I had a chance to split and sack three bags (1/2 cord) worth of hard maple today. With a push through style splitter like the super split you can really fill one of these bags up fast! I was filling each bag in about 15 minutes. Then it was as simple as moving the bag to where I wanted it. So a half cord of wood split and “stacked” in roughly 45 minutes. Way faster than the old way for me. One thing I wall note is they aren’t as aesthetically pleasing as a traditional stack of wood. Heck of a lot easier so far though. The front edge of the bag loops under the super split perfectly. Backwoods Savage i was able to capture 3 of the 4 loops without jumping off the machine. I could see this being an issue with FEL mounted forks on a tractor if visibility is obstructed. Probably still pretty easy to do though.
As long as it seasons well in there. I did watch a video before I decided to pull the trigger on these. The wood appeared to season roughly the same in these as stacked. Idk you all get to learn along with me. And maybe I end up saving someone else some cash if it doesn't work out. Only time will tell for me.
I think you could do the same thing with shortened IBC cages. Or at least ibc cages with the front modified. Most end up modifying the front anyway to make loading easier.
I just can't pick them up, load center too far out...forks are only like 20" long. I did take one IBC and cut it in half, that's works fine, but I prefer my rack setup...it doesn't save a handling step like this may for you though...
These smaller bags are interesting. I have a similar low weight limit on my JD2520. I do have Artillian QA fork setup, so I don't have the weight of the bucket nor the weight far out which helps a little.
You’d have to make sure you have something with enough lift height. The little dingo only gets the bottom of the bag off the ground maybe 24” when lifting from the loops. Looks like your JD should be able to do it. Plus you don’t have to fill the bags completely full either.
Sorry Dave I didn’t mean you specifically. Someone with enough fork could used a chopped down ibc cage. I like your rack system. I’m sure you could use these bags with your forklift, but your racks will almost certainly hold up longer like an ibc cage will.
This is truly interesting. Can't wait to see what you think when you start burning it. I think you are on to something here!
I thought it would be a good time to provide a little update on these bags since they are roughly at the 6/7ish month point now. I had a bit of an accident and caught one of the bags with the corner of the loader as I was driving by. It tore the bag pretty good. Granted I really did my best amateur cutter impersonation on the bag, but durability is probably not necessarily going to be a strong suit for these. I’m sure that tear could be stitched back together with some bailing twin or even heavy fishing line. I am however pretty pleased with how the wood is drying in these. They get moderate sun, moderate wind, are not top covered, and have been generally exposed to snow/rain. We have had a bumper crop of rain this summer. These are hard maple and the one on the right was grabbed off the top with the other 2 coming from the center of the bag. Moisture content after a fresh resplit of each piece above from left to right: These super unscientific results are pretty similar to results I have observed with regular hand stacking in a row under similar conditions. I’ll update when I move these into the wood shed for the 25/26 season.
I will be moving toward using IBC totes in the future. Not because I’m disappointed with these bags though. Those who attended the Backwoods Savage GTG will probably know why already, but it’s because I was able to upgrade my firewood moving equipment to this little tank (Kioti 3510seh): I will, however, be using the 12 firewood bags I have until they are no longer useful.
