For the guys selling bundles,

[B.C.C. Lapp]

Corley, Barge, thanks loads for the input.   I'm taking notes here.   The bags I ordered just to get started showed up.   Well made, seem strong. We stuffed  few and its easy enough but also very clear immediately that to do say, a hundred at a crack or so would be slow and clumsy.  We will figure better ways to do it.   

[barbender]

 Using a 5 gallon bucket with the bottom cut off is a quick and cheap upgrade. I also do a few bags, with this method, to use up shorts and pieces that don't fit well in the bundler.

 I should've mentioned before, my bundler is set up for making square bundles, where Corley's is for round ones. The used bundler I bought was already configured that way and I came to appreciate how they stacked. But they also slow down the speed at which we can make them, no doubt.

[BargeMonkey]

I will get a picture of the "bagger tray" I had for filling bags, it's a metal pan open on 1 side, had a stand with a catch and spring, stack the wood in, slide the bag over and tip it down. For production bags it was slick. Pulp is 54-56 a ton right now, my area isn't really used to seeing 8' wood, alot of these small processor / firewood operations aren't going to exist another 3-5yrs here because the guys flat out won't be able to buy a stick of wood.  

[thecfarm]

I  Pulp is 54-56 a ton right now, my area isn't really used to seeing 8' wood, alot of these small processor / firewood operations aren't going to exist another 3-5yrs here because the guys flat out won't be able to buy a stick of wood. 

We use to see 8 foot wood here when the paper mill in Jay was running. Now it seems to be 20 feet? 
But I don't under why they won't be able to buy wood.

[BargeMonkey]

I  Pulp is 54-56 a ton right now, my area isn't really used to seeing 8' wood, alot of these small processor / firewood operations aren't going to exist another 3-5yrs here because the guys flat out won't be able to buy a stick of wood. 

But I don't under why they won't be able to buy wood ?

Less guys cutting wood, less people who wanna bother putting a triaxle in a bad spot, people got used to the idea of "cheap wood". 56 bucks a ton is 2k a load, no whining about crooked wood, quality / quantity. I know some people who would fill their yards for 7-800 a healthy triaxle load right now, can't even get anyone. No diff sawmills, processors, why you see alot of them out there for sale with 500-1k hrs, the source drys up and they are done. 

[thecfarm]

Gotta.
I use to sell hardwood pulp from my land. I got all the money, but trucking. 
Had a lot of people tell me I need a truck.    I was a very small time guy with a 40 hp tractor and a 3 PT logging winch. Not much of a volume logger.
But I was cutting some good size trees. Not much money in pulp, but the logs paid the bills.
Plus if I truck, who is cutting??
Then others told me to get a wood processor.
Again, why? I push it up into a pile and get about 43 dollars a cord. Again, who's cutting if I run the processor?

[OH logger]

Not to hijack the thread but we've considered switching to bags from wrapped bundles.  One reason being we could do a bunch of bags ahead when it's not fit to log.  I'm talking like months before we need them. Do any of you wrap bundles with plastic and store them inside for months before selling them?  We have plenty of room inside to store them where it's dry.  That should help the wrap not to loosen I'd say but not sure how tight they'd still be.  If we stick to plastic I'm really trying to stay away from a shrink wrapper like a wood packer oven machine.  Any thoughts on storing plastic wrapped bundles for months? And yes the wood is DRY when wrapped

[Corley5]

  I don't inventory processed firewood in any form. It goes directly on the truck for immediate delivery. I don't even like leaving wood on the truck overnight ffsmileyHandling takes time and time is $$$. I'd be concerned with the wood drying a bit more and the bundles loosening up and/or molding. Bags would breathe and wouldn't get loose.
  I souped my Twister up a bit. The gears in the gear reduction stripped a couple years after I acquired it. Dirt, moisture, and freezing appeared to be the cause from a bad o-ring on the gear case.. It was a bit slow anyway so the new one is geared a couple steps higher. Made a real difference. $60 or $65 for the machine, less than $400 for the new drive, thousands of bundles total and it owes me nothing 

[B.C.C. Lapp]

Well we stuffed some bags yesterday afternoon.   I grabbed  a face cord and we filled 48 bags with it.   I'm okay with that.   Took us almost an hour.   A little fumbley at first but we got faster toward the end.    Already can see better ways to go at it.   Pretty easy all around.  Making my first deliveries of bags today. 

[B.C.C. Lapp]

I sold those 48 bags easily enough.  Sold 12 bags each to 4 different stores.  All want resupplied as needed.
  Mrs. Lapp told me I never charge enough for anything and I got to stop thinking of prices like its 2019.   So I asked for what I thought was a HIGH price per bag considering they are retailing these bags. Not one of them hesitated or even blinked.   
So she was right. 

So I'm cutting splitting and stacking and trying to figure out when I'm going to get my fields plowed and fitted, when I'm going to get the logging job done my skidder is still at and how I'm doing to get my building up for my  sawmill and firewood equipment and a place to stack filled bags.   I need three of me. 

[doc henderson]

It is a curse to know enough to be able to do all things ourselves.  makes it hard to shell out cash to others that know less than us.  My wife wants the guy who says, "yes madam we can do whatever you want".  That scares me to death!

[Andries]

. . .  I need three of me. 

I met the guy who figured out how to do that.
Turns out that a copy of a copy isn't so sharp. 
.
Doc, I agree completely.
The curse of the "handy guy" being forced to watch a contractor in his own home. Enough to drive a guy around the bend!

[Magicman]

That scares me to death!

Just the thought of standing aside and letting someone else do my job is hard for me to chew and it would be even harder for me to digest. 

I have two Grandsons, Ben & Luke, that play me like a fiddle when something needs to be done.  They both delight in telling me to stand back when they know full well that this little old popcorn fart guy has never stood back.

Hiring something done has virtually never been in my vocabulary.  When we added this Sunroom, I hired a builder to dry it in & brick, and I took over from there.  When the Cabin Addition came along, I was 100%. 

I will soon have two trees felled in my back yard, and I will take over from there.  There will be much 2" bridge lumber plus the firewood.  

[Klunker]

Big time Firewood business.
Just for your entertainment.
I wish they would of talked about the cost/profit end of it.
But one point caught my eye, he controls all of the business from cutting to hauling.
Doesn't buy logs but does it all himself, a better business model in my mind, nobody is making a buck off him except for the guy who he is paying stumpage.

 

[barbender]

 That's a nice operation. Also illustrates the difference in knowledge between a guy running an integrated operation, and a content creator.

[B.C.C. Lapp]

Barbender i had to google "content creator".  But after I did I see what you mean. Pretty accurate.  No offense or disrespect meant to either gent but certainly working on different levels.

Get this guys, couple weeks ago I stopped off at a campground that was still closed of course but there was a car at the office in the front. So I stop to see if i can sell them some firewood this summer.   I knock on the office door, a lady comes out. She don't look happy I disturbed her.  But I'm my only sales man so I smile, stand up straight, introduce myself, produce a card and start giving her my pitch.   

She ain't having none of it. Shuts me down. We already got a wood guy she says. And a few other choice things about fast talking wood guys.  I keep the smile plastered on my face. I did after all show up cold calling and disturb her. 

As I'm being shown the door I ask her to at least please keep the card just in case something changes.  yeah yeah she says.   And down the road I go.

Got a phone call form what I believe to be her brother today.  Its a family owned campground.    They want at least one loose cord dumped every week and some bagged wood as well. Don't know how much yet.   

Karma man. You gotta love it.

 

[barbender]

 Yeah you just never know🤷 I hate trying to do the sales thing. It's just not my gift. Thankfully, I've been doing this long enough now that I get most of my business word of mouth, or people see my labels on bundles other places. 

 

[NE Woodburner]

I hate trying to do the sales thing. It's just not my gift.

This thread has been interesting to follow as I have been thinking about setting up a small wood rack at some family property and selling "campfire" wood as a side gig. I don't plan on any big volume and I may be the worlds worst salesman, so there's that.

What I do have is a lot of small hardwood and some blowdown white pines that I have been cleaning up. Not the best firewood and I really don't need any more for the house, so I thought campfire wood might be a good way to get rid of it. I would like to sell what little I create cleaning up and not looking for top dollar, but also don't want to undercut others in the business and do them any harm. Information in this thread has been very helpful.

[doc henderson]

I think good firewood is what we heat with in out stoves in the winter.  that would be a waste in a fire pit, chiminea or even a fireplace with the little glass doors.  even cottonwood is fine.  it light easy and burns bright