Small firewood business

[Lumberjack49]

Ok guys looking for any input or ideas you guys may have to do a small firewood business first off a little background on my self 49 yrs old been in the woods logging my whole life stil a logger today I had my own logging company once and did alot of firewood but a bad divorce took that any way here is my plan firewood is always been a hot ticket in my area I don't want to go the route of log loader log truck skidder all that jazz I want to buy a small cable skidder a nice wood splitter and build a chute on it so as the next block goes thru it pushes the wood to the truck less handling and a one ton truck I could haul 3 face cord on firewood lots are easy to get in my area so wood won't be a problem just looking to hear what others are doing and ideas I could use to make the operation run smoothly thanks in advance 

[stavebuyer]

I think if you are going to live load a one ton with 3 face cords that you will still need a firewood elevator. A chute would be fine for a pickup or low height trailer, but you need some height to load a full cord on a one ton.

[Lumberjack49]

It would be a pick up with a regular box not a dump box the chute would have hardly any angle to it 

[Lumberjack49]

Pick up with a rack and I would be stacking the wood on the truck to get that volume

[mudfarmer]

The chute is not going to help much if you are stacking, unless help is involved? I would seriously consider a dump, even flat bed dump with racks. That's a lot of stacking and unstacking.. Maybe the market is better where you are?

Fwiw my mason dump with regular side boards holds 2/3 of a cord hand thrown, slightly humped. 16" wood with variety of split sizes

[B.C.C. Lapp]

Good luck with your new business venture Lumberjack49.
You asked what other guys are doing, well, as for myself I load my 3/4ton pickup and or my dump trailer by hand.   I have to because to get an honest cord in my dump trailer I have to stack the back two rows good and tight and then round off the whole thing pretty high to get the cord on.     I already have two 2X8's built up on the side of my trailer now to make it fit.  I experimented with building them up even higher so I could just throw it on but it was way to hard to see over and harder to toss the wood up over those high sides so I took that last row off and just stack it.    Yeah, its time consuming and lots of work.
If I ever build up my business enough to make it worth it Ill buy a conveyor and a longer wider trailer.  But for now I'm stacking to make it fit.

[hedgerow]

Lumberjack49
Years ago when I started selling wood it didn't take very long stacking wood on a trailer or truck until I set up my truck and trailer so I could conveyor a cord of wood on each and not have to stack it on to get a cord. Most of the customers I had unloading and stacking it for them was part of the service. I didn't need to do it twice on each load. Setting up equipment right sure helps with firewood. Its a lot of labor for not much money. I sold wood for around twenty years. Glad I quiet that years ago.

[Stephen1]

I see dealing in wood for us small guys as Value Adding to the product. 
Lumber - small custom amounts of exceptional quality lumber.
Firewood- I would bring it in by the truck load, buy a tractor/loader , with a 3 point hitch so I could install a splitter on it. cut split and then Kiln Dry it for the value added. 

[Ventryjr]

I spent the summer splitting then hand throwing into a dump trailer. It wasn't that much fun. Each time I felt like my shoulder was going to fall off.  (I think due to an archery injury).   This coming season in setting up a hydraulic conveyor. I already have a 12ft conveyor with a hydraulic motor. I just need to figure out some plumbing.  I'm hoping to tie into my log splitter so the conveyor runs when the wedge isn't moving.  Good luck! And stay safe! 

[doc henderson]

does you valve have a power beyond port?  I made one with a truck tarp gear reduced motor and it works well.  12 V.

[doc henderson]

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=117124.msg1862413#msg1862413

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=104843.msg1630742#msg1630742

[beenthere]

Ran across this video. First I've seen this author but enjoyed the footage of using the Metavic rig for going out in the snow. Apparently has an interesting system. Will watch some more. 
Putting on tractor chains and collecting firewood - YouTube