selling firewood by the pickup load

[Robert R]

Around here, folks often sell wood by the pickup load rather than a standard cord.  Any ideas how much of a cord can go in a standard 8 foot bed.  Some folks claim it is a cord but I don't by it (or buy it for that matter) but I might be willing to sell some.

[beenthere]

Pickups come in all different sizes, and wood can be stacked in or thrown in.  Not a definable unit, IMO.  So the buyer and seller both need be ware. 

Would be easy to stack a 'pickup' load and measure the face of the pile to get what portion of a full cord it amounts to, for that particular pickup and 'style' of loading. 

[Coon]

A standard size pick up has a 8ft long bed by 4ft wide and about 2 1/2 ft high.  IMO I figure that a well rounded piled in load to be around 1/2 cord.

Around here a pick up load of white poplar sells for around $40.  I have been selling dry firewood for $70/cord and $80/split cord.  As of Nov 1/05 my prices will be going up to $80/cord and $90 split cord.  If the customers don't like these prices they can go elsewhere.  They'll eventually come and get it when the see other peoples prices.

[David_c]

If you add side to a full size pick up bed then yes it will hold a full cord. I know that with sides on my truck and half of bed in use (transfer tank and tool box). That I fit half cord in there just trown in. Coon is that a face cord? If not you are selling far to cheap. Around here cordwood went up to 200+ a cord for seasoned.

[JP]

In New Hampshire the only leagel way to sell firewood is by the cord or part there of///  128 cu ft tightly stacked///  JP

[SwampDonkey]

My trailor is larger than the bed of a pickup and unless it's stacked neatly it will only hold 8/10 cord thrown in random and I have to throw the ballance in the bed of the truck.

By federal law in Canada, firewood has to be sold by a defined volume such as part cords (1/2 cord etc) or m^3 stacked. Can't sell by face cords or pickup loads. I know it varies in the states.

For information, contact Roland Burdage, volumetric and mass specialist, Atlantic Region, at 902-426-8573.

Useful firewood info

[Robert R]

Interesting link, SwampDonkey.  Thanks.  I was figuring it would be about a half cord.  Not sure if I want to venture into the firewood market or not.  In the past, pallet logs worked better--less labor and no seasoning but with the distance to the pallet mill and gas prices, that may be changing.

[Tom]

In Florida, If a fellow says "I'll take $80 for  this pickup load of wood" and the other fellow says, "I give you $80 for that pickup load of wood", there has been a sale.

If stacked neatly, a rounded pickup load (account for wheel wells) will usually be near a 1/2 cord.

[SwampDonkey]

By the skin of our teeth the new 'Load Slip Certificates' for primary forest products moved within and out of the province don't need a certificate. What a nightmare that would be. I'm glad our woodlot association were able to put that idea to rest in short order. 

[SwampDonkey]

Tom, I certainly wouldn't have a problem with that scenario if I was doing the offering of cash for the wood. But, I've seen people take advantage of other people by selling a face cord and passing it off as a full cord. This happened to an immigrant person my uncle knows who sends every last cent she earns back to her relatives in the Phillopenes. My uncle made sure it never happened again. ;)

[Murf]

A neighbour buys wood by the pickup load. They load with a small farm tractor with a loader, he leaves their yard with a slightly heaped load, and comes home with a load flush with the top rails.

It almost always stacks into a 4' x 8' rack with a little room to spare. It is about 16" in length on average.

Based on that I guess it's about a face cord.

The local branch of the Evil Orange Empire (Home Cheapo) was selling pallets of firewood out front last year. They were 39" square pallets, stacked about 36" high and then wrapped with some kind of plastic mesh. The sign said they were "1/3 cord" each.

I mentioned to the manager that he should correct the sign....

I make them to be maybe a 1/4 of a cord if they were stacked tight, they weren't.

A week later they were still selling them the same way.......  $79.95 loaded in your truck......

Tom, I too agree, if both parties are happy with the description and price, then it's a deal between two private parties, period.

It's the cheating that burns me up.

[David_c]

Murf funny you mention home cheapo. I was at agway a few weeks ago. There was a sign on counter wood stove pellets (can't remember price) but they were 40# bags. Or you could buy 1 ton on pallet (can't remember price) anyway It was 40 bags. Which I also pointed out was just 1600# not a ton. I remember on way home giving the girls a math leason I relized that it was actually more expensive to buy a pallet load than individual bags : They were also selling coal 50# bags 40 to pallet which is a ton.

[Black_Bear]

The State of Maine has laws in place that govern the sale of firewood. This law seeks to protect the general public from fraud and also leaves a paper trail that is evidence of income earned. Thus, the state can tax that income. Convenient, eh.


Here is a link to a cord calculator and some different measures of a cord. Hope it helps.  

http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index-hdr.php?topic=Agriculture+News&id=4549&v=Article

[Larry]

A rick is 4' X 8' X 16"....1/3 of a cord.  Nice split firewood...it will fill a normal size pickup bed and be very slightly rounded up.

[WH_Conley]

I can get 1/2 cord, threw on loose, on my Dodge pu, 6'x8'x18" deep with a headache rack to protect the back glass, has to be piled ALL that will lay on as high as you can get. Cut and stacked a cord, 4x4x8, 3- 16" ricks then threw it on truck to check. If it's only rounded slightly it's not a cord.

One guy last winter was hauling on a S-10 and selling one load to the old people for a cord, he won't be this year. 

[rebocardo]

It is against Federal law to sell firewood unless it is by cord or 3m, or fractions there of. I got sick of seeing others sell by truckloads while I did by cords, so I sent a copy of the GA law to my ad rep., pointed out the wheres and whys along with a URL link, and now everyone is selling by the cord or fraction there of.

[Tom]

Why don't you put the URL here?

[Robert R]

I'd like to that URL, too.  I've no intention of selling by the truckload.  I just wanted to be able to compare prices and most of the ads say so much per truck load, driveway dump.  If and when I sell, it will be as 1/3, 2/3 or full cord, even if I have to translate that into truckloads for some of the customers who don't know cords.

[Mike_Barcaskey]

when selling by the pickup load, volume is not the problem, its weight
a cord of seasoned white oak will weigth 4,200 pounds
these fools running arouind in 1/2 ton pickups saying they are selling a cord of wood are BSing
you maybe able to fit 1/2 a cord in a 1/2 ton, but you cant safely transport it.
thats a ton of wood (2100 pounds)
hauling capacity on a standard 1/2 ton pickup is 800 pounds (i believe)

[SwampDonkey]

My uncle has cut, split and hauled wood for years for the house using Ford, Dodge and GM pickups and all he can haul is 1/2 a cord per load thrown on loose. He doesn't have too far to go with the load so he doesn't frig away his time stacking it on the pickup. Either way you stack it, I wouldn't want a full cord of rock maple and beech on my pickup truck. That's 2.5 metric tonnes (2.75 US tons).

[SwampDonkey]

Buying Firewood in Canada

I don't know the weights and measures regulatory body in the US. In Canada it's Measurement Canada.

[rebocardo]

re:weight

Many older Ford 1/2 ton trucks will carry a 1/2 a cord almost fine since some of them are rated up to 1800 pounds. Though some (LWB - 302) might be rated for something as small as 600 pounds. I did a 1/2 a cord (seasoned oak) all the time in my 1971 F-100 4x4 , though I did add airbags after I put on the flatbed because the flatbed cut down on wheel travel. My springs and shackles where close, but, not all the way there.

The only truck I have seen of a customer's that took a 1/2+ cord was a newer DRW F-350. Thing did not even move with the weight. You have to love the newer 1 ton trucks rated for close to 4000 pounds.

re:URL

I do not have the Federal one handy, I might have it saved on the hard drive somewhere in .pdf format. Here is the GA one:

http://rules.sos.state.ga.us/docs/40/15/4/02.PDF

[spencerhenry]

i have a 2000 F-350 crew cab, and i routinely haul FULL CORDS of pinon and other woods. according to ford, my truck's load capacity is around 3700#. a full cord of green pinon weighs around 4600. have done it many times. (wonder why i broke all the leaf springs). a full size ford with sides will haul a full cord when tossed in and heaped well. have checked it myself, and customers have checked it for me.

[beenthere]

It would make a great picture with that 'full cord' on your truck. Can you get one posted?

[brucehuggins]

I sell my firewood stacked in 4X8 ricks along the road.  It is 12" long.  4 ricks to a full cord.  I get $ 50/rick.  I won't deliver it.  This year I put out 17 ricks.  I have 3 left.