How High Should I Make my Wood Racks?

[Redhorseshoe]

Hi everybody, my primary business is running a sawmill but I am now getting into selling a small amount of firewood as well.  I just bought an old Ford pickup with a dump bed to deliver firewood with.  I'd like to get it set up to deliver 1 cord of split wood at a time, with the wood thrown loose in the bed, not neatly stacked.  I've researched that a loose cord of 16" length split wood takes up 180 cubic feet.  The flatbed on the truck is 6' wide and 8' long. 180 cubic feet would be 3'8" high.  I want to be fair with deliveries and want people to have what they're paying for but also don't want to throw in too much extra wood and take away from myself.  So, if I made the racks 3' high and just mound up the wood in the center, do you all think that would be fair, or should I make them taller?  What you you do?  Thank for the help!

[Gere Flewelling]

I have a Ford f-350 pickup that I built a dump ben on to deliver firewood.  I have found that I have to stack a row across the back about 24" high to be able to get an honest cord of 16" split wood thrown in or loaded with a conveyor.  The body is 9' long x 73" wide, and the sides are 42" high.  I also have to round it up another foot in the front and middle to fit it in.  Interestingly trying to fit 24" wood in that same body, it is not possible to throw in an honest cord of wood in the same space.  I learned that the hard way from unhappy customers.  No regrets building a dump body though.

[hedgerow]

Years ago when I sold firewood one of my dump trailers was 6x8 and I had four foot sides on it and would normally stack a row on the back by hand and then load the trailer with the conveyor and still would have to round it pretty high in the middle to get a full cord on. I do think folks figure 180 loose should stack out to a cord. 

[WV Sawmiller]

  If it was me I would just stack up a true cord - 4'X4'X8' or actually 16"X4'X 24' (128 cubic ft) then throw it on your truck and see what it looks like. Once you've done that you should have a good idea what it looks like and how high to stack it in your truck. 

[cutterboy]

I'm with WV Sawmiller. That is really the only way to know for sure.

[stavebuyer]

You have to shift the splits around and make sure there are no voids in a 180 cu/ft dump trailer. I always rounded up a little and probably gave a way a little to be safe. Considering the work saved from extra stacking/handling it was cheap insurance.

[Gere Flewelling]

I originally did as WV Sawmiller did.  I stacked up a measured cord of split wood.  I then put it into the truck to get a visual on how it should look loaded into the truck.  I never did try the 2' stuff that way though.  I just never sold that much of that sized wood.

[WV Sawmiller]

  Stack it super tight then throw it on pretty loose to build in some fudge factor if you want to be sure your customers get full measure.

[Big_eddy]

I would recommend you set your sideboard heights for a level load, not heaped up in the middle. Simpler to gauge when full to ensure all your loads are even, and a LOT easier to pull the tarp over and off - if you don't have an auto-tarp.
And around here, the MTO frowns upon heaped loads.

[Kindlinmaker]

I used the "stack it into a tight cord and throw it it on to see" method whenever I changed vehicles.  Actually got surprised by the outcome a couple times.  I don't like giving anything away but I always tried to error on the customer's side.  Good customers will appreciate the effort and will eventually give you repeat business without even shopping it.  After a while you build a good loyal customer base with no need to advertise and I nice little side business.

[thecfarm]

I worked for a guy that had a trailer. The corners were painted for a cord.
I would have to get into the trailer to throw wood in the corners for a level "cord". 
That's how he did it too, stock up a cord and throw it in.

[mike_belben]

the sides are to hold the wood in, not measure it. make them high enough that not one stick ever falls out, causes a wreck and costs you a home or business in the liability suit.