Efficiancy of Labor

My BIL and SIL cut a lot of wood to heat their greenhouses. They haul a pick-up load, tightly packed, at a time. At some point, it takes one person handing the wood to the other to stack.

I have a carry-all fitted with a 3-sided box that I can haul about 1/4-1/3 of a rick at a time. I don't need any one to help load or unload and stack. Just curious who has the most efficient use of labor and time. I make more trips but it takes me less time to load and unload.

Larry

That would depend on the travel distance, the longer the run the more advantage to the larger load.

Distances are similar. I might travel a bit less.

Larry

Still don't say how far it is tho. If your moving it across the yard your way would probly be better, if your hauling from the back 40 then a pickup load would haul more per man-hour.

There are so many different ways, and situations, the bottom line is less handling, its still labor but anywhere you can eliminate a step, not work off the ground and or put a lot of strain or work on your back, makes it much easier more tolerable.

I'll bet its a wash, takes 2x the time to load that truck tightly packed and to unload, vs, small loads, multiple trips, which may burn a little more fuel.

Where I live, the main road, a state road, opens up to a 4 lane road, leading into the nearby city and interstate highway system. On the return trip home, where it changes back to 2 lanes, it backs up to a standstill with local and a lot of non local traffic heading into Vermont.

The section of road from the 2 lane where it changes to the bridge connected to the highway is loaded with traffic lights, and intersections and somewhere on this stretch, all the way up to the change to 2 lanes I can spot a tractor trailer, a truck or anything large enough to see again and remember by the name on it, or whatever it is. I will use an alternate route to go around, its longer, but I don't sit, and there have been many many times where I get to my lane, where I turn off the state road, and meet that vehicle I bookmarked in my head, exactly sometimes, so its a wash, I keep moving, but its longer distance, they keep moving slower, but shorter distance, funny how that works, it still seems faster with the longer router because you are not sitting.

I'm hauling from about a 1/4 mile or less; BIL closer to a 1/2 mile. I understand he hauls more per trip but it takes him longer to load, unload and stack. I agree. It might be close to a wash.

Larry

I see some have such nicely split and perfectly stacked stacks makes me wonder how did they ever do it ?
Then I see some that just dump it in a pile.

I bet it all burns up the same ?

That is entirely true, it all burns LOL ! I find neat stacks do season much faster, so when running close to the season and I have done it with green or sopping wet elm, single stacks open to the breeze, with a rain cover on top is a good method to dry it out, and even if you are cord width dimension deep or wide, say 4' but off the ground, cover on top, I see an advantage with it, but if you are way ahead of the season it will be burned, it will dry, I just find that ground moisture and trapped moisture on the bottom of a stack is a problem, we get enough rain that its best to stack and cover the top. Long term, just the bottom and with a cover on top, sides open, not so bad. I've tried both ways, last year that elm was split 9-27 and by early December it was just about right, no sizzle and if I put it inside a few days, any that had moisture were dry, all of that was a tall single stack in the breeze, would have been worthless for that season in a pile.

I think he's ahead of you. Not how you would think, though. Anytime I have the better half help it benefits me. When I put a new roof on part of the house and had help there was a better understanding of the hard work I had done. When I get help hauling feed I get less grumbling about how long I am outside doing evening chores. Even if it is only for a few rounds, if there's a ride along in the tractor there's lots less grumbling about eating dinner at 10:30 when I get in the house.

He probably gets less grumbling about the house being too cold or about having to mow around that wood pile. When the wife helps out the understanding goes a long way.

stacked is one thing - PERFECTLY stacked quite another.

I wish I had a picture of the guy down the road from me. The way he stacks his wood is so neat and perfect, you'd think was was hoping to win some kind of award for it.

Not only is it stacked perfectly, but every piece of wood looks identical (which aides i making the perfect stacks). I think he's just as particular about splitting it as he is about stacking it.

To each his own, but I'd call THAT kind of precision a colossal waste of time.

Larry
I have always been in favor of saving manual labor. Many times a little planning, a small investment in equipment & alittle prep work saves a lot in tired, sore backs.
Some parts of my system will work for you, some might not. Adjust as needed. If your tractor can't lift a full pallet/cage, make them a bit smaller etc.
Planning- How close to the burn point (stove) can you get with the tractor, is the wood used in chunk size, does it have to be split? How big a load can the carryall handle?
Investment- can you find a fork lift attachment for the tractor 3 point hitch, or can the carryall be modified to handle pallets, can you get pallets cheap or free?
Prep work- build several 3 sided cages on pallets, leaving the longer side open(don't have to reach so far when loading). If using a splitter, fabricate catch tables so the wood doesn't fall to the ground.
Operation-Set a cage as close to the cutting/splitting point as comfortable. Stack wood into cage directly from splitter. When full, start another one.
When finished cutting/splitting, Using the forks, move the cages to storage area, let them sit. Pick up a cage & move to stove area as needed. Again, let the cage sit until wood used up.
Using this method, after the wood is cut/split, you have handled it only once & it is right where you need it. Also, being on pallets, it is off the ground so it doesn't draw moisture & can get air circulation for better seasoning.
Use your imagination.
I have a couple neighbors that burn a lot of wood, they help each other. Going one step farther,they use the Bobcat to lift logs onto a rack, do all the hard work standing up straight instead of bending to the ground.
Hope this is worth more than you paid for it.
Willie

I have done a lot of tree cutting.
2 guys can really make it easy.
15 years ago I had a guy on my land and we were cutting up the small trees, 4-5-6 inch diameter trees, one guy runs the chainsaw and the other guy just moves the log 16 inches at a time, zing, zing, zing, you can slice up enough wood to fill up a pickup truck in less than an hour. The big logs take time to move, split, and then stack.

I used to have a hay customer who would take an hour and twenty minutes to stack 80 bales on his trailer in the field to go a mile down the road. He probably could have made two trips in 40 minutes.

Sounds like my dad. regardless of how far you are going 1/2 Mike or 10 miles, the hay trailer WILL be stacked 8 layers high, and pickup piled to the hilt too.
Never understood that, especially when so close to home.

Consider how far is each trip. When I was selling firewood, some of my trips were up to 20 miles. I'd rather do one trip with the truck than 4 or 5 with the tractor.

(quoted from post at 12:35:09 08/04/14) I'm hauling from about a 1/4 mile or less; BIL closer to a 1/2 mile. I understand he hauls more per trip but it takes him longer to load, unload and stack. I agree. It might be close to a wash.

Larry

Click to expand...

I doubt you are going to change your mind and he won't either. Why worry about it? He's hauling what? 3x the wood or more at least twice as far using 2x the people. As far as loading time, he's got you beat hands down per lbs of wood, 6 ways from Sunday. Travel time per lbs of wood he's got you beat too. You also aren't going to win in the time for distance traveled per lbs of wood. Where you win is in the hard to figure effort to get it from the ground to the carryall/truck bed and in ease of unloading to the stack. Figuring it in sheer labor you have to decide if you want to use effort per lbs of wood or time per lbs of wood.

In the end it's still wash because perspective plays into it and that comes down to opinion.

3 old pickup trailers pitch in trailer . use 4 foot sides and front. Load all. cover with old tarp. Back trailer close to rear door as needed.

I buy propane, then I can focus on PAYING work that far exceeds the value of fire wood.

(quoted from post at 23:38:47 08/05/14) I buy propane, then I can focus on PAYING work that far exceeds the value of fire wood.

Click to expand...

To each their own. I didn't buy this farm so I could spend my time working someplace else trying to pay for heat that the farm can supply. Some people act like cutting a bit of wood is a full time job.

Firewood is one of those things.... I've never seen the like of for people to make work out of it. They've got to pile it here this year, move it over there in a month, move it to the next place next spring before moving it to the house in the fall. The same damn stick gets moved 5 times before it gets to the house. Then they complain about how much work it is. Around here it gets dumped in a heap and then thrown in the basement as needed... after it was cut/split in a processor.

Rod