Help me find a tractor for firewood stacking

[Ashful]

I've been watching this thread with much amusement. Seems a mighty difficult and expensive way to stack a few cords of wood. Might we just be looking for an excuse to justify the purchase of a newer / bigger tractor?

My little 25 hp diesel machine can lift pallets of wood, using forks on the 3pt, but not high enough to stack 'em. The FEL bypass valve dumps out around 1100 - 1200 lb.

 

[flyingcow]

to some extent you are correct. I have a 700 Foot driveway plus a couple other parking lots that I use my tractor to clear snow with. I have about 50 sometimes 75 acres of fields the bush hog in the summer. and I'll burn anywhere from 12 to 16 cord of wood in a year. TN75hp New Holland tractor is smaller than what I've had before. Last tractor was 145hp Massey. So I've downsized.

 

[JP11]

Not all of us are only 'playing' on our tractors.

My drive is a half a mile. Only the last 300 feet are paved. Summer leveling, winter plowing and snow blowing. Not to mention the brush hogging, running the wood chipper.... on and on. I sure don't want to stack and re stack 10 cords of wood a year. Tractor makes it bearable.

JP

 

[skfire]

Not all of us are only 'playing' on our tractors.

My drive is a half a mile. Only the last 300 feet are paved. Summer leveling, winter plowing and snow blowing. Not to mention the brush hogging, running the wood chipper.... on and on. I sure don't want to stack and re stack 10 cords of wood a year. Tractor makes it bearable.

JP

same here....900 feet of modified driveway, off a red shale road and acres of woods to harvest...
scott

 

[Ashful]

Not all of us are only 'playing' on our tractors.

I don't know anyone who likes "playing" with tractors. They're a tool to get a job done. Some of us just find ways to do more work with less machine.

Me? I'm only clearing 6000 sq.ft. of driveway with my 25 hp machine, which takes me maybe 30 minutes with 12" of fresh snow. If doing a half mile of drive + brush hog + chipper, I could get by with what I have, but I'd be shopping 40 hp if buying new for that purpose. Big tractors might be more fun, but I'm not using it for fun, and don't see much pointing in spending and storing more than I really need for those jobs.

 

[flyingcow]

I am in a trucking business. Small business one truck in it.so a good parent of that tractor I use as a deduction. But I normally dont my pickups maybe once every 10 years? Same with my cars one every 10 years proximately. I got one heck of a steal on a 75 horse tractor. I was shooting for 50 or 60 horse unit.but once I saw the price I didn't hesitate. One nice thing about tractors once you find the right one for the job.they will be around for your grandkids to use into their adult lives if even just half ass mean maintained. every time I buy a used pickup I seem like I'm peeing my money in the wind.but I do need it.the tractor was a no brainer

 

[Charlie2]

flyingcow, You can have any dad burn tractor you want, bigger is always better, ---------------but sometimes it ain't.
For instance, proctology comes to mind, in this instance, look for a doctor with small hands.

 

[skfire]

flyingcow, You can have any dad burn tractor you want, bigger is always better, ---------------but sometimes it ain't.
For instance, proctology comes to mind, in this instance, look for a doctor with small hands.

wow
first hanging Easter eggs and now proctologist.....time to bail....

 

[flyingcow]

wow
first hanging Easter eggs and now proctologist.....time to bail....

Buckle up. May be a short ride.....

 

[bpirger]

You guys using pallet, do you start literally with a pallet? When I tried to do this, I found it was difficult to get the forks under the pallet....uneven ground, uneven pallet forks (clamp on forks and my bucket is a little bent), and I can't see the forks. I spent a summer burning some crappy white pine for DHW and I'd fill up a pallet and move it into the Garn barn. What I had to do was put the pallet on the forks, then load the pallet and drop it off in the shed. I also learned that one has to invest some time into building the pallets, i.e. bolting things together, not just a few nails. Otherwise the pallet structure just seemed to fall apart. I still believe in the idea, but it does seem like it might be better to build ones own pallet bases with more clearance for the forks, and build them strong.

I bought a load of log siding and tried to unload it with the tractor....not a chance. Bundles were up high on the trailer (maybe 8' to bottom?) and while I finally got the forks underneath, I could barely lift it up. Then it wasn't well balanced and driving up 900' driveway it dumped off, despite the chain. Huge bugger. I ended up having to unload down in town with a forklift and then haul the bundles up on a flatbed pickup...where the tractor was able to pick them off. But I had someone guiding my forks beneath the bundles....I can't see a thing from the seat. Delivery was supposed to be on a gooseneck trailer behind a F450....which could make it up the driveway. When I heard the roar of the semi coming up the hill, and the fully loaded flatbed trailer (2/3 or so was mine), I was pissed to say the least....and they never told me about the change. What a day that was.

 

[aeblank]

I wonder too. My dad has some old wire baskets (maybe 40" x 48" x 40" or something). They are great for hauling wood, with forks of course.
I had the brainstorm of how awesome it would be to have 20, or 50, or whatever number of those. They stack on each other with a pin/socket. Very stable, very safe, very durable. But then I find they're $185-ish each on the used market. OUCH. If only.

I can do a lot of multiple movings/stackings for $10K.

Using wooden pallets seems like I'd spend as much time dinking with the pallets as I would just moving the wood around.

Maybe I'm missing something though......

 

[JP11]

The pallets I use have no bolts. I use nothing but a handful of sheetrock screws. Maybe 4 or 5 on each side at the base.(pallet 'walls' overlap the sides of the 'floor') and get screwed in.

Then two pieces of whatever is laying around (my favorite is 1x6) that make the brace pieces across the top. 8 screws total in there.

I can't see the forks from my seat either. rough ground will get you. I make sure the pallet is sort of flat when I load it. If you have bolt on forks, sometimes those are awful thick. I have actual forklift forks, mounted on a skid steer plate. Maybe that's the difference. The forks are maybe 1/2 to 3/4inch thick at the point.

You do need to go slow. You can't set the pallet down on uneven ground (it will shift the load and it will blow out) but the reality is you are moving a third of a cord in a few minutes. It's worth it.

I don't think any of us has really taken some up close pics of how were building the pallets. I'm off for 9 days after this trip, and I've got a few pallets kicking around. I'll try to show my method with some good pics..

JP

 

[Ashful]

I stack on pallets, but I don't move on 'em.

 

[skfire]

clamped ones....no play....but it all takes practice..
.I tilt the forks a few inches before the pallet so I can see and line up and then drop slowly and approach...
Last year I spread some #2 and 3 stone on my storage area, which helps with drainage under the pallets and also leveled it abit.
I cracked a couple on approach...but practice makes perfect
scott

 

[clemsonfor]

I bought a carport this year and will be using it as a woodshed. I will stack on pallets, but I won't move them. That was the plan with the double carport to be used as another shed, just stack in there and rotate where I pull and stack from. Will allow me to have 3 years under cover.

 

[maple1]

Get the pallets in the air some by putting a split under each corner. Gives a lot more to come & go on when getting under with the forks.

I've got a couple of pallet setups going on - I'll try to remember to take some pics. Actually, I think I'll maybe try to do some splitting & stacking right now - or as soon as the pizza settles a bit - so will see what happens. The last few I made I started with scrounged plastic pallets. They had cutouts in the ends or I guess along the sides that I could use to hold the bottoms of uprights. Then close to the tops of the uprights, I tie peices of old clothesline across & finish piling on top of the clothesline. Makes things fairly solid - and I can take them apart & pile them up collapsed like when empty. No worries about them rotting, but not sure yet how durable they'll be.

I move the pallets with a FEL to my basement entrance, then a pallet jack in the basement. Sure makes things easier when it's time to put some wood in.

Wasn't there a pallet stacking/handling thread going on at one time? Pics of everyones setups in that might be a help, might get lost in this thread...

 

[flyingcow]

What I'm finding out is the 3 sided pallets I have are good for about 2 yrs at best. Then it's patching up time, or throw 'em away. And yes the best way to make them last is to load the empty pallet on the tractor and load the wood on to it. Set it where you want and don't touch again until you have to. And the ground is hard on the pallets. it shifts, etc. I can't see the forks going under the pallets either. Go slow and easy. Also, clamp on forks are not the best, but use what you have. I've priced out building metal ones........I'll keep looking for free pallets or some I can but for a buck or two. Also, got lucky and bought a big bundle of cedar 2x3's 8ft long. use these as sleepers. Got a bog bundle for $25. Priceless.

 

[JP11]

I've had pretty good luck just setting the pallets on some scrap 1" slabs. you know.. like live edges 1"x8"

just enough to keep them out of the moisture.

will take some pics next week.

 

[Mikel Ward]

I could not imagine managing my firewood without a tractor and using pallets.
I never bring them into the garage- one year I brought the mice and their nests in too
I always try to put a sacrificial pallet under my wood pallet and I keep them covered.
I have 20 or so made and the oldest is 6 years or so.

 

[Mikel Ward]

I was at the stone quarry and saw the small wood pallets they used for stone and made mine larger but based on their idea.
If the bottom goes bad the separate sides can be reused with another bottom. I haven't had any go bad yet and the oldest are 6 yrs old now

 

[Mikel Ward]

I worked hard to get ahead on wood and now I have too much to put it all on pallets.
So I've started using them as bookends and stack wood between them usually 2 pallets deep and 6 foot high
I make a short 28 inch high pallet that I can stack on top of the big one

 

[Charlie2]

I worked hard to get ahead on wood and now I have too much to put it all on pallets.
So I've started using them as bookends and stack wood between them usually 2 pallets deep and 6 foot high
I make a short 28 inch high pallet that I can stack on top of the big one

View attachment 135569 View attachment 135570[/quot

THAT'S what I'm talking about! Too much wood!

 

[clemsonfor]

Ward is that new metal roofing u use?

 

[Mikel Ward]

Ward is that new metal roofing u use?

The local lumber yard had some 5 foot overhangs they removed and they sold me the red metal roofing for half price
I got 8 to try out and loved it.
I ordered more in 8 ft lengths to make a removable roof on a couple of 8 ft square hot tub skids.
You can see them above the green 6 ft stepladder in post # 71

 

[tsquini]

You can do a lot with a little tractor. Sometimes it's not the hp that is the issue. I use a kubota xb25 to remove snow. Sometime it just does not weight enough to push it around.