I'm in northern/central Il. I have about a tandem log semi worth of logs I need to move, maybe a little more, but can't find anyone to do it. In this part of the state there aren't a lot of semi log haulers. I tried a large tree service that I know has the equipment and when I first met him he said they were pretty busy, but It's been a week and I can't get a return call.
I tried a logger/sawmill guy I know has equipment and he just flat out told me he's too busy and I can't get him to budge.
I got a lead on another guy a little further away and he told me the same thing, he's too busy. Too busy to schedule something even in a few weeks?? I told all of them It can be done anytime on weekend or whenever.
I then called another small sawmill/logger and he acted like he didn't want to do it and said his equipment is sort of down. I don't believe it though from how he sounded. It's an easy load and haul. I just don't get it.
Is there a better way to find a log truck? Is there some type of registry to see if there is someone else near the loading or drop off point? I've just tried searching logging, log hauling, timber hauling etc on google.
needahauler .com
I think it is just a shipping website like craigslist. Never used it but get info from that at farm show every year.
Try a CL search of firewood for sale,might find someone there.I just did a search of Rockford CL...Dave Kelly,Crystal Lake.I have no idea where you are.A lot of loggers in this area run dump trucks or excavating equipment until the snow flies.
Good luck
There seems to be a shortage of log trucks in are state. But after years of owning them I now know why. They will eat you alive the cops seek you out and they eat you alive. I've got a grapple truck with a pup and a semi setup for long hauling. The grapple truck makes a D9 dozer look effecient. My highest cost of logging is transportation of logs period. But the grapple truck makes hauling easy. I can pack out a landing with it to a nearby road and when it rains I haul logs until it dries up or freezes then back into the timber. Anyway I don't haul commercial for other outfits. And don't now of any around that do. Log trucks here are owned by mill that transport there logs and small loggers that don't have trucks but only for there mill. I have trucks because it's part of the business, believe you me it's not by choice but neccessity. Sorry no help but a good forklift and trailer would make a mill and log hauling easier for both. I got 3 forklift 1 4x4, kinda wheel loader gone forklift. Love it.. fyi back in the day when I would do some hauling for others grapple truck 120hour, semi 100. Never went by milage. And wouldn't.
Yes trucks are hard to hire because they all work for the big companies and can't be bothered for the little guy. Some of the guy around here will load a few logs on there own trailers and truck them to the nearby yards with 1 ton trucks . It's slow but does work . --Good luck
Quote from: killamplanes on October 23, 2017, 10:00:36 PM
There seems to be a shortage of log trucks in are state. But after years of owning them I now know why. They will eat you alive the cops seek you out and they eat you alive. I've got a grapple truck with a pup and a semi setup for long hauling. The grapple truck makes a D9 dozer look effecient. My highest cost of logging is transportation of logs period. But the grapple truck makes hauling easy. I can pack out a landing with it to a nearby road and when it rains I haul logs until it dries up or freezes then back into the timber. Anyway I don't haul commercial for other outfits. And don't now of any around that do. Log trucks here are owned by mill that transport there logs and small loggers that don't have trucks but only for there mill. I have trucks because it's part of the business, believe you me it's not by choice but neccessity. Sorry no help but a good forklift and trailer would make a mill and log hauling easier for both. I got 3 forklift 1 4x4, kinda wheel loader gone forklift. Love it.. fyi back in the day when I would do some hauling for others grapple truck 120hour, semi 100. Never went by milage. And wouldn't.
a truck and loader is well worth what your getting I have a truck for short hauls but hire out long hauls how do you figure your rate when you leave your house or loaded to the mill we had a guy that did by the hour here about 8 years ago charged 65 an hour I had him just one time took him 5hours to load and go to the mill the mill was 25 miles away :o ::) I my self like a set rate
A lot of guys with grapple trucks are in Florida and Texas doing storm work. This caused a shortage around Kansas City and has kept the trucks that are still here really busy. For the last month there hasn't been enough hours in the day to keep up with the work. A lot of tree services go do storm work too. This causes the ones left in town to be that much busier. My walnut buyer called me a couple of weeks ago because he had some people desperate to get some logs hauled to the pallet mill. I told him I didn't want to mess with it. I'm sure these guys aren't lying to you they are really busy. It's much more profitable for me to haul brush off tree jobs with my grapple truck than to go out of my way to haul one load of logs.
I'm milling all the timbers to build my home. This load and a half would keep me busy milling all winter. I just need to get it home. Landowner wants it gone too. I just got a call from the tree service and it sounds like they will send a quote over soon. From what he said I think I'm definitely going to pay much more than I budgeted for. It's probably a load and a half, but it sound like they can do it this week.:)
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How far do they need to be moved?
98 miles
Yea, that's kinda far economically to tackle with a pickup and trailer.
Almost seems like investing in a log trailer and renting it out might be profitable....
Hopefully you find some one, one thought that might be an option, my son started up a scrap business, has a tri axle dumpster hauler with a grapple, not only does he move my logs, (puts them in a 40 yard can) he gets alot of work from a few tree guys to move the big stuff out. Scrap is way down, maybe there`s a scrapper in the area not as busy as the log haulers
I've seen many 48ft decks with logs on them in Wisconsin and Illinois and all they were was decks with pipe stakes. The internet truckstop or a third party freight broker that uses DAT should have no trouble finding a truck. A 98 mile haul is likely to cost you $500 minimum. I used to broker freight but don't have access anymore or I could do this for you. I'm not familiar with needahauler but I see there link all the time when I'm on marketplace or truckpaper. uship is another one that seems to work not too bad.
I'm kind of curious to know what they'll charge for hauling it.
I haul logs on my gooseneck flat bed utility trailer. Used 4x4 lumber and some 2bys to make baby bunks that drop into stake pockets and hold the bottom coarse of logs in. Then just pyramid stack them and strap down. Maybe a hay hauler or dumptruck guy with a tag can do it. Can you load and unload at each end?
I don't go over the road with my grapple chasing storms. Though I here it makes good money. I have tackled some large projects though. I packed out half a million bdft of a 20ac landing. Only went 1-2 miles took 3.5 days. Forgot now but burnt alot of fuel, and remember only 1 blown hose. A grapple truck driver is like a mechanic some are good and some are riding the time clock. I work for myself and employees so riding the time clock doesn't help me. Hourly helps because sometimes the logs are still trees and I have log trucks not tree trucks. So I get 125 hour to run a saw. And log truck sits there idling. I figure anything within 30-40 mile grapple truck fine. Beyond that economics kick in weight of loader hanging on the back etc. That's were a semi setup comes in. And I run milage plates on grapple truck, it can't leave the state. My semi has apportioned plates fuel tags etc to go anywhere
My tree guy I buy logs from has a big gooseneck dump trailer and can take a good size load.
Can you find someone like that ?
The last I looked in our "for Sale" section there was a log trailer/grapple. Maybe you can work out a rental, or even buy it and then do some hauling for hire while you list it for sale.
Quote from: killamplanes on October 24, 2017, 10:07:58 PM
I don't go over the road with my grapple chasing storms. Though I here it makes good money. I have tackled some large projects though. I packed out half a million bdft of a 20ac landing. Only went 1-2 miles took 3.5 days. Forgot now but burnt alot of fuel, and remember only 1 blown hose. A grapple truck driver is like a mechanic some are good and some are riding the time clock. I work for myself and employees so riding the time clock doesn't help me. Hourly helps because sometimes the logs are still trees and I have log trucks not tree trucks. So I get 125 hour to run a saw. And log truck sits there idling. I figure anything within 30-40 mile grapple truck fine. Beyond that economics kick in weight of loader hanging on the back etc. That's were a semi setup comes in. And I run milage plates on grapple truck, it can't leave the state. My semi has apportioned plates fuel tags etc to go anywhere
my dad always hated when he pulled in to a landing and they was still tree length 99% of the time he drove away and left them he even did that to me a few times ??? >:( ;D
We've always had the same problem here too. Especially little guys like me that don't log full time. Just went to an amish mill yesterday to see if he'd buy dump trailer loads. I think I can maybe haul 2 cords at a time. He's about 20 miles away. Not sure how I'm gonna make out yet, but it will generate a little cash flow and not have to wait a month for a trucker
I got a proposal on Wednesday, accepted it, and the logs were picked up and moved this morning. I paid too much, but I feel better that it's done! It's the most Walnut I've purchased at once so far( or any logs for that matter). The truck box is 3/4 full too. They don't fill the box totally because the weight of the newly retrofitted box itself takes a weights a lot.
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Walnut..wow, that's a load. That's some $ for sure. Glad you were able to purchase it and find a hauler.
Well, not for sale. That's going to make up part of my dream home I'm going to build....Timbers for timberframe. There will be some forked posts, live edge braces, forked braces...
Very nice, 8) 8) smiley_beertoast
It will be fun to watch your build progress. Congrats on getting the logs and the transport.
Thanks. I'm jealous of their equipment!
glad you got them home i have never seen a tandem rear mount loader hauling a wagon or a 4 bunk tandem log trailer all iv seen here is tri axel
Im guessing their bridge law wont respect the pusher or tag axle due to spread, and probably limits them to 34k on the tandem. The jeep looks to have a 10' spread between the rear drive and the last trailer axle on the pup so id think they can put 20k on each axle as long as the whole package passes bridge calc. I bet that rig gets hefty on the steer when loaded.
I have been pullin a similar trailer, except for it just has 2 bunks. I put 2 bunks on the truck too for hauling short 20 and 24 foot logs to a firewood guy.
I am now in the process of changing it up so I can quickly change out with the long log bunks on the truck and also load the short log trailer when I am using it, as the roads are getting too slick to pull it empty.
No wonder you wanted to get the logs/trees home, that's some nice loads 8).
Here we can go to 80 on weight. Both truck setups in picure are able to. The real problem is getting the weight on the right axles. On the grapple truck it's 20k on steers 34k on tandem. The pup trailer has atleast 9ft or 10ft minimum spread between axles which allow 20k per axle. But of course 80k total is. Allowed. I always love looking at log truck and trailers from michigan. It's a contest who can fit more axles under the bed then the neighbor.
Quote from: killamplanes on October 29, 2017, 07:40:45 PM
I always love looking at log truck and trailers from michigan. It's a contest who can fit more axles under the bed then the neighbor.
next it will be 6 tires per axle ;D
Yeah, anything to run the owner op out of the market.