buying a harvester

[stevohut]

I need peoples opinion on buying a harvester to go into business as a sub contractor for land clearing guys. Around here most forest is just knocked down and burnt for farmland. Is there any money in harvesting that lumber and selling it if you have equipment payments and rely on somebody else to transport your harvester and your wood to the mill? I don't have a clue where to start or if this is even a good idea.

steve

 

[Gologit]

If you're willing to run it yourself all day, work on it all night so you can run it again all the next day, have good enough contacts in the industry that you can work at least 200 days a year for people who will actually pay you on time, and don't mind spending all your spare time doing paperwork and chasing parts you might make a go of it. Maybe.

Buying the machine is the easy part...keeping it working is tough. As a subcontractor you'll be the last one called and the first one laid off until you've established yourself and built a reputation.

Contacts within the industry are key to staying busy and staying profitable. You might try running a harvester for somebody else. It might give you a different perspective...and save you some grief.

Ever wonder why there's so much slightly used logging equipment for sale?

 

[Oldtimer]

You'll need more than a harvester...you'll need a forwarder too..
A used set will run you no less than $130,000 USD. At least, a used set that might run for a while...
Then there's trucking....who will truck it?

Research your markets, research the trucking. This isn't a line of work that forgives the naive.