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Well, now I'm really all in on the firewood thing... lol

Started by woodrat, October 15, 2022, 09:41:46 PM

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woodrat

Earlier this summer I bought a small 37 ton splitter and a 78 Chevy dump truck, with the idea that I would slowly get into selling a few cords of firewood as a side income.

I split up three cords to sell, three cords for myself and then got about a cord into next year's inventory, too. All out of alder and fir off my own land.

All three cords I had set aside to sell sold pretty much instantly as soon as I mentioned to a couple of friends that I had some. One texted me after I delivered her wood and said, oh, I guess I've never actually seen what a whole cord looked like... lol

The other person texted me after I delivered her wood, and said it was the cleanest and driest firewood she'd ever purchased.

So, that's nice feedback.

Then I was at a neighbor's place back in August to pick up a couple of big maple logs for the sawmill, and she mentioned that the local firewood guy is selling his business... hm... I should look into that.

Anyway, fast forward a couple of months of negotiation and research and details, and I dropped off the check to him today, and I'm now the owner of a ~300 cord/year business.

What I got:
-Eastonmade 22-28 with 24' conveyor. Splitter has less than 200 hours on it, conveyor way less than that. Six way and box wedges, and some spare parts.
-MF 253 tractor with loader
-1980 Ford F350 wood truck, 4x4, 390 4 speed, not a square inch of straight sheet metal anywhere on it...lol.. new-ish tires, runs like a top.
-Whole bunch of pallets and heavy duty truck tarps.
-Connection to a steady supply of clean, dry, debarked fir logs that are cutoff ends from a pole manufacturer, $55/ton plus delivery. Some of these logs are nice sawlogs, honestly.
-Customers all over the place, about a 40 mile radius or so, including two places that buy several cords of bundled wood every year, campground and local store.

Scrambling around this weekend to clear my sawlogs off the log landing here at home so I can get 180 yards of rock spread on Wednesday and then I'll be able to receive the log deliveries here at home. Meantime I bought the couple dozen cords worth of logs that are already on the ground at his place and will process them there and then deliver or haul it home to stack.

Even conservatively approaching the math, this should fill in the gaps between my other income streams and allow me to actually steadily pay the bills while working from home.

Wasn't expecting to get into the firewood deep end quite so quickly as this, but... if it brings in an income and I can work from home, I'm there... 

1996 Woodmizer LT40HD
Yanmar 3220D and MF 253
Wallenstein FX 65 logging winch
Husky 61, 272XP, 372XP, 346XP, 353
Stihl 036, 046 with Lewis Winch
78 Chevy C30 dump truck, 80 Ford F350 4x4
35 ton firewood splitter
Eastonmade 22-28 splitter and conveyor
and ...lots of other junk...

barbender

Oh my, you jumped right in! That's great you got everything you need, I hope the transition goes smoothly👍

I hauled my first firewood in a 390, 4 speed powered ol Ford an old boss had. The shocks were so shot I'd pull in the yard and I don't think the stupid thing quit bouncing until about 10 minutes after I got out of it😂

Best of luck to you, it sounds like a well established business!
Too many irons in the fire

Spike60

Wow, you're not kidding with "all in". :) Congrats, good luck, and keep us posted on how things progress.
Husqvarna-Jonsered
Ashokan Turf and Timber
845-657-6395

cutterboy

To underestimate old men and old machines is the folly of youth. Frank C.

Gere Flewelling

woodrat- Looks like you have most everything you need.  Only thing I can think of that will speed up your operation is a Super Split kinetic wood splitter.  Being a one man operation with the other support equipment you have, this unit will make splitting the smaller wood and even the bigger stuff that you can safely lift much more efficient and productive.  They are designed to be used by one person only as they are too fast to to have a second set of hands working around them.  When my son and I were running a firewood business, we wanted a big box type splitter with multi wedge system but just couldn't justify the $10,000 + expense.  Went with a Super Split SE at about half the cost.  Best investment we ever made for that business.  Splitter paid for itself the first year.  Set it up feeding a conveyor and you can easily do a cord an hour and use about a gallon of gas a day.  A little bit of a learning curve but once figured out, your production will go way up.  We have since dissolved the business, but I kept the splitter and sold off the hydraulic ones.  Works great for making campfire wood as well.  Also produces much less waste than a box type splitter as it only has a single wedge.  Good Luck with your new operation ! 
Old 🚒 Fireman and Snow Cat Repairman (retired)
Matthew 6:3-4

BML1221

You can't beat having the right tools for the job  ;D

hedgerow

Woodrat  It does sound like your all in. Hope the new business works the way you what it to. Take care, be safe and have a great fall season. 

jimbarry

Congrats.  I have the Eastonmade 12-22 and the box wedge produces too much trash, so it sits collecting rust. Would make a decent dock anchor I suppose.  300 cord is going to keep you steady working... when you're not working.  Make sure you track your expenses and labour to get your pricing right. 

All the best.

Andries

Sounds like a jump into the deep end of the pool - good for you and well done!
A next step a bit tricky: find a youngster or an oldster that you can trust to work with you. They get some cash, and you get to work on two income sources at the same time.
LT40G25
Ford 545D loader
Stihl chainsaws

woodrat

Quote from: jimbarry on October 16, 2022, 01:40:07 PM
Congrats.  I have the Eastonmade 12-22 and the box wedge produces too much trash, so it sits collecting rust. Would make a decent dock anchor I suppose.  
He bought the box wedge for making small pieces for the bundled campfire wood customers. Seems to work great for that. Yeah, lots of "kindling", too... lol 
1996 Woodmizer LT40HD
Yanmar 3220D and MF 253
Wallenstein FX 65 logging winch
Husky 61, 272XP, 372XP, 346XP, 353
Stihl 036, 046 with Lewis Winch
78 Chevy C30 dump truck, 80 Ford F350 4x4
35 ton firewood splitter
Eastonmade 22-28 splitter and conveyor
and ...lots of other junk...

barbender

I think once you start making bundles, you'll be thankful for the box wedge option.
Too many irons in the fire

melezefarmer

Congrats. Living the dream working from home doing what you enjoy doing.

cheers

woodrat

Quote from: barbender on October 16, 2022, 04:16:54 PM
I think once you start making bundles, you'll be thankful for the box wedge option.
Yep. it's perfect for that. 
1996 Woodmizer LT40HD
Yanmar 3220D and MF 253
Wallenstein FX 65 logging winch
Husky 61, 272XP, 372XP, 346XP, 353
Stihl 036, 046 with Lewis Winch
78 Chevy C30 dump truck, 80 Ford F350 4x4
35 ton firewood splitter
Eastonmade 22-28 splitter and conveyor
and ...lots of other junk...

B.C.C. Lapp

What an opportunity. And you grabbed it man. That's awesome.  Good luck with it all Woodrat.  Keep us in the loop how it progresses.   I'm certainly interested.
Listen, or your tongue will make you deaf.

dad

Quote from: jimbarry on October 16, 2022, 01:40:07 PM
Congrats.  I have the Eastonmade 12-22 and the box wedge produces too much trash, so it sits collecting rust. Would make a decent dock anchor I suppose.  300 cord is going to keep you steady working... when you're not working.  Make sure you track your expenses and labour to get your pricing right.

All the best.
Maybe someone would buy the splitter off you? I know I would talk to you about it if I didn't live in the US and you in Nova Scotia. Maybe someone would want a box wedge for theirs and either trade you or buy it outright so you could order a 4 or 6 way wedge for yours? Anyway, sorry to hear your disappointment with it.
Best of luck to the original poster for finding another revenue stream. 300 cords..... ooooh baby! That is getting it done for sure. You don't scare easy do ya ;D. Zero to 100 ( so to speak ) in the blink of an eye. 

woodrat

1996 Woodmizer LT40HD
Yanmar 3220D and MF 253
Wallenstein FX 65 logging winch
Husky 61, 272XP, 372XP, 346XP, 353
Stihl 036, 046 with Lewis Winch
78 Chevy C30 dump truck, 80 Ford F350 4x4
35 ton firewood splitter
Eastonmade 22-28 splitter and conveyor
and ...lots of other junk...

B.C.C. Lapp

Well, you know what they say, "He who dares wins." thumbs-up

Of course he who dares often gets his butt handed to him as well. :D

But to my way of thinking, if the numbers seem to work, and you want to do it, then the investment risk is worth it.   Worst thing that can happen is you end up selling out and maybe lose a few bucks.   So you try something else and make it back.    But it certainly cant work if you never jump in and try.
Listen, or your tongue will make you deaf.

jimbarry

Quote from: dad on October 17, 2022, 09:38:57 PM
Quote from: jimbarry on October 16, 2022, 01:40:07 PM
Congrats.  I have the Eastonmade 12-22 and the box wedge produces too much trash, so it sits collecting rust. Would make a decent dock anchor I suppose.  300 cord is going to keep you steady working... when you're not working.  Make sure you track your expenses and labour to get your pricing right.

All the best.
Maybe someone would buy the splitter off you? I know I would talk to you about it if I didn't live in the US and you in Nova Scotia. Maybe someone would want a box wedge for theirs and either trade you or buy it outright so you could order a 4 or 6 way wedge for yours? Anyway, sorry to hear your disappointment with it....
I have the 6 way and the 4 way. The 6 way I have never used but once when we first got it. We only use the 4 way. We do a lot of resplitting to remove rot and punk. Actually thinking of selling it all and getting a vertical splitter.

stavebuyer

I found the multi-wedge was really helpful for outside boiler customers who wanted "chunks". Saved the big uglies for those customers and all was fine. 

Anything over 4-way produces too much trash and very inconsistent sizing.

I often ran my processor with just a single wedge and parked my Supersplit Kinetic between it and the elevator with a surge table in between for stove wood. I haven't used a Timber Devil type vertical but seems like one equipped with a log lift and elevator would check all the boxes. If I was starting over that is where I would roll the dice.






SwampDonkey

Depending on the local market of course, but some of us want bigger pieces than kitchen stove wood, but mixed in with smaller splits. I prefer half slabs from 8"-18" rounds. We call it furnace wood in these parts. Of course 20"+ stuff you gotta do whatever it takes to bust them efficiently. ;D

I burn mostly aspen and fir here, cutting trees  6-18", the odd 20" fir, just one split per round. The smaller wood is mostly the suppressed trees that aren't going to do anything from a release cut other than snap off in the wind. Or red maples that the moose scrape up.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

woodrat

So, figured an update was due.

Been working on the pile of logs over at the place where I bought this stuff from, and then working also on getting my log landing cleaned up and rock put down.

I had to move a few thousand feet of sawlogs first, and the mill, and then clean up and scrape this thing to bare dirt, which took some doing with the Yanmar, but I got it done.



Then had ten loads of three inch minus rock hauled in and spread, and then rented a skid steer to smooth it out a bit. Ready to receive the next delivery there. A logging road passes through my property and this landing is connected to it. The timber company has agreed to a gate so I should have a pretty secure situation once that's in.



Doggo is a keen supervisor of work like this. lol



Meanwhile, I've been over at the guy's place bucking logs and splitting and delivering a little wood.





These are nice clean dry "summer" logs so I've been able to just run them off the conveyor right into the truck and outta here.



Have it all under tarps to keep it as dry as possible as I work to clear what's here so I can move everything home in a few weeks.

So far, so good.
1996 Woodmizer LT40HD
Yanmar 3220D and MF 253
Wallenstein FX 65 logging winch
Husky 61, 272XP, 372XP, 346XP, 353
Stihl 036, 046 with Lewis Winch
78 Chevy C30 dump truck, 80 Ford F350 4x4
35 ton firewood splitter
Eastonmade 22-28 splitter and conveyor
and ...lots of other junk...

woodrat


Had enough rock budget leftover that I was able to put some down next to the barn, so now I have more equipment parking and a mud free path to the new almost finished chicken coop, too. 





1996 Woodmizer LT40HD
Yanmar 3220D and MF 253
Wallenstein FX 65 logging winch
Husky 61, 272XP, 372XP, 346XP, 353
Stihl 036, 046 with Lewis Winch
78 Chevy C30 dump truck, 80 Ford F350 4x4
35 ton firewood splitter
Eastonmade 22-28 splitter and conveyor
and ...lots of other junk...

Walnut Beast


B.C.C. Lapp

Looking good woodrat.  Whats your delivery truck size?   Do you sell by the cord, face cord, truck load or what?

Modified to say never mind, I remembered you mentioned your F350 and went back to confirm.  
Listen, or your tongue will make you deaf.

woodrat

Face cords aren't really a thing here. It's all by the cord, and I'm using a 78 Chevy C30 dump truck to deliver. The business also came with a 80 F350 pickup, too.

When I split directly into the dump truck I fill it to 180 cu ft plus a bit which makes a good cord. And is nicer for me than having to dump it at home and stack it and then reload it again when it sells... lol 
1996 Woodmizer LT40HD
Yanmar 3220D and MF 253
Wallenstein FX 65 logging winch
Husky 61, 272XP, 372XP, 346XP, 353
Stihl 036, 046 with Lewis Winch
78 Chevy C30 dump truck, 80 Ford F350 4x4
35 ton firewood splitter
Eastonmade 22-28 splitter and conveyor
and ...lots of other junk...

B.C.C. Lapp

Yup, 180 cubic feet is thought  to be a solid "running cord" or "thrown cord".   I have tested that dubious measurement several times and found it to be pretty dang close one way or the other. 
Listen, or your tongue will make you deaf.

B.C.C. Lapp

Listen, or your tongue will make you deaf.

cutterboy

To underestimate old men and old machines is the folly of youth. Frank C.

woodrat

Ha. Been a little bit since I checked in. 

Yes, still at it. Finally finished up all the logs that were piled up at the place where I bought it and was able to bring the equipment home. Still have the ratty F350 and some pallets to move over here, too, but at least I'm working at home now. 

Sold 23 cords out of the piles that were at his place, plus held back a half dozen nice clear sawlogs for the mill. 

Had another load dropped at my place in November sometime, which was a nice big volume  load, but the truck driver (AFTER I had already had him approve the road and the access) nearly got his truck stuck coming up the hill and getting out of my landing with his city tires and city truck, and said he wouldn't come back up that road until it was dry again.

Learned the hard way about buying logs by weight rather than volume... lol... One of the piles of logs that I bought with the business was about half what I expected because I bought them as "two loads", but he neglected to tell me they were two loads that he had bought in the spring when they were full of water. So... dang... Not a good deal on those at all...

Then I decided to buy one more load to have it delivered to a friend's place right down the road, to see what a winter load looked like. That one came in December, and it was also very small in volume because the water weight. So, I stopped the deliveries from that supplier for now. 

In the meantime, working through the dry logs I got delivered to my place and that load will be about 12-13 cords, and then I'll be pretty much out of dry wood until summer. 

Anyway, so far have done 29 cords total since I took it over, and I have about another 6-7 cords of dry logs on the deck at my place and another 6-7 cords of wet logs down the road a bit. 

Another thing I learned from finally talking to the truck driver, is that the other guy never bought logs in the winter even though he made it sound to me like he was getting them all year round. And also that he was not doing as much volume as he told me, based on how many trips the trucker driver had made in a year. 

Not a big deal, really, the price I paid was pretty fair just for the machines, regardless of how much business he was doing. And more than a third of what I have sold so far was to people in my network, not his previous customers. 

So far I have saved most of the money that's come in for future log buying, plus I paid myself a little bit for bills and also spent a small fortune on new tires and 16" rims for the dump truck, which was definitely needed. 

Also have spent some money on chainsaw parts, gas and oil, etc. 

I'm going to try to find a few dump truck loads of local logs from the loggers around here this winter so I can at least build up some inventory, even if it's mixed wood and not the special debarked fir logs. I'll try to go back to getting those loads in June or July when they're not so small and heavy. 

I knew the transition/supply/inventory thing would be bumpy, so I'm not surprised or worried. I'll keep figuring it out. 
1996 Woodmizer LT40HD
Yanmar 3220D and MF 253
Wallenstein FX 65 logging winch
Husky 61, 272XP, 372XP, 346XP, 353
Stihl 036, 046 with Lewis Winch
78 Chevy C30 dump truck, 80 Ford F350 4x4
35 ton firewood splitter
Eastonmade 22-28 splitter and conveyor
and ...lots of other junk...

customsawyer

Glad to hear it is working out. There is always a learning curve on a new venture. Stay the course and it will get easier.
Two LT70s, Nyle L200 kiln, 4 head Pinheiro planer, 30" double surface Cantek planer, Lucas dedicated slabber, Slabmizer, and enough rolling stock and chainsaws to keep it all running.
www.thecustomsawyer.com

Anderson

Thanks for the update. I enjoy reading about your new enterprise. 8)

cutterboy

To underestimate old men and old machines is the folly of youth. Frank C.

Don P

It sounds like building a record of moisture meter readings and volumes might help with buying decisions down the road, dunno. 

B.C.C. Lapp

Sounds like your moving ahead woodrat.   Just my opinion of course but the hardest thing about the firewood business is finding a supply that is reliable, affordable, and a truck driver that is willing to work with you.    

I get most of my wood from my own logging jobs but a good many of the pieces I cut are pretty much all saw logs with little low grade stuff for firewood.   So I have to buy about a third to half of my firewood.  
Some loads I do great, some I think I  barely break even. But it keeps you stocked.   So far I've not been able to ever improve that.  

I'm glad its seems to be coming together for you. Keep working at it and keep us posted.   Ive said it before but I'm real glad none of you guys are near me me cause I wouldn't want have to compete with
you. :D  
Listen, or your tongue will make you deaf.

woodrat

Quote from: B.C.C. Lapp on January 11, 2023, 07:26:41 AM
Just my opinion of course but the hardest thing about the firewood business is finding a supply that is reliable, affordable, and a truck driver that is willing to work with you.    

I get most of my wood from my own logging jobs but a good many of the pieces I cut are pretty much all saw logs with little low grade stuff for firewood.   So I have to buy about a third to half of my firewood.  
Some loads I do great, some I think I  barely break even. But it keeps you stocked.   So far I've not been able to ever improve that.  
I'm not willing to work for free, so I'm going to be picky about what I pay for logs. The "two loads" pile I paid $3000 for, and it turned out to be only ten cords of firewood and two short sawlogs. That's more than I'm selling the firewood for... lol
The wet load I just bought on my own is probably only 6-7 cords for $1500, which at least isn't MORE than I sell cords for, but not very much less, either. 
The "summer loads", the bins are full and still under the weight limit for the truck, and contain about 10-13 cords each. That's much more workable. 
I'm going to shop around the local logging companies and see if I can find someone who will sell me dump truck loads at a reasonable price. I live right in the middle of industrial forestry land, so there's always wood somewhere, I just need to make the connection. The peeled logs from the pole manufacture are really nice, but buying all that water seems dumb. lol
1996 Woodmizer LT40HD
Yanmar 3220D and MF 253
Wallenstein FX 65 logging winch
Husky 61, 272XP, 372XP, 346XP, 353
Stihl 036, 046 with Lewis Winch
78 Chevy C30 dump truck, 80 Ford F350 4x4
35 ton firewood splitter
Eastonmade 22-28 splitter and conveyor
and ...lots of other junk...

barbender

Yeah that sounds like a rip off. I buy firewood on volume, not weight- the same way it gets sold. Once you get moving enough wood, you won't have to beg loggers to do business with you.
Too many irons in the fire

woodrat


Curious as to how people manage materials handling and flow. 

Here's what I'm up to. 

Pick through the pile, pull out 6-8 logs and roll them over onto a plastic sheet for bucking, mark out 16" with a lumber crayon, buck everything, throw the short bits to the side, then stack all the rounds near the splitter until I have a cord or two piled up, then run the splitter directly into the truck. I mix in a few of the short pieces into each cord, and also make each load a little more than a cord. 

This is for logs that are basically already dry. 

When I get into the wet/green logs, I'll split and stack all that stuff to dry for later inventory. 

I use the short bits for myself - it's perfect for the little Jotul 602 - and I did also sell a whole cord of that to some low income friends for cheap, and they were super stoked. I'm sure I'll always be able to find a home for that stuff. 


1996 Woodmizer LT40HD
Yanmar 3220D and MF 253
Wallenstein FX 65 logging winch
Husky 61, 272XP, 372XP, 346XP, 353
Stihl 036, 046 with Lewis Winch
78 Chevy C30 dump truck, 80 Ford F350 4x4
35 ton firewood splitter
Eastonmade 22-28 splitter and conveyor
and ...lots of other junk...

stavebuyer

I had the same splitter and elevator. Can't tell from the angle which wedge you are using and if your elevator has the "grizzly" for cleaning the fines and loose bark?

Those nice uniform softwood rounds probably work out much better than the odd sized and knotty hardwoods that I used to feed my splitter, but the process was much the same except I generally put my splits into a bulk pile rather than live loading a truck or trailer.

I did very well when I fed my splitter "waste" wood from my log yard which basically was free as the rounds were cut from logs that increased in value by raising the grade by cutting out crooks and splits etc. I did ok when the pallet log market was soft and I could buy firwood logs for about half the price of finished firewood. When the pallet market heated up and firewood logs cost 75% or more of the selling price that kind of took all the fun out of it.

The market here is often filled by tree service people who use firewood as sideline to keep helpers busy on rainy days and as a way to dispose of the wood they would otherwise have to pay a tipping fee to dump. Always some pickup truck guys early season peddling some firewood for cash they won't report. A few full-time professionals around the major cities where the pricing is little better round out the market.

If you can build up a repeat "good customer base" and delete the cheapskates and crisis callers, it's enjoyable work.

In the end I think you either need a source of cheap logs to sell commodity firewood or a well-heeled client list to maintain a reasonable margin when buying good logs delivered.



Spike60

SB, I like the term "crisis callers". I know guys who run their businesses either way. Guess you have to deal with that as you are growing the business, but those who develope a regular customer base and jettison the rest are far less stressed and more profitable to boot.
Husqvarna-Jonsered
Ashokan Turf and Timber
845-657-6395

NE Woodburner

Quote from: woodrat on January 12, 2023, 01:25:32 AMmark out 16" with a lumber crayon


Try a mingo firewood marker instead. You can get different wheels to mark out most common firewood lengths. It uses a can of inverted marking paint. Only problem I've had is the wheel slipping on very smooth bark, especially when its wet out. Works well 90% of the time. And be careful when you set it down that you don't trigger the nozzle and empty the whole can on the ground...ask me how I know...

B.C.C. Lapp

Quote from: stavebuyer on January 12, 2023, 03:48:41 AM
If you can build up a repeat "good customer base" and delete the cheapskates and crisis callers, it's enjoyable work.

Yup. That's every firewood guys goal. I'll let you know if I ever get there.  :D
I do have repeat customers.  I'd say 80% call me again and again.  Pretty cool.
The cheap skates I have no problem with.   I don't budge one dime on my price.  Ever.  I don't care how much they say they will buy or how cheap they can get it down the road.   Tell your story walking pal cause i got no time for low ballers. They don't call me twice.
But the panic "I just put the last piece in the stove." people, well, I got plenty of them.  But I cant afford to turn down the  business so I deal with it.
Listen, or your tongue will make you deaf.

B.C.C. Lapp

Woodrat I don't mark my logs for cutting I just measure with the bar as I go.   But all my wood is cut at 16in. and after a million cuts or so you get remarkably accurate at getting darn close to that without measuring at all.  Especially if the log is level.   Now if its up on the pile and slanted I use the bar for quick reference cause the slant will fool your eye. 
Listen, or your tongue will make you deaf.

Old Greenhorn

" Crisis callers " that's a good one and it should stick around as a term. You can define that as saying " A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part." In other words, it should come with a cost. I call it a 'stupid tax'.
 I have a neighbor for 4 years now who still doesn't get it even though I casually remind him in March that it's a good time to put an order in, then remind him a couple of times. His 'property maintainer' does the same thing. Nope, he 'forgets' until late November. He is moving in full time in June, he says. Let's see how that goes. He also likes to call in an order in February then complain when he doesn't have it in a week. I can't keep a straight face when he says "I don't understand, I ordered my wood almost 2 weeks ago, how can it take so long?" Yes, I have told him most folks order 6 months in advance or more many times, but.. you can't fix [some things]. ;D

 Oh, and on the mingo, be careful how you lay it in the back of the truck or you could end up with your gear covered in paint. You know, wedges, tools, sweatshirt, truck bed. Just saying, I've heard this too.
Tom Lindtveit, Woodsman Forest Products
Oscar 328 Band Mill, Husky 350, 450, 562, & 372 (Clone), Mule 3010, and too many hand tools. :) Retired and trying to make a living to stay that way. NYLT Certified.
OK, maybe I'm the woodcutter now.
I work with wood, There is a rumor I might be a woodworker.

Stephen1

'Crisis Callers' or PITA customers, they have a great rate in my books, at least %20 more...thats why its a great rate for me.
IDRY Vacum Kiln, LT40HDWide, BMS250 sharpener/setter 742b Bobcat, TCM forklift, Sthil 026,038, 461. 1952 TEA Fergusan Tractor

B.C.C. Lapp

Hey woodrat how goes the firewood business?   I'd like to know how your getting on. :)
Listen, or your tongue will make you deaf.

woodrat

Quote from: B.C.C. Lapp on November 12, 2023, 08:46:12 AM
Hey woodrat how goes the firewood business?   I'd like to know how your getting on. :)
Still alive, still have all my limbs and digits... lol

I sold about a dozen cords from New Years until the end of heating season last year and was turning down the late winter "OMG, it's still cold!" requests because I was all out of wood.

Then when I started up getting logs again it turned out that I couldn't use the trucking services that the guy who sold the business to me was using, it was some special deal from his employer, and so I had to spend a while trying to find an alternative, which wasn't easy.

In the meantime I got a self loader load of mixed wood brought in to keep working.

Then I finally got a new trucking company sorted out and the price on the bins of fir logs came way down, too, so since about June I've brought in about 70 cords or so and am sitting on about 20 cords of that that I haven't processed yet. Plus probably three cords worth of cedar that gets mixed in some times. I set all that aside for the sawmill. Mostly kinda short and small, but I can make useful stuff out of most of it.

The phone has been very quiet lately, but overall I was able to move out quite a bit of wood before the rains started hitting. Right now I'm just picking away at next year's inventory out of the fresh loads. I have about 15 cords or so stacked up under tarps that came in during the summer and that stuff is mostly dry, so if I get any more orders this winter it will come out of that stash.

Oh, and along the way the jerk who sold me the business went behind my back and tried to steal back the campground campfire bundle customer for his son in law. I caught him at it, and had some pointed conversations with the customer, but I seem to have gotten that back on track, although their overall volume was way down this year from what was normal for them.  I sold about 500 bundles between the campground and the local store.

Went to put a clutch in the trashed F350 that came with the business and my mechanic ended up charging me more than double his estimate by the time he was done, and it's still just a beat up wood truck that I now have more into it than it's worth... lol... And still needs new front springs, new front driveline and an exhaust manifold gasket...

And I think I finally got all the nasty mess of gunk and filth cleaned out of the transmission case of the beat up old Massey Ferguson that also came with the business, and ready to put new filter and fluid back in there. Hopefully that fixes the hydraulic problems.

And, along the way my 20 year old favorite chainsaw ever, a ported 372xp, died when a crank bearing failed, so, that was a bummer but I did get a long time of use out of that saw, so... 

With a year of hindsight, I definitely overpaid by a bit for all this stuff...and also got ripped off by the seller on logs that I bought from him, too, but nothing to be done about that but move on... lol

Still here, still picking away at it.
1996 Woodmizer LT40HD
Yanmar 3220D and MF 253
Wallenstein FX 65 logging winch
Husky 61, 272XP, 372XP, 346XP, 353
Stihl 036, 046 with Lewis Winch
78 Chevy C30 dump truck, 80 Ford F350 4x4
35 ton firewood splitter
Eastonmade 22-28 splitter and conveyor
and ...lots of other junk...

barbender

 Sometimes all you can do is brush yourself on and keep going. It can eat you up if you think about it too much, but there's nothing you can do about it, but forget it and move forward👍

 I hate investing more in parts into a vehicle than what it's worth, but at least if you fix something up and have say a $10,000, $2000 dollar truck you know what it is and that it has some life in it. 
Too many irons in the fire

chep

Woodrat 

Kudos for being persistent! 
Kinda sounds like 9 out of 10 fw operations I know of 🤦‍♂️ and the 1 out of 10 has massive payments on all brand new gear and is prob stressed as the other 9 of 10... 
Sounds like you are working through the kinks and getting your bearings. Keep on splitting!

B.C.C. Lapp

Chep is spot on.  Your still at it woodrat and that says a lot.   Moneys always tight in this game and you make improvements as you get the money to do it.   The first year is always the hardest. Sometimes in the beginning its seems impossible to keep on.  After that its only ALMOST impossible.
Listen, or your tongue will make you deaf.

woodrat

Quote from: B.C.C. Lapp on December 01, 2023, 11:23:23 AMAfter that its only ALMOST impossible.
I do have some loan payments on this venture, but they're not enormous, anyway

Fortunately, I didn't expect a ton of spendable income right away, and in that regard, I have not been disappointed...  lol
and ... I'm pretty good at "letting stuff go" ...  ::) :D
1996 Woodmizer LT40HD
Yanmar 3220D and MF 253
Wallenstein FX 65 logging winch
Husky 61, 272XP, 372XP, 346XP, 353
Stihl 036, 046 with Lewis Winch
78 Chevy C30 dump truck, 80 Ford F350 4x4
35 ton firewood splitter
Eastonmade 22-28 splitter and conveyor
and ...lots of other junk...

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