Firewood Cages Reduce Wood Handling

Firewood Cages Reduce Wood Handling WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 32-1-10 Thanks to his firewood cages, Ken Islo only handles his wood twice ù stacking it in the cage, then throwing it in the woodstove. Owning a skidloader and having a drive-in basement help make his system work. Whenever the Tomahawk, Wis., man cuts firewood, he slips a 5 by 6 by 2 1/2-ft. cage onto his skid loader's forks. He cuts wood and loads it directly into the cage, which holds about 92 cu. ft. or 3/4's of a cord of wood. He drops off the cage near his home to dry, and when he needs wood in the house to burn, he picks up the cage with his skid loader, drives it into his roomy basement and slides off the cage. His 13 cages are made of 2-in. tubing and 1/8-in. reinforcing mesh welded on the sides and back. Two steel receivers at the bottom slip onto the skid loader's forks. To protect them from the weather, Islo had his cages professionally powder coated. After 10 years of use, the paint is still in excellent condition. Each cage cost $350 for materials and powder coating. Islo intends to switch to an outdoor stove and will store the cages under a roof. "It just makes it so easy to handle the wood. It's a real time and back saver," Islo says. Islo notes that anyone making cages should consider how much weight their equipment can handle and size the cages accordingly. Even if they can't drive in the basement with the wood, the cages still save a step, he notes. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ken Islo, N11122 Tannery Rd., Tomahawk, Wis. (ph 715 453-0710).

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