Getting into RR tie manufacturing/sawing

[newdesertfox]

I recently purchased a LT40 Super to help saw lumber from deforesting a big of my property and to make lumber for building barns and such, my plan is to expand to have a kiln and a planer as well in due time but I was curious about railroad ties. How does one go about selling lumber that is turned into RR ties? I tried looking it up online but didn't find any really good answers but I've heard in this area at least its a semi profitable option. Im guessing it might be through the rail tie association but as I said I'm very new so I'd love to hear from people who know way more then I know.
Thanks

[JB Griffin]

You need find a tie buyer in your area. Look for Koppers or Gross and Jayne or Stella Jones, those are the three biggest tie buyers I'm aware of.

That being said,  sawing ties is NOT for the faint of heart. You don't set your price they set it for you and if you don't meet their specs you don't get paid or get your ties back either.

Ties are heavy around 250lbs a piece and are usually stacked 20-25 toa pack. So you need a loader capable of not only lifting but carrying 6k across the yard and setting them on the truck. Or you have to deliver to the buying yard yourself.

I ain't saying this to discourage you from tie sawing but I have done and it ain't easy. If you looking for a quick buck this ain't it.

[paul case]

sawing ties is NOT for the faint of heart.

Well said.
A real quick look at RR ties is they buy the heart. The heart is where the lowest quality wood is and they pay real good for it.
I dont want you to miss this. It takes 180 to 200 ties to make a semi load and that is how many my buyer likes to buy at a time. That is 200 logs to get to sale. On most log trucks here that is 4 loads of logs if all of them tie. It takes no less than a 12'' log to make a 7x9 and they dont like much bark. They wont take any shake, rot, or in my area anyway they must have the heart in them.

I sell some but it aint easy. I first got started selling them through a neighbor mill that sells them also. They would buy them from me for a dollar less a tie. Worked good for a while.

PC

[newdesertfox]

Interesting points, are you ever able to get more then one tie per log out or due to the pith you basically get one tie per log? I have a case 580k for moving logs/lumber so that weight range is within operational limits of it and long term I could possibly look into something with more lift cap. I had considered trying to do RR ties, hardwood flooring, and the left overs turned into livestock bedding shavings for a low waste operation. But I was more under the impression that ties were more of entry level friendly then not. A contact of someone I interacted with before I purchased the mill primarily does RR ties and he grosses around 400k a year or so he states so my thought had been the low quality core sell as ties, the stuff around it sell has finished quality hardwood flooring (purchase a planer/tong groove machine) and all the waste sell as bedding as I have a decent level of contacts in the local horse and cattle industry. That being said I'm in no way set on my ways it was just a plan I wanted to hear what others thought of before I really tried to invest in additional time and effort

[4x4American]

My tie buyer only takes a boxed heart so 1 tie per log..Round here the hardwood logs are so small anyways (pulpwood country) that I rarely ever get a log that could possibly make more than 1 tie.  It's usually more along the lines of getting a magic wand out and trying to magically get a tie out of the junk.  I haven't been cutting ties lately it's all been going to pallet cause I'm doing all I can to keep up with their demand and with the pallet I get paid each week sometimes multiple times per week.  Just the other day he sent a truck and the driver handed me a blank check, can't beat that!  With the ties it takes longer to make a load for me and my operation.  The main reason though is that the tie price has been down below pallet for awhile now so I'm not even bothering until it comes back up.  Ties are heavy.  Have yourself a good way to roll them from the mill to the stack.  Keeping in mind that you usually need to end trim both ends reasonably square.  Chainsaw works fine for that.

[drobertson]

Newdesert, you clearly have a bit of a hoe to row,  yes I said a hoe to row,,the tie market and any other market for that reason, is a tough hoe to row,, it just sounds like you need to do a few things,, prepare your wife,, (unless she has a rich uncle) for a long, long hoe to row,, it's not a newbie, entry thing, neither is sawing flooring lumber,, pallet markets? good luck with this, and poor grade logs, they don't make ties, and folks will sell culls to you for money you are not likely to return back the money,, if you pursue this type of market,, Poor logs,, not these logs, have a market for creative folks,,I just hope your wife's uncle has deep pockets,, no smiley faces going on with this post,,its a fact,, its cold work, and its hot work,,,  an Lt - 70 would have been a better choice, and only if you knew what you were doing,, I would be studying If I were in your shoes,,there are markets,, Tenn, has good timber, make it work for you,, I hope you do,,

[newdesertfox]

Wife would be too expensive I'm a solo operator lol, I acquired the mill used at 300 hours for about half its value as a back-out option. if things turn out poorly I can sell all my equipment for a decent bit more then what I paid and I already have 100 ton of lumber stacked that I deforested myself for construction purposes so its a very low risk attempt for my part

[Ljohnsaw]

and the left overs turned into livestock bedding shavings for a low waste operation.

Sounds good, but what kind of logs are you planning to make ties and flooring with?  I'm assuming oak.  Horse people don't want oak shavings.  I'd check around before assuming, assuming my assumption is correct... ;)

[newdesertfox]

Actually Oak is a decent bedding for horses but normally hard to find shavings for, but pine is what is prevalent due to its lower costs and the fact that its absolutely everywhere so its the common go to for bedding. maple,walnut, cherry and some others are super toxic to horses but not Oak. Basically lower supply and higher costs in a shavings only operation and no actual benefit over pine so its not common, but if its waste I have no loss by selling it at normal pine shavings prices. I'm good friends with the people who own/operate a larger horse operation in my area so I have that "in" there and also their own personal recommendation to all their contacts as well so shavings for waste on oak or pine is a no brainer

[Peter Drouin]

Hardwood like oak will burn the bottom of their feet after it gets wet .

[barbender]

There's a lot more that goes into making flooring than just buying a planer. I wouldn't want to discourage you in any of this, but you seem to have an overly simplistic view of what goes into making all of these products.

[red]

www.rta.org is the Railroad Tie Association there is lots of info there