Firewood Bags

Started by labradorguy, March 20, 2017, 09:27:44 AM

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labradorguy

I looked into this a while back but decided not to change my work flow. I'm ramping up this year and decided maybe I should revisit the idea.

I can see a lot of advantages to bagging and was wondering how the bags fit into other's production process. Are producers loading off the conveyor straight into the bags? Bagging off of a pile? Delivering in bags??

I read that some people are bagging right off the conveyor and lining the bags up in rows to let the wood season. I'm considering that. We had a wet year last year and it gets old getting down to the bottom of the piles and finding blackened wood covered in mushrooms.... I even tried wind rowing the piles more last year, but still wasted a fair amount of wood.

My biggest concerns would be rodents. If a person split in the spring and let them sit all summer, am I going to find chewed up bags come fall, or worse, deliver people a nest of rats?? :D That would end your sales to that person in a hurry. I know there has to be a way to control them. We seem to have a lot and they get into everything that is allowed to sit for any period of time. I can't help but think they would try to get in the bags, but I may just be paranoid.

I was wondering about the bark too. Instead of getting loosened up on the split pile, it's going to wind up coming off in the bottom of the bag. Is it "kindling" for city folks who have none, or will fussy (sometimes clueless) customers swear that I dumped a couple buckets of old bark in the bottom to screw them over?? Hmmm.....

If anyone has any bagging experience good or bad, I'd love to hear it. Thanks.


armechanic

I would think all the above,  I heat shrink my bundles in plastic, I put it in a 20' box bed with two dehumidifiers and bundle as needed.  My operation is very small.
1989 Lt 40, D6C CAT, Home made wood processer in progress.

OH logger

your talking the 1/4 cord bags right??
john

labradorguy

I think that is the average size. I saw a couple bags that claimed to hold 1/3 but talking to a couple guys who used them, they felt like they were shorting their customers a little and started selling those bags as quarter cords.

peterpaul

I purchased a dozen Dino bags (1/4 cord)  and have used them for two full cycles, i.e., fill - season - empty - refill - season - empty.   I only use them for wood for my personal consumption.  I load directly off my splitter/conveyor. 
Below is based upon my experience.
I use the forks of my tractor to hold the bag open in the loading position under the converyor and am considering making a loading stand so the tractor could just move pallets.  I stack my full bag pallets on pallets to keep them up off the ground allowing for more ventalation under the bags. This also saves my good pallets with sides. 
Wood dries very well as the bags have a ventalated weave. The bags have a 1" strip of vertical solid weave adjacent to a 1" weave with only horizontal fibres making an open weave.  I cover the bags with a tarp.  No mold, mushrooms or rotted wood.
The bags are tough although I do have a couple of small holes from handling caused by stacking the bags too close together. 
All the mess stays in the bag which is great for kindleing as mentioned above. 
Less handling, no need to stack wood on pallets (although pallets are required to transport bags).
I had a bag tip over moving it as the bags are filled randomly and tend to "lean".  I found the best pallets to use are those with sides. 
The amount of wood varies in each bag.  This is due to working alone.
50% of my bags had mice in them which doesn't bother me as I move the wood from bag to wood shed which is a mouse Hilton.  I didn't notice any chew holes.  This is the same with wood being previously just stacked on pallets and stored.
I like useing the bags as I don't have to stack wood on pallets so I eliminate one handleing of the split wood.
Unloading the bags is not an issue. 
I work alone and it breaks the flow by having to change bags.  Not a problem for me but in high production off a processor, I would look at ways to optimize the loading & changing of bags such as using a swing conveyor with 2 loading locations. 
Off loading bags at the customers location would require something with forks or a crane.  The bags can be picked up via the straps.  Bags are not cheap.

Overall I do like using them.






Woodmizer LT15, Kubota 4330 GST, Wallenstein FX 85, Timberwolf TW6, homemade firewood conveyor

labradorguy

Thanks for that good info. That answered several of my questions.

Ivan49

Quote from: peterpaul on March 21, 2017, 07:20:11 AM
I purchased a dozen Dino bags (1/4 cord)  and have used them for two full cycles, i.e., fill - season - empty - refill - season - empty.   I only use them for wood for my personal consumption.  I load directly off my splitter/conveyor. 
Below is based upon my experience.
I use the forks of my tractor to hold the bag open in the loading position under the converyor and am considering making a loading stand so the tractor could just move pallets.  I stack my full bag pallets on pallets to keep them up off the ground allowing for more ventalation under the bags. This also saves my good pallets with sides. 
Wood dries very well as the bags have a ventalated weave. The bags have a 1" strip of vertical solid weave adjacent to a 1" weave with only horizontal fibres making an open weave.  I cover the bags with a tarp.  No mold, mushrooms or rotted wood.
The bags are tough although I do have a couple of small holes from handling caused by stacking the bags too close together. 
All the mess stays in the bag which is great for kindleing as mentioned above. 
Less handling, no need to stack wood on pallets (although pallets are required to transport bags).
I had a bag tip over moving it as the bags are filled randomly and tend to "lean".  I found the best pallets to use are those with sides. 
The amount of wood varies in each bag.  This is due to working alone.
50% of my bags had mice in them which doesn't bother me as I move the wood from bag to wood shed which is a mouse Hilton.  I didn't notice any chew holes.  This is the same with wood being previously just stacked on pallets and stored.
I like useing the bags as I don't have to stack wood on pallets so I eliminate one handleing of the split wood.
Unloading the bags is not an issue. 
I work alone and it breaks the flow by having to change bags.  Not a problem for me but in high production off a processor, I would look at ways to optimize the loading & changing of bags such as using a swing conveyor with 2 loading locations. 
Off loading bags at the customers location would require something with forks or a crane.  The bags can be picked up via the straps.  Bags are not cheap.

Overall I do like using them.

Have you tried stacking them 2 high/ I tried some and I really like them for the reasons you talk about but when I stacked them 2 high they would tip over. I put mine on a skid and I tried the second high one off the skid

currantvt

I'm in the same boat as PeterPaul, I bought 25 Dino bags a few years ago - some are on their 3rd use and are aging well - just keep them out of the sun, I store them in an open sided barn and the wood dries really well , also keeps clean with no mud etc. I made a stand out of a scaffolding tower, fill the bag straight from the splitter. I have the pallet under the bag as it fills which sort of works , some times you have to lift the bag to settle the wood and try to eliminate the lean . I split just for myself and move them in to the basement as needed, have had no rodent infestation from them yet but it will happen sometime probably. I think if you are going to sell from them it would make sense to tip bag into your truck and then tip truck at the destination - give the rodents a chance to do a runner. I really like the bags, saves so much handling , cleaner wood it makes the whole job more pleasant . They are nearer 1/4 than 1/3 cord, 15-18 cwt approx.

peterpaul

I wouldn't want to try to stack them 2 high.  As the wood comes off the conveyor and fills the bag randomly, they are just not stable enough, lean or flat on top.  Also, picking them up 5' is pretty dangerous with a tractor unless the ground to dead level and tractor is pretty large. 

FYI,  Forgot to mention the Dino bags also have a draw string closure which is nice. 

Woodmizer LT15, Kubota 4330 GST, Wallenstein FX 85, Timberwolf TW6, homemade firewood conveyor

OH logger

I was looking at the Posch bagging system (not sure of the spelling). it was geared more towards a firewood supplier. the wood drops into a metal drum and when its full the supplied crane lifts it up as the wood is wrapped with plastic disposable one time use netting. there is an optional turn table to buy that allows you to fill one after you spin the full one out of the way so you can fill and wrap at  the same time. there is a dealer in new York. sweet set up but spendy. with the turn table option it totals $15,000. why don't you buy it and let me know how it works  ;D all the vids on u tube make it look like the cats meow
john

labradorguy

That's the thing ain't it? There aren't any Rockafellers selling firewood. Who can fork over 15k to give something a whirl? I'm still trying to get my hands around 10k elevators and 15k tumblers...... takes a lotta a wood to pay for that.  :o

red

Some good info here on Dino Firewood Bags
Honor the Fallen Thank the Living

Logging logginglogging

or if you want to sell wood and not turn people off that hate waste and pollution, you can sell wood like a normal person... no bags..... simply sell the wood!

blackfoot griz

I've experimented with numerous options and my favorite for my personal use is 5 ft. Welded wire fencing. I take a 1/4 inch pneumatic stapler and staple the bottom of the fencing on three sides of the pallet.  On  the 4th side (access side) I'd tie the bottom to the pallet and up the overlap with Balor twine. It allows plenty of air circulation, rodents aren't an issue and the combo is UV  and weather resistant. It works best if you split the front/access side halfway up then you can get a lot of the firewood out without having an initial avalanche of wood when cutting off the twine.  This combo is also really steady when transporting on forks. You can hit a rock, rut  or frozen cow turd and not dump the load.

John Mc

Blackfoot Griz - any pictures?
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

blackfoot griz

Unfortunately, I don't. I sold the place, my firewood processor went with the place and I am living 150 miles away. When I get back that way, I will stop in and see if I can get a few pics.