Buying A Log Truck Load Of Firewood, Is It Worth It? Part 1 #86 

We did this when I was growing up. Dad ordered a tractor trailer load of wood. He’d cut it and I’d hand split it with a maul and wedge. Then keep the porch stocked with wood for the wood stove. A load would last us about 3 winters in central NC.

I dont know how much you paid but i would definitely say you got your moneys worth considering you didn’t have to fell, load, transport and unload then drive your truck back to where ever, which all of that has it added cost involved and wear and tear on the equipment

Once you have it cut and stacked in cords, then figure out how much per cord you paid. I won't buy "Logs" that are smaller than 15". Now if it were cut in 24 or 32 inch lengths, then it can stack fairly tight on the delivery truck.

should be approximately 8 cords of firewood no matter how you dice it. I cut and split same size truckload every year from the age of 12 to 20ish for my parents and it always figured out to 8 cords or a bit more....I was paid 10 bucks per cord to cut and then 10 per cord to split by hand-if I beat the deadline I was paid 100 for cutting and 100 for splitting as a bonus.Pretty big money to a youngster back in the 70"s.

New here my class cuts log truck every year 22 face cord is what we get.

Very interesting project. #1, how much did you pay for what you got? #2, is not a cord generally measured when cut and spit? Split wood I am thinking would take up a larger volume? I buy my wood like you do, by the truck load. Too old to wrangle it out in the wild anymore so there is that. Factor in the cost of propane or electricity vs wood for heat. How much have you invested in equipment such as saws, chains, sharpeners and a splitter. For example I bought two new saws this last summer, a Stihl 261 and a Stihl 462. My splitter is a 20 ton horizontal from Harbor Freight that splits in both extend and retract of the ram I got several years ago. So in order $500.00 for the 261, $1,200.00 for the 462 and $800.00 for the splitter for a rough total of $2,500.00. Granted the saws and splitter will last for quite some time but initial investment cost is high but that is a one time expense unless something breaks. The load I got this year was fur felled a year ago last November so it has to wait to season up after it is split. This load will be for next winter which will make it two years from the time it was felled. I paid $1,450.00 US for the truck load, thinking it was maybe too much but that is all I could find in my area last spring. For me there is fun and exersise associated with all of this so my sanity might be in question. Next summer I need to build a suitable wood shed so more expense on top of what I already have in. Life is not a business deal to be weighed out by time, effort and expense but that is just me and not everyone else. Some might weigh this all out and determine cost effectiveness is in the negative and decide propane is the better deal money wise. These types of folks are frugal with their money and look for a cost factor only. Being retired I got nothing else to do with my time and have many many hours of enjoyment not only at work on the log pile but gaining information like you have presented in your video which all to me is fascinating. One mans truck load is larger or smaller depending on the truck that delivers it. Mine came by a self loader this last spring for example and I was a bit disappointed compared to the last load a few years prior at $1,000.00 for the load which was standing dead, not the best with rot developing in some logs so there is that. This winters wood is the last of that load. I did cut and split some of this new load just in case we have a real bear of a February/March like last year but I should be fine.. My cut and split pile is stacked neatly and not too loose or too tight and is 6 feet high x 20 feet long x 10 feet deep and should get me through the winter and spring just fine with plenty to spare. I am trying to rely less on propane this year so the wood stove is getting the lions share of heating duty. The fresh wood I cut and split this year was placed on the windward end of the cut and split pile where it sees maximum ventilation to speed the drying time. The other bits of equipment I forgot to mention are my Polaris four wheeler I use to drag a trailer from the splitter to the cut and spit pile, a Ford 3000 diesel tractor with the latest edition being a John Deere 318D skid steer I bought in August of this year for $20,000.00, ouch! The skid steer was purchased for snow clearing my 1/8th mile driveway mainly but it sure comes in handy when put to work on the log pile. Like I said before I like your approach to this question but without all the other factors like making pancakes without baking powder, baking soda and buttermilk instead using plain water will get you pancakes that won’t taste very good. Carry on smartly. That is all

I don't want to guess want to know how much you got

From a 20 ft dump truck I say you get about 4-4.25 cords once split.

What was the cost of the 20’ truck load of you don’t mind me asking? And how many cord did you figure it came out too?

You'll burn a lot of wood no matter what. If you have a wood lot your self and don't mind the work you maybe can pay for a wood boiler system. At these current propane prices you can't justify buying a wood boiler in my opinion.

hi there new subscriber here i am going to guess 6 cord of wood .I bought a truck load of 8 foot wood and it was a lot of work cutting and spliting it .I paid $1300 for the load of wood and i got 6 cord you can pay $250 a cord cut split and in your woodhouse and no work

order pallet logs

Soooo this is not an old video, so I'll throw in my guess into the hat.. gotta be different, so... 8 1/3 Cords Split n Stacked. Some gave you heat for doing more work, ie stacking the rounds, but Im glad you did that. I know you wanted to get a visual that day, and so the video. Kudos!!! I would have done exactly the same thing. Plus!!! It will be a great visual for YOU and all of your subs to see how many cords it looks like now, and how many it is when you are finished. (I am a new sub and may well do a video on this because I thought of doing the same thing also a few years back. I will give you a big shout out. I have 7,000 subs so it should help you a bit:-) What did you pay and what state are you in? We could have gotten a truck load for 500 bucks. I had Guessed that would have been 15 Cords. From what I read from your experienced subs, 8 should be about right. I'm gonna look into that.

About 6 and a half cords

6.5 cord is what I think

You wasting your time doing it that way you might have saved a couple hundred dollars so you end up going to end up maybe paying yourself six or eight bucks an hour

7.5 cords

I’ll go with 5.5 cords.

14 cord

Standard load from a logging truck in NY is 7 cords +/- ....for $700 ..I get one every other year to help buffer that hunting and gathering ...do both

5.5 cords

Thank you so much Everyone for Subscribing, Sharing and Commenting And helping us get to 500 Subs! I will do the drawing and winning video on Sunday 12-22-19 as that is the first chance I’ll have to make the video due to the busy time of year for a mail man, so there’s still time to get in! Thanks again for all the support!

A typical New England tri-axle log truck holds about 8 cords of firewood. This can vary. A cord is 128 cubic feet of tightly stacked wood, bark and air, since it is not possible to stack wood so tight as to eliminate air. Diameter of the logs is irrelevant. Chunks below 5 inches in diameter probably do not need to be split.

I knew a fellow in Columbus, Ohio who bought truckloads each year. To me, what you pay for split seasoned wood is cheap considering the amount of time and effort.

I had a friend in high school that started a firewood business he actually got paid to take log truck loads for $100

A cord is a cord. A face cord is a face cord. They are just a volume of wood. It doesn't matter the size of any log. It's a Volume! In fact, you may actually get more with smaller diameter logs as the may stack better by filling in spaces.

In in a different part of the country you should get 10 to 12 cords per truck load on and off all my life in Oregon worked in the woods when I was younger. I'M GETTING READY TO ORDER A FULL LOG TRUCK MAYBE TWO I'LL CUT IT UP MYSELF AND ONLY ORDER FROM SMALL LOCAL SMALL LOCAL PEOPLE. BEST FROM GREG IN OREGON.

Iam a new subscriber and really enjoy watching your videos. My guess would be 9.375. Iam a logger in central Wisconsin. We typically haul about 12.5-13 cord at a time. Keep up the good work.

Hi why don’t you wear chaps 👍

A 20 foot load would likely add a couple of cords. Typical New England load would be 16 feet. So, you should have about 10 cords from your load.

Hey Paul good video I’ll be interested to see the final count. New sub also.

I would say you got about 3 coords,but I hope you got more

I'm guessing 6-7 cords and that's if it was loaded tightly

I reckon if you spent as much time cutting, splitting, stacking you would have more time to find a trucker that will bring you the kind of wood your looking for and the amount your seeking....just a thought.

3 chords

I think that you only got five cords

7.5 cords

5.5 full cords

For what it's worth. I was a logger for 12 years and Im pretty certain your math is off. On a 53' trailer truck load is 10-11 cord. And that's stacking straight pines like Legos. Very little gaps. On a 20' truck it might be 5-6 maybe and that's being kind.

hi there maybe 4 if your lucky john

The guy I currently deal with on logs, I average 5.5 cords a load upto 22' logs. He is mostly a mechanicized operation. The limbs are not cut off real close so that hurts me a little on what I get. His log are smaller in diameter 8-16" usually. The guy I used to deal with I usually got 6 cords, 18' logs. His logs were usually larger. His son had a little processor that would do upto 16" wood. That is about the smallest i got from him. Sometimes I got logs 28." One time I got a load from a guy and some logs were 24' long. When he picked up his rear axle to come up the driveway, he could barely steer the truck. The truck was way over loaded. I got 7 cords from that load of good wood. I ran into some rotten stuff. I'll post some pics in the splitter wars group of this load sometime. I'm going to guess that you got 6.25 cords, I know this video is old. I see guys advertising on market place 8-11 cords and a tri axle and that is not possible. The trucks are usually 8' high and 8' wide, then what ever the length of the logs are. One thing I learned is, they all put some short logs on the truck, and they all will put a hollow log or two on the load.

Great video. Time to break out the eastonmade. 6.3 cord is my guess

6.5 to 7 cords per 20' log truck

Great info!

A 2 ft load of wood with 8.5 to 9 ft stakes you will have pretty close to 7 cords,

Hi I guess 3 and 1/4 chords. Ray H from England U.K.

You still need kindling to start your fires. The small logs are good for that purpose.

Looks like about 10 face cord... hope you didn't pay more than 500 for that load

There are actually more BTU's in the smaller limbs, because of tighter grain.

How much did the truck load cost?

after 9 years i just managed to get 3 cord ahead. its a tough job

When ordering a load of firewood you're not going to get the logs they sell those you get the tops of the trees which is the small stuff which equals no splitting

7.5 cords

I'm thinking closer to 8 cords, those big rounds will make some wood.

How much did the load of logs cost you?

I’m hope you get your moneys worth! If I have to guess...7 cords. Good luck.

Pay more attention to the. Tip of your bar. Seen you hit dirt a few times and dozens of near kick backs.cut from the end free hanging in the air. The drop rolls away keeping you in the next cut rather from moving pieces of wood.

I'm guessing 6.5 cords on 20' log truck.

Yes it is i need a.project and i have two stihl saws and a 25 ton splitter

Hey Brother I would say 6 face cord Thank you for sharing your videos...👍❤️🙏☮️✌️

9.25 core

now thats a pretty impressive stack rounds

I really hate watching people do way more work then there needs to be those rounds should of been put on the splitter right off the saw no need to pick those logs up off the ground and go stack them work smarter not harder I regret doing what u are doing but that is a nice pile of rounds I say bout 7 cords when its split and stacked

Split and stacked should be 6 cords

Where I come from in northern Ontario Canada , we get 18 singles from a log truck load . Mine you these are triaxle trucks and have 14 foot trip stakes . The cost of a load like this is roughly 900 dollars

7.5 but since you are stacking your logs in piles that look tight I am dropping my answer to 6.5....

I'm thinking about 7 cords. Also I wanted to say great video I will be very interested to see just how fast you grow. Happy Holidays and God Bless

1ST TIME WATCHING. SOME THOUGHTS FOR YOU AS YOU SAID YOU HAD LITTLE EXPERIENCE BUYING TRUCK LOADS OF WOOD. THIS IS MY EXPERIENCE LIVING IN NORTHERN WISC.AND BURNING WOOD FOR DECADES IN AN OUTDOOR BOILER. PULP TRUCKS (THAT'S WHAT THE TRUCKS ARE CALLED THAT HAUL BULK WOOD), BRING FIREWOOD TYPICALLY IN 10 T0 12 CORD LOADS. LOGS ARE 8' IN LENGTH AND COME IN VARIOUS DIAMETERS UNLESS SPECIFIED DIFFERENTLY. I PREFER MIXED DIAMETERS AS I PREFER NOT TO SPLIT EVERY LOG, SO SMALLER DIA. GOES IN STOVE WHOLE ETC. HERE WE PAY $90 TO $110 PER LOGGERS CORD (4'X4'X8' LOGS/128 CU.FT.) AND THIS IS ATYPICAL COST. SO...AT 4'X4'X8', 10 CORDS WOULD BE APPROX. 4' HIGH X 8' DEEP X 40' LONG. ONCE PROCESSED, THIS VOLUME WILL BE LARGER. A 15" DIA LOG WHOLE WILL TAKE UP SO MUCH SPACE. SPLIT IT 4 WAYS AND THE SAME LOG WILL GAIN AIR SPACE BETWEEN THE PIECES AND BE LARGER IN VOLUME. SO YOU CAN EXPECT 10 LOGGERS CORDS PROCESSED, ON THE GROUND TO TAKE UP MORE SPACE. THERE YOU HAVE IT. HOPE THIS HELPS YOU. NOW I HAVE TO SIT DOWN AND REST...GUESS I'M GETTIN' OLD ALSO. LOL

How much did u pay for it ? Pros n cons smaller wood easier to handle less splitting . Larger wood more return, not everyone wants to handle large wood . How much n gas alone would u have n a pickup going here and there to gather it ? Awfully handy having it right there n ur back yard n a pile ! Bottom line everyone wanting more for there money ! How tall is the standards and r they 96" wide or 102" wide ? Big difference ! I've hauled many ua load and people can B a pain n the ASS ! Not all but a few ! Like unloading under power lines or on sidelin ground . Don't forget about septic tanks or water lines, a loaded truck is heavy ! If u put an outdoor burner n take this into consideration ! Some want u to stay around n cut it and put it n the wood burner for them . No two loads will ever have the same tonage !

I buy 8 cord truck loads of hardwood for 880.per load. After blocking the wood i have in the 7 cord range. My supplier offers large diameter or small firewood loads. You get more firewood out of the large firewood loads but much more time consuming splitting it all. I'd be happy with some 3 inch diameter wood. I like a mixture of sizes. Keep up the good work and buy your self a Husky. LOL Kent from PEI.

Standard load for Montana is 10-15 cords lol starting around a thousand bucks and up depending on what kind it is !

This is my first visit to your channel. Your episode title caught my attention. I need a log truck load of hickory in the worst way. My guess is 7.45 cords in your load.

One cord is 4 facecord a facecord being 4x8x16 or 18".....most log trucks have at least 3 full cord depending on how it's bucked and split...I buck mine at 20" my over all cord ratio is alot smaller...

8. My new friend that was a lot of work. I'm Max. iJust got into firewood. Great workout n therapy. Thx for sharing n stay warm 👍🏽

A dozen years or so ago, 2 friends and I shared a log truck load . the logger assured us it was 15 cord. Having cut firewood most of my life, even hauling 13 ft logs in my trailer and 8 ft in my truck for 120 miles unloading at home into a pile of logs, then cutting it up. I had a good feel as to what was on the log truck. I estimated 10 cords. Two of us cut and stacked the cords we paid for, leaving the balance to the 3rd party, his suggestion , when all cut up, it came to about 11 cord. When the logger discovered I worked for the WA State Department of Agriculture, he became quite nervous, an later delivered 4 cord to the shorted party. My first clue of bogus information from the logger was that according to WA DOT, the weight of 15 cord would be illegal. Elsewise there was no way that load would measure out 15 cord. Take-home, watch what volume your getting and don't accept unscrupulous firewood sellers who assume rightfully that the general public has no clue as to how many cords is on a log truck.

7.35 cords

Happy holidays my friend

you bought a load of pulpwood (small and lower quality)not a load of sawlogs that would cost 8 to 10 times as much. Don't complain about small wood. The logger is trying to utilize the timber he bought not waste what he harvested.

I will guess 6.4 cords of firewood. Thanks for video.

I'm not sure I understand the quantity delivered. If you are saying that the pile you are cutting into, and the two rows that you have stacked is the total product delivered, then you DID NOT get 10 full cord delivered to you. 10x128=1280/20=64/2=8. The pile of logs on that 20ft truck would of had to have been 8ft wide between the uprights and 8ft high. Looks more like 10 face cords maybe is what they brought you. Anyway, if the truck was 20ft long, 8ft high and 8ft wide with long length wood, typically there is a 15% loss due to voids in the log pile. So you'd end up with 8.5 cord. But honestly, that pile you got only looks to be half that.

I stopped at 14:22 I think you will have about 7.8 cords of wood (half way swagging at it because I still cant understand how much a cord of wood is lol!!!)

That’s a lot of woooooood

I like the video. Not sure if you did the giveaway yet but I think I would say its 5.8 cord. I didnt hear you say how long the logs were but I'm gonna guess they were 18 to 20 inches

/It looks like you really laid the law down or got rid of the plugs. I saw you had some help for a while. You should be able to run right through that load with the new splitter. Be nice if you could find two people to help. The load of wood was alright if you didn't get burnt on the price. Thanks for the videos.

Like the videos. If you really burn that much wood, do yourself a favor and buy a real chainsaw and save yourself some time. Buy a husky pro saw.

Great video Paul , 7 Thanks brother I appreciate you

That cant hook looks like it wouldn't work well. My dad still makes them by hand in the forge in one piece with a solid hardwood handle turned on his wood lathe. People come from all over Ontario for them.

Been burning wood 40 years you get what you get bottom line take it as it comes loggers are not rich

Thats a lot of firewood there my friend. That will definitely keep you warm next winter.

Popular wood is listed as a hard wood

You would have gotten 1 extra chord if you used a stihl.

What’s wrong with burning sycamore? I like mixing sycamore in with red oak.

I'm gonna say a little under 8 cord. 7.8 cord🙂

I'm going to guess is 6.5 cord hope that the price was right and I'm going to guess about 7 hrs to split it all up on your own

well I am getting 8 full cords that was a shitty looking load 5 full cord at the most

That is a really bad load. I would not buy from whoever that was. Not sure what you paid for it but you can absolutely find better quality deliverd timber than that.

I'm going to say about 6.75, that splitter is going to love that snack lol

You are only buying the tree tops

5.5 cords!