arboriculturist

? Much appreciated

Thanks - So possibly it would hold 1.25m3 of cut rings if stacked neatly ?

Having looked everywhere online I cannot find the loadspace in m3 for a standard Landrover 110 pickup. I need to ascertain what average m3 of crosscut rings it will carry when stacked neatly to give a load level with the top of sides and tailgate taking into consideration the wheel arches. Thanks for any replies.

5 years use from that sheeting is a pleasant surprise. Surely with the system you have in place air drying you are approaching putting the forced drying on a back burner. Perhaps just crate them up for the final 2-3 months. What are your views on this strategy? ?

The first one we bought is on the left stack. It's 2 years old and doesn't look a day older than the newest that arrived last week. I'm expecting 5 years at least from them. " Do you mean it will take 5 years to get the MC down to your required level? Given the ongoing rise in timber prices I am looking at forward planning to try to negate this where possible and increasing our stack drying seems a way forward. We pay around £25 for IBC's delivered, so another 500 of these equates to 12.5 K. This is when stack drying starts to look more and more attractive. Thanks for all your advice, much appreciated.

I can get approx 250t on the left and 150t on the right. The right is currently chip wood for the boiler but we have got 100t+ of new storage area courtesy of the neighbour directly opposite our entrance so I'm hoping for an extra 100t of hardwood this year. That's a 25K investment although I expect once you have built up to that level of stock held it gets forgotten about providing you keep stock held at that level. Drying in this manner is certainly to be applauded and can be sustained for the long term. How long do your breathable covers last and what width do you generally buy?

Wow, that's uncanny. I would have thought my 12" gap under the stacks would be perfect. I know some do cross bearers also, then I could have 2ft gap under the stack. I could also screen out some stone so just hardcore under stacks. A bit to think about then. ?

That interesting - I use large bearers, and orientate to take account of wind direction. A good sheeting job is essential. The larger diameters will always be a challenge and 1 season will never be enough of course. Others have found more like 4 for around 350mm - 450 dependant on species. If you have the capital it's a good investment as it reduces the heavy investment on IBCs.

If you don't mind me asking how many tonnes do you buy each year ? what I can see in the photo is several hundred tonnes alone! I think I will go with your covering based on how you have found it. How many seasons could it last if we take care with it?

25 - 30% in 6 months is amazing to hear, the wind must be really blowing through the stacks to get down to that level. Is that the average MC or tested in end grain or side of roundwood?

It certainly looks like a nicer product to handle rather than plastic. What timescale do you dry for and do you know the average drop in MC over a set time?

I am not sure about the idea of letting water through, this will surely create wet spots like you get on sheeted hay bale stacks, where when you get a leak the water travels right down through the small bales creating havoc! . Conventional plastic puddles up and helps hold the sheet down on stacks.

Looks like a quality product but 5 times the price of Plastic. How many seasons do you get out of it?

Wow ! However those Welsh mountains are windy places ? I was reading some research last week, forestry based and it was found that on more sheltered sites uncovered timber lost almost zero MC - on some trial sites the timber actually gained MC which is unbelievable. Your comments have given me hope. I think I'll size grade and keep the smaller diameters in the covered stacks and process the larger diameters. I've had your Tajfun for 3 months now and not even linked it up to a tractor. We have however been building a stack of all the sub. 480mm ready to roll when the weather settles down..

Good reply thanks. Do you dot ringed up timber on top of stacks, like each side and some down the middle? So is that Softwood down to 15-20%? What about your Hardwood?

Same, we never touch anything softwood unless DF and L. IBC's are no longer lo cost delivered so also thinking through ways of reducing drying times in the cages by pre-drying in the stacks. I'm waiting for GDH to pipe up as he has lots of experience drying covered stacks. ( He's probably out there taking a beating in this hurricane,weighting down those top sheets that are blowing off).

Agreed, nearing 2 years Sycamore and Birch is degrading if NOT covered. However these species generally come in at small diameters so may well be fit by then. Up on large diameter bearers, covered, most species appear to tolerate long term storage.

That's efficient. There is a Firewood retailer who stores outside up to 4 years on some stacks given some of the diameters. Our issue is the sizes we have to take now, anything up to 450mm and it will be well over 5 years to get that spec down to circa 25%. It's a serious investment in stock also.

With the ongoing shortages of Roundwood available to buy in, we are looking to stockpile a lot more Hardwood / Softwood when available. I know a few on here do this and some cover the top of stacks with plastic sheet weighted down and others don't. GDH has done this for years now. In my experience stacked on bearers, correctly orientated on a reasonably exposed site, after 1 Year it is possible to reduce the MC down by the following: Softwood 15%, Hardwood 10%. After 2 years Softwood another 5% = 20%, Hardwood another 5% = 15%. How do these finding compare with your experience /situation ?

Michelin Agilis Alpin - Mud and snow. These made a massive difference on our vehicle. 25k out of them so far. Quality french tyre.

That's sound advice thanks - get the headtorch / phone charged up and be prepared to crawl about under anything on offer before looking at the rest of a vehicle.

Several of the 2000 - 2004 Rangers I checked out said as Advisories: Front body mounts are in poor condition Rear chassis corroded on rear fuel tank mounting bracket Underside of vehicle showing signs of corrosion Is this what is to be expected on Rangers and should these vehicles be avoided or are these issues superficial?

Totally agree - it's a soul destroying job and we tend to take turn ! That's why I suggested find someone with a rotary screening bucket - that will be difficult.

We have done a few hundred tonnes and it's harsh even on a 360. The videos online show dry soil like sand but in the real world rocks are caked in mud, and the soil/mud is generally damp. It is a violent process as the material has to be moved quickly in the bucket to agitate the mixture enough to screen out the fines. That is why they make Rotary screening buckets as they agitate very effectively by tumbling. Look online at Lloyd screening buckets, which is what I plan to buy and you will see the result. (They have now updated their videos)

Bone dry - that's hit the nail on a head. You can forget a riddle bucket of any sort on your loader - it wont work ! We have a riddle bucket we fabricated specifically. It's 2ft wide and 4ft deep with high sides and bucket teeth. The material gets moved a long way from front to back of bucket, so has effective operation. The 4"removable screen made of 25mm rebar, 2"" / 1" screens 20mm rebar. Its bombproof but its a thankless task and V. slow. 1hour to fill a 6 tonne dumper when screening 2" / 1" when dry depending on material. 4" is probably 1/2 hour. Also very noisy and does the EX. no good. Remember this is a 7.5 tonne EX with a purpose built screening bucket. Material is never bone dry of course. This is why I plan to buy the 0.3m3 rotary screening bucket. It takes 30 seconds per cycle - Little noise, no vibration, no wear on machine and very productive, also being more effective on damper material as it moves it about so much tumbling. Vibrating angle screens as mentioned can be ok - but do you want to spend time running around to source all the parts then days fabricating something. Prep the material and hire someone in with the right equipment for the day. Good luck finding that person though. ?