# Grain Bin For Firewood



## Dobbs (Apr 4, 2014)

I have 3 bins we don't use at the farm. Anyone ever keep firewood in a bin? I have seen lot of corn cribs used for firewood. 

I have about 3 cords in one already. 
They all have drying floors in them.
If so the pros & cons 

Thanks
Dave


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## Joesell (Apr 4, 2014)

I use these. I'd like to see a pic of what you have.


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## Marshy (Apr 4, 2014)

Dobbs said:


> I have 3 bins we don't use at the farm. Anyone ever keep firewood in a bin? I have seen lot of corn cribs used for firewood.
> 
> I have about 3 cords in one already.
> They all have drying floors in them.
> ...


 
Pictures please. Your talkin about a gravity wagon right? Doesnt the wood get tangled up and not want to come out?


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## Steve NW WI (Apr 4, 2014)

Pro - dry, fairly critter proof, gonna get some heat in there in the summer sun to help drying. 

Cons - only airflow is electricity-induced, doors are usually small and don't go clear to the floor, sucking to unload. Round tends to make stacking a challenge.

I've got a round wire corn crib I hope to fill this summer, it's just wasted space with a nice concrete slab and mostly water resistant roof as it sits right now.

Some of you guys are thinking gravity boxes (wagons). He's talking round, usually galvanized steel bins used to store grain long term. Like this:







My corn crib looks about like this (minus the tree growing in it, but with substantial box elder growth around it, which can and will be terminated in a hurry and with extreme prejudice:


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## Joesell (Apr 4, 2014)

I have a bin like the one with the tree except mine is a vine holder. I have a conveyor to load the thing. How do you get the wood back out? Seems like more work then it's worth.


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## longbowch (Apr 4, 2014)

I have heard of people taking the cribs apart and making a round pen for training horses....probably get more money for it that way than scraping it.


Sent via mental telepathy


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## farmer steve (Apr 4, 2014)

my neighbors tore one down that had started to rust out at the bottom. took it apart and laid the sections on there side.stacked the wood in that way.


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## Dobbs (Apr 4, 2014)

Steve thanks for the pictures. Being a farm boy didn't think of others not knowing what I was talking about.
The biggest con I can see is loading and unloading.
I have been storing/ drying milled lumber in the 24' bin for a couple years now.
Was even thinking of painting one of the 20' bins a darker color to see how it dries the firewood.
Dave


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## Cheesecutter (Apr 4, 2014)

The bin I use is 13 foot by 9 foot high walls. It had a concrete floor and wood dried OK in there. I moved it closer to my owb and tried it with a gravel floor...that didn't work so well. I set 2x12 planks on cinder blocks to get the wood up off the ground and it works well. I did have to modify the doorway to make it more user friendly. If I recall I can store 7 cords in mine.


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## sb47 (Apr 4, 2014)

i'm starting to use these baskets for the small chunk wood. There cheap and galvanized and won't rot or rust and the hold full half cord of wood. they can be moved with a fork lift. i charge a small deposit fee and just load the basket and refund the deposit when they return the basket.


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## cantoo (Apr 4, 2014)

My nephew uses a grain bin for his wood. Wood is usually pretty dry when he puts it in. He uses a hay elevator to load it and then puts the hay elevator at the door and unloads it into a trailer to take to his OWB which is farther away. Air flow is a problem with his because it doesn't have a dryer floor in it.


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## Poston5 (Apr 4, 2014)

sb47 said:


> i'm starting to use these baskets for the small chunk wood. There cheap and galvanized and won't rot or rust and the hold full half cord of wood. they can be moved with a fork lift. i charge a small deposit fee and just load the basket and refund the deposit when they return the basket.


These are great. Just started using them. No more handling wood after it comes off the splitter. I use my forks on my tractor to carry it right to my boiler


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## Marshy (Apr 4, 2014)

I'd be concerned with the lack of air flow to dry the wood in one of those grain silos. Even with the door open it just doesnt seem like it would be enough. You might find out that it makes a great mold incubator... that would be costly if it was full of wood, I know I wouldnt want to handle mold @ss wood.


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## Cheesecutter (Apr 5, 2014)

Throw a few pieces in as a trial. If you have a moisture meter it could be helpful. My guess is it will dry nicely just due to the design of the bins. It gets pretty warm in there in the summer and the roof allows moisture to escape but not get in.


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## Dobbs (Apr 5, 2014)

Marshy said:


> I'd d with the lack of air flow to dry the wood in one of those grain silos. Even with the door open it just doesnt seem like it would be enough. You might find out that it makes a great mold incubator... that would be costly if it was full of wood, I know I wouldnt want to handle mold @ss wood.


 They have great air flow. All 3 bins were setup for drying grain. The least of my worries would be mold.


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## Dobbs (Apr 5, 2014)

Double post oops


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## vt625 (Apr 5, 2014)

sb47 said:


> i'm starting to use these baskets for the small chunk wood. There cheap and galvanized and won't rot or rust and the hold full half cord of wood. they can be moved with a fork lift. i charge a small deposit fee and just load the basket and refund the deposit when they return the basket.



What are these baskets called so I can look for them. Would like to start pallet-izing my wood so I handle it less.


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## Cheesecutter (Apr 5, 2014)

I see them on CL listed as 275 gallon totes or chemical totes. Do a search for pallets and you find some. Most around here are $40-80 each.


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## Joesell (Apr 5, 2014)

Search for totes


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## GeeVee (Apr 5, 2014)

Those are frames for IBC's- International Bulk Carriers. Usually ~275 gallons totes of liquid. For sale on craigslist near you I'm sure. They are nice liquid plastic with big ball valves and 6 inch threaded covers. Pull the "tank" and stack without balance issues, they nest well, Four five high if you got a lift for it. Basic tractor forks or SkiddyBopper ought to stack three high.

Id recommend it.

I have two I improvised for a septic, first gets the fresh solids and ferments it, a transfer pipe up high delivers clarified to the second.


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## GeeVee (Apr 5, 2014)

You can always cut vent holes in the plastic tote with a sawzall and use it too, though it wont stack three high-maybe one on top of another, They's be slippery on each other, but drywall screws can take care of that too. Just be a shame to hole a tank. (Mine had Citric Acid in them, Food Grade -Good.)


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## olyman (Apr 5, 2014)

My corn crib looks about like this (minus the tree growing in it, but with substantial box elder growth around it, which can and will be terminated in a hurry and with extreme prejudice:






[/quote]
me, id take and cut it in half, and take the one half,,and move it over to the concrete slab to the right, as youll never stack that to the top anywho..use a old elevator,,attached to tractor,,to move the top half


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## Steve NW WI (Apr 5, 2014)

> me, id take and cut it in half, and take the one half,,and move it over to the concrete slab to the right, as youll never stack that to the top anywho..use a old elevator,,attached to tractor,,to move the top half



Like I said, that's just a pic I grabbed off the web. I ain't got another slab. I'll just stack mine as full as I can reach and call it good. We (my old man, uncle and me) moved that crib onto that slab in about 95, slab originally held a 1300 bu bin that got sold on auction back in the early 80s when farming went to hell. I think that day's coming again, and I'm glad my place ain't ass deep in debt.


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## Jakers (Apr 5, 2014)

my neighbor piles in one of those corn crib style bins. loads it with an old converted corn cob elevator. works great. covered the sides with plastic sheeting to around 2 ft off the ground and 1 ft from the top. covered the hole in the peak. dries out very well. he also has an old square wooden style corn crib that he uses.


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## Cheesecutter (Apr 6, 2014)

Here is the way I have mine set up.


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