Foundation Correction for Mega Firewood Rack

[collinbober42]

I live in Ohio and our frontline is 36inches. I built a firewood rack last fall that is made of a combinations of 4x6s and 4x8s. It’s like 8 - 9 feet tall and like 30+ feet long (I have attached a picture of the first segment I built and the total build). The problem is the ground is pretty soggy and the rack has sunk into the mud and tippy one way due to the foundation not being done properly. This spring or summer I’m going to correct it and looking for some help and advice. How would you recommend establishing a solid foundation below each of the legs to correct the sinking and tipping?

 

[mike93lx]

Bunch of ways to do it. All the way from just placing the legs on large patio blocks, up to going all the way and dig down to 36" and install concrete piers with sono tubes.

I'd dig out the organics, refill with compact able stone and place each leg on a patio block to keep the wood off the ground.

 

[zak77]

I prefer to stack on pallets so the weight is distributed better and is less likely to sink. I also keep the height to a lil over 6' so less weight. I replace the pallets every year so i can be sure the ground underneigh is level before the next stack gets put up.

 

[P0234]

I prefer to stack on pallets so the weight is distributed better and is less likely to sink. I also keep the height to a lil over 6' so less weight. I replace the pallets every year so i can be sure the ground underneigh is level before the next stack gets put up.

I like pallets too, if you can find them at a reasonable price, the plastic ones are great. But OP's rack looks really nice, and he seems to have a lot of time and probably money in it already.

 

[wssix99]

Problem #1:

tippy one way due to the foundation not being done properly

It's tippy due to the way its designed and loaded. No matter how you do the foundation, this isn't going to change. You either need to get rid of the top rack or put in cross bracing on the back side. Your design is inventive, but different than every other firewood rack out there that you would buy commercially. If you have the full stack sitting on the bottom rack, it won't tip, but the moment you load that top shelf, the whole thing is going to rack without cross bracing. In addition to your aesthetic concerns, it's probably dangerous. Depending on how wood is taken off and removed, the whole thing could topple. (leaning or not)

You can keep some bracing at the top, but I would keep a single stack of wood top-to-bottom in the rack. Eliminate the shelf.

How would you recommend establishing a solid foundation below each of the legs to correct the sinking and tipping?

Footers are a really expensive way to go. You can have the whole thing float on the ground and heave with the seasons. (Its just firewood.) The key is spreading out the pressure. Instead of having all the weight go through 6X6 patches, put the posts on pavers or larger blocks of wood to spread out the pressure. Add a 6" bed of compacted gravel underneath that to further spread the pressure to the ground. Add some little legs in the middle of the bays to take even more pressure off.

 

[collinbober42]

Bunch of ways to do it. All the way from just placing the legs on large patio blocks, up to going all the way and dig down to 36" and install concrete piers with sono tubes.

I'd dig out the organics, refill with compact able stone and place each leg on a patio block to keep the wood off the ground.

Hey thanks for taking the time to reply. When you say clear out the organics and fill with comparable stone, do you mean clear out 36inches down past the frost then put in compactable stone?

 

[collinbober42]

I prefer to stack on pallets so the weight is distributed better and is less likely to sink. I also keep the height to a lil over 6' so less weight. I replace the pallets every year so i can be sure the ground underneigh is level before the next stack gets put

I prefer to stack on pallets so the weight is distributed better and is less likely to sink. I also keep the height to a lil over 6' so less weight. I replace the pallets every year so i can be sure the ground underneigh is level before the next stack gets put up.

Hey thanks for taking the time to reply, I like that I tied to stack the firewood between trees initially but it kept falling over so I built the rack. Does stacking the wood on the pallets between the trees prevent it from falling over, from you experience?

 

[mike93lx]

Hey thanks for taking the time to reply. When you say clear out the organics and fill with comparable stone, do you mean clear out 36inches down past the frost then put in compactable stone?

Not 36", just down to some good solid soil. There is no need for a firewood rack to be supported below the frost line

 

[collinbober42]

Not 36", just down to some good solid soil. There is no need for a firewood rack to be supported below the frost line

Ok thanks for the information this is helpful

 

[collinbober42]

Ok thanks for the information this is helpful

Ok last question the hole that you’d dig under each post (if the post are 4x6 inches and some are 4x8 inches) how big diameter hole would be needed for each, you think a 12x 12 inch diameter hole would be enough?

 

[mike93lx]

Ok last question the hole that you’d dig under each post (if the post are 4x6 inches and some are 4x8 inches) how big diameter hole would be needed for each, you think a 12x 12 inch diameter hole would be enough?

Yes and placing a 12" square block on top would spread the weight well.

 

[LopezBart]

Remember that a cord (4'x4'x8') of dryish fir is 3000 lbs; if it's oak it's 3500-4000 lbs. You need sufficient bearing on the soil to support this weight. The use of concrete pavers on gravel bed is pretty standard for this sort of thing, as others have suggested.
Figure out how much weight you have on each post. If you don't have any numbers for soil bearing in your area, 1500 lbs/sq foot is a generally conservative number.

 

[zak77]

Does stacking the wood on the pallets between the trees prevent it from falling over, from you experience?

Yes it does. Although any poorly stacked pile can come down if not done right. I understand you have a lot of time and money into this however i'd think about cutting my loses at this point and try a different approach. As other has said there is just to small of a bearing point on the ground to hold up that much weight which is why it's better to use something that'll distribute the weight across a large area. I like pallets because they're free and after 2 years, i burn the old ones and bring in new ones. When stacking firewood, the base needs to be level and keep the stack level as you go up. I'd also suggest keeping it to about 6' for stability. I have never had a stack fall over but i've had stacks fall that were put up by others so there is a knack for stacking wood.

 

[Stobal]

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Something like this would probably work. There are also a similar design that is a pounded stake with an add-on weight distribution plate for deck foundations made by Simpson I believe. Home Depot carries them but probably not in store.