Firewood Business

[NC Firewood]

New to site, just wanted to see some pictures of anyone with a firewood business. If its your full time job or just done for extra cash. I'm going to post some pictures just as soon as the weather clears up around here. I like to see what equipment others are working with and maybe can get some ideas on how to make things better. Anything posted is greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Firewolf]

Sounds like a good idea ,Love to send you some pics as soon as the snow melts off.

 

[Zodiac45]

Looks like you've got everything you need there NC. Processors are the primary difference I've seen. I'm interested in those Ranier hydraulics chomper type like a few guys have here. They use the blade versus a saw too shear the wood. It acts as a ram too.

Also here a pretty cool rig using a round blade. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=hhmKBDIAXd0&feature=related

 

[NC Firewood]

Looks like you've got everything you need there NC. Processors are the primary difference I've seen. I'm interested in those Ranier hydraulics chomper type like a few guys have here. They use the blade versus a saw too shear the wood. It acts as a ram too.

Also here a pretty cool rig using a round blade. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=hhmKBDIAXd0&feature=related

Owning a Cord King would be my dream, just have to get a steady supply of logs and money to keep things running. Putting a 115HP diesel on a processor is a force to be reckoned with! Takes a many "back and forths" to pay that baby off.

 

[Zodiac45]

Owning a Cord King would be my dream, just have to get a steady supply of logs and money to keep things running. Putting a 115HP diesel on a processor is a force to be reckoned with! Takes a many "back and forths" to pay that baby off.

Lol yep you're jumping way ahead of the power curve with one of those! They also cost about 100g's! People using those need a huge customer base like the bundles guy in Medsford, Or. they profiled on the site. He's dealing with those cheasy wrapped bundles you see in the Rite Aid etc.. It's no doubt a profitable bizz if you can get a customer like that, that gaurentees tractor/trailor loads. But for home heating, you'll be able too use the stuff you have until you can build up. The key is having a constant source of woof too. We do tree length, but I have been fiddling with the numbers for a couple of years trying to figure if the machine and labour required would make a profit.

 

[Firewolf]

Owning a Cord King would be my dream.$$$$

Owning a Cord King would be my dream, just have to get a steady supply of logs and money to keep things running. Putting a 115HP diesel on a processor is a force to be reckoned with! Takes a many "back and forths" to pay that baby off.

They manufacture the cord King about an hour away from where i live (in The Great white north (Eastern Ont,Canada) and to this date I have only seen one in use. It sure can make a pile of wood fast. My Chomper has the 125hp John Deere Diesel and it will slice and Dice with no problem but I just wish it was a bit faster -- still doing about 1 full bush cord an hr that's not bad but the cord king will do 2 to 2 1/2 per hr
now thats speed also remember you have to have a loader operator to feed the cord king.. I don't! and $100K is alot of wood chips

 

[ADAMH]

here is a pic of our small operation..we did 30 cords last year..and are doing 90 cords this year

 

[NC Firewood]

Lol yep you're jumping way ahead of the power curve with one of those! They also cost about 100g's! People using those need a huge customer base like the bundles guy in Medsford, Or. they profiled on the site. He's dealing with those cheasy wrapped bundles you see in the Rite Aid etc.. It's no doubt a profitable bizz if you can get a customer like that, that gaurentees tractor/trailor loads. But for home heating, you'll be able too use the stuff you have until you can build up. The key is having a constant source of woof too. We do tree length, but I have been fiddling with the numbers for a couple of years trying to figure if the machine and labour required would make a profit.

Have you ever delt with pallet sales? I'm thinking of selling wrapped 4x4x4 pallets, I could fit 2 on my pick-up and 6 on my 2 ton. Possilbly get a lift crane/ hoist to set them off with. I've got forks for the tractor to load them with. Any thoughts? Maybe get a $5 deposit for the pallets?

 

[phill3030]

What i am looking at doing this year is shrink wrapping pallets 6 feet high and loading three of them on a 14 foot tilt bed trailer with skid steer to off load I am getting a hydraulic driven all terain pallet jack. We have been busy stacking and wrapping and it seem like it is going to work pretty good.

Phill

 

[blackdiesel]

Here's my outfit

 

[NC Firewood]

Here's my outfit

Nice outfit, how do you sell? Good looking JD in the background, we've got a 2955 with 3800hrs. for sale. I appreciate the feedback.

 

[NC Firewood]

What i am looking at doing this year is shrink wrapping pallets 6 feet high and loading three of them on a 14 foot tilt bed trailer with skid steer to off load I am getting a hydraulic driven all terain pallet jack. We have been busy stacking and wrapping and it seem like it is going to work pretty good.

Phill

So your dimensions will be approx. 4x4x6 right? About 96 cu. ft. How much will you sell these for in your area. I'm trying to take my business to the next level and get more "refined". Something to set me apart from the "two men, a maul, and a truck" image. Also, I am looking to be self contained, I really can't pull a fork lift or any other machinery behind my trucks. I do alot of business in tight neighborhoods and Raleigh so it would be dern near impossible. Just looking for a good way to off load my stacks.

 

[blackdiesel]

Nice outfit, how do you sell? Good looking JD in the background, we've got a 2955 with 3800hrs. for sale. I appreciate the feedback.

Local lodge, i haul 4 cord in that International 10-wheeler. I'm contracted to a local lodge here locally. check out my post in "piling up the firewood" for pics of my wood pile

 

[blackdiesel]

who are you guys selling pallets of firewood to? I'm thinking heavily about the bundles this year, and pallets would be good to

Does anybody sell bundles to Wal-Mart, Home Depot, or Lowes? I asked a guy in Lowes and he said i would have to contact headquarters.

 

[NC Firewood]

who are you guys selling pallets of firewood to? I'm thinking heavily about the bundles this year, and pallets would be good to

Does anybody sell bundles to Wal-Mart, Home Depot, or Lowes? I asked a guy in Lowes and he said i would have to contact headquarters.

That is a sick pile. I know you've got some seriouse man/hrs. in that. I'm currently waiting to hear back from Rose's (kind of the first wal-mart in the south) about getting a few contracts on selling bundles. I know a firewood business that had all the boys/girls camps up and down the coast. They just went under so I'm looking to get in with that as well. I've heard with bundles, the producer sells each for 2.00-2.50 and they turn around and sell for $5. Sounds about right 100% mark-up.

 

[blackdiesel]

I never knew what they were paying for the bundles, but i was figuring on 3 bucks apeice. I may call Lowes tomorrow and see what they have to say

 

[phill3030]

the pallet jack slides in under the last pallet on the tilt bed trailer so pull up to the house tilt the trailer (hydraulic of course) fire up the pallet jack and move skid full of wood to where ever you can get it to that the consumer is happy with
I sell a skid 6 feet high for $80.00 here in south dakota but I get all my wood for free and it is dropped off at my splitter. so that saves me a lot of time and fuel cost. this is the link to the pallet jack http://estore.sjf.com/sjf.nsf/vwLev...86257214005997C8?OpenDocument&Count=5&EndVars

 

[NC Firewood]

I never knew what they were paying for the bundles, but i was figuring on 3 bucks apeice. I may call Lowes tomorrow and see what they have to say

Give it a shot, if you don't the next man will. Looks like the size of your pieces resembles about what i sell. Most of the bundle wood looks to be 14"-16" I could probably take one of my 11 o'clock pieces, split it 4 ways and have one bundle. What they sell almost resembles large kindling.

 

[NC Firewood]

the pallet jack slides in under the last pallet on the tilt bed trailer so pull up to the house tilt the trailer (hydraulic of course) fire up the pallet jack and move skid full of wood to where ever you can get it to that the consumer is happy with
I sell a skid 6 feet high for $80.00 here in south dakota but I get all my wood for free and it is dropped off at my splitter. so that saves me a lot of time and fuel cost. this is the link to the pallet jack http://estore.sjf.com/sjf.nsf/vwLev...86257214005997C8?OpenDocument&Count=5&EndVars

That pallet jack is sweet. I'm having to pay for some of the wood I receive now, which hurts. I almost positive I don't sell as much as your business so $5800 for the jack would hurt. They sell those hoist/cranes at Northern Tool but I don't know how they would hold up. 1000 lb. capacity.

 

[phill3030]

I am not sure about that I do firewood part time sold about 80 loads this season and ran out this year. I also have one gas station that sells about 25 to 50 bundles each week depending on the weather. We are gearing up with some bigger equipment. We are going to see if we can get more service stations. I know we could have sold another 100 or more loads of wood had at least that many calls after we were out of wood and no one else is really selling it here city is about 125,000 so for me it is part time money, hobby, and cheap exercise. I work for my dad at my day job manufacturing trailers. So I am going to try to build that pallet jack myself which should not be to difficult. I just enjoy building things and have cut firewood my whole life. keeps me thinking all the time. could be scarry