You have it right both ways Joe! There is leftover wood in the little barn. Prior method of getting it to the enclosed porch and in the racks involved the GT and dump trailer several times a winter. Load the cart in the little barn, unload and carry it up the stairs and put in the racks. I need to move it onto the porch so it is accessible this winter since I have room on the porch racks. If I didn't have the tractor and my rack plan, that is what would have been done yesterday.
Figured it would be good stuff to test the drying/storage racks I'm attempting to build so first I moved the empty rack to the landing. Then made EC 1 & 2. Then loaded up some wood and placed the rack on the porch. That is where it would sit in the future for accessing as needed. Didn't want to load it up for drying/storage without first testing and modifying until moving it to the landing full works OK. I have a pile of wood that needs to be split that will go directly into a finished rack once I'm satisfied with the design. I'll need at least 2 for this winter since the one with the "hasn't had any time to dry yet" rack won't be available. Trying to plan my time to cut more wood, build more racks, do all the other stuff that needs to be done.
I'm going to modify the existing one to be 40" wide tomorrow and test with more wood. I think for the actual winter movement, I really need to have some fixed chocks in front of the stairs to stop the front tires at the proper location rather than needing to have an assistant standing on the porch playing "ground controller" and inching, inching, inching "TOO CLOSE!". I'm thinking this is a procedure that would substantially benefit from depth perception. Sadly that is an EC I can not make. I'm also thinking if I attach a string with a weight, like a big washer, on the back side I can get an idea if the load is level (sorta) or not since raising the loader arms tilts the forks and they have to be counter rotated to stay flat. Practice, practice, practice.
And yes, there are 2 doors onto the porch. 99% of the time that door is used, it is to move cord wood from outside to inside. The other door is close to the main entrance to the house and is closer to the parking area. It is just out of sight on the right in the 3rd picture previously posted.
Driving to MA and back yields a lot of "thought time" so I thought about the suggestions to brace the rack. I don't want a permanent solid back or front, even partial, during the drying time since that would keep air from blowing through and drying the wood. But I could make "transport bracing" that would be put on only to move the wood. One thought that would be easy would be to use 2 ratchet straps to crank the piles tight to the platform. I have lots of those. Though a solid back could be useful as it would keep snow from blowing in.
DW and DD1 said the turtle moved to the upper water area today.