A truck and trailer thread.

[McMXi]

McMXi,

Assuming your second load of firewood is equal weight to the first, that's about $1226 for annual heat.
Here at my place we burn pellets, as it's considerably less labor/effort for us vs cut/split/stacked firewood.

Last season we burned premium Canadian 100% hardwood pellets, using just over five tons.
Last heating season, those imported Canadian hardwood pellets were ~ $400 per ton.
Last year, $2000 plus the extra individual ~ 20 bags needed to finish out the heating season.
40 pound bags, 50 bags on a shrink wrapped pallet.
I didn't even bother pricing the Canadian pellets this year, I was certain the price had not dropped.

We finished out the heating season with about 20 bags procured from our local Tractor Supply store.
I don't like to store a quantity of leftover pellets during the off season and don't like more than five bags sitting around for the summer.
Space limitations and pellet deterioration, crumbling/dusty.

Those Tractor Supply heating pellets are USA manufactured, North Eastern USA trees, and have a unspecified amount of softwood. When the pellet stove comes up to operating temperature, the softwood (some type of pine due to the gentle fragrance given off by the slightly heated pellets in the stove storage hopper) and it is like being in the Adirondack Mountains on a camping/hunting trip.

Our pellet stove is a Lopi AGP. The AGP is for All Grades of Pellets.
I was initially concerned about the softwood/pine content, but when I did my annual pre heating season maintenance on the stove, there was no visible difference in the stove (deep cleaning of the stove interior guts) or the exhaust stack.

So this year, we will be using the Tractor Supply pellets at $320 per ton.
They are rated at 8400 BTU/per bag.
Five tons is $1600 plus the individual bags needed for finishing the heating season.
Assuming the quantity used per heating season is similar to prior years, but is an unknown now due to
what type of winter is coming. By late April 2026, I will know for sure if the expected cost savings for the Tractor Supply brand pellets was actually a cost savings, or not.

I use my 7000 pound rated double axle landscape trailer for hauling pallets of pellets home.
It's the trailer used for hauling the BX 25 up and back to my recreational property.
In the past, I have dragged two tons of pellets home on that trailer in one trip with my Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, but this year we used my G/F's Toyota Tacoma. It's almost zero elevation change from the pellets stores going to the house, and the trailer has four wheel brakes.

That sure is a beautiful F 450 and I am glad that you like it!
My friend and neighbor runs a pair of F 450's for hauling his well/septic business equipment.

IMG_20190711_200322180 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

Thanks for the breakdown on the cost of burning pellets. I've never looked into a pellet stove but people who have them seem to like them. That's a nice Jeep, trailer and tractor combination.

 

[McMXi]

Here's an action shot from this morning. Two older guys in front of me were filling up the bed of the truck, and a utility trailer with home made side panels.

I'm not being judgemental, but some of the trucks and trailers I saw this morning were sketchy to say the least, and many appeared to be overloaded. Welcome to Montana!

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

Here's an action shot from this morning. Two older guys in front of me were filling up the bed of the truck, and a utility trailer with home made side panels.

I'm not being judgemental, but some of the trucks and trailers I saw this morning were sketchy to say the least, and many appeared to be overloaded. Welcome to Montana!

View attachment 164512

Sure looks like the guy with driving cap on is right under the delivery conveyor?

If folks overload their trailer it could be problematic for sure…I hope they understand weakest link and SWLL.

Personally I see more really bad balance of loads and improper tongue weight and see folks shaking their tail feathers on the interstate…maybe they don’t know another way.

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

Speaking of the F-450, I've had it for a little over 7 months and around 5,000 miles and I'm completely smitten with it. It is a phenomenal truck in every way. So far there's only one small annoyance and that's the DEF warning system. The truck thinks it's DEFCON 2 when the DEF is at 50% and it'll continue to hassle me with constant warnings telling me that all hell is just around the corner and I'm a really bad person if I let the tank volume drop to 30%.

I haven't figured out if I can change the DEF level warning settings but I sure would like to. The only other small thing is that despite providing a boost gauge in the display, as well as an exhaust brake gauge, DPF gauge, DEF gauge, transmission temp gauge, oil temp gauge, oil pressure gauge, water temp gauge etc., there's no EGT gauge and I wish there were. EGTs are handled seamlessly but I'd like to see what's going on.

I have no intentions of trying to get more power out of this truck since it is nothing short of amazing as it is, but I would like to be able to monitor EGTs. There are lots of EGT sensors on the truck from the factory so I'm loathe to drill a hole and add a thermocouple with a gauge. I've done this on two other trucks, but I'm hoping that I can find some electronic device that plugs into the OBD II port and can access this information and display it.

My good friend up here just pulled a trailer back from Texas for his brother. He has a '23 Chevy with the Duramax and Allison combination and was lamenting that not only does he not have an EGT gauge, he has no boost gauge either. He's a pilot, and manifold vacuum and EGTs are critical parameters in his world.

All in all though I absolutely love this F-450 and it's the best vehicle I've ever owned with second place going to a couple of Audi Allroad 2.7L with twin turbos that I had. Those were by far the best cars I ever owned.

Couple questions for you regarding your set up:

1. I dont remember your trim level on the truck (lariat or higher?)…but I wonder do you have to have a subscriptions for some of the services? (I am not a fan of that, but industry going that way…I think at least one manufacturer has that for the heated seats…honestly I don’t have a a helpful comment about that). Anyway I wondered how does the Navi work and same for your radio? Is there subscription or you can do what you want thru your phone?

2. On the trailer side, any reason not using gooseneck? (I thought your previous green machine had a cap, so I can do the math there…how about the 450? Any thoughts one way or other on a gooseneck? Or using bumper pulls you had or maybe going to add a cap at some point? Just curious.

3. Do you have a power tailgate? If so any concerns or troubles with it or including cold weather / freezing up?

Thanks in advance.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Hey @McMXi can I borrow your trailer I have some boulders to move.

Got to love when someone borrows something and tears the heck out of it!

 

[McMXi]

Couple questions for you regarding your set up:

1. I dont remember your trim level on the truck (lariat or higher?)…but I wonder do you have to have a subscriptions for some of the services? (I am not a fan of that, but industry going that way…I think at least one manufacturer has that for the heated seats…honestly I don’t have a a helpful comment about that). Anyway I wondered how does the Navi work and same for your radio? Is there subscription or you can do what you want thru your phone?

2. On the trailer side, any reason not using gooseneck? (I thought your previous green machine had a cap, so I can do the math there…how about the 450? Any thoughts one way or other on a gooseneck? Or using bumper pulls you had or maybe going to add a cap at some point? Just curious.

3. Do you have a power tailgate? If so any concerns or troubles with it or including cold weather / freezing up?

Thanks in advance.

It's a Lariat but it came with the "Ultimate" package which adds a bunch of other stuff as well. It has built in GPS with software but I run Android Auto on my phone and use the navigation that comes with the phone.

I bought most of my trailers to work with the F-250 which used to have a SnugTop but still has a DECKED drawer system so gooseneck isn't an option with that truck. I bought the 30 ft gooseneck after I bought the F-450, and if I were ever to buy another trailer such as another dump trailer, which would be useful to store firewood over the winter, I'd 100% go with a gooseneck. Last winter I left the firewood in the trailer and parked it near the house under a tarp. There's much less handling that way. If I had two dump trailers I could store a lot more wood that way. Kaufman really does offer the best value for money, or at least the best that I've seen, so a Kaufman 25k gooseneck dump trailer would be the ticket.

Yep, power tailgate but power down only. Power up is an option as well but this truck didn't come with that feature. No problems with the tailgate so far, or the power running boards.

 

[McMXi]

Hey @McMXi can I borrow your trailer I have some boulders to move.

Got to love when someone borrows something and tears the heck out of it!

Well, since the floor is messed up you can borrow it any time. I'll get around to fixing it at some point though. One of the things I hadn't thought about is that the dents in the floor cause a big problem when you're trying to dump a bunch of dirt out the back. Not an issue with gravel, but those depressions act to lock the dirt in the bed, particularly if the dirt is on the wetter side. Very annoying!

 

[D2Cat]

You guys put a lot of effort into staying warm in the winter. I use to cut wood just cleaning up around the farm, but gave it up.

This winter bought 650 gallons of propane at $1.70, and got a summer fill for $1.39. Gets us through the winter with some left over, and that has an allotment for the 20K generator. Last year propane was $1.75. It'll spoil you and no trailer required.

 

[Old Machinist]

You guys can have all that wood burning and gas too. I went all electric back in 93 and never looked back. My TOTAL electricity cost was just a little over a $1000 last winter but I do live in N. FL.

I just use heat strips for heating. My heat pump reverser valve started leaking refrigerant a few years back so I never use the heat pump. Just 10KW heat strips. I discovered they heat the house faster and the system cycles less than it ever did with the heat pump.

GIMME A SWICH ON THE WALL! LOL! No nothing to clean other than the inside filter and only one bill a month.

If the power goes out it is usually only a few hours unless it's from a Hurricane then it can be for a week or two. For that I have a 10 KW Military surplus diesel generator that will run everything I need.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

You guys can have all that wood burning and gas too. I went all electric back in 93 and never looked back. My TOTAL electricity cost was just a little over a $1000 last winter but I do live in N. FL.

I just use heat strips for heating. My heat pump reverser valve started leaking refrigerant a few years back so I never use the heat pump. Just 10KW heat strips. I discovered they heat the house faster and the system cycles less than it ever did with the heat pump.

GIMME A SWICH ON THE WALL! LOL! No nothing to clean other than the inside filter and only one bill a month.

If the power goes out it is usually only a few hours unless it's from a Hurricane then it can be for a week or two. For that I have a 10 KW Military surplus diesel generator that will run everything I need.

What is your electric bill to cool it in the summer?

I switched from wood stove to pellet stove in the old house, then to propane with hydronic heat in the new house and garage.
I can heat a 2800sf house and the 1050 sf garage for $1200.
But the real claim to fame is no AC required and the warmest the house has been is 73f one day last year.

 

[Old Machinist]

What is your electric bill to cool it in the summer?

I switched from wood stove to pellet stove in the old house, then to propane with hydronic heat in the new house and garage.
I can heat a 2800sf house and the 1050 sf garage for $1200.
But the real claim to fame is no AC required and the warmest the house has been is 73f one day last year.

My average bill is around $250 a month. Average consumption is 1450 kwh. It's lower most months and goes up to a high of $400 in January or February depending on which is the coldest. My house is small at 1200 sq ft but I sometimes heat and cool my 440 sq ft garage. Some of my heat and AC leaks into the garage no matter what because it is ducted through the house ducts.

 

[Kennyd4110]

My recent haul, selling the tractor, attachments, and many tools for an elderly family friend.

Hauling my NTM forklift:

Son's 2012 RAM:

My tractor:

 

[McMXi]

You guys put a lot of effort into staying warm in the winter. I use to cut wood just cleaning up around the farm, but gave it up.

This winter bought 650 gallons of propane at $1.70, and got a summer fill for $1.39. Gets us through the winter with some left over, and that has an allotment for the 20K generator. Last year propane was $1.75. It'll spoil you and no trailer required.

I like having a wood burning stove, not only for the heat, but also for the ambience. I grew up with open fireplaces and lots of firewood so it's in my DNA.

The wood processing place is 20 minutes from my house, and having spent many a year putting a lot of effort into cutting and processing firewood, pulling a trailer out and back is as easy as it gets for me.

As I mentioned above, if I had a second dump trailer I wouldn't need to handle the wood at all. This has me thinking that I might head in that direction next year. Once I get the barns/sheds built I could park the trailers out of the weather and grab wood as I need it. This worked well last year.

 

[McMXi]

My recent haul, selling the tractor, attachments, and many tools for an elderly family friend.

View attachment 164537

View attachment 164538


Hauling my NTM forklift:

View attachment 164539

Son's 2012 RAM:

View attachment 164540


My tractor:

View attachment 164541

That's a really nice trailer, not to mention all of the interesting stuff you show on it.

 

[Blue2Orange]

Nice trailer.

A couple years ago. Had a local logger who now specializes in wood lot management and firewood sales thin out and remove some potentially dangerous to the house trees. Worked out a trade with him. Net zero cost for me plus a few cords when I need them. Which will probably be never at the rate I salvage trees from the property. Arborist fee would have been breaking the $10,000 mark for the dangerous trees to be removed. So both of use were happy. The trees around the house were sold as pilings. The smaller ones to company that makes "mats". I know the mat company was paying $50/cord a decade ago.

When talking I asked what he thought the going price for firewood (red oak and maple) would be the coming Autumn. IIRC, seasoned and split dumped at your home was 75-$100 if only needing one face cord. Cost drops significantly for logger chord and up. Locally within 6 miles from my house are two sellers. Commercial logging seems to be on the down. You need mills to purchase the wood. Firewood seems to be a more profitable option.

Noticed tourist were paying $5-10 a bundle (think armful) of mixed wood at the local stores for their needs. I guess they are on vacation and don't consider the cost.

 

[Blue2Orange]

Regarding an endless supply of firewood on the property. We had our first infestation of Spongy Caterpillars a couple years ago. Good thing the parasite fungus that kills the invaders seems to have established itself preventing any new outbreaks. Real cool how the fungus kills the cats. Cornell University has a time elapse video showing what happens. This past summer just NE of the house adjacent a trail a stand of Red Oaks did not survive the stress of the cats and couple years of near or drought conditions. Thought their were only a dozen or so. A few days ago I took some paint to mark them. Ideally you don't want to cut Red Oak until leaf drop to reduce the spread of oak wilt. Which is problem S of here by an hours drive. Ended up marking 30 trees. 6 - 20 inch diameter at 5ft. Guessing a few cords. More "work".

 

[Botamon]

This winter bought 650 gallons of propane at $1.70, and got a summer fill for $1.39. Gets us through the winter with some left over, and that has an allotment for the 20K generator. Last year propane was $1.75. It'll spoil you and no trailer required.

It'd spoil you on propane if you had to buy it at the prices around here. For years now the price of propane has mirrored the price of regular gas. This fall a gallon of propane will set you back about $3.40.

 

[L35]

Couple questions for you regarding your set up:

1. I dont remember your trim level on the truck (lariat or higher?)…but I wonder do you have to have a subscriptions for some of the services? (I am not a fan of that, but industry going that way…I think at least one manufacturer has that for the heated seats…honestly I don’t have a a helpful comment about that). Anyway I wondered how does the Navi work and same for your radio? Is there subscription or you can do what you want thru your phone?

2. On the trailer side, any reason not using gooseneck? (I thought your previous green machine had a cap, so I can do the math there…how about the 450? Any thoughts one way or other on a gooseneck? Or using bumper pulls you had or maybe going to add a cap at some point? Just curious.

3. Do you have a power tailgate? If so any concerns or troubles with it or including cold weather / freezing up?

Thanks in advance.

Fordpass app is free and you can remote start your truck, track maintenance and location, lock/unlock at no additional charge or subscription. It’s even available all the way down to the XL bare bones trim level.

 

[Tughill Tom]

Sure looks like the guy with driving cap on is right under the delivery conveyor?

If folks overload their trailer it could be problematic for sure…I hope they understand weakest link and SWLL.

Personally I see more really bad balance of loads and improper tongue weight and see folks shaking their tail feathers on the interstate…maybe they don’t know another way.

Hell, I hope they have their Chains Crossed................

 

[McMXi]

Hell, I hope they have their Chains Crossed................

More like they had their wires crossed!

It should come as no surprise that I didn't have the chains crossed yesterday, and won't tomorrow when I go back for a second load.