're moving a whole lot of wood at once. You don't need to be fast.

 

[skfire]

I guess I'll be a bit contrarian here.

I'm doing pallets. I actually took a pallet of firewood that was pretty much green down to the scales. I can't remember exactly.. but I was around 1500lbs.

I do have forks that are mounted on a skid steer plate. So it's closer in with the load. My issue ended up being height, as I stack 3 high. So I ended up with forklift. I could have easily stacked 2 high with the tractor.

My tractor is a 35 horse kubota L with a cab and loaded tires.

If you're going to use standard pallets. That's a 40x48. I cut 24" wood. so two rows stacked. I use cross boards to hold the top of the pallets together. That ends up being 48x40x36 or so (pallets overlap at the base). I usually round over the top with the odd pieces.

3.3 pallets of firewood per cord.

The bigger issues are this. Pallet forks need to be 4' or better length, otherwise the forks don't lift flat, and I've dumped a few stacks by boards underneath breaking. A piece of plywood across the bottom of pallet sometimes doesn't hurt either. With short forks you need to make sure your ground touching boards stay rugged. It's tippy if you aren't reaching all the way thru. I'm spoiled now with a real forklift and 6' forks. Much more secure.

The other hard part is this. You gotta be slow and smooth with the tractor. The higher you lift, the more tilting you'll have to do. Go very slow. Think of it this way, you're moving a whole lot of wood at once. You don't need to be fast.

Sounds about right:

different species of wood, stacking methods and different sizes of pallets create variables,
Here is on of my average pallet condition:
48"x42" base pallet with (2) of same stacked on 48" up(sitting on top of base pallet(not sides))
Inner usable area 41.5"x42"x48", 48.4 cb ft.
Usual suspects, white & red oak, ash, hard maple (packed crossed on bottom, tight on top)
Weight per cord(green), per this:http://forestry.usu.edu/htm/forest-products/wood-heating:
Ash, White 3952lbs
Oak, White 5573lbs
Oak, Red 4888lbs
Maple, 4685lbs

average 4,774.5 lbs per cord, @ 48.4 cb, ft/pallet = 1,805.3 lbs per pallet

on flat packed surfaces, all day,,still slow and low....but sides of hills and uneven terrain...trouble if not with care.
I avoid stacking for a few reasons, but my area of storing for winter is not conducive to stacks.

SK

 

[JP11]

A HA. so.. you end up with a narrower package, but taller. I really can't switch easy now, as my pallet racking is all in. Would have worked. The weak point is sure the joint where you fasten together pallets. I've pondered a bit of metal strapping or something to brace the corners. I figure even buying pallets delivered I'm making each U for about 8 bucks. I've gotten two and three uses out of them so far. I do a little rebuilding and beefing up each time they are empty. I've got a bunch of rough lumber from a beam sawing project. Works fine for rebuilds even though it's just hemlock.

The pallets are where it's at if you've got the equipment and the space to move around. I think my inventory is about 75 U's right now. Need another 33 to make 3 years worth. My plan is two years outside, last year in the barn.

maneuvering a pallet of 1500lbs of firewood on the end of a front end loader with forks takes a fair amount of room. That's the other negative thing I found. My barn had to have near everything out of it to get around and get the wood down off the racks. Forklift sure does turn on a dime, and gets about 10 FEET closer to lift. Old junker forklift might be an option for some folks. Just depends on your wood shed. Plan for A LOT of maneuver room with a tractor. go SLOW! it stinks to dump a pallet. I've done it too often.

JP

 

[Charlie2]

David,
Good advice from TreePointer, also double check your weights on a cord of wood. Heaviest I found was 5,800 lb per cord of green white oak, red oak was around 5,500 lb, that would make your weight including the box 1,425 lb., that would be a big help, if indeed those numbers I found are accurate.

 

[flyingcow]

one other thing to point out.if a cord of hardwood let's say weighs five thousand pounds,that is in tree length or long log form. would you cut it short and split it into many pieces it will take up a little bit more room.so you can have a pallet design that will hold close to half a cord you're only looking at maybe 1700 pounds?

 

[flyingcow]

my tractor has a lift capacity of 2300 pounds.I can lift my palette of green wood that is about 59 to 62 cu/ft pallet very very easily. my wood is stacked two rows of 20 inch wood. Time is 48 inches long times 48 inches high. And I round the pallets up just as much as I can. 40 inches times 48 inches x 48 in inches = 92160 inches. There are 1728 inches in a cubic foot. I think I did the math right?

 

[skfire]

my tractor has a lift capacity of 2300 pounds.I can lift my palette of green wood that is about 59 to 62 cu/ft pallet very very easily. my wood is stacked two rows of 20 inch wood. Time is 48 inches long times 48 inches high. And I round the pallets up just as much as I can. 40 inches times 48 inches x 48 in inches = 92160 inches. There are 1728 inches in a cubic foot. I think I did the math right?

yes Sir....math is spot on

also I forgot to include the weight of the pallet rack(40lbs per pallet), total 120lbs.+ 1,800 for wood+weight or FEL Fork rig(300lbs), total lift = 2,220lbs.
You guys inspired me and yesterday I cut up some half rigs(24" high and stacked them, over the full height ones...pretty tight fit under the deck underside roofing...but it worked..)

Scott

 

[Charlie2]

skfire, Sorry, but like a fool, I thought I was on the second page when I responded to David about the weight of red oak, I didn't realize there was a whole page ahead of my response and that you had already given the weights of wood. If you put my answer at the end of the first page, it'd make more sense, it'd still be a screw up though.

 

[skfire]

skfire, Sorry, but like a fool, I thought I was on the second page when I responded to David about the weight of red oak, I didn't realize there was a whole page ahead of my response and that you had already given the weights of wood. If you put my answer at the end of the first page, it'd make more sense, it'd still be a screw up though.

all good ....you should see my list of ingenuity

sk

 

[98kx1927]

I'm not sure how I screwed up the weight so badly. I used the same website, I'll blame it on a brain fart.

david

 

[flyingcow]

I guess I'll be a bit contrarian here.

Contrarian......is that like being in pain in the ass but being correct about it?

 

[JP11]

LOL.. Everyone was saying 40 plus HP.. and talking like you'd have a half cord. The reality is kind of different. You CAN find the bigger pallets. I went thru the hour and a half exercise to actually weigh the pallet full of wood, and have been successful with a smaller tractor.

Moving a third of a cord at a time is great. If you've got the need for the tractor, the whole operation takes on a different level of labor savings. I lift the round to the splitter, splitter to pallet, pallet to boiler. Only other savings I could get would be a processor. Then it's logs with forks, splits drop onto conveyor into bags.. touch it once to boiler. But I can't quite get over the processor price.

JP

 

[Charlie2]

David, I'm going to blame it on senility, but I've heard there some perks to senility, first one is "you can hide your own Easter eggs".

 

[BrotherBart]

David, I'm going to blame it on senility, but I've heard there some perks to senility, first one is "you can hide your own Easter eggs".

And get to meet so many new people.

 

[Charlie2]

Not only will you forget your BIL didn't return those tools he borrowed, you'll forget your BIL.