Trailer and Method for Firewood Distribution

A firewood distribution preparation method for preparing firewood for distribution to a customer location, the method comprising:

• providing a firewood trailer comprising a frame having a towing end adapted for selective coupling to a towing vehicle, wheels rotatably supported on the frame to engage ground below the frame and rollably support the frame during transport, and a storage compartment carried on the frame and dimensioned to contain a predetermined volume of stacked firewood between walls positioned apart by predetermined distances suitable to maintain a stacked configuration of the firewood once stacked within the storage compartment, the storage compartment comprising a floor extending along the frame, a front wall section projecting upward along a front end of the floor nearest the towing end of the frame, a rear wall section projecting upward along a rear end of the floor opposite the towing end of the frame, side wall sections extending between the front and rear wall sections along opposite sides of the floor, and a roof mounted over the wall sections to cover an interior space of the storage compartment over the floor between the wall sections, at least one of the wall sections comprising an access portion spanning from adjacent the floor to adjacent the roof and movable between open and closed positions to selectively open and close off access to the interior space at said at least one of the wall sections, and an array of airflow openings are provided in each wall section of at least one pair of opposing wall sections facing one another across the interior space of the storage compartment, each array of airflow openings comprising openings spaced along both a height and a length of said wall section;
• and
• loading firewood pieces into the storage compartment and stacking said firewood pieces therein to fill the storage compartment to a level at which the firewood pieces form the predetermined volume of stacked firewood substantially filling an area bound by the walls of the storage compartment.

A firewood distribution method comprising:

• providing a first trailer, which has a trailer structure comprising a frame having a towing end adapted for selective coupling to a tow vehicle, wheels rotatably supported on the frame to engage ground below the frame and rollably support the frame during transport, and a storage compartment carried on the frame and dimensioned to contain a predetermined volume of stacked firewood between walls positioned apart by predetermined distances suitable to maintain a stacked configuration of the firewood once stacked within the storage compartment, the storage compartment comprising a floor extending along the frame, a front wall section projecting upward along a front end of the floor nearest the towing end of the frame, a rear wall section projecting upward along a rear end of the floor opposite the towing end of the frame, side wall sections extending between the front and rear wall sections along opposite sides of the floor, and a roof mounted over the wall sections to cover an interior space of the storage compartment over the floor between the wall sections, at least one of the wall sections comprising an access portion spanning from adjacent the floor to adjacent the roof and movable between open and closed positions to selectively open and close off access to the interior space at said at least one of the wall sections, and an array of airflow openings are provided in each wall section of at least one pair of opposing wall sections facing one another across the interior space of the storage compartment, each array of airflow openings comprising openings spaced along both a height and a length of said wall section;
• loading firewood pieces into the storage compartment and stacking said firewood pieces therein to fill the storage compartment of the first trailer to a level at which the firewood pieces form the predetermined volume of stacked firewood substantially filling an area bound by the walls of the storage compartment;
• towing the first trailer to a location associated with a consumer;
• leaving the storage compartment of the first trailer behind at the location to allow the pieces of firewood to be removed from the storage compartment of the first trailer for consumption over time while storing remaining pieces within the storage compartment of the first trailer;
• when the storage compartment of the first trailer has been emptied of all the pieces of firewood, retrieving the storage compartment of the first trailer from the location;
• and
• reloading the storage compartment of the first trailer with a refill load of firewood for subsequent delivery of the refill load of firewood in the storage compartment of the first trailer.