is this a good set up

[jacklynch]

Hi, me and my are starting a firewood company

I was woundering if this is a good set up?


three MS 390 Chain Saw 20'' bar
three MS 290 STIHL 18'' bar
2 TW-7- timberwolf
F-550 Super Duty Chassis Cab
CRew of 4
charge $200 for a cord of dry wood

 

[Industry]

What you charge will depend on the market around you.

 

[hornett224]

i'd buy as much equpment used as possible.

no sense getting over your head and finding out you can't pay for it.that is what got us in the economy we are in now.

i bought an 86 Chevy 1 ton mason dump for $1800 and i run a tree service everyday with it.i know a couple other guys who do the same.one of them is here.a lot cheaper on taxes,and insurance.

 

[hornett224]

used saws are plentiful on ebay.

might be tough finding a used splitter but you don't have to go with the most expensive brand either.American splitters are about half or more than Timberwolf.you my be better off finding a used processor than buying two Timberwolfs.

 

[Dadatwins]

Firewood is a tough business to make $$ in. The hauling to a site, cutting up the wood, splitting the wood, storing the wood, then hauling to the location all eat up a lot of profit. Most just do it to get rid of the wood that they produce from tree work, and then it is only a break even type deal, or just something to keep the staff working through the winter. Best way to make $$ in firewood is to wholesale it to bakeries and pizza joints that burn a lot of wood. Bundling can make some $$ also, but you need to have enough sites to sell the bundled product. The single load cord of wood delivery type business is tough to make a profit. Good luck.

 

[pdqdl]

Firewood business from scratch??? You must be nuts!

In addition to the severe competition from tree services, there is a severe problem with cash flow and sales lead generation.

1. Firewood needs to be cut at least 6 months before it's intended use, otherwise it is too green, won't burn well, and then your customer never calls you back. That's a long time to wait before you get paid.

2. Most sales for firewood are in the fall, when folks are stocking up for the winter. This means that you must have all your wood cut up, seasoned, and ready to go when the calls come in. Can you afford to work all year preparing firewood, and then make all the money in 3 months ? Oops...that 3 months of sales must last until NEXT fall also.

3. How do you intend to generate the necessary sales in 3 months to support your annual budget? Spend too much on marketing and you will not be able to compete with the other guys that have an established customer base.

4. Because of the many uncontrolled variables in firewood quality, most buyers of firewood tend to be loyal to the fellow that has a proven record with that customer. That makes it tough to get a large amount of sales in a short season, even if you have great pricing and advertising.

I crunched a couple of quick numbers. If you were planning on cutting, splitting and delivering better than 2 cords per day for 260 days per year, it sounds like it might work.

Where would you store that much wood until it was seasoned ?

 

[SawTroll]

As no-one else dare to say......

NO!!!!! that is really bad!

...homeowner class saws for pro business never will be a good choise - rather the other way around!!!!!!



..but it last as long as it last, the fun factor is surely lost, as well.........