Need a cart or trolley for moving rounds

[DeanBrown3D]

Hello all,

I absolutely need a cart (my back kills me after a few hours) to simply move 2-foot rounds (picture 12-24" diameter) over to a log splitter from where I sawed them. Distances are not far but its what puts my back out.

My splitter goes vertical, so it would be great to just place it on the base and let it go. I have a gravel lot with 1-1/2" stone so it will need big wheels.

Thanks for any ideas. I've sort of resigned myself to welding something up but I'd rather just buy something.

Cheers Dean

 

[West Texas]

Yep, Harbor Freight and maybe Lowe's and Home Depot have some really nice two wheel dolly's with soft inflatable rubber tires that roll nicely in most type of terrain. We've used this solution for our old backs.

 

[DeanBrown3D]

Thanks! Do you mean a trailer dolly, with some butchering?

 

[THALL10326]

Hello all,

I absolutely need a cart (my back kills me after a few hours) to simply move 2-foot rounds (picture 12-24" diameter) over to a log splitter from where I sawed them. Distances are not far but its what puts my back out.

My splitter goes vertical, so it would be great to just place it on the base and let it go. I have a gravel lot with 1-1/2" stone so it will need big wheels.

Thanks for any ideas. I've sort of resigned myself to welding something up but I'd rather just buy something.

Cheers Dean

How far away are the blocks from the splitter? If only a few feet you could use a cant hook and just roll them over to the splitter without bending over.

 

[ShoerFast]

Dean Brown 3D

If may?

If your back is killing you, it may not be the need to dolly things around, as much as it could be to use proper techniques.

My main-stay is Farriery, I shoe horses, and have had a ton of back problems over the years, but I have learned to adapt to a lot of things.

A couple things that works for me, is to look at your back as another tool,, your saw doesn't work if it's not warmed up. And a new chain needs to stretch a little before it holds an adjustment.

Every morning your back needs both, so why not warm it up while stretching it some,,,,, as much as you can, there are a ton of subjects on this in any sports health sorce.

You set your saws "H" jet, as the saw is running, way faster then it would in any wood. Exercises your back the same way, take it past the point of normal usage as you stretch it. (getting good techniques)

Every machine needs a good base to work on, if the back is strong, but the front is weak, the machine will work unevenly and something will give.
Working the total machine is critical. So a few sit-ups and abs crunches will stablise the back and set the base.

Lastly, we all hear it, but do we listen?,,, Lift with your legs,,,, or your arms, but to just heave-hoo with your back is a sure way to have it bark a few orders right back (pun intended) at you!

At one point, for my birthday (my 40th) I hired a waight trainer to review a tape of my normal days work, and he put togather a few excersises, but mostly expressed streching.

Taking care of a few of the little things before the tool wears out or brakes will give it years more service,,,,, you, like me, just may not be a kid anymore, and just needs to take a closer look at the "hows" insted of the "why's" anymore?

Kevin

 

[THALL10326]

Thanks! Do you mean a trailer dolly, with some butchering?

Dean is that you holding that Stihl saw in the pic? If it is you look like you got a tree stumps for arms and a ton of muscle in the chest. Sorry about your back, thats a major killer for anyone working wood.

 

[THALL10326]

Yep, Harbor Freight and maybe Lowe's and Home Depot have some really nice two wheel dolly's with soft inflatable rubber tires that roll nicely in most type of terrain. We've used this solution for our old backs.

West Tex is that you in the pic makin all that dayumm dust blowing up here in Virginia?

 

[DeanBrown3D]

THALL10326 - that is me. Certainly ain't a pic of some other guy!

ShoerFast - thanks for the advice. I did used to work out with metal weights, before I started on the wood variety. My back is ok for a few hours its just at the end of a day it hits me slowly but surely. I do try to lift with the legs and not the back, but sometimes it just ain't possible. Which is why if I can avoid any lifting at all before its split, that would be grand.

I've got a set of skidding tongs going spare and I'm thinking of looping it up to a regular trolley cart with a lever to lift the wood onto the base plate and off again. Might also get a set of large trailer wheels instead of the donuts.

Dean

 

[West Texas]

Not Guilty Thall, the wind was only gusting to 27mph today according to my neighbors weather station. My wife and I rode 22+ miles on our Road Bikes and it was a killer, as coming back it was all up hill facing the headwind.

Here's a picture of the piston I took out of that 029 today. Looks like the exhaust port was so corroded that the ring caught on it and then sheared off a piece of the piston. Needless to say, no compression on the dude. Most saws run rich up at this elevation of 6000' and I'm just guessing that's what caused the problem over a long period of time. I cleaned up the jug; but, after looking at this piston, I've decided to put on a new jug/piston/ring kit; hopefully, its the last 029 I'll work on any way, at least for 'free'.

 

[THALL10326]

Not Guilty Thall, the wind was only gusting to 27mph today according to my neighbors weather station. My wife and I rode 22+ miles on our Road Bikes and it was a killer, as coming back it was all up hill facing the headwind.

Here's a picture of the piston I took out of that 029 today. Looks like the exhaust port was so corroded that the ring caught on it and then sheared off a piece of the piston. Needless to say, no compression on the dude. Most saws run rich up at this elevation of 6000' and I'm just guessing that's what caused the problem over a long period of time. I cleaned up the jug; but, after looking at this piston, I've decided to put on a new jug/piston/ring kit; hopefully, its the last 029 I'll work on any way, at least for 'free'.

Smart move on the jug/piston combo. That ole piston looked like a ring broke and gave it a dickens. I'll getcha that pressor in the mail tomorrow and once ya get it you'll be able to throw that huzzy back together and take her out and run the living bees wax out of it, serves that huzzy right dont it, the orenry cuss,lol. Dust has subsided here, I can see clearly now,haha

 

[Lakeside53]

Hello all,

I absolutely need a cart (my back kills me after a few hours) to simply move 2-foot rounds (picture 12-24" diameter) over to a log splitter from where I sawed them. Distances are not far but its what puts my back out.

My splitter goes vertical, so it would be great to just place it on the base and let it go. I have a gravel lot with 1-1/2" stone so it will need big wheels.

Thanks for any ideas. I've sort of resigned myself to welding something up but I'd rather just buy something.

Cheers Dean

I just use an appliance mover - mine is heavy duty with SOLID 8 inch rubber tires (I find the soft tires problematic with heavy loads). I just tip the round up on it's side and put the lip under it, jerk back and it's mine... all 300lb of doug fir... I move rounds, big rocks, honking great cants, 512 90lb landscape retaining wall blocks - 4 at a time, and a host of other stuff. My back is always on the edge, and if I mess it up it's a "pain" (pun intended) for weeks... so like you, I'm now more careful, mostly...

 

[skwerl]

2 wheel hand truck

Lowe's sells a two wheel hand truck with inflatable tires for $40. Half the local tree companies use them instead of the ultra-expensive log dollies. Under severe commercial use they last about 1-1.5 years, then you buy a new one.

 

[DeanBrown3D]

Skwerl - can you show me what one of those ultra expensive log dollies looks like, I've googled for ages and can't find anything that looks like what I need.

I have been using a 2-wheeled cart, but its got a flat back the the rounds just fall off, since the ground is very bumpy. Maybe one with a rounded back and large wheels would be perfect. Let me google....

 

[Big Woody]

The blue harbor freight dolly is rated to 700 lbs and has good tires for ground terrain. The only thing is that the metal rims are somewhat flimsy and overtime will bend some. However you can bend them back by hand or just let them stay a little out of whack cause it still works good anyway.

I've used one for a few years for loading into a trailer. The toughest part about the dolly is to get it tilted back with a big round on it since the center of gravity is out past the end of the plate. The wood chunk will want to tip forward instead of back. You need to hold the wood with one hand and pull the dolly back with the other while your foot holds the tires from rolling backwards. Or you can use a strap like in moving a fridge. I have moved 36" logs 2 to 3 foot long this way by myself and loaded into a trailer with ramps but it is a job.

For 2 foot diameter or less wood, using a dolly is pretty trivial.

I usually don't use a dolly for this smaller wood. Just roll my splitter to the logs if the logs are big or roll the big chunk to the splitter if 10 to 20 feet away.

With a bad back the dolly would help you out a lot. You will find a lot of other uses for it as well once you have it: moving your 20" grizzly planer, moving the free wood stove you get out of the newspaper, for your appliances when you sell your house, getting rid of the wife (never mind).

 

[MikeInParadise]

I have a bad back and use a moving dolly more and more. They are only about $50.00 for a decent one.

I now have to use ramps and dolly to put the generator up into the truck as I just can't sling 100 lbs up the in air anymore without paying for it in my back later in the day!

With the floation type tire you can just put in lots more air to get them harder for the heavier loads.

 

[DeanBrown3D]

Jeeze Dean googled for ages?

I spent 20 seconds to find this one.

Put 'log dolly' in the search box and hit enter. Or click on the last photo on the linked page.

Dan

http://gear.sherrilltree.com/iwwida.pvx?;products_no_tree?comp=SHE

Dan thanks. Duh I didn't think of using this sight! lol

That green one looks like a good cart, bit big though.