Production goals

[DCT2021]

I know most guys on here are from the east coast and things are way different logging wise on the west coast but I'm always curious on what kind of production everyone aims for.
I work alone 99% of the time except for hiring a truck to haul logs but I have more equipment than the average 1 man show also but I really try to get atleast 5 truck loads a day and I know that no job or wood is ever the same so just curious how my goals comparing to everyone else.

[BargeMonkey]

I know guys in NY who won't go to the woods if they can't gross 3-5k a day, know a father / son team in central NY who puts out a woodpile that scares people and know guys who are just avoiding starvation with an old skidder. In semi rugged ground with decent wood if I do 2-3 truck and pup load of logs, couple load of pulp, some softwood logs and 5-7ld of firewood a week alone that's not a bad week. 

[ehp]

Cannot go by truck loads cause trucks are huge difference from area to area , my loads lately are 10,500 to 11,000 feet dolye scale , same thing you cannot compare a guy cutting trees that average 100 ft of scale to someone cutting 500 feet of scale per tree . Same thing again where you can run threw the bush and cut pretty much what you want to a area like here where you may get to cut 1 or 2 trees out of every 10 or 15 big trees , 

[chep]

I agree with ehp. Every region is so different.  

I'd say that we all do what we need to make our payments and get paid (hopefully)

Rather see pics of what other guys do then brag about how many loads a day/week

[Frickman]

I remember one time a veneer log buyer asked me if it was ok to cut one foot off a log to increase its value.  I replied "I deposit dollars in the bank, not board feet. I don't care about how many board feet I cut, I only care about how many dollars I make."  So I never cared about my production in board feet.  In my area truck loads run 3,000 to 3,500 board feet Doyle scale.  With a good skidder operator I could easily cut 10,000 board feet/day in big tulip poplar in a good, roadside lot.  If i was working alone I may only cut 2,000 to 3,000 board feet/day in smaller timber in an out-of-the way lot.  It all depended on the timber and its location.

I am retired now and will allow the rest of you discuss this.  I will be here on the sidelines watching.

[ehp]

Ya, I really donot care how much ft I put out but what I care about in the dollar value , cutting higher grade timber sure helps the bank account compared to cutting low grade , at the end of the week or month did I make any coin is what I look at and how hard was it on my body and machines to make that coin

[B.C.C. Lapp]

I remember one time a veneer log buyer asked me if it was ok to cut one foot off a log to increase its value.  I replied "I deposit dollars in the bank, not board feet. I don't care about how many board feet I cut, I only care about how many dollars I make."  So I never cared about my production in board feet.  In my area truck loads run 3,000 to 3,500 board feet Doyle scale.  With a good skidder operator I could easily cut 10,000 board feet/day in big tulip poplar in a good, roadside lot.  If i was working alone I may only cut 2,000 to 3,000 board feet/day in smaller timber in an out-of-the way lot.  It all depended on the timber and its location.

I am retired now and will allow the rest of you discuss this.  I will be here on the sidelines watching.

Nothing has changed much Frickman. I work pretty much the same way and see it the same.  And I make a decent living. But if I hadn't  sold firewood and did a bit of farming I'd have been pretty hard pressed these last four years. We don't get the cold and frozen ground quite like we used to. Seems I log less days every year.
I'm supposed to be retiring from logging as well. But every time the forester says "I got a job I want to show you, I hear somebody say "Okay when?"  Then I think, wait, was that me?

[DCT2021]

So are you guys selling timber on a per ton price then since it seems you don't care much about scale? Everything other than pulp wood for chips is paid for on board footage on scribner scale on the west coast.

[beenthere]

DCT
When using weight, usually the buyer and the seller have a pretty good idea what the scale to weight ratio is for the product of the moment. At least they better keep track of that ratio. Depends on species, density of the wood, moisture content, etc. Then factor in those variables so the profit margin keeps on the positive side. 

[ehp]

If your selling lower grade then I guess weight is fine but selling higher grade you always sell by scale and grade , When you have 5 different grade of sawlogs then 3 to 5 different grades of veneer , selling by scale and grade makes a huge difference on your amount you get back from your timber

[Freedy201]

Getting 5 truck loads a day solo with your setup is pretty impressive. I think a lot depends on the type of wood and terrain, but for one person working mostly alone, that's definitely up there.