bigremovals
ArboristSite Member
Any of u sell ur firewood in racks? like deliver the racks with a loader. Bunch of guys around here do and id like to start. I need ideas on how to build em/pics!
Firewood Racks
- Thread starter bigremovals
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bigremovals
ArboristSite Member
kinda like this
SteveSS
Addicted to ArboristSite
I've never seen anyone do that around here. Guessing that you'd deliver on the rack and pick it back up when it's empty? Would you charge a deposit on the rack to ensure it's return, or include the cost of time and materials to build the rack into the cost of the wood? Either way seems like it could get pretty pricey if buying multiple racks. Interesting. Looks like each rack holds a cord.
A cord of hard wood weighs in at 5,800 pounds green, maybe 4,000 pounds seasoned. I doubt that skid steer could lift that much. Hard to say. Also, the racks in the back do not appear four feet high. That's a lot of wood. It looks good what ever they are doing.
NSMaple1
Addicted to ArboristSite
Likely 1/2 cord per rack.
EDIT: Or more like 1/4 cord.
EDIT: Or more like 1/4 cord.
Check out the PackFix by Posch on line and see what you think. There are two models, one with a turntable and two tubes. It is an alternative to stacking, similar to firewood bags. Firewood bags would be great, except they are about $10. per bag and three bags per cord. The PackFix is about a 1/4 cord per pallet, maybe more. Stacking is time consuming, although customers love knowing they are getting a full cord for their money.
These racks look great. But they are a bit of pain to deliver. The wood is unloaded by hand and the racks reused for seasoning. A dump box would be way more efficient for deliveries.
These racks look great. But they are a bit of pain to deliver. The wood is unloaded by hand and the racks reused for seasoning. A dump box would be way more efficient for deliveries.
reddogrunner
ArboristSite Operative
I deliver mine in 1/4 cord baskets and have to hand unload. It's a pain. 1/4 cord weighs in around 1000lbs give or take a bit. My tractor handles no problem. Just can't pack it and 4 baskets on a trailer.
066blaster
Addicted to ArboristSite
You'd have to sell a lot of wood to pay for the necessary equipment, unless you already have it for other things. Also most people I deal with want it stacked somewhere specific. If they have to move it after you drop it off anyway, you might as well just dump it. Plus can't get just anywhere with a big truck like that. I'm wondering if that set up it to make a delivery to some kinda of retail store?? Not for delivery to someone's house.
mijdirtyjeep
ArboristSite Operative
I have a hard enough time just getting my skids back that I deliver the bundle wood on to some places. I started putting a $5 deposit on each skid delivered, get most back now, just not always in useable condition. I swear somepeople can break an anvil with a rubber mallet.
We did look into this option on the bulk side of the buisness, and figured if you made up some steel racks/baskets, and had a small crake atached to the flatbed you could do alright. Never going to be able to do everyone, but still able to do a lot. We figured if we charged 1 1/2 times what they cost to make "deposit and refundable of course", it wouldn't be the bad if someone decided to just keep one.
We did look into this option on the bulk side of the buisness, and figured if you made up some steel racks/baskets, and had a small crake atached to the flatbed you could do alright. Never going to be able to do everyone, but still able to do a lot. We figured if we charged 1 1/2 times what they cost to make "deposit and refundable of course", it wouldn't be the bad if someone decided to just keep one.
bigremovals
ArboristSite Member
i think that they are 4x7's and i guess they fold down and get picked up on the next delivery
bigremovals
ArboristSite Member
That rig looks like one from a business here in MN. If I am correct they have a USDA cert. kiln and deliver in multiple states. Their product is priced accordingly and certainly covers the expense of the equipment. People will pay up for a good product.
T. Mainus
ArboristSite Operative
Thats a lot of firewood racks. We built something similar for our firewood but no where near that many.
Mass production at work. It never ceases to amaze me what you can do with equipment, land, and resources. I wish farmers around here would do something like this when they clear tree lines for crops. Instead, they just pile up the trees and burn them all in a bonfire. The state does the same thing as roads are widened. Once in awhile, a logger is called in and he at least saves most of the trees for making pallet wood or landscape mulch.
amberg
Addicted to ArboristSite
WOW! somebody did a lot of fire wood stacking there. glad I didn't have to do it!
How are those racks built (post #12)?
With out a loading dock or a boom forklift this was too hard to load. Each rack was moved forward with a pallet jack, which then had to be removed from the truck to set the next one on. The first and last rack have sheets of OSB on the face to keep the splits from shifting. All very time consuming. These racks have feet that are three feet long to keep them from tipping over. The thing is they cost too much to build and it does get to be a lot of stacking. Cost to build: (5+) 8' landscape timbers @ $3.50 ea. ; (4) 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 1/4" angle approx. $1.50 ea. ; bolts and lag bolts by the pound, been a couple years but about $20.00. That is for a 1/3 cord rack materials only, times three for a full cord. I bought the steel in 20' pieces, cut and drilled it. Made templets for all the holes to be drilled on a drill press, and templets for all the cuts. It is a lot of time and work, and one third need the feet replaced after four years. In post #12 there is dunage under each rack, and in post #2 there are no straps on the load and nothing to hold the top rack from spilling. Interesting... back to cutting.
With out a loading dock or a boom forklift this was too hard to load. Each rack was moved forward with a pallet jack, which then had to be removed from the truck to set the next one on. The first and last rack have sheets of OSB on the face to keep the splits from shifting. All very time consuming. These racks have feet that are three feet long to keep them from tipping over. The thing is they cost too much to build and it does get to be a lot of stacking. Cost to build: (5+) 8' landscape timbers @ $3.50 ea. ; (4) 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 1/4" angle approx. $1.50 ea. ; bolts and lag bolts by the pound, been a couple years but about $20.00. That is for a 1/3 cord rack materials only, times three for a full cord. I bought the steel in 20' pieces, cut and drilled it. Made templets for all the holes to be drilled on a drill press, and templets for all the cuts. It is a lot of time and work, and one third need the feet replaced after four years. In post #12 there is dunage under each rack, and in post #2 there are no straps on the load and nothing to hold the top rack from spilling. Interesting... back to cutting.
You have to wonder if the racks could be mass produced at a saw mill, similar to the way pallets are cranked out and constructed with poplar or cottonwood. Not sure if that would save any cost, but it might. These days there is almost an endless supply of dead cottonwood trees due to the Missouri river flood thee years ago. Loggers are now doing all they can to process the logs ad ship them to mills. FEMA held things up a bit, but that's a different issue. Regardless, eastern cottonwood is plentiful.
ChoppyChoppy
Tree Freak
kinda like this
That setup doesn't even look road legal, unless he has a permit? We are only allowed 4ft overhang.
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