Making lemonade with limes or adapt and overcome

We recently found a new supplier for totes. Got 4 last week. Looked like the other tote we have with the square tubing cage. Prepped 2 yesterday morning, then discovered the tubing was slightly thicker and the 3/4 conduit fittings we normally use for hinges and latches wouldn't fit. Time to put the redneck thanking cap on...
We picked up a stick of 1" EMC conduit and some longer metal screws.
Got the pieces laid out, enough for 4 totes...made hinges 2" long, latches 3" long...
1 screw holds hinge on...
Then made the latches, used 2 screws, keeps tote from spreading...


Also used the ID panel, cut in half a
nd screws from the side to cover the discharge hole.

Depending on length and orientation of splits, that really helps. Short splits want to fall out.
We used both totes to stack the short post oak smoker wood.

 

Good thinking.

 

Simple and effective. Way to getter done Jeff!

 

Looking good Jeff.

 

Thanks. Got 2 more totes Thursday. Guy said needed to wait a few weeks to get more...

 

We call those bulk tanks up here. And I just secured about 10 of those for my wood operation. My sons and I have been thinking about getting into the firewood selling business

 

Good luck with the new adventure.

 

With the extra help, you shouldn't find yourself without firewood any more.

 

Those totes seem like such a great way to store wood and allow easy moving with the tractor. And pretty much eliminates the chances of stacks falling over!

 

Nothing wrong with that. Great father sons time spent together. Think you can scrounge enough wood?

 

They do work great. Makes delivery easy too.
1/3 cord going to a restaurant
Carried 2/3 cord to 1 family, 1/3 cord to another stop.

 

Kind of a dumb question but how is the tote off loaded at delivery and is the wood taken out?

 

My sons are 17 and 15. It's getting harder to get them to help me

 

Looking good Jeff. They are a great time saver; just wish I had a tractor here to move mine around. Question, when you load in the pickup, do you slide it to the front of the bed or strap it down? Had a friend who had to make a sudden stop and the tote slid forward pushing the tote into the cab. No major damage, but something to think about.

 

We take our hand trucks, unload the tote and wheel the wood behind the 2 smokers...

 

Thanks for the advice. I don't slide it to the front, don't think the tractor will reach it. Probably need to start strapping it. Thinking about trying a small trailer. With the door oriented on the wide side, I have very little room to slide it between the latch stubs.

 

Is it hard to unload those totes?

 

No sir. Drop the door and take it out.

 

I picked up a load of ash up in north dakota, and the guy used a skid-steer and the forks must have been hooked, because he tipped the forks and just dumped it all out into my trailer