Selling logs to a small time guy?

[NewYankeeSawmill]

I'm guessing there's a waiting customer before you start cutting, but...
I see this one logging crew working in my AO pretty regular, I'm 95% sure they're a local family. They have big equipment, John Deere hydro axe, skidders and dozers, a pair of 18-wheelers they use to haul the logs to the mill. It looks like they're cutting 21-footers, as they get 2-rows per trailer, and it's a long trailer... Sometimes they're working pulp/chip wood fields, sometimes timber.

I'm thinking about approaching these guys about buying a small log load one day when I see them (in their pickups, I often see the rigs park at this one roadside diner with their loads... catch them after lunch, etc.) I wouldn't just walk up to them when working, of course.

I only have a 13' mill, but can cut a 21 into 2x 10.5's just fine... I can pay cash, I'm a heck of a lot closer than the mill they're going to... I'd even take the little 6-10' junk they normally have to burn! But would they even be interested? Would it be worth their time, or am I barking up the wrong tree?

Thanks for your input!

- Kevin

[barbender]

 It can be worth their time, or you can make it worth their time. Their main concerns will be, are we going to get paid for it? And, is your access good for the truck? If you're willing to pay for the wood up front in cash,  that takes care of concern #1. As far as the second concern, if you are close enough that one of the crew could look at your site (remember the part about making it worth their while) that would help. 

 Remember, if they have a mill they are dealing with where the truck goes in, gets unloaded and back to the job, and the check comes without any fuss, they don't have any motivation to sell you wood for the same money. So say they are getting $2000 for a load (I'm just throwing that number out), you may need to offer them $2200, or keep going up, until they get interested. 

 More than likely, they will only want to sell full loads, unless they have a clean up partial load at the end of the job.

[beenthere]

Won't hurt to ask. 

[NewYankeeSawmill]

Thanks guys, that's kinda my thinking? If I'm closer than the mill you save a little fuel/time, but they're not going to LOOSE money selling me a load. The clean-up at the end of the job was what I was really hoping for... If they pile it and burn it they make nothing, so may be willing to gather it up and drop it off cheap?

[beenthere]

Thanks guys, that's kinda my thinking? If I'm closer than the mill you save a little fuel/time, but they're not going to LOOSE money selling me a load. The clean-up at the end of the job was what I was really hoping for... If they pile it and burn it they make nothing, so may be willing to gather it up and drop it off cheap?

Assume you mean lose money, or is it indeed loose money?

Often see the mispelling of lose/loose on FF. Too different meanings. You might be looking for some loose logs that they are going to burn or don't have a full truckload to haul.
Talk to them, like you plan to at lunch or break time.  Do you have a trailer to set at their site to load logs that they can/want to sell to you?
Wish you good luck getting some logs.

[B.C.C. Lapp]

Heck yeah ask them.   It wont be the first time somebody wanted logs from them. 
Try to catch them when they aren't busy.   But hey, don't mention taking the shorty logs. Just let them load and send you their normal load. If you tell them your willing to take low grade, small or short logs believe me they will be happy to make sure you get them all.   
Less is more. Just tell them what your looking for, how much your willing to buy and where its going.   And if your maybe a little green in this, well keep it to yourself, you'll learn as you go. Good luck.

[Ron Scott]

Yes, ask the logger, and it will be easier for them to deal with you if they are the direct buyer of the timber rather than if they are contracting the harvest for a mill or other buyer of the wood.

[Southside]

Do the trucks have a loader on them or do you have a way to unload a semi trailer of logs?  Do you realize how much sawing there will be in a semi load of logs?  You don't want to drop that kind of coin and have the bugs wreck a bunch of it. 

[barbender]

 Just to help you manage expectations, anything merchantable will be picked up and hauled to the mill, topped off on the next job if necessary.