I've been sawing for 20 + years. Most of it stationary....I've always had insurance.... and still do..The company I use now has told me it's hard to find carriers for sawmills.. A friend of mine is starting out selling insurance so I told him to go ahead and see what he can do for me.... He has looked for a week and called me yesterday and tells me he can't find a company to insure my sawmill and business.... I've had no claims ..Is this just a Maine thing or is it really that hard to get insurance or are they not looking in the right direction ?? I'm just wondering what companies you guys are using ?
None, had a couple of quotes however, it ended up me paying for nothing. So I did not bite. The fine print and liability made the prospect uninteresting... Good luck
Look to the Sponsor banner on the left. Margeson & Associates (http://www.mai-ins.com/ins_bandsaw.html)
Have you checked with Margeson and Associates, our sponsor on the left side of the page? They specialize in bandmill insurance.
If you need protection from theft or damage your home owners may be able to cover it, if you need general liability and inland marine there are two companies that sponsor the forestry forum on the left.https://forestryforum.com/insurance.htm and http://www.mai-ins.com/ins_bandsaw.html
Hi Dewey,
I would be more than happy to talk with you. When would be some good times to call you and at what number?
I look forward to your reply.
Thanks,
DJ
I also cannot get liability insurance for people around my stationary LT15.
Its rediculasly tough. Is there anyone out there writing insurance for stationary sawmills? handset that aren't major lumber producers? I haven't found anyone yet in my area.
Quote from: giant splinter on August 06, 2014, 09:14:01 AM
If you need protection from theft or damage your home owners may be able to cover it,
You need to call them and verify that if the equipment is used as a commercial business that its covered. Likelyhood is they are going to tell you they will only cover items you own for "personal" use, not commercial.
As we are on the subject of insurance, the thread about passing other mills on the road got me thinking. Do you title your portable mill so that it has a license plate when towing on public roads?
I use to haul my tractor from my Father's house to here. As long as my tractor was on the trailer and being hauled by my truck,the tractor was covered. My insurance company told me anything that I hauled was covered. But I never made a claim with that "fact".
DJ I sent you a PM let me know that you got it,,,
Got it and replied.
DJ
Quote from: thecfarm on August 07, 2014, 05:20:28 AM
I use to haul my tractor from my Father's house to here. As long as my tractor was on the trailer and being hauled by my truck,the tractor was covered. My insurance company told me anything that I hauled was covered. But I never made a claim with that "fact".
My good friend just had a mishap while pulling his travel trailer behind his personal pickup. His insurance company originally told him that he had insurance on anything he was pulling. Just last week, while on a trip to Montana, the tires on the trailer rubbed against the wooden under carriage and caused a fire that smoked the inside, and burnt the under carriage nearly in half. The tow bill was 2000 dollars, (from the highway to the tow shop), the storage was an outrageous 70 bucks a day, and to repair the trailer to return to Virginia with, will cost another 2 grand. When he contacted his insurance company, they told him he was indeed covered, but only for 500 dollars, total. That's all!! :'( Be careful when assuming you are covered while towing, some companies have limits to the amount and the type of coverage you have.
Quote from: thecfarm on August 07, 2014, 05:20:28 AM
But I never made a claim with that "fact".
That is why I said "fact" ;)
Quote from: MAI on August 06, 2014, 11:33:50 AM
Hi Dewey,
I would be more than happy to talk with you. When would be some good times to call you and at what number?
I look forward to your reply.
Thanks,
DJ
Do you insure other types of business? Or just sawmill insurance? I've wanted to get insurance for field and brush mowing jobs as I currently don't have any. It seems difficult to get, I contacted a few places and they said that I don't make enough per year to consider me for their coverage.
Reswire,
That is why everyone that is towing something whether it be a trailer, boat or sawmill needs to make sure they are covered. Double check with your agent/insurance company and ask questions, is it covered, for how much, what perils are covered and request proof of insurance in writing. Some people think they have coverage and find out the hard way, but then it's too late.
In NY, some people think their $25,000 boat is covered under their auto policy. It's not! They need to have a separate watercraft policy for their boat.
Dewey,
We only insure portable band saws and supporting equipment such as planers, edgers, re-saws, conveyors and tractors/skid steers for loading/offloading the mill.
I have all the extras you mentioned except I don't move my mill....It was Portable until I took the wheels off...
I guess getting back to my original question what is one to do for insurance ????
I would think there would be less Liability with a stationary mill ??????
Doesn't make sense to me either!
Do any of you stationary guys have insurance ???
I am still trying. Underwriters say my sales volume is too low :).
MAI,
If I purchased a portable sawmill, took it to someones house to mill their logs, they paid me for the service and they had their people to off load the lumber and one of them got hurt. Do you know if a written contract before hand is the way to go? Or would that even help? Pretty general question I know but would like your input if you dont mind. thanks, Ed
Question for Dewey,
I may have missed the type of insurance that you need for your stationary mill even after going back through your posts, I am trying to figure out just exactly what it is that you need in the way of coverage?.
In other words what is it specifically that you are interested in protecting your mill and business from?.
Quote from: glassman_48 on August 10, 2014, 07:46:42 AM
MAI,
If I purchased a portable sawmill, took it to someones house to mill their logs, they paid me for the service and they had their people to off load the lumber and one of them got hurt. Do you know if a written contract before hand is the way to go? Or would that even help? Pretty general question I know but would like your input if you dont mind. thanks, Ed
I'm sure that a contract would help, especially if you point it out in the contract that the customer has to have health insurance that can be used in case of an injury!
However, it sometimes depends on which one has the best (most devious) lawyer!
Quote from: WDH on August 10, 2014, 07:44:00 AM
I am still trying. Underwriters say my sales volume is too low :).
That's what my issue was with trying to find insurance for brush mowing.
amen chuck,
I have business insurance that covers me for onsite mobile processing and where my firewood location is presently. I have theft on my machine wherever it is at. I am looking at doing the same thing with a sawmill so hopefully my agent could just add that on to my current policy.
I have just invested a large sum of money in a 4 sided Planer and a 38x 44' Building to put it in.... Part of the Building is going to be a wood fabrication shop to hopefully make and sell products that I saw from my sawmill.
At my location I have 4 buildings..... 1 for finished lumber storage, 1 for the sawmill,1 for eguipment storage, and the new building for the Planer.
I obviously need insurance for the bank for the loan I took out.... and insurance for liability for customers coming and going, I have two delivery trucks that need insurance also....
And I am going to need workers comp soon ....
I think I said earlier ( if I didn't... sorry ) that I had insurance now and that a friend of mine is selling insurance now and couldn't find me coverage.
So this post was to see what may be out there that my friend may not have been able to find... :P
Glassman_48,
That's a question for an attorney to answer. In our sue-happy world, a signed contract or hold harmless agreement may be worth less than the paper it's written on if someone gets hurt.
MAI,
Thanks, kind of what I thought too. When my son and I process firewood, we just keep people back, dont want anyone near my machine when its running at all.
Dewey
If your mill in in its own shed and you are not inviting people into the shed while the mill is in operation you probably don't need any special mill insurance other than theft and loss coverage. as far as the rest of your operation goes it seems that you should be able to get it all under one umbrella as a general liability policy including product liability and your general liability for the delivery end of the operation. It might be a good idea to see what your bank wants and the add the business liability to that.
I really don't know much about insurance but I have sure paid my fair share over the years and I bet you will find a responsible agent who knows his carriers and can cover your needs.