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Real small firewood business

Started by jimnhrn, March 13, 2014, 07:29:39 PM

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jimnhrn

Over the next couple of years I want to start about a 20 cord/year firewood business. I have the woodlot, 2 chainsaws, the tractor and a 1981 cj7 I want to use to tow a small dump trailer within a 10 mile radius of my home. The approach would be to ell only 1 year plus seasoned wood at a premium price. I am located just outside Manchester NH.

What are your thoughts?

NS logging

firewood market certainly is hot right now.  cold winter this season, oil prices up, and hardwood pulp price up slightly...market conditions are perfect

Corley5

Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

JDeere

Given that you have everything you need to get started and don't have to take any financial risks, I don't see that you have anything to lose. Selling 20 cords of seasoned wood in that area should be simple. Your biggest problem with only 20 cords is that you will probably run out of wood by October.
2013 Western Star, 2012 Pelletier trailer, Serco 7500 crane, 2007 Volvo EC 140, 2009 John Deere 6115D, 2002 Cat 938G, 1997 John Deere 540G, 1996 Cat D-3C, 1995 Cat 416B, 2013 Cat 305.5E

red

The best way to start a small business . . Buy a big business
Honor the Fallen Thank the Living

cutterboy

jimnhrn, to sell 20 cord you don't have to deliver. Sell it from your house, have people come and pick it up. I sell 12-15 cord a year. I built two boxes that hold 1/4 cord each and put them out by the road. I charge $45 a box and people have to come and get the wood. If I'm not home there is a milk box by the side door where they can leave the money. I live in a rural area and easily sell out every year. This year I sold out the first week in December.
The time you save by not delivering you could use to cut more wood.   Just a thought.....Cutter
To underestimate old men and old machines is the folly of youth. Frank C.

thecfarm

jimnhrn,welcome to the forum.
I sell about 6 cords to a guy from work. I limb it out and cut it down to about 4 inches and push it up into a pile. He splits and saws it all here. He does not like small wood. He tells me what a cord is.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Firewood dealer


morgoon

Just wondering if you mean a single row face cord ie 20 face cord per year, or the 3 face cord 4x8 "bush cord" as we call it up hear.

I am a huge jeep fan (51 M38 btw) but wouldn't it be alot to ask a CJ to pull a bush cord regularly.


Homemade bandsaw, made by my mentor and dear friend Unto...who turned 85 this year

And I just made my first longbow...awesome

jimnhrn

It would be a full cord 128 cu ft. The reason for the seasoned wood is a premium price and it would be less weight for the jeep.

PAFaller

Ya a full cord behind a jeep may be a bit rough. Oak and hickory are probably the heaviest and I would venture to guess a cord of that even dry would be pushing 5000lbs plus, maybe closer to 6000. You need a decent sized trailer to hold that kind of weight and it would be a lot to ask of a jeep to stop that much.
It ain't easy...

Woodboogah

Welcome to the forum!  I am in the same neck of the woods as you and we sell pine roadside to the campers (I assume that's who buys it) it is done on the honor system and surprisingly everyone pays.  It's cull wood that we dont burn and doing it this way brings better money then pulp.  I would be reluctant to put any amount of hardwood out with the recent thefts.  You should have no problem getting rid of 20 cord.
Keenan Logging & Tree Care, LLC

36 coupe

Quote from: jimnhrn on March 13, 2014, 07:29:39 PM
Over the next couple of years I want to start about a 20 cord/year firewood business. I have the woodlot, 2 chainsaws, the tractor and a 1981 cj7 I want to use to tow a small dump trailer within a 10 mile radius of my home. The approach would be to ell only 1 year plus seasoned wood at a premium price. I am located just outside Manchester NH.

What are your thoughts?
Let the customer haul the wood.An 8 foot pick up bed will hold a 1/2 cord of sawed stacked wood.A 6 foot will hold 1/3 cord.I hope you know your area Of NH has the emerald ash borer present.You may not be able to move firewood very far from where it it cut.

SLawyer Dave

I have used my Ford Ranger 4x4 to pull my trailer with a cord of wood (128cu ft), for years, (so I don't see the jeep having a much harder time).  The biggest factor is not to be in a hurry, and use your gears appropriately.  You won't be doing 55 up the big hills, but just watch your rpms and figure out where your engine/gearing gives you the best torque for pulling. 

I didn't set out to "start a firewood business" several years ago when I got back into cutting, just to cut for some relatives and friends to try to get my body back into some kind of shape and to help them out.  However, I keep finding more people with trees they want me to remove, and more people that need wood, so it keeps growing.  I've sold about 10 cords of wood since August, and given away about another 10 cords.  I figure I'm saving money not paying a gym/personal trainer, and then end up with some extra "fun money". 

Both now, and in my much earlier incarnation as a firewood business owner back in college, the biggest factors for me have always been trying to find reliable clients who can afford to pay.  So I always suggest that you try to figure out the cheapest and most efficient way to let your target customers know about you.  If you know any teachers or professors, see if they will spread the word to their colleagues.  My main paying customers now are law enforcement related, as again, once that "brotherhood" finds that you give good value and service, they then spread the word for you.  Word of mouth advertising is still the cheapest and best advertising there is.

jocco

Just a thought but be very carefull with people coming to pick up  or cut up wood on your property. Check laws for liability and check on your insurance :P



Quote from: cutterboy on March 13, 2014, 08:02:33 PM
jimnhrn, to sell 20 cord you don't have to deliver. Sell it from your house, have people come and pick it up. I sell 12-15 cord a year. I built two boxes that hold 1/4 cord each and put them out by the road. I charge $45 a box and people have to come and get the wood. If I'm not home there is a milk box by the side door where they can leave the money. I live in a rural area and easily sell out every year. This year I sold out the first week in December.
The time you save by not delivering you could use to cut more wood.   Just a thought.....Cutter
You may check out but you will never leave

jimnhrn

Another part of being really local is to get rid of the ash locally as not to spread the borer around when it arrives. A little spending money will be nice but I want to put in the skid rows before I call on one of you guys to selectively take out the lumber.

Now of this has been cut for about seventy years and in the family there is about 100 acres here  and another 120 acres pretty close by.

cutterboy

Quote from: jocco on March 14, 2014, 03:39:58 PM
Just a thought but be very carefull with people coming to pick up  or cut up wood on your property. Check laws for liability and check on your insurance :P



Quote from: cutterboy on March 13, 2014, 08:02:33 PM
jimnhrn, to sell 20 cord you don't have to deliver. Sell it from your house, have people come and pick it up. I sell 12-15 cord a year. I built two boxes that hold 1/4 cord each and put them out by the road. I charge $45 a box and people have to come and get the wood. If I'm not home there is a milk box by the side door where they can leave the money. I live in a rural area and easily sell out every year. This year I sold out the first week in December.
The time you save by not delivering you could use to cut more wood.   Just a thought.....Cutter

There isn't much risk in having somebody come on your property and taking fire wood out of a box and loading it into a pickup. The real risk is going out into the woods with a chainsaw.
To underestimate old men and old machines is the folly of youth. Frank C.

Corley5

I sell wood roadside to campers in the summer and don't worry about liability for that.  I would never let someone cut firewood on this property without proof of insurance.
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

woodmills1

yes by all means do it


I started very small


c30, a maul, anda chainsaw

check the hardware that bought


close to you also, in Hudson
James Mills,Lovely wife,collect old tools,vacuuming fool,36 bdft/hr,oak paper cutter,ebonic yooper rapper nauga seller, Blue Ox? its not fast, 2 cat family, LT70,edger, 375 bd ft/hr, we like Bob,free heat,no oil 12 years,big splitter, baked stuffed lobster, still cuttin the logs dere IAM

NHMike

Jimnhrn,

Just curious how the new business is going?  Are thing going well, or have you run into some problems?  I am also thinking about starting one up.

Mike

jimnhrn

Haven't started yet but I think this winter I will try to get some wood ahead. My approach is to only sell seasoned wood, sell in the late fall and hopefully sell at a premium. It is allways going to be a hobby business.

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