Here's the Biggest Firewood Log...

[Wood Doctor]

that I have ever loaded onto my '97 Ranger:

A week ago Friday a hurricane-force wind blew a huge branch off an historic gingko tree that was planted around 1880. The tree stand's about 80' tall and is at least 6' across at the base. This billet is about 30" dia. and 24" long--the second largest of the batch that I cut with my Stihl MS 361. I estimate the weight of the log at 350 lb at the time I loaded it on board, but I could be wrong. The total biomass of the branch was about 10 tons. When it hit the courtyard ground, tenants said the building shook.

How did I load it on by myself? With this shop-made assembly:

I bolted a hand winch to a T-beam that spans across the removable racks that I made for the truck. Notches in the beam secure it to the posts on the racks. Then I made a ramp that is a pair of tracks that I tie down to the tailgate. The log slides up the tracks as you crank the winch. Once on the tailgate, I stopped the winch and slid the big billet onto the truck bed.

Glad it wasn't oak. Regardless, I should get about 50 firewood logs out of this billet all by itself. Where there's a will, there's a way.

 

[2FatGuys]

Your craftsmanship is impressive! We don't typically load large rounds into the truck. If we load them whole, we put them in our 14' trailer by rolling them up the gentle sloped ramps. Usually, however, we rip them into manageable pieces and then load.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Your craftsmanship is impressive! We don't typically load large rounds into the truck. If we load them whole, we put them in our 14' trailer by rolling them up the gentle sloped ramps. Usually, however, we rip them into manageable pieces and then load.

Had this been oak or ash, I would have done the same ripping. This was the absolute limit of what my tracks and tailgate could take. An oak or ash billet this size would have been in excess of 500 lb. The winch could pull it, but the truck would have burped.

One thing nice about the small track pair/ramp assembly I made using oak--it fits inside the truck cab and only weighs about 6 lb. Big logs slide easily on it, provided it's tied securely to the truck frame underneath the tailgate.

 

[Ghillie]

That is one slick setup! Kudos to you.

 

[Jkebxjunke]

I was wondering how you loaded that..
I might suggest a piece of 3/4 ply on the tailgate if you are planning on loading any more and maybe a support block underneath... I would hat to think what would happen if the tailgate straps broke... ouch.

 

[bowtechmadman]

Ingenuity at it's finest there...my hat's off to ya!!!
I'd also suggest a support block under the tail gate just in case.

 

[Zodiac45]

Well done Ed,

I love the set up and see that it will just as easily move too the front slots of the bed if needed. Beautiful job on the truck racks too by the way, You've given me some idea's on using some of my milled slab wood (tamerack, eastern larch) which is durable and long lasting for outdoor apps.