Have access to these at work Jack and what my buddy down the road does is take out the plastic then fill nicely with ready wood then uses the tractor with forks to set in garage by the big oil/woodstove . Will go down today and get a picture for ya
I use these for the uglies that won't stack well, only problem wit these I have found is once it's almost empty it a pain to get wood out.
Have a neighbor that does exactly what you are thinking of doing. He has bought several cheap wagons at farm auctions and fills them when he has time. When one is empty he just pulls it away and pulls in a full one. He has a shed that he keeps the ones close to being used in so no snow or rain. Works good for him. I keep my burn stack on a 5 x 12 lawnmower trailer. Fill it at the wood pile every couple of weeks and park it next to the stove. Keeps a lot of mess away from yard and house. Son does the same thing only he backs his trailer into basement garage where stove is located. Most of loose bark and dirt stays on trailer.
That's a good idea, I don't use too many of them so haven't messed with them. Mostly just use my pallet racks, I might have to try that. Does he hinge it or anything? Maybe a piece of plywood in there?
Jack do you have any issues with these freezing to the ground? This is the first year I've had this problem, I broke two of my skids like that with them freezing to the ground. I know this year is much colder than most we've had but it has made me question my method a little. Thought about just putting down gravel but that would mean moving all my wood this summer and buying gravel. Wouldn't be a huge deal as I could get my brothers bobcat over here and probably do it in a day but just something to think about.
Great setup Jack Pretty sure he just leaves it open swags its not a crazy big hole just big enough to grab the low splits.
Was just down there with the tractor swags and i guess he cuts a large hole in the side and this last load was covered in snow and he just threw them in on the weekend from an outside cage but he always stacks them nice when filling outside. Not perfect Ash but was standing dead in the fall when we dealt with them, also has the door open going into the house and has only spent $300 in propane so far
A hay wagon will hold the weight, no problem. The ground under the wagon (when wet/thawed) might not. I think the only way you could overload a hay wagon is with rocks.
I did it with a 16' tandem axle trailer two years ago. Made 8' on one side & 10' on the other side walls from 2x4 frame on 16" centers using cattle panels for the sides. (I did not use the stake pockets because the 2x4's needed the strength of the width so make the basic frame like you would in a house.) We filled it from the back & used the tractor to move it. 8 cords of green oak. Worked well just didn't like having the trailer tied up. The next year I filled my 14' dump trailer from a pile of dried splits in September. Bolted 2x4s to the sides with a 1-1/16" hole drill into the end. Made hoops out of 3/4" conduit which fit into the 1-1/16" holes then stretched a tarp over it for the winter. Again worked well but had the trailer tied up. New plan is to use shipping crates & pallets from a local farm implement dealer. Less work to fill the crates than into a large trailer. With 3 slated sides we can just toss the splits in loose rows as we split. With forks on tractor, easy to move around, & trailers will still be available. Scatter the crates out in a sunny location then late summer/fall bunch & stack the crates then cover the tops. May take time to crate up the dry wood later this summer After processing the 75' long pile of logs. I have a couple of cords of logs still sitting on a trailer waiting to be unloaded. These will be used to initiate the log bucking trailer I am building.
Oliver you will like the crate idea, only problem I had this year is them freezing to the ground. Last year wasn't an issue due to mild weather. But I think for next year I will either put down gravel or just put another pallet under the crate.
I have a large graveled area just for wood storage. Later I will build a large wood storage shelter which will be open to the south. I plan to spray foam the roof to inhibit condensation "rain".
Hey guys, all wagons are not created equal. Just because someone loads several ton on one does not mean they all will take that much weight. OhioStihl, it can be a good idea. My only problem with this is that you have to throw the wood up and then climb onto the wagon to stack it. Extra work that is not easy. I would also put 2 planks under each tire rather than just one.
