Looks like my Wood Web advertisement was noticed. I got an email from a potiental customer, problem is he lives 3½ hours away. I advised him that it probably would not be profitable for him to pay travel/expenses plus hourly rate for sawing 60 logs. I haven't heard back, but was wondering, how far is to far to travel? I guess if he calls back and says $s don't matter, I'm out of here.
50 miles seems to be about my average radius for average jobs, 100 miles for larger jobs, I have gone out as far as 150 miles on a large job, but I normally refer them to other mills that are closer to them, and in turn, other mills have referred customers to me for the same reason. I like to stop in a talk with all the mill owners that I come across to find out what type of milling they do, you know like stationary-portable hardwoods-softwoods, this has allowed us to work more like a network of small mills, rather then cut throat individuals all after the same logs. It has taken time to build the network of mills. As to what is too far for you? I have no idea.
All of my sawing is Mobile custom sawing.
The furthest I've traveled to saw so far has been not quite 20 miles.
I started sawing in '07 and with about another 1500 bf, I'll go over 200,000 board feet since then!
It keeps me busy.
I've traveled as far as 65 miles to saw fairly large jobs. My setup fee increases to $50 when I go over 50 miles. That's just my way of doing it. Further than that, I would be charging for my travel time.
When I lived in north Missouri a friend was sawing almost in my backyard. He was traveling 160 miles per day to do it and if I remember right the job lasted several weeks. The customer was paying travel time for both him and his helper. The lady got his name from TimberKing. It was an unusual job...sawing nail filled chestnut timbers from a WW-II warehouse. I visited on his job and later got sawing jobs from the same customer. I suppose that's what friends are for.
Moral of the story...nothing is too far away if the customer is paying. :)
I just got a job today that is about 30 to 40(she did not know the actual count) mainly 20" or better logs that I have to drive for about 45 minutes each way to reach. This will be a 3 to 4 day job for us (we wear out fast) so the 1 1/2 hour driving each day becomes a factor in time and fuel. I don't think I'd take any job more than 50 miles away for these reasons. It would be much easier to trailer the logs to the mill. It's just so nice to be able to operate under cover in our saw shed. It's going to be 88 to 90 deg and sunny for the next 4 days and we will have very little shade. Also we have to take the JD 110 with us to move the logs. She also wants us to fell some trees. Trailering and the saw shed are looking better all the time.
My longest job so far was 112 miles each way. It was all on interstate type roads so it was about 2 hours each way. You can determine your limit by whether the economics work for you for the particular job. For multiple day job by whether you can handle that drive each way without the mill, or maybe can stay over in a motel which is sort of fun in a twisted way. :D ::) :D ::) The ultimate limit for a one day job might be calculated from the total number of hours you can work drive and stay awake in a day, let's say it is 16 hours, then how long the job will take let's say 8 hours, that leaves 4 hours drive each way. ::) ::) ::) ::) . So consequently, probably somewhere between 2 and 4 hours drive then, it becomes not feasible from a time, cost, or human energy standpoint. Personally I think probably draw the line around 2 hours somewhere. Too much at stake if one had mill or weather trouble I think. Maybe meet at a rest stop or McDonalds and mill the logs there. 8) 8) 8)
I've done a job 2 hours away before. I prefer not to do those.
I personally feel that when you are doing jobs that far away, one really needs to understand the costs of doing the job. It costs money to drive, and it's not cheap. My calculated costs for towing the mill is about $0.71/mile.
ill travel up to 400 km. about 250 miles.
if there is a full weeks work i dont charge travel. othrewise i just guesstimate a travel price when they ring.
I really don't believe I'd travel more than 30 miles (one way).
I pretty much have enough, close to home.
Gday
The longest i have dragged mills to a job on a regular basis was 550mi from melb to syd to resaw warf piles into beams on a regular basis one was a Lucas 8" for small runs and the other mill was a Kara F2000 portable circ mill that we towed with an old atkinson tray truck with a 180 gardener and a screw type diff that topped out at a flying 80ks or 49.5 mph ;) :D :D traveling isnt a huge deal if the moneys there ;) ;D 8)
I have a regular gig coming up about 65mi away for a couple of days a month ill get $220 for travel and $110 per hour from the time i get there for my 10" Lucas and Myself ;) ;D ;D 8) 8) 8) 8)
Regards Chris
its pretty far between towns in qld,
iv driven 200km (125miles) to get a part and that was the closest town. all i went threw was a little place called the oasis, witch was a fuel station with a general store/hardware. i stoped to get a bottle of coke, it had gone outa date 3 moths ago. :D
i was working on a property (11 000 acres) milling logs into feedstock with the lucas for about 3 months,and i recon its the only place 100km from everyware.
little place called boondooma, 100km to mundubera, 100km to dalby, 100m to kingaroy, 100km to chinchilla,
ya gota travel to where the logs are.
Or Get Yourself A Bigger Truck Mate ;) :D :D :D Thats what i plan on doing Mate ;) :D ;D ;D 8) 8)
i would if i could afford one.
been chasing down a decent trucking company in Brisbane to run loads for me.
there all a bunch a panzys.
oh no we wont go off the road.
we only carry freight in packs of cartons.
we dont allow loadrs nead out trucks only fork lifts.
how can tehy call them selves truckies.
found one to ring tomorow advertises "we go anyware" well see about that.
Quote from: weisyboy on September 23, 2010, 07:23:58 AM
i would if i could afford one.
been chasing down a decent trucking company in Brisbane to run loads for me.
there all a bunch a panzys.
oh no we wont go off the road.
we only carry freight in packs of cartons.
we dont allow loadrs nead out trucks only fork lifts.
how can tehy call them selves truckies.
found one to ring tomorow advertises "we go anyware" well see about that.
It is no different here. Local trucking out fit is looking for a driver that can handle spreading rock on new logging roads. Gone thru 40 applications but none of then have ever had a truck off assault. Keep looking and sooner or later you will hook up with a good driver.
I don't even have a CDL but I've driven borderline dump trucks and dumpster trucks off road quite a bit, even in the mountains. (well, what pass for mountains in South Carolina-- be quiet you Rocky people). I spent a year and a half driving a Freightliner Business Class M2 with Mercedes diesel and Allison 6-speed auto, differential lock, air brakes, and stellar lift hoist retrieving 12-yard dumpsters off building sites, many of which were located in the mountainous areas. The company I worked for advertised that we were able to service difficult job sites, and I certainly did. I only had to call for help getting unstuck three times in all that time. I can't tell you how many times I had to back over piles of sand or gravel, or down long twisted driveways at 10-15% grade, fish my way between cars, trucks, tractors, piles of lumber, pallets of stone or block, etc. Miserable business but it paid well for a while. And I have never even had a CDL. That truck was registered at 25,000 lbs.
found one truck mob (quite local) that is more than happy to cart logs, and even go anyware so long as i pay to pull them out if they get stuck.
they have
2x 6 ton crane truck
2x 12 ton crane trucks
2 prime movers with cranes
2 x flat top truck trailers (22 ton)
2x flat top dog trailers. (19 ton)
then this arvo i was pulled in someones driveway fixing there fence. 300m of the road and around a corner, a bloke pulls up behind me ute, gets out adn starts chatting, he saw my MOBILE SAWMILLING and wanted to know about lucas mills, as he was wanting to cut some timber of his property, he has a 19 ton tilt tray truck and is more than happy to cart my logs. and strangest thing had come down the wrong driveway. just found us by pure chance.
That happens quite a lot around here weisyboy! ;)
Good fortune strikes in some funny ways sometimes! 8)
What about log hauling distance? In 2004, the King's Landing Historical site needed a white oak, a big'un, for repairing the water wheel at the mill. The log was hauled from the state of PA to New Brunswick at Jacket River. There were other logs from other sources as well that were taken to a Fredericton site (YSC Forest Prod. Marketing Board yard). The order called for 16 pieces - 5"x24"x10' and 10 pieces - 2.5"x20"x10' planking :o :o , the lumber milled from Jacket River was then hauled 4 hours drive to the site. Lumber was air dried for 4 years before use.
http://www.ysc.nb.ca/Sum04.pdf
thats the other problem most company's in brissy wont do long distance one offs.
i have to get all my logs from about 2 - 400km away.
I have to travel from time to time for what I am doing. I charge for mileage and if necessary accommodations. I have no intentions of pulling off a commute of 7 hours a day.
If the customer is willing to foot the bill, I'd go to Mars to put on cedar shingles... Can't imagine what the invoice would be on that.