What Truck/Trailer Combo for moving wood?

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Several years ago I bought a 91 GMC 2500 3/4 ton 4 wheel drive for $2500. It has been a great work truck. So far I have used it to get all the materials to completely remodel an old house that I bought and to get all of my wood. I also use it to drive to work but that is only 1.5 miles. I keep one good vehicle for my wife and kids, I get the junker. This has been both economical and practical for us. In fact today I brought home about 3/4 of a cord of red oak in one trip.

I feel that what I have is the minimal truck that I would want. When you pile up the weight it is not just springs that matter. Axles, bearings, and breaks are all heavier. Being able to stop is a good thing! I also used the 4 wheel drive today. The oak that I cut was over 3' in diameter in spots. I was able to pull the trunk with a chain to get it into a better cutting position and then flip it to finish the cuts. This cheap truck has already more then paid for itself in 3 years and I see no problem with it lasting another 3 years. Spending a lot of money on a vehicle defeats the purpose since it would be cheaper by a long shot to just pay for the heat. My vote is for a cheap utility truck.

Sounds like you have a great set-up. +1 on paying less to get the most value out of it.

 

[nate379]

Trailer deck is 18ft long ~7.75ft wide. I piled each row 4-5ft tall. Trailer holds about 13 rows.

Here is a photo with about 2.5 cords. The trailer is only about 1/2 full. Towed like crap though because I had a TON of tongue weight. I kept the rows between the fenders lower because I didn't have enough straps with me to tie everything down.

(broken image removed)

I never did the math but I hauled 4 cords on one trip this summer between the truck and trailer.

I don't know if this is right? (broken link removed to http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/home/heating_cooling/firewood.html)

If so that means I had about 20,000lbs of load and whole setup was sitting at around 30,000lbs. Handled it fine in any case.

Not really sure I buy this math. 4 cords is 512 cubic feet of wood. Say the truck and trailer bed are 8 feet wide and you stacked it 2 feet deep, you still need 32 feet of length.

Thats one massive pile of wood. A full year's worth for a lot of the people on this site.

 

[jensent]

Have you ever contacted the tree services in your area to see if they would drop a truck load in your yard from time to time? These guys have to dispose of the wood they remove for customers on a daily basis. I live in a town of 18000 and we have several tree service operators who will gladly drop wood on request. I ask for wood 4in to 30in dia. that way I get pieces I can handle. I cut and split for several families, about 30 cords per year, plus ten cords for our use. There is little value in the wood until it is cut, split and seasoned. I never buy wood. The only wood I haul is what I sell to someone that wants delivery.
Tom

 

[babzog]

At the moment, I use my van (Sienna LE, 3.5l V6) and a 4x8 utility trailer. Obviously not heading far off the beaten path with it but I've hauled 1 - 1.5 cords at a time with it. No problems. I wouldn't mind getting a pickup though for larger jobs.

 

[94ranger55]

Brand new gmc or chevy reg cab 8ft bed 4x4 can be had for 25 k or less and you still have money left for a nice trailer !

 

[Chargerman]

Maybe it is just me but I don't want to haul firewood with my 2005 Cummins. When in the woods, branches, bushes, or firewood not thrown just right are going to do something that won't make me very happy.

I prefer having a "wood hauler" type vehicle that can take a few licks without killing my daily driver. This is last nights load in my old Dodge and 12' trailer. The Dodge is a 3/4 ton and takes a heavy load with ease. I am guessing 2+ cord but won't know until it is CSS. It was heavy and it tired me out loading it.

 

[BlankBlankBlank]

Maybe it is just me but I don't want to haul firewood with my 2005 Cummins. When in the woods, branches, bushes, or firewood not thrown just right are going to do something that won't make me very happy.

I prefer having a "wood hauler" type vehicle that can take a few licks without killing my daily driver. This is last nights load in my old Dodge and 12' trailer. The Dodge is a 3/4 ton and takes a heavy load with ease. I am guessing 2+ cord but won't know until it is CSS. It was heavy and it tired me out loading it.

Nice Dodge work horse. A great philosophy to have. Keep the daily driver looking respectable. Nice trailer! Nice wood!

 

[TomR]

I was driving by a house earlier this week and noticed 3 very large trees down in the yard. I left a note in the mailbox that I would be interested in removing the logs. I got a call back right away. Since I don't have a truck or trailer I'm renting a 14ft box truck for the day for $29. I think it's enough wood to justify the expense.

 

[MofoG23]

Maybe it is just me but I don't want to haul firewood with my 2005 Cummins. When in the woods, branches, bushes, or firewood not thrown just right are going to do something that won't make me very happy.

I prefer having a "wood hauler" type vehicle that can take a few licks without killing my daily driver. This is last nights load in my old Dodge and 12' trailer. The Dodge is a 3/4 ton and takes a heavy load with ease. I am guessing 2+ cord but won't know until it is CSS. It was heavy and it tired me out loading it.

Nice truck! I have a 76 Chevy K20 for the same purpose....fixed it up to be reliable and removed all rust. Paint is not fancy and can be fixed with a can of paint on a weekend....no worry's when going into the woods or tossing wood into it.

 

[smoke eater]

i can tow around 3000 lbs with my 97 passat tdi - 90 hp, 140 ft lbs, easily on the highway at 60 mph. when not towing it gets 50 mpg. thats right, 50. bigger loads i use my new F150 6 cylinder twin turbo rated to tow 9700 lbs. non towing in that gets me low to mid 20's mpg at 60 mph. my trailer is a stirling light to med duty 11' X 5', rated around 2000 lbs. this works for me.

 

[Dix]

Well, I haven't whipped this one out in a while. Usually just the truck, but have used the trailer when needed .

 

[TomR]

Nice truck. I grew up close to Ridge.

 

[Dix]

Nice truck. I grew up close to Ridge.

Ridge is Mayberry, usually

 

[cybex]

I'm with you Chargerman. Hate to get the truck dirty or scratched. I should have kept my 96 Dodge diesel 2500 with 8 bed and installed a dump insert. This way I don't have to pay the state 20.00 per thousand pounds every year, DOT inspection and commercial plates.
I too have rented a box truck TomR. Filled that uhaul up real good. Lol.

 

[nate379]

I'd guess closer to one cord vs 2. You'd have to stack it in the truck and trailer to the same height for about 2 cords.

Maybe it is just me but I don't want to haul firewood with my 2005 Cummins. When in the woods, branches, bushes, or firewood not thrown just right are going to do something that won't make me very happy.

I prefer having a "wood hauler" type vehicle that can take a few licks without killing my daily driver. This is last nights load in my old Dodge and 12' trailer. The Dodge is a 3/4 ton and takes a heavy load with ease. I am guessing 2+ cord but won't know until it is CSS. It was heavy and it tired me out loading it.

 

[Chargerman]

I'd guess closer to one cord vs 2. You'd have to stack it in the truck and trailer to the same height for about 2 cords.

Maybe it is just me but I don't want to haul firewood with my 2005 Cummins. When in the woods, branches, bushes, or firewood not thrown just right are going to do something that won't make me very happy.

I prefer having a "wood hauler" type vehicle that can take a few licks without killing my daily driver. This is last nights load in my old Dodge and 12' trailer. The Dodge is a 3/4 ton and takes a heavy load with ease. I am guessing 2+ cord but won't know until it is CSS. It was heavy and it tired me out loading it.

You could be right. The trailer is 7 x 12 and hauling it back seemed a lot heavier than 3-4000lbs though.

 

[seeyal8r]

If your hauling wood from one end of your neighborhood to the other then you can use a golf cart or 4 wheeler to pull a trailer. A 3/4 ton pickup can pull upwards of 15K lbs. but the pulling isnt the problem its the stopping. I have a 3/4 ton truck with a 16' flatbed trailer. The axles are 3500 lb axles but I usually get enough weight in at about 2.5 chords I'd say. Trailer has electric brakes but it still takes some time to pull it anywhere safely.

 

[thinkxingu]

Tom,
You're in the same situation I was: needed something to take on road trips and other days with lots of stuff, and figured I would get something to haul wood when I found it. Ended up with an '09 F-150 Supercab last year (suicide doors) to pull my snowmobile trailer with sides. Overall, best choice I could have made: truck was $18k with a 5-year/100k warranty; gets 17 city and close to 20 highway; small loads go in the 6.5 foot bed, large in the 8x8 trailer; drives and tows beautifully (even when loaded); and looks nice. Only caveat: my boy's only eighteen months old, but if he were older I would probably want the Supercrew, full four doors.

S

 

[curber]

Let me start by saying I've got two trucks. One 91 ford diesel dually and a 91 2wd toyota. Ive also got several trailers from 14 ft x 7wide duall axle wood houler trailer with 5ft tall sides, to the little 5x8 trailer that I use behind the toyota. What I've found is that I much prefer the toyota as long as its a scrounge in the city. It gets 25mpg. I think it makes it a more enjoyable trip to get smaller loads, your not overworking yourself. I find that I prefer to do smaller steady loads rather than a huge load. Thats my 2cents. Pat

 

[BlankBlankBlank]

Let me start by saying I've got two trucks. One 91 ford diesel dually and a 91 2wd toyota. Ive also got several trailers from 14 ft x 7wide duall axle wood houler trailer with 5ft tall sides, to the little 5x8 trailer that I use behind the toyota. What I've found is that I much prefer the toyota as long as its a scrounge in the city. It gets 25mpg. I think it makes it a more enjoyable trip to get smaller loads, your not overworking yourself. I find that I prefer to do smaller steady loads rather than a huge load. Thats my 2cents. Pat

I agree with a few smaller loads instead the ONE big load. Reminds me of The Matrix. "Neo, you're the ONE!!" LOL. My 5'x8' Maxi trailer is rated for 2950 lbs. It's got a single 3500 lb axle. I can really load it up and it pulls great. I also like being able to maneuver.

 

[gzecc]

Let me start by saying I've got two trucks. One 91 ford diesel dually and a 91 2wd toyota. Ive also got several trailers from 14 ft x 7wide duall axle wood houler trailer with 5ft tall sides, to the little 5x8 trailer that I use behind the toyota. What I've found is that I much prefer the toyota as long as its a scrounge in the city. It gets 25mpg. I think it makes it a more enjoyable trip to get smaller loads, your not overworking yourself. I find that I prefer to do smaller steady loads rather than a huge load. Thats my 2cents. Pat

I agree entirely with the slow and steady smaller loads. I have an xterra and a 6x10 trailer. I never over load. Free wood will be very expensive if I blow a transmission or blow out my brakes.

 

[nate379]

I burn about the same fuel if the truck is empty or loaded. I have no reason to waste more time or more fuel in making several trips if I can haul it all in one. One thing if it's just a mile or two down the road, but nothing around here is just a mile away, well other than my mailbox.

I agree with a few smaller loads instead the ONE big load. Reminds me of The Matrix. "Neo, you're the ONE!!" LOL. My 5'x8' Maxi trailer is rated for 2950 lbs. It's got a single 3500 lb axle. I can really load it up and it pulls great. I also like being able to maneuver.

 

[seeyal8r]

I'm for 1 big load. I have a wife with a baby so i'm usually working alone. I scour craigs list for green trees that need cut. I cut down 5 or 6 big trees then use my truck to drag the trees to an area where I can cut them up and i pull the trailer right up next to the logs. usually can load up 2 chords (6 ricks in oklahoma) and be headed for the house in a couple hours. I leave the trailer loaded until the next day and then I unload and split with a maul and stack. usually takes about 3 hrs. So i'm invested 5 hours and that is usually enough wood for most of a season.

 

[MasterMech]

Let me start by saying I've got two trucks. One 91 ford diesel dually and a 91 2wd toyota. Ive also got several trailers from 14 ft x 7wide duall axle wood houler trailer with 5ft tall sides, to the little 5x8 trailer that I use behind the toyota. What I've found is that I much prefer the toyota as long as its a scrounge in the city. It gets 25mpg. I think it makes it a more enjoyable trip to get smaller loads, your not overworking yourself. I find that I prefer to do smaller steady loads rather than a huge load. Thats my 2cents. Pat

Sure hope you're running trailer brakes behind that 'yota! Most of the earlier import trucks barely had enough brake for the truck itself.

 

[curber]

Let me start by saying I've got two trucks. One 91 ford diesel dually and a 91 2wd toyota. Ive also got several trailers from 14 ft x 7wide duall axle wood houler trailer with 5ft tall sides, to the little 5x8 trailer that I use behind the toyota. What I've found is that I much prefer the toyota as long as its a scrounge in the city. It gets 25mpg. I think it makes it a more enjoyable trip to get smaller loads, your not overworking yourself. I find that I prefer to do smaller steady loads rather than a huge load. Thats my 2cents. Pat

Sure hope you're running trailer brakes behind that 'yota! Most of the earlier import trucks barely had enough brake for the truck itself.

91 toyota brakes are great. This load was only bout 3 miles away from home on 35mph roads. Pat