Power/Telephone poles, cutting of

[northmanlogging]

Some new ground for me, have a number of decent doug fir and ceder on this job, have one outfit coming out friday to take a look.

Like everything else lately I'll be learning by doing, however a few hints and suggestions won't go unheaded...

The falling part I get, get em on the ground in one piece and buck em to their lengths blah blah blah...

What I'm more concerned with is what to expect from their buyer, how much they may or may not be paying, etc mostly whats the going rate these days to see if I'm getting hosed or not. There are at least 2 pole yards near here, probably more, so I'm ok with calling in the other guys if it sounds hinky. And should I go ahead and get me a 70-100' spencer. (the 50' has been more then ample up to now)

 

[twochains]

I was just talking with my boss about the power pole market after the ice storm we just had. I haven't cut any since this Spring, I usually only get those jobs when cutting further North of me, like up in Missouri. A guy from the electric company comes out and numbers the length code on the tree. The longest I have ever cut were 53' and mostly 33'.

 

[treeslayer2003]

they don't pay any more than sawlogs here. to make matters worse, they steady putting up steel power poles.

 

[twochains]

Not to mention I think they hold yer check a couple weeks also! Ours pay more than saw logs but it's supply and demand here!

 

[treeslayer2003]

north, i'd say do what ever the buyers want, if it pays right. sorry I can't be of more help to ya here. mebbe the guys your way will chime in shortly.

 

[northmanlogging]

The mills hold the checks a while here anyway, just as long as I get paid I'm happy.

 

[madhatte]

From a forestry perspective, I recommend having at least a 75' Spencer so that you can measure heights at 66' with a topo-scale clino. That's a distance that will get you up into the top of most normal second-growth trees in these parts. You can do it with a %-scale clino at 50', but your accuracy suffers because the increments are so small.

 

[slowp]

The only thing I know is to make sure you can get that extra long load out without taking out fences, buildings, other vehicles, etc.

 

[lmbrman]

I just had a buyer come out on my job, he offered $140/cord on the landing for 40' pine, 13" dbh. They had to be durn nice. Made me nervous that they paid by the cord, yet they weigh scale the stuff. The conversion sounded fuzzy to me. I also wondered how long it would sit on my landing drying out and reducing my pay while I wait for their truck. Then wait for a check.

I have a good small pine(6+") market here, many mills in the 10mile radius, avg pay for 8' material right now is $150/cord delivered and trucking is easy that close. Plus they let me stick scale on delivery and they pay on the spot. Less sorting is also a big plus for me. I suspect sometimes they pay good for poles depending on yur local options. I am pretty lucky for my options right now.

-subject to change

 

[redprospector]

Unfortunately that's one of the last markets left here. Buyers from Mexico want "telephone poles" to be sent south of the border.
They are looking for poles that are 25' 6" long, with a butt no bigger than 13", and a top no less than 8". They say they'll pay $8 each in the deck, or $10 each hauled off the mountain. They do hold your check, I know one guy that they've been holding a check for almost a year. Not much recourse when your logs are in a whole other country.

 

[HuskStihl]

Ok, so let me limber up my fingers to type a nice falling dissertation based on my massive experience and stunning command of complex falling techn.........WTF?! Are you seriously telling me telephone poles come from trees??? I'd figured they were some sort of pressed wood fiber product. Good luck with that NM

 

[madhatte]

Some telephone poles ARE composite products now -- there are 3 I know of in my neck of the woods.

 

[lmbrman]

Unfortunately that's one of the last markets left here. Buyers from Mexico want "telephone poles" to be sent south of the border.
They are looking for poles that are 25' 6" long, with a butt no bigger than 13", and a top no less than 8". They say they'll pay $8 each in the deck, or $10 each hauled off the mountain. They do hold your check, I know one guy that they've been holding a check for almost a year. Not much recourse when your logs are in a whole other country.

I think the check will eventually come from his uncle in Nigeria maybe ?

 

[treeslayer2003]

years ago we had a piling market, paid like a dollar a running foot per tree. 80'+ trees, that was good money back then and it'd be good now. well, wish in one hand...............

 

[redprospector]

years ago we had a piling market, paid like a dollar a running foot per tree. 80'+ trees, that was good money back then and it'd be good now. well, wish in one hand...............

Spit in the other?

 

[OlympicYJ]

As of this summer cedar poles were bringing a premium. Can't remember what the price was. But it is definitely worth it. Cruised a sale wit poles on it and we were going to market the poles instead of running them through our mill. Now that's said, you only have two options. Bell or McFarland Cascade. Call em both and have em come out and look at it. If it's small enough they should be able to mark the poles or else show you what they want. Also I believe the pole yards cover the trucking too. They should provide you wit a pole card for when you make em.

 

[northmanlogging]

I'd be dealing with Stella Jones, out of Arlington, or another outfit out of Conway I can't remember the name of. From all accounts poles go for damn good money.

as far as access the only hitch is the nice tight switch back at the begging of the property, the rest is mostly a straight shot to town... mostly... well for around here its pretty damn straight only 2 stop signs and 1 or 2 lights before you hit a highway... and about 10 miles of windy back roads...

 

[OlympicYJ]

I forgot to say. Stella is part of McFarland or McFarland is part of Stella can't remember which.

 

[paccity]

stella just bought out our pole yard in willamina , right in the middle of our last job . they came and cruised it for us on the stump. but some of the stuff once on the ground had defect so went for saw logs. can't remember the exact numbers but would lose half the rate when going to lumber. and they took care of the haul which was only about 5-6 miles from the yard.

 

[OlympicYJ]

Just did a little searching and Stella bought out McFarland.