I drive about 49 miles one way to work 3 days a week i will pick up loads along the way home if i find them other wise 20 to 25 miles i now have a 6 x 12 trailer to haul in makes longer trips easier
This year the closest load was 1 mile, the longest was a 80 mile round trip. National forest starts 12 miles from my house, but gota go 30 plus to get to any dead trees. Im getting more into the take what i can get around town and the outskirts.
I have had to move another 20 yards back from the house so that puts me at around 200 yards round trip.
They deliver it or I don't want it. Adds to my cost of processing it. Been very lucky as the area I am in has been under construction and development for the last 15 years. A super center Wal-Mart across the street, a Hess Express across the street, a Lowes .5 miles down the road, a 110 unit Senior apartments behind Wal-Mart, Rivers Casino ( 90 acres ), Condos, Hotel and apartments as well as boat docks on the river 1 mile down the road and everybody is buying and selling property trying to cash in on the road becoming a 4 lane in the next few years and cleaning up the properties. I am considering charging if they want to dump the wood here.
For me a 'close' spot could be half an hour away, so I am used to having to drive to get wood. A lot of deciding how far I'll drive depends on the wood and the accessibility of the wood. If I could drive an hour for a really accessible load of high quality wood, I might do it. Well, actually an hour sounds like too much, but you get the picture. I think about the overall time to get a load of wood, and the drive is only part of it.
Not very far. This pile of oak, ash and cherry was cut less than 100 feet from our front door. Yesterday I noticed 3 more trees that have to be cut and the furthest is about 100 yards from the house. Fortunately we have lots of woods on our acreage and when I get the urge or need to cut, I just put the saw and tools into the trailer, hitch it up to the atv and go cut. Yes, it is nice and even if I happen to forget to take something with me (it happens), it is a very short atv ride back to the barn to pick up said tool.
In all seriousness though, I won't travel far at all. I'll only travel if I'm helping someone else cut down standing dead Or small removals or cleaning up tops. And even then, I keep close to home (within 5 miles). Im fortunate enough to have all my firewood needs in my back yard.
I've put a cap of about 30 miles. I will go further if its primo wood and easy acess like others have mentioned. No trailer, but my dad likes to bring is 8 ft box, beater dodge ram and cut with me. So at least we can bring back a decent amount in 1 trip.
Ill drive miles and miles for Hickory and Pecan!!!! The three longest hauls have, each, been about 20 miles, one way. One was a very large white Oak from a tornado, one was helping an elderly couple with a very large white Oak, and the other was lots and lots of Hickory, Ash and Oak for a friend clearing an half acre. Otherwise most of the wood I get is at the Arsenal where I work when tree services down trees. Which is lots of Locust, Cherry and Oak. I don't count that as travel since Im traveling for work anyway. Other wood I cut is from neighbors or Craigs list which is close. When I do travel a little, I look at it as an average. I don't really know, but I would guess, I average 5 miles one way.
I have driven about 10 miles (20 round trip) but most is about 2-3 so round trip 6. I very blessed to have a farmer that has many farms so I can usually find something close.
