I'm wanting to see what people are paying skidder operators, as well as fellers. For the skidder operator, he is just providing his time, I'm providing everything else. For my feller, he's using his own saws and gas. What kind of rates are people paying? Either by the day, hour or board foot.
I cut and skid, but I have my own equipment.
I started as an employee, $14hr (about 10 years ago). Using their equipment.
Then I became a contractor, which is what you should do for the faller, tell him to become independent. Then it jumped to $27 an hr. using their skidder and my saws. Which is actually illegal in our state to be a contractor and run someone else's equipment.
Now I am production. Base pay of $7.50 a ton. I own my own skidder and cutting equipment. That's about what the market will bear here for a small operation.
Around here, 15cents bdft at landing. Meaning cutter skidder everything supplied by cutter. Skidded tree length then typically the logger paying cutter marks final cuts and cutter cuts and bunches. This can be profitable on good timber, but big blocking and low grade tracts the logger paying this would lose money everyday. Were it's more comin is sawmills buying tracts and having crews come in and do it this way. But a mills garuntees a supply to there mill. Which erks us loggers competing with tracts...
I have a guy who cuts for me a couple days a week. Brings his own saws and gas. Only lives a mile away so he usually rides to the job with me. I give him $200 for an 8 hour day. He has his own liability insurance
I would pay $50mbf for cutter and the same to run my skidder. that's if i could. but it's not legal here to have an employee with out a really expensive workman's comp.
The main logger I haul for pays 25 an hour for a skidder operator + workmns comp.
The sawmill has a woods crew too and pays there hands in the neighborhood of 17 bucks an hour, but they also have some perks, profit sharing is one of them.
Quote from: lynde37avery on March 31, 2017, 09:35:01 AM
I would pay $50mbf for cutter and the same to run my skidder. that's if i could. but it's not legal here to have an employee with out a really expensive workman's comp.
Is that with you providing all equipment and fuel? Which log scale are you talking about?
I recently closed down my buisness to work for another logger in the state over from me. He is going to be paying me $200 a day to run his tree farmer c5d, he provides the gas and oil for my saw and i have my own insurance.
The last time I worked as a hired chopper (faller) I got 40 a thousand. That was over ten years ago. Seems like 50 a thousand would be reasonable today. Around here in NH most everything is hourly now.