couple pics... post what your currently cutting

[jwilly3879]

Barge, everyone is screaming for firewood but we are mostly cutting pine. We have been lucky , on the weekends we have worked it hasn't been to hot. TJ240 on the other hand has been working in the heat but they knock off early.

[mike_belben]

Who is calling for firewood in the middle of the summer?   I cant sell a single rick of it unless in bundles right now.

[GRANITEstateMP]

Mike,

  Most of my regular customers get their wood throughout the summer and stack and season it themselves.  I keep a call list and "remind" them how many cords they've bought in the past and that if they get it now / soon it'll be ready to burn come the dead of winter.  Works for most of my customers, some don't get it, and that's fine, I get about $100 more a cord for seasoned wood vs. green!

[mike_belben]

Nothing moves until its cold here.  The first cold snap starts it selling and a few warm days will turn it right back off for a while leading in.  but everyone who sells is covered in wood at the start of heating season so $10 is the difference between a yes and a no as the buyers shop around.   It pays to sit that period out and wait for the other supplies to dry up.  

You can sell green firewood here just as easy as seasoned and no one will complain.  Its just a matter of conditions being right for it to sell at all.  If you have seasoned stuff in stock in the depth of winter and will deliver pretty far then you can maybe turn a little profit.

It is hard to make ones self get out in the blazing sun all summer thinking of that pittance youll be sure to reap come winter.  I yell and scream but that pile just flat out refuses to split and stack itself.  

[BargeMonkey]

 I would buy 1,000 cord right now if I could find it, basically shut off any log length sales, the woods around it's just getting the time. Bringing home a couple load a week right now.


 
Just about wrapped up cutting on these jobs, everything needs to be serviced, washed and loaded.



 
I'm sure alot of you other guys are out cutting hay 🤣 trying to get the wrapped bales done early this yr.  

 


 
Its nuts right now with dirtwork, alot of clearing work, headed out to western NY next week to look at a Morbark chipper.


 

 
It's not new or pretty but it's a start. 

[mike_belben]

A start?  Eric i reckon you are miles past the finish line for a lot of us.

Youre an ambitious son of a gun.  I get tired just lookin at your job sites. 

[BargeMonkey]

A start?  Eric i reckon you are miles past the finish line for a lot of us.

Youre an ambitious son of a gun.  I get tired just lookin at your job sites.

It's all about the hustle 🤣 I miss the boats but I enjoy working for myself, its slowly getting there, need more time and bags of money. 


 
We broke down about bought a "storage yard" down the road for stumps and topsoil, in NY now you need a permit, it's always something. I've got a big horizontal grinder coming in this summer to grind and do the sawmill yard. 


 

[coxy]

hey barge its the same here with wood no one has any the old guy that trucks my ash is giving me 500 a load for wood on the landing my neighbor is mad at me because I use to sell him 15 load a year and give him a few for cutting my wood but this year im making more selling it on the landing so ill have to cut and split my own this year  :'( :'( :'( :'(

[mike_belben]

Ive been cutting firewood and dirt.  A fury of fill came in this week, i think total is in excess of 100 loads, ive lost track.  Id be hammering the bobcat to keep an alley open and theyd dump another pile every time i finished one.  


Filling in my leaky pond with chips, driveway is to the right and level with the roof now.




This truck is ontop of 5 feet of new fill.  That brush was over my head just a few months ago and now im looking down on it.






Splitter got blocked in pretty good

[Matt601]

 

That's right Barge!!!! I had planned to get off the water in a few years well I just got Hired on with Exxon. I cant turn it down the retirement is out this world. 38 days in Dubui fly home have 4 days off fly out to Houston for a 5 day school. Then off to Africa for 28 days. I got 10 acres of chip and saw Pine to cut, 10 acres of mix hardwood pulpwood to cut. 15 acres 2ed thinning 20 year old pines to cut. when I get home. I told my wife I would like to go fishing one day this year!    

[teakwood]

just 4 days off from the 38? that's bad! or do you have a day off at work too?

[Matt601]

Nope offshore it's 24/7 for a OIM. It's because I'm changing companies I'm working for. I only get4 days off. But I get 2 checks end of July 🙃

[BargeMonkey]

 Coxy- I will sell it to them for 499.99 and throw you 50 bucks a load commission. The wood isnt around this yr. 

 Make the boat money while you can, I still have the itch to pack a bag. 🤣 I should really go sit for my 2nds ticket while my times still fresh, I will renew but doubt I ever use it. Actually making the decision to walk away is the rough one, took me a yr AFTER I had made my mind up. 
 I know it may sound petty but I've got a pretty loud mouthed hater just down the road from me who is slowly realizing I'm going to pull the rug out one day, I've heard for yrs how I couldn't compete, my "junk" iron, hes sees it coming and it too late 🤣 
 Got out of the delimber at 930 tonight, maybe 6 drags left and this is all done, got a spot to dump the brush, grade and load. 


  


 


 
 We have an in house mechanic and do 99% of our own work, got to love the newer deere stuff, this 644K isnt 1/2 the loader our 644H is. Swinging a head this morning.


 

 The paperwork will be here this week but it looks like I'm going to be an OREGON dealer, it's all about the hustle. 

[jwilly3879]

Several years ago at my wife's store we quit selling premium gas and put in diesel along with a small stock of chainsaw stuff and it was a great idea.

Now we sell a lot of diesel, bars and chains, files, bar and chain oil, hydraulic oil, winch cables and many other small logging items.

We did it to cater to the local loggers and excavating contractors and were rewarded with a group of very loyal customers. They are what keeps a small business in business when there are no tourists around.

So good luck with your store Barge.

[mike_belben]

cash mill checks for the ones who buy fuel from you and youll get that much more business.  There is a mill by me thats pretty far from a bank and guess what.. Im happy to pay a little diesel premium to get the check cashed right up the street rather than wait 4 days.  Its all going in the dang tank anyway!

[Skeans1]

 

 

 Last fir off the small clear cut

[mike_belben]

Is that a swingboom dozer or a shovel behind it?

[Skeans1]

A fixed grapple track skidder and a shovel, track skidders like that one really don't push or move dirt very well with the center line of the sprocket being pushed ahead to the center of the machine for yarding balance.

[BargeMonkey]

This job just wont end. Popped a hose with the last 20 sticks to go. Raining like an BUGGER 🤣 I've got it figured out in less than 10mins the cab is jacked. I see a skidder payment in the near future.  

 


  
I got about 10 cedar logs off these 3 jobs, beautiful cedar is rare here.


 
Did another bridge yesterday, #6 I've done so far. Cut the gear off a flat deck trailer and set it, actually works out good.


 


 
My OREGON books showed up today, been going stupid hours and not sleeping but I'm actually going to see daylight on this one 🤣



 


 
The guy down the road from me has had a monopoly for 20yrs, owns 8+ stores and starting to get the message I'm out for blood. 🤣 Saturday is our grand opening if anyones out this way.

[Skeans1]

A skidder payment or a forwarder with a clam bunk?

[mike_belben]

Slick bridge.  

Whats wrong with your skidder cab eric?

[olcowhand]

DanG, Barge. If I wasn't already booked in the UP (my 8- year old daughter and I go Musky hunting every week of the fourth) next week, I'd be hittin' the road to your Grand Opening. I definitely prefer to do business with folks who show some hustle. Congrats on your launch!
Get your website up and running and I'll buy something from there......

[BargeMonkey]

Not anything major wrong, just little issues which are constant, she has 15K + hrs so it's to be expected. I'm looking 648-748G3/H. I'm constantly joking I'm the wrong ethnicity to own a gas station, wanted close at 7 and was there till 930pm, it was a zoo all day today, tomorrow will be the real story teller, but if someone is down this way please stop in and I would love to meet more people off the FF. 👍 

[Maine372]

Not anything major wrong, just little issues which are constant, she has 15K + hrs so it's to be expected. I'm looking 648-748G3/H. I'm constantly joking I'm the wrong ethnicity to own a gas station, wanted close at 7 and was there till 930pm, it was a zoo all day today, tomorrow will be the real story teller, but if someone is down this way please stop in and I would love to meet more people off the FF. 👍

admittedly a 748h has been my only grapple skidder experience but it is an impressive machine. after pulling wood with older cable skidders and farm tractors, it took about a day in the seat to get up to speed and comfortable with it. crane man was starting to get worried I would get ahead of him.

[BargeMonkey]

 Shuffling iron between jobs, havent killed a tree in anger in about a week, it's getting rough 🤣 

 


  
 I lack about 3 days on this miserable job and then throwing every machine I've got at the Altamont job, firewood prices are going to be nuts this yr. 


 
 It wasnt to hot in the shade today 🤣 
We survived Saturday, 1 full week open and every day it's getting a little better, I'm honestly blessed to have some of the best employees money can buy, I poached the best help from everyone else locally so I'm not to popular right now. 🤣  My 2 managers are so on the ball that we aren't baby sitting all the time, be able to finally get back to the woods this week.