Firewood sole income

[rozett]

rozett that looks like a quite a bit of wood. Why did you opt not to hire the extra help this past yr?

One of the lads went on to college and the other two took full-time jobs for the summer. My work was not 40 hours per week and they wanted a more predictable paycheck. Plus, I wanted to see just how much I could get done on my own.

I learned that hiring the boys was good for business. However, the cost of workman's comp insurance would chew through what slim profits there are in the firewood business. Three lads plus myself could cut and split about two cords an hour. Generally, we cut/split for four hours each morning and then I'd deliver 2-3 cords each afternoon. To make it your primary income source, you'd really need to invest in a firewood processor and have a larger raw material pool.

The log pile you see is half of my firewood after doing a timber harvest in 2003. Most that is gone now. This year I will be doing selective harvesting to fill my firewood orders. So I will again, be doing it on my own.

 

[bookerdog]

Lot of work

Last year I cut and sold about 40 cords. My daughter plays on a traveling softball team. So all the money went for her traverling expenses. We have a 180 acres so most of the wood comes off of our place. Gotta love that maple cut it down and its ready to cut in 5 years again. Working at a full time job and then cutting splitting and selling 40 cords is a ton of work.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Gotta love that maple cut it down and its ready to cut in 5 years again.

Maple grows that fast? How big would one get in 5 years?

 

[bookerdog]

maple

the sprouts off the stump will get about 6 inch dia. in about 5 to 6 years

 

[v8titan]

Maple grows that fast? How big would one get in 5 years?

Tulip poplar grows pretty fast up here in New Jersey but It take more than 5 year to have a meaningful size tree for firewood.

Tom

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

the sprouts off the stump will get about 6 inch dia. in about 5 to 6 years

Whoa! How tall?


Still sounds like poplar will beat it.


Not that poplar is great firewood...

 

[bookerdog]

maple

yes Im sure popular will beat it. If you planted both seedling at the same time popular would beat the crap out of it. The stuff Im talking about though is maple that are about 2 feet in dia. cut those down and the sprouts that come out of the stumps if managed right will make it to about 6 inch dia. at the base and about 15 to 20 feet high. But again that is a sprout growing from a huge establised root stock

 

[tree pusher]

Firewood is my sole income in winter and has been for about 5 years . In the UK I was selling about 100 tons of split hardwood a year.
Now living in canada doing same thing , Currently clearing 67 acres of bush at my fathers and selling wood split and delivered.
We bought the D7 quite late in the winter so only got about 12 days pushing before it thawed , got about 25 acres cleared and windrowed so far , Continue after seeding.:bang:

 

[DDM]

Firewood is my sole income in winter and has been for about 5 years . In the UK I was selling about 100 tons of split hardwood a year.
Now living in canada doing same thing , Currently clearing 67 acres of bush at my fathers and selling wood split and delivered.
We bought the D7 quite late in the winter so only got about 12 days pushing before it thawed , got about 25 acres cleared and windrowed so far , Continue after seeding.:bang:

How about some pictures! How many cords would 100 tons be equivalent to?

 

[Newfie]

How about some pictures! How many cords would 100 tons be equivalent to?

I would guess somewhere around 40 cords assuming mixed hardwoods.

 

[tree pusher]

How about some pictures! How many cords would 100 tons be equivalent to?

These are all i can find , I gotta get a digital camera this week and then i will be back.
I'm not sure how many cords,I'll find out.

PS, The MF390 hiding in the bush behind the truck is my skidder.

 

[CRThomas]

I was just curious are there any of the members here that sell firewood as there sole business?

Yes I am in the bundled firewood business we service a town of about 40.000 people. We do sell bulk wood but it is knots to a few customers but our big main product is bundled wood we have about $250.000.00 to $300.000.00 worth of equipment but we have been at it for 20 to 30 years I think. All of our equipment is paid for and it is fairly new the business paid for it all. Our customers are old people and we pamper them like babys. If you don't pamper your customer you might for get about it.

Two years ago, I delivered 90 cord of firewood. I hired some local high school boys to run the splitter while I cut and delivered. Last year, I did all the work myself and only did 40 cord. It is a LOT if work. some photos...firewood

We had help but my wife fired them all because all our profit was going to repairs We do it our selfs and our profit sky rocked.

 

[unclemoustache]

Wow - an 8-year-old thread!! Not a record here, but certainly impressive. I'm glad you responded, though, for I was thinking about you when I saw the title.

 

[flotek]

Selling Firewood will forever be a poor mans business

 

[Guswhit]

Selling Firewood will forever be a poor mans business

I think you are probably correct for the majority of us. On the other hand I justify it being beneficial to myself for several reasons including saving me money. Some worth mentioning, free exercise-no gym membership needed, as long as I am running equipment no alcohol so less expense there and my number one reason for loving to process wood-I go solo and don't have to listen to ANY COMPLAINERS while I am doing it!

 

[CRThomas]

Selling Firewood will forever be a poor mans business

I my self last year we netted $80.00 after all cost and bought a new truck. Fire wood business is a money maker if you work at. We it's close to $300.000.00 in equipment and its all paid for. So there is money in firewood as things change its going to get better. Gus you are right my wife fired all our help they was breaking equipment like they were injoying it. We injoy a very comfortable life I do firewood because I injoy it there is knowthing like dropping a 100 foot tall Ash as it going to the ground you can smell that money in the sound of the cracking as it hits the ground. Or a semi pulls up in front of your yard with a load of Ash logs for $240.00 for the whole load. I get my truck loaded with bundle wood ready for to deliver I hug my truck and tell it we going to make some money to day. We get from $2.50 to $10.00 a bundle. I turn and tell my equipment I love you little helpers. I get to a deliver point the customer meets me out side with a cup of coffee and we visit a little. I unload there order and on to the next. You got to love what you do. There are some companys in the united states that are in the million dollar bracket.

 

[flotek]

I think selling firewood is worth doing and there is some benefit and profit to be made ..however to make it your sole income as the title implies presents many problems and unless your a large scale production with hundreds of thousands in productionequipment your probably not going to be rolling in money . ..As long as Every laid off redneck with a poloun wild thingy sells a pickup load of wood for 35$ Your income potential is going to be limited

 

[captjack]

You can easily have 1 million dollars selling firewood in a few years ----------------------------- You of course need to start with 2 million ! hahah