Free Logs!

[DR Buck]

I'm beginning to realize the free logs aren't really free.   :  I had about 75 logs (trees :D) given to me.  Mostly pine, but some cherry and a few oaks in the pile.  All are between 12 to 22 dib and 40 to 60 feet long.  The logs have been limbed and stacked neatly in an open area that is easy to get to.  Since I have a few home projects that I can use the pine for(like a shed for the mill   ;D  )   I agreed to take them all.

Problem is, these logs are 35 miles one way from home and my trailer is 18 feet long with a 10K gross weight capacity.  So I need to cut them all to length, load them and make the many round trips to get them home.  

Questions I have are:

1.  How far are you willing to go for "free logs"?
2.  What species are you willing to go the farthest to get and how far?
3.  What if the logs were trees blown down, but still scattered through the woods and need complete recovery?  Would you go after them?  If so, what criteria would make it worth doing?
4.  Would you prefer to set up and mill the logs on the spot, or move them to your mill location?

[tomtom]

Buck. To have a nice pile of logs like you describe, leaves  you with several options. I would look at the pine first. I am in Canada so my priority is to get my pine cut , stickered and dry. before the summer heat causes stain, and the bugs start chewing.The oak and cherry will wait a bit , even if they are the most valuable. Personally I would buck the logs to the length you want at the pile , hire a truck , and get them home. You can spend your time cutting and will likely have them milled in the same time it would take you to haul yourself. If there is more than you need the trucker will likely buy some against the trucking. Hope this helps Tom  

[Frank_Pender]

Buck, I havehad logs hauled as far a 50 miles one way.  I have also hauled our wild cherry well over that and even paid $100 for the 2,000bdft log scale.  8)  My net profit was fantastic, around $1,000, even after sawing and drying the lumber.  ;D So, for me 35 miles out here is almost nothing to have logs hauled.  The truckers are charging $70 an hour for a self loader in this area. :'(  I simly add the cost to the final price for my lumber.

[mur]

Hi Dr. Buck:

Kinda depends if your mill is portable in a way and whether you like commuting.  In my case, I would have the logs brought to my site and carry on with the show from there.  A hook truck up here is about 100 bucks Canadian per hour.  The logs you mention would probably fit on a 6 axle truck easily.  So, $300-400  Canadian and the logs would be in my yard.  That's the route I would go and like Frank says, you just factor it in to your wood price.  Look at the good side - no falling, skidding, bucking costs. I get lots of aspen this way in my neighbourhood.  I've got a fellow who's good with a hook and I fit into his schedules.  He likes the work too.  

[Kirk_Allen]

Questions I have are:

1.  How far are you willing to go for "free logs"?
2.  What species are you willing to go the farthest to get and how far?
3.  What if the logs were trees blown down, but still scattered through the woods and need complete recovery?  Would you go after them?  If so, what criteria would make it worth doing?
4.  Would you prefer to set up and mill the logs on the spot, or move them to your mill location?

1. Personally I have gone as far as 150 miles for free logs.  If the value of the lumber justifies the time and expense I go for it.
2. I will travel the farthest for Walnut, Cherry, and White Oak.  
3. Yes!  We recoverd over 40 Red & White Oak trees in Arkansas that were all wind blown-over. It was worth it becuase of the size of the trees (24-40" DIB) and most were 15-20 feet straight to the first branch. After evaluating the time it would take to recover, saw and sell it made sense since I had the spare time to divert for such a project.
4. I like having the logs on my site when possible if they are mine to keep.  It never fails that once a person who gave you the log sees how much lumber you get from it they start to grumble about giving you the logs.  

Hope that helps.

[jgoodhart]

Hire a truck to bring them to your place, probley be less than 200$, you cant by a pickemup truck load of 2 x4 s at Lowes for 200$ :D

I use to Hire a truck to haul my trees to the mill to pay to have them cut and hall the lumber home on my trailer and it was still cheaper than buying the finished product elseware. I just left it up to the hauler to fit it in to his schedule and I normally only paid for oneway of the trip.

Since I built my own little mill the logs sit and wait till it fit into my schedule to cut them up ;D

[Furby]

Dr_Buck, thanks for asking this ? !
I have up to 100 "free" red pine about 30 - 40 miles from me that I can cut this fall. I was wondering if it would really be worth it, as I can only take small loads. Now maybe I'll hire someone.  :

[Engineer]

1.  How far are you willing to go for "free logs"?

Over an hour's drive, depending on species and size.

2.  What species are you willing to go the farthest to get and how far?

Cherry, sugar maple, walnut, butternut, I'd go way out of my way to get, especially free.  I once loaded four cherry logs, each about 12" dia. and 12' long, in the back of my F-150 with nothing more than brute force and a pair of gloves.  One end at a time and a lot of shoving and tugging.  I dunno which came out worse, me or the truck.  Anyhow, they was frreeeee!

3.  What if the logs were trees blown down, but still scattered through the woods and need complete recovery?  Would you go after them?  If so, what criteria would make it worth doing?

Blowdowns and scattered aren't a problem, I'd trailer up my tractor, buck 'em, skid 'em and load 'em up.  Unless the logs aren't worth much to me.  Right now, I'd even go after pine and poplar, even though I've got about 17,000 board feet of pine logs sitting in my yard right now.  About the only things I'd leave be, even free, would be cottonwood and willow.

4.  Would you prefer to set up and mill the logs on the spot, or move them to your mill location?  

Move 'em.  That way I can cut them on my own time, and if I have to wait to cut them, I can get them off the ground and seal the ends so they'll hold 'til I'm ready.

I was recently given about 30 logs, mixed beech, soft maple, white and red oak, by a friend who cleared land for his house.  I had to skid them after he dropped them,  load on my trailer (basically a twin-axle landscape trailer), and move them about eight miles to my site.  Three trips, plus one more to retrieve my tractor.  All in all, I got about 1800 board feet (scaled) from the logs.  Even at a buck a board foot, it's worth my time (about 4 hours worth, not including the sawing).  Even for firewood, it was worth my time.
 

[Oregon_Sawyer]

I would just hire a self-loading log truck and have them delivered to my yard.

I was going to set up my loader to go out and get logs.  It is a three axle International with a Ramey hydraulic grapple loader.  All I have to do is add a fifth wheel.  But then I would have to put PUC plates on it and insure it.  It is much cheaper for me to have someone else haul the logs.

I can make more money sawing than chasing around getting logs.

The last load of logs came from about 100 miles away. They weren't free either.

Loren