Will A Cord Of Wood Fit In A Pickup Truck?

Knowing the amount of wood that will fit in a pickup truck will help you manage your wood supplies. Will a cord of wood fit in a pickup truck?

If you use firewood quite often, you need an adequate supply of firewood, especially during the winter season when the nights are extremely cold. Buying wood in large quantities is advantageous since it enables you to save money and time. 

Will a cord of wood fit in a pickup truck? We’ll help you delve deeper into answering this question.

How Much Weight Does a Cord of Wood Have?

The average weight of a cord of wood is around 2000-3000 pounds. It’s important to note that there are factors that determine the weight of a cord of wood. 

These factors include: the level of moisture in wood, the density of wood, the type of wood, and the degree of the wood’s dryness. 

The above-mentioned factors can either increase or reduce the weight wood. This can have a great difference when determining the amount of wood you should carry in your truck.

Based on this, it’s important to always put into consideration the weight of wood and the factors that affect weight so that you don’t carry more than you should. 

Carrying more than the recommended weight can cause damage to your truck.

The Amount of Weight that a Truck Can Carry

There’s a designated limit of weight that a truck should carry. If a truck carrying a load that’s beyond its capacity to handle, the risk of danger increases. For example, in case the excess load falls out, this poses a huge risk to other drivers. 

For this reason, it’s imperative to be sure of the amount of weight your truck can carry before loading. It’s your responsibility to maintain high standards of safety while on transit.

The average weight that a truck can carry safely is between 2000-4000 pounds. However, this is likely to vary depending on the particular truck you’re using. 

Generally, a truck will have a recommended weight capacity that you should not go beyond when transporting wood. Whether it’s a short or long distance transportation, always make sure that you don’t carry more than the capacity of your truck. 

Will a Cord of Wood Fit in a Pickup Truck?

The ability of a pickup truck to have a cord of wood fit in it depends on its size and hauling capacity. 

When you’re thinking of carrying wood, put in mind the truck sizes below and their capacity to haul large loads of wood. The first truck size to consider is the small pickup truck (1/4 ton). 

The small pickup truck is able to carry a ½ cord of wood comfortably. The short bed pickup truck (1/2 ton) is able to carry a ½ cord of wood.

The long bed pickup truck (1/2 and ¾ ton) is able to haul a ½ a cord of wood without racks and 1 full cord of wood with racks. Lastly, a standard 1 ton truck containing high racks is able to hold about 1.5 cords of wood.

From the above, it’s evident that a cord of wood cannot be carried by any pickup truck. 

Since a cord of wood weighs between 2000-3000 pounds, the right truck for transportation should be in a position to carry the weight without exceeding its weight limit. Therefore, a standard 1 ton truck and the long bed pickup truck (1/2 and ¾ ton) with racks are the most ideal pickup trucks for carrying a cord of wood.                    

How to Carry a Cord of Wood Safely in a Pickup Truck

For you to fit a cord of wood well and safely in a pickup truck, there are particular things you should do.

One of the significant things you should do is to stack the wood correctly. 

It’s possible to stack wood in a way that won’t fit well in a pickup truck. So, make sure you take time to stack properly to utilize the available space well. 

The best way to go about this is to stack in alternating positions. Ensure that every piece of wood is placed securely and doesn’t move during transit. 

This will enable you to fit more wood compared to stacking in a single direction or throwing the wood inside your pickup truck without any proper arrangement. For safety and efficient space utilization, make sure you stack wood in a truck correctly.  

Splitting the wood will also make it easier for you to fit a cord of wood in a truck. Stacking huge logs in a pickup truck isn’t a good idea. You won’t be able to stack them securely and firmly. 

Therefore, make sure you split large logs into smaller pieces to make proper stacking possible. Use a sharp splitting maul for this exercise. 

As long as you split the logs first, you’ll be in a better position to stack them securely and tightly.

Another important thing you should do to secure your cord of wood is strapping it.

If you’re stacking the wood higher, it’s imperative to use straps to ensure that they are secure as you transport them. Failure to strap the cord of wood increases the risk of falling off and causing damage or an accident. 

If you’re not sure where to buy straps for your wood, you can get them from either home improvement shops or order online.

Lastly, ensure the wood is tightly packed. This ensures that there are no spaces between pieces of wood in the cord.

If the wood isn’t tightly packed, there will be movements when on transit and this can be dangerous. If the pieces of wood fall out, they may jeopardize the safety of other road users.                                                                                   

The Effects of Exceeding the Weight Limit of your Pickup Truck

The important thing when transporting wood is to ensure you don’t exceed the weight limit of your pickup truck. 

There are consequences of exceeding the weight limit of your truck. 

The obvious consequence is that the wood in the truck may fall out while on transit. This is not only dangerous for you, but also for other road users.

If pieces of wood fall out on the road, they many hit other vehicles and cause an accident.

Damage to your pickup truck is another effect of exceeding the recommended weight limit. Stacking excess wood may damage the frame of your truck, which is an expensive affair when it comes to repairs.

The performance of your pickup truck is likely to decrease as a result of overloading. Carrying more wood than you should limits the ability of a pickup truck to operate optimally, thus causing inconveniences especially if you’re doing long trips.

For example, if you’re going on a long trip using an overloaded truck in an area with less gas stations, you’re likely to experience problems on the way.

Additionally, it’s difficult to brake when you’re carrying weight that’s past the recommended limit for your pickup truck. 

Since the weight is too much, it becomes hard for the braking system to work effectively. Also, your truck may not work at all because of overloading.

As a result, you may have to reduce the weight on your truck to the point where it can move with ease. 

Key Takeaways

• A cord of wood will fit in a pickup truck with the right size and carrying capacity.
• A standard 1 ton truck and a long bed pickup truck (1/2 and ¾) with racks are ideal.
• As you fit a cord of wood in a pickup truck, make sure you do it correctly for safety.
• Ensure that you stack and strap the wood properly, pack tightly, and split the wood.
• Make sure you don’t exceed the weight limit of your pickup truck.