"Measured" Firewood Trailer

"Measured" Firewood Trailer WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 34-5-34 Bill Kelsey, Sharon, Conn., wanted an accurate way to measure how much wood he burns in his wood stove each day. So he built wood hauling trailers divided into four 4-ft. sq. sections. "One section equals a half cord of firewood, so each trailer holds 2 cords of wood. By knowing exactly how much wood is on the wagon, it's easy to tell how much I'm burning in my house and how fast I'm burning it," says Kelsey. "During the winter I leave the loaded wood on the trailer, so it's up high and dry. I often leave wood on the trailers for a full year before I burn it, so the wood gets really dry. I've found that it takes an average of 6 cords of wood to heat the house for the winter." Each trailer is 16 ft. long and mounted on a 5-ton wagon running gear. A sheet metal roof keeps the wood dry. He used 4-in. channel iron and 2-in. dia. pipe uprights to build a frame for each section and 1 by 8 oak boards to form the sides. He also used 1 1/2-in. angle iron to build trusses for the trailer's aluminum roof. Kelsey also made a 2-wheeled cart he uses to move wood from the trailer to the house. "I fill it with wood once a day, which is enough for a day's supply," says Kelsey. "I used 1-in. sq. tubing for the frame and 1/2-in. pipe for the handles, and added 20-in. tires. I copied the design out of a gardening magazine but reinforced the corners to make it sturdier. It works great and is balanced perfectly when loaded so it's easy to push." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Bill Kelsey, 5 Weber Rd., Sharon, Conn. 06069 (ph 860 364-0288).

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