The Longest Mile - the Steps Between the Woodshed and the Woodbox

[Sandhill Crane]

I don't like stacking inside the garage due to mice and bugs.

Shoulder season we use a two wheeled wheel barrow staged in the garage, about 150' from the wood shed. We clear our drive with a snow blower or plow on a quad when needed, so the wheel barrow besides being small is more difficult at times when the drive gets hard packed and more slippery, or there is a thaw.
The atv dedicated trailer works great since adding a screw jack to the front for uncoupling with large loads. The tandem axle is a comfortable height, and keeps the mess of small pieces and loose bark contained. It holds enough for a week, so hardly a need to go out in terrible blowing weather to reload.

This trailer was quite expensive at the time. $1,100. in 2008. Eleven years later, is $100./yr for the initial cost. In the past two months I've put some money in it replacing the complete wire harness to lights, electric brakes and electric dump system, and two new electric brake back plate kits and drums. There was an odd off-set on the drums and new drums did not fit, as the castle nut would not screw on far enough. The atv floatation tires are tubeless no more. This trailer has torsion axles. Without a tongue jack it sits pretty level on its own and is easy to hook up, or move about by hand when empty if need be, even in the shed with a dirt floor. I used to have 2"x12" boards front and back for hauling more split wood, but no longer use the riser boards as the trailer is used for multiple things.

New similar trailers are close to double that cost now, but well worth the price in the long term in value and convienience. The small 4'x6' foot print in the garage is very nice to get around, still open car doors easily, etc. It gets year round use on our six acres.

 

[Richard_]

This works when it's not raining

 

[Multifaceted]

My situation is kinda unique, but about as easy as it gets. I travel about 100' from the wood shed to the pass thru in the garage. It is concrete all the way and slightly downhill or it wouldn't work. I built a 3' sq box that I move with a pallet jack. Holds about one weeks worth of wood. Fill it up at the shed then use the pallet jack to get it in the garage. Park it next to the pass thru. Get it out in the den, next to the stove. Been burning wood for about 38 years, always trying to find a way to make it easier. Takes a while to get there.

Your system and organization is something to behold!

 

[md1486]

My situation is kinda unique, but about as easy as it gets. I travel about 100' from the wood shed to the pass thru in the garage. It is concrete all the way and slightly downhill or it wouldn't work. I built a 3' sq box that I move with a pallet jack. Holds about one weeks worth of wood. Fill it up at the shed then use the pallet jack to get it in the garage. Park it next to the pass thru. Get it out in the den, next to the stove. Been burning wood for about 38 years, always trying to find a way to make it easier. Takes a while to get there.

At first I haven't noticed the pass thru from the garage connected to the house right next to the stove. This is a really nice setup !!

 

[VW Splitter]

Back in the day before the wood shed and pallet jack system, I had stacks in the same location as the shed and would move wood with a wheel barrow from the wood stacks to the pass thru in the garage. I would always get greedy and pile the wood too high in the wheel barrow which made it top heavy and hard to handle. So I built a 2 wheel flat bed wheel barrow similar to to what some brick masons use. The 2 wheel flat bed was a big improvement over a regular wheel barrow.

 

[Higs2013]

I always joke wood heats me 3-4 times between cutting, splitting, stacking and burning. My wood is located side of the house stacked and covered and this box fills with 2 wheelbarrows and lasts a couple days. Kind of a pain constantly opening the door but keeps the bugs out and the house a little cleaner.

 

[Peavey]

This is my set up so far.The OP called this setup a "passthrough" I always called it a breezeway.
The garage is on the left, house on the right.Garage is bigger than my house....
The breezeway can shelter my truck as well as my car, not to mention the firewood.Handy when it snows...
The stack on the left is about 10 face cords and about 3 strides from my door.(on the right, out of sight)
There was 3 face cords stacked on the right but that's all used up by now.
This is my second winter in my new house so things will get handier, for now I use a little cart that someone liberated from a discount store.
When I get a bigger rack for inside I'll revisit my mini cart idea....

 

[kevin j]

First, small stove, small house, small lot, limited storage, not use a lot of wood, but burn all winter. 16 inch splits.

Started with the fabric flat things from a yard sale. Only hold a few splits, and trash everywhere.

Got a huge heavy canvas bag on a yard sale. Stands up and holds lot of splits. Keeps dirt inside it. But I only had one, and could not find a vendor to buy more. Also, gets dirty on the outside going to the wood pile.

Now, I use Rubbermaid Rough grey tubs, 18 gallon? 66-68 Liter size. (Not sure if they are still made.) Larger size gets too heavy for me to lug around. Load the splits vertically on end at the wood shed. Get more wood in the tub, and I can see the ends, select which split I want to pull out and put in the stove. Keeps all the trash in the tub. Some tend to split the bottom in very cold weather, so I put a piece of 1/4 inch paneling in the bottom as reinforcing/spread out impacts.

I have 6 or so tubs. Load about 4 and put them in the back entry where there is space. Load 3 with mediocre wood, and one with good oak for overnight burn. 4 tubs lasts me a couple days.

I used to bring in a tub and transfer to my wood box. (Made by my dad about 70 years ago as a cob box next to their kitchen wood stove, Served duty in the calf barns. Eventually. I cleaned it up, refinished, and added 3/4 plywood reinforcing the bottom, and made the lower front board a hinged door and space to store newspaper starter. I stack vertically in this box also, then horizontally on top row.)

Anyway, I realized I was handling too much, so I just leave a grey tub in front of the wood box and use daytime wood from the tub. Nighttime wood (oak) is in the wood box.

The tubs get heavier each year, so this fall I made a cart to haul the tubs from wood shed to back entry. Welded up from scrap electrical conduit. Used quick detach wheelchair wheels that I use on my Bantam splitter to move the hydraulic power unit, quick detach, and then use them to move the beam assembly. The back leg support on the cart is too close to my feet, need to move it towards the axle when I get to it.

 

[nolids]

I'm the smart ass with a tractor and 1/8 yard bucket. I drive it into the shop and burn the wood in my stacked 55 gallon wood stove. 2500 sq ft shop and I keep it at 75F when it is in the 20's outside.

A real man cave!

 

[SS396driver]

I'm the smart ass with a tractor and 1/8 yard bucket. I drive it into the shop and burn the wood in my stacked 55 gallon wood stove. 2500 sq ft shop and I keep it at 75F when it is in the 20's outside.

A real man cave!

I cheat too. I have about 6 cord on Rick's in the basement. 10 years never had a problem with mice or bugs from the wood

 

[SS396driver]

I don't even toss it my girl likes to do it. I cut split and stack and dry the wood she handles the seasoned wood. I put plywood on the steps going down the bilco doors and it's a large chute

 

[SS396driver]

I'd like to see this lady pull this up those stairs loaded. Still - that's it. Thanks for the links Ron.

That would work but to me it looks a little light duty . I have one of these that I use around the garage and house never used it for wood. But a couple of ratchet straps and you could carry a lot of wood . And have something heavy duty to move other stuff I've had mine since the late 70s.

 

[SS396driver]

Link

https://www.google.com/shopping/pro...FPVH73Quvfg3VfcJzO7QrvfZk3s4pFjsQ,prmr:1,cs:1

 

[Torch68]

Trailer on back of tractor from woodshed to garage then just shlep it like most people the 30 feet from garage to my wood stove.

 

[VirginiaIron]

My pile is about 200 feet from the home. I use a 55 gallon barrel strapped to a hand truck. The barrel keeps the insects contained should the temps rise in the garage. I also can use a stand-off from the cart that permits the lid to fit properly which will keep the wood semi-weatherproof for storage outside the garage in the weather.

 

[Peavey]

Found a dolly and plastic tub on sale at Princess Auto recently.Under $40 Cdn total, a few minutes work with some carriage bolts and 1/4" plywood floor to prevent cracking the tub bottom.

PU wheels won't mar the floor & the tub contains the dirt & bark....and it holds twice as much as my first bargain store dolly.

 

[Huskybill]

I don't even toss it my girl likes to do it. I cut split and stack and dry the wood she handles the seasoned wood. I put plywood on the steps going down the bilco doors and it's a large chuteView attachment 783926

I was thinking about the bilco door opening to install a nyc sidewalk elevator. Put forks on the tractor bucket, have your wood stacked on pallets. Load the pallet on the elevator and lower it.

My second thought was have a basement window as a chute to a wood bin like they did with coal just slide the wood down the chute.

We’re getting too old to burn wood. Been burning wood since ‘79.

 

[sb47]

I was thinking about the bilco door opening to install a nyc sidewalk elevator. Put forks on the tractor bucket, have your wood stacked on pallets. Load the pallet on the elevator and lower it.

My second thought was have a basement window as a chute to a wood bin like they did with coal just slide the wood down the chute.

We’re getting too old to burn wood. Been burning wood since ‘79.

Here ya go

 

[ETpilot]

My back porch is a covered concrete slab. I welded up a wood rack 6’x4’, with rails on top and on steel wheels. I load splits on the bottom and starter wood on top. For loading I roll it to the edge of the slab and load from a tractor bucket or a 4’x6’ home built trailer. From wood rack to stove I started using a canvas bag. That got old fast. Plus very messy. I finally discovered a bucket from an old shop vac in the shop. I started using it and it has worked out great. I added a pull rope and roll the loaded bucket from wood rack to stove. I just have to go up one step. The bucket contains the wood and debris that goes with it. A 16 gallon bucket so it holds a decent amount.

 

[al-k]

Had some points at Cabela's so I thought I would try this. holds about 10 pieces, seems pretty good so far. no mess