Stacking cordwood to measure it.

[BlueRidge]

I just got a 'cord' of nice, dry, split oak delivered (a gift from my visiting Father) and now comes the question:

Did I get a cord? Or something less?

It's hard to judge 4x4x8 feet when it's a mound!


Since it was a gift, I'm not really too concerned about THIS pile, but I want to know if the dealer is honest so I'll know if I want to keep doing business with him.


It was a full size pickup truck AND a small (Toyota) pickup load, with both beds full - I mean pretty close to level with the top of the bed.

Does that sound about right?


Or is it worth the effort to make a 4x4x? pile to check up on him? So how tightly do I stack it?

[bczoom]

I've found it almost impossible to measure a "pile" of wood.

If it was stacked in the trucks, you might have an idea. Measure the cu/ft of each truck and see if combined, it's close to 128 cu/ft.

Another idea is to visit the dealer and see how he has it stacked. If he has T-posts or whatever to measure out a cord, you could easily check it. If he's working from a pile, I'd say he's guessing.

Can't resist (since it kept me busy for awhile)... Attached is one of my wood sheds (12x24'). It's now completely full. I have another that has 3 cord cut/split/stacked. Next shed will hold another 7-8 cord.

Brian

[Pat]

I know some wood cutter/sellers and some of their customers. They do not sell rigidly standardized cords. They actually sell by the rick and that isn't always measured quite right. Their measure would be a REAL rick if the pieces were 24 inches long but many customers ask for a shorter size to accomodate a stove dimension. So the seller provides the right height and length of a rick but is a few inches short in depth for the customers requesting shorter pieces. The customers seem pretty aware but just don't care as the prices are very good.

They have several T posts driven in the ground and braced and they stack ricks between them to measure and store the wood prior to customer pickup or delivery. They were selling for about 1/2 the price of the equivalent wood in Oklahoma City, nearly 60 miles away but refuse to tow a trailer into THAT traffic.

I can buy 2 foot long hickory limbs (too small in diameter for good firewood and too small to be of interest to the commercial BBQ accounts) for $15 for as much as will fit in the bed of a full sized pickup. I thought about buying some and running it through my chipper for BBQ/grill/smoker additive. I guess it would be a 50-100 year supply.




[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[mfaley]

Mark,
I bet its pretty darn close. My experience is that a heaping full size pickup is about a cord. Maybe 3/4 if its loose.

I guess, if I think about it, the center of my truck bed is 4x8 and about 2' tall. If you add in the sides by the wheel well and then heap it up it seems logical that it should be close.

If I were going to pay for wood I would personally hand stack it so tight that air could not get through the gaps......Free wood on the other hand is a different story. [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Mark

[Bird]

Mark, the first time I bought any firewood, I got about all my 1971 3/4 ton Chevy pickup with half leaf overload springs could comfortably handle and that was half a cord of red oak. I later hauled quite a bit of firewood on a 3/4 ton Dodge pickup, but no way would I attempt to haul a full cord of decent firewood on any pickup short of a one ton dually. Tree species and moisture content will cause weights to vary, but from what I've been told, a "normal" cord of oak weighs in the vicinity of 3,800 pounds.

[DMF]

Approximate weights for seasoned cordwood, and this is based on 70 cubic feet of solid wood per cord is as follows: Beech 3300 pounds, Maple 3100 pounds, Red Oak 3300 pounds, White Oak 3500 pounds.

I used to heat our old house with wood, burning 6 to 8 cord/year which I would cut myself. I had an 87 Chevy ½ ton truck, short bed with 1-ton springs on it. I used side boards and would load it stacked to cab roof height. This was a heavy load for the truck and I used to figure ½ cord per load; a little under 2/3 cord AT BEST! Of course, this was green so it weighed more, but my guess is you received a short cord.

That being said, it is pretty standard practice around here for people who sell cord wood to measure it this way: The cord is measured in 4’ or if they have a wood processor in 8’ lengths. The wood is cut split and loaded into trucks for delivery. The end result is a pile of wood that will stack a bit less than a “cord”. The better sellers throw in a little extra but it’s rare that you’d get a cord that would actually stack 4’ x 4’x 8’. As others have mentioned, people require different lengths for their stoves, that’s why sellers measure the cords they sell in log length.

I bought two cords of wood once and it was delivered the same way: one full size truck and one Toyota-sized truck. When it was stacked, it was less than two cords but based on my explanation above, I’m pretty sure they started with a 2-cord log pile.

Stack it yourself and see how close it is. You’ll want to stack it anyway to store it for use. See how it measures up and you’ll know if you want to buy from them or not…

[mfaley]

Bird, I sure could be wrong here.

I just recall getting the bed of the Dodge full while moving it closer to the house a couple of times a year and it seemed like near a cord each time. But, like I said, I could be off.

Thanks,
Mark

[bczoom]

Mark,

Tightly stacked in a 8' pickup box, you would need to stack it (nicely/tightly) 4' high from side to side. Hard to do in a P/U unless you have tall racks/sides. As already mentioned, you may toast your suspension trying it.

Brian

[rozett]

I sell firewood for a living....well, half a living. I cut/split/delivered 90 cord of firewood from July till December last year. So I speak with a little knowledge.

First, check with your state government. Here in Maine, they define a cord of firewood by statute.
A loose cord ("not ranked and well stowed") should be 180 cubic feet. In a standard 8' pickup bed, you would need to pile it 5 feet high. So it is 'possible' to get it in one load. But as Bird and others have said, you'd lose your suspension. For the species that I deliver (ash, oak, maple), a cord of dry is about 3500 pounds and close to 5000 pounds for green. source You would need an F-350 to handle that payload. I deliver my firewood in a 12k pound dump trailer that has a 6.5' x 12' bed with 2.5' walls.

[mfaley]

Looks like I am off base here. Sorry for any bad advice.

Mark