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How to find your first lot to cut

Started by Farmboy 96, May 13, 2015, 02:56:24 PM

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Farmboy 96

Hi everyone this is my first post and Im going to get right to the point. Im 18 just graduating high school and wondering how to convinence people to let me selectively cut their wood. I bought my c5 tree farmer exactly one year ago and spent that time working all the kinks out of it. Ive been helping my dad out in the woods since I was 10 working our own land but am now trying to find lots to cut. Ive been knocking on doors and asking people if they'd like any wood cut but I just keep getting no for an answer. Im offering more than fair stumpage rates.

beenthere

Welcome to the Forestry Program.

Likely these same people would give that answer "no" to anyone knocking on their door, and regardless of the price offered.

Don't give up hope, as someday it could happen.

Maybe see if you can hire out to help move wood on another sale. Just to keep your foot in the door and to help pay for your investment.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Maine logger88

Farmboy where you from? As far as lots go just keep trying you will get something at some point. Do it for awhile and get a good reputation and work will find you
79 TJ 225 81 JD 540B Husky and Jonsered saws

mad murdock

Get to know state/county foresters and consulting foresters. If they know your family and the name means a quality job, you will get work. You can check out the state timber harvest sales, and maybe bid on some smaller ones to get some notches in yer belt, so to speak. Also, get to know established tree service outfits, sometimes they have jobs that require more hardware than they have, and partnering with them will allow them access to you and your skidder. Be knowledgeable on niche markets in your area(update your profile on here will help for those offering advise also), you can oft times make a lot more by cutting less, especially if you are cutting poles or dredge and dock pilings, or house logs, rather than just looking to cut "firewood" or "pulp".  The more connected you are to all marketing options, the more tools and leeway you will have when talking to a land/timber owner about how much of a cut you propose and what stumpage will yeild in their pocket when the dust settles and you are on to another job. Welcome aboard BTW 8)
Turbosawmill M6 (now M8) Warrior Ultra liteweight, Granberg Alaskan III, lots of saws-gas powered and human powered :D

thecfarm

Farmboy 96,welcome to the forum. Takes time to get your name out. I would think you would be able to find some small lots. Seem like the big boys don't want to move thier equipment for small lots.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

beenthere

FB 96
If you get some jobs, how will you get the skidder to the job site?

I ask, because I had the idea last winter to knock down about 25 trees and hire a skidder to bring them out of my woods to a landing where I would buck them up.

A logger contacted me, and came out for a look. I was told he'd need $500 to  get the skidder there, and thought he might get it done in one day for another $500. Said just trucking the skidder was $250 to drop it off, and another $250 to pick it up.

I said "no thank you" - Sir! I did appreciate him making the trip out to look and talk about the job.

How would you bid a job like that?
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Farmboy 96

Well Maine logger 88 I'm from jay in southern franklin county. Beenthere I have a good friend who would be hauling the tiwgfarmer for me and all Id really owe him is money for diesel. So whatever it would run him for fuel money x2 plus roughly $30 -$35 a cord to twitch it depending on terrain and skid distance.

thenorthman

So first off don't count on friends to be there for ya, especially when you start to make some money.  They will want to get paid eventually too.

On to the real question...

Craigslist.  post an add and wait, answer the phone, check yer emails and then show up. 

Haven't tried the door knocking thing personally, couldn't see how it would work with me being all tattooed and grizzly adams lookin, Don't imagine that it would help ya being young and all.

Anyway, people that call you are more likely to give you time to make an impression on em, therefore making it easier to get the work you want, that and if they call you you already know they want the trees cut, its just a matter of when and who.

Also don't count on getting every job you get a chance to bid on, some folks just want an opinion on what the timber is worth, some want a fair bid, some want more then is feasible... anyway I get about 1/3 of what I bid on, some I loose to competition, some to not being worth it, and some to just plain indecision...
well that didn't work

Straightgrain

Welcome, nice to see a young man wanting to work.

What everyone else has already posted +

Try putting your info on bulletin boards; Small Woodlot associations, grocery stores, VFW, Moose Lodge, American Legion, Logging Supply stores, etc.

Additional advice.....Use written contracts and watch those property lines, Timbe Trespass judgements are x 3 per stump + legal fees.
"We fight for and against not men and things as they are, but for and against the caricatures we make of them". Joseph Schumpeter

BargeMonkey

 What everyone else said.  :D   But also figure you cant make everyone happy 110% of the time, do no damage and still afford to put fuel in your skidder. Taking a little extra effort fixing skid trails and cutting slash down / stumps down when your done goes a long ways. Try subcontracting for someone else, be a good way to get seen but not have your neck on the line. Only guys i see advertising on CL are the log bandits, down here if a guy has no work it says something, but a nice sign or poster hung up locally may get you some business from people the big guys over look.

MJD

I remember them days, what got me going was doing some not so great of jobs for the county forester (others did not want to do). Did a good job for him and he passed the word on when someone called him looking for a logger, within a few months I had more work than 1 guy could keep up with. 8)

tmbrcruiser

Like Mad Murdock I would advise you to talk to county and local foresters. They will know of jobs that fit your abilities. Make sure you keep up with the paperwork and have the proper insurances. Working with an established forester will give you the opportunity to learn what a select cut truly is and avoid the reputation of a high grade harvester. Property lines must be correct, never take the word of one person. Not that the person is dishonest but there may be a conflict of where each owner thinks the line is. A few weeks ago I was on a job with a recent survey in hand, ran down the line and found all of the corner markers. We started cutting and the neighbor came over to show me the correct corner. Turns out the surveyor was wrong and had set  corner about 200' from an existing marker. We were lucky this time, so asking is a good policy, may also get you another job. Good luck Farmboy, it is good to see some one who is young getting into the logging business.
Once you get sap in your veins, you will always have sawdust in your pockets.

treeslayer2003

Quote from: tmbrcruiser on May 14, 2015, 02:18:15 PM
Like Mad Murdock I would advise you to talk to county and local foresters. They will know of jobs that fit your abilities. Make sure you keep up with the paperwork and have the proper insurances. Working with an established forester will give you the opportunity to learn what a select cut truly is and avoid the reputation of a high grade harvester. Property lines must be correct, never take the word of one person. Not that the person is dishonest but there may be a conflict of where each owner thinks the line is. A few weeks ago I was on a job with a recent survey in hand, ran down the line and found all of the corner markers. We started cutting and the neighbor came over to show me the correct corner. Turns out the surveyor was wrong and had set  corner about 200' from an existing marker. We were lucky this time, so asking is a good policy, may also get you another job. Good luck Farmboy, it is good to see some one who is young getting into the logging business.
god sake, i been through that. nothing is more trouble than that. glad it worked out ok for y'all. what is it with surveyors these days? they don't seem to care if they are accurate.

farm boy, say what you will do and do what you said. the others already told you most the rest. a good rep will carry you a long way, a bad one will ruin you in short order.

luvmexfood

You might also want to make contact with some local log yards that buy logs. As of now I am only cutting on family land small scale but they have told me of jobs a couple of times that needed someone to cut.
Give me a new saw chain and I can find you a rock in a heartbeat.

Farmboy 96

Thanks everyone for the info. I guess eventually something will come up I've already had a few people tell me that they would definitely keep me in mind and as of tonight I may have actually found a decent 60 acre lot for this winter. I don't understand how  people keep getting one lot right after the next because when you look at how they cut they take almost everything with any size to it, scarf up what little they actually leave behind, and pay the land owner didly squat for it. I was always taught that if you damaged it you took it, always cut your junk wood first (pulp, crotched trees, dead trees) then go in and cut your mature trees while leaving your future log and veneer trees to give them time to grow. However it seems like most of the big guys around here do the complete opposite. 

lynde37avery

Saw Mills usually need loggers For contract. Also find s logger to be friends with. That helps with getting work. That's kinda how I did it.
Detroit WHAT?

Ken

Quote from: lynde37avery on May 15, 2015, 10:22:03 PM
Also find s logger to be friends with. That helps with getting work. That's kinda how I did it.

Well said.  There are a number of small jobs that I "farm out" as they are too small for my equipment but I want to keep the client happy.   If you are good at what you do there should be lots of work for a small operator doing quality work.   Good luck
Lots of toys for working in the bush

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