One ton loads

[Bruno of NH]

I have always delivered firewood with a dump trailer. 
I sold my dump trailer and now have a f-350 dump.
How big of side boards should I build for one cord lose fill for it.
Thanks Bruno 

[Ljohnsaw]

Well, is it a flat bed or a normal pickup bed with wheel wells?  How long and how wide is it?  Are you just loose filling in the bed (not stacking)?  IIRC, you up the 128 cu-ft of a cord to something like 140?  So take 140/width(in feet)/length(in feet) and that will give you the height from the deck that your side walls need to be.  If you have wheel wells to contend with, maybe start out with a little bigger number (145) or mound it up in the bed a little.

So, if the bed is 4½' wide and is a long bed (8') you would do 140/4.5/8 = 3.89' or 3' 10½'.  If you used 145 then it would be 145/4.5/8 = 4.09'  That would be a full sheet of plywood for the side (cut out for the wheel wells) and a little over half a sheet for the front (headache rack).  You would need to put a temporary piece on the back so you could fill it all the way.  That back piece could be the 3½' x 4' cutoff from the front.  Put it in the wide way and raise it up with some 2x6s at the edge to bridge the 6" gap or so.  Use those fancy latches they use on stake sides to hold it in place and keep the side boards from spreading.

[Corley5]

I use 190 cubic feet for a cord of 16" loose/thrown processed firewood.  I used 180 cubic feet early in my career and found that sometimes although rarely depending on how the wood went into the truck/trailer it would stack up a bit short.  I haul five 16" face cords, a cord and 2/3s if you prefer, in my F550.  The bed is 10' long X 96" wide X whatever tall.  I forget. 

 

[Southside]

I don't think you will be able to haul a true cord in a 350, at least not legally or very many times before expensive parts break. 

[Bruno of NH]

It's a dump body 
Some folks call them mason bodies 

 

[Corley5]

That'll haul a cord easy.

[Dave Shepard]

We use the same truckts in a Powerstroke. 180 feet, but I tend to give a little extra. 

[GRANITEstateMP]

Bruno,  

As others have said, 180cu/ft is the loose / conveyored / loader bucketed in.  I think that my trailer I got it marked off at 185cu ft.  When I do 22in long firewood we do it at 195cu ft (even when we rake it while processing, longer wood makes for bigger air gaps).

[thecfarm]

It would require some work and time.Pile a cord up,than throw it in your truck. I use to work for a guy that had a dump trailer. There was painted marks on each corner to tell what a cord was. Yes, I had to get in the trailer to throw wood into the corners. He had a conveyor.

[Gearbox]

I use 200 for 20 inch boiler wood split big . I havn't had complaints

[Al_Smith]

FWIW you can get a full cord if it's stacked on a heavy 3/4 ton pick up truck .I did it once just to see .However it's above the cab and as such you certainly can't move it very far .A cord is about two tons  or so ,you won't over load the truck but you have a very unstable load .In my experiment I only moved the load about 500 feet at about the pace of a very old snail .Actually with a very old truck .1977 Ford F-250 with a 300 I6 that has been resting in my woods for the last 10 years .

[TKehl]

Payloads have increased, but the names of the trucks have stayed the same.  Kind of the reverse of inflation.   ;)

I think a current F350 could safely haul about twice what my 1993 F350 could even when it was new.  Better brakes, springs, etc. etc.

[Al_Smith]

Plus the fact they've changed them so much .Now you see cowboy limousines with a double cab and a 6 foot bed that won't haul much more than a set golf clubs .These are not your pappys work truck. Geeze a short person would need a step ladder just to get in the cab .

Being rather old school I think they should have a single cab,8 foot bed and come with the dents already installed .A truck is a tool not a yuppie mobile .

[barbender]

Al, I'm with you on that, other than I like an extended cab😊

[TKehl]

Al, you'll like this.  My old boss got a great deal on a slightly used F350.  Was only used to haul the guys fifth wheel.  First time a pallet of cattle chow was put on the bed, the springs hit the overloads.  Turned out the PO had some of the leaves taken out so it would ride better.   :D

[GRANITEstateMP]

.1977 Ford F-250 with a 300 I6 that has been resting in my woods for the last 10 years .

Al,
you probably should'a burnt that wood by now, not sure how many BTU's is left in it after a decade?   :D

[Al_Smith]

It was a bunch of dead ash .That was gone long ago .On a side note the F250 originally was a light spring deal,like about 6200 pounds GVW  which me being me over loaded .Cured that ,went to the junk yard and got a pair rears from an F-350.Talk about a bumpy ride .

I might revive that thing someday .It's only got 263 thousand miles on it .It must have a hole it because the squirrels must have a bushel and half of nuts scattered around . Once I lifted to hood and found a possum had taken up residence within .Real comfy on top of the engine .I evicted him .

[thecfarm]

I have a 76 with a straight 6 in it. 4wh drive 250. Mine has been sitting for 20 years.55 mph was really pushing that thing. Low gears in the rear and a 4 speed. It was a work truck. Did not matter if there was a load in the back or empty,it got 8 miles to the gallon. A nice truck to drive in the snow. It did have a worn out 360 in it. That died and I bought a 300 for it. That took some time to get it right. I had to buy all the brackets for the power pump,alternator and all that stuff. Exhaust had to be bent on it. I could not get a exhaust pipe for a 4wh drive,Ford F250,heavy duty, with a 300. ;D  I have seen very few trucks with the big front end that had under it. I only hauled wood for about 12 miles. But the truck was a power house that far. I ran 8 plys bias on it too. Took a while to get the tires warmed up in the winter time. ;D  I would ran the max on tire pressure when I was hauling wood. It had a utility body on it,the sides could be removed.

[Al_Smith]

I'd get about 17 MPG on the '77 .Now the '72 I had with a 390  loaded or empty 12 MPG .I've still got the engine and tranny and the bed is a trailer .

Now a story .Around 1980 after having a tad too much liquid "refreshments" and a lead foot I managed to clip a pole off in front of a ladies house with the '72 and ended up in her front yard .She was rather upset about that .I got a severe tongue  lashing over that feat .I learned my lesson well . 

Now almost 40 years later I watch my P's and Q's ,my lead foot is a feather foot .That lady will be a permanent  resident at the same address as myself .So I guess  that episode worked out okay in the long haul for me. ;D  The poor old truck however didn't fair quite as well .It got a tad bit wrinkled .

[Bruno of NH]

Took Henry on it first delivery today.
One cord load,didn't even feel like it was loaded.

[Logging logginglogging]

I have a very similar on ton dump bed on a k2500 seems to work pretty good so far.

[Ohio Dave]

The 78 GMC 1 tom dump I use own had a 6x9 bed.  So with those dimensions  3.5ft total depth should hold a cord. Also you should be able to put 5 tons in it if everything is working properly.  Since a cord of green oak wieghs less than 3 tons you should be good.

[moodnacreek]

7'x9'x4' high will take a full cord loose. Been doing it for years, have had customers with sheds 8' wide and they measure it for you.

[rubberfish]

I'm confused. And new at this firewood gig. So here goes.
Google tells me a cord is 4'X4'X8'. How does this not easily fit in a pickup?

[barbender]

That is a cord, neatly stacked. 128 cubic feet. You use a different number to find the volume with a loosely thrown cord, which most people delivering firewood are using (it takes a lot more time and effort to stack the wood in a truck). This number will be in the area of 180 cubic feet.