Renting/ borrowing other people's land to keep wood

[robespierre]

Well, I hit my maximum wood supply at my house and met a guy down the road from me that splits and sells firewood. I asked him if we could help out one another. My logic was this.

I have many connections for tree service drop offs and I told the landowner that if I can keep about 10-15 cords on his land so I can always have rounds to hand split that I would give split some of my deliveries with him. What would you guys think a fair deal for both of us would be?

He also mentioned that he usually runs out of wood to sell customers by December and I could take his remaining customers to sell my wood to that way he keeps his customers from going to another seller. He said I can use his truck to deliver my wood to his customers and he just would ask for $50 per cord that I sell. Is that a good deal?

 

[Marshy]

Sounds like a great opportunity, just be cautious because you dont really know the wierd things people will do... Dont want him skimping from your pile. It would be good to have a pile separate from his lading area so it doesnt end up blending in with the rest.

 

[svk]

As Marshy said, if the guy is trustworthy it sounds like a win win.

 

[robespierre]

I trust him not to steal firewood but what do you think is fair. Say I get 2 cords of oak delivered, do you think half and half is good

 

[WoodTick007]

I would not have anything to do with him unless you can seperate your wood from his with a fence and get a contract spelling out exactly what your rights are on his land. Everything is always fine and dandy until there is a problem....then your wood is his wood.....his land his wood.

 

[cantoo]

Not my business but you asked. I think I would rather store it or rent a piece of land off someone who doesn't do firewood. Just too many things to go bad when you are both operating separate businesses from the same spot. What if he pizzes off a customer of yours?

 

[WoodTick007]

6Say I get 2 cords of oak delivered, do you think half and half is good[/QUOTE]
Your kidding right?

 

[Icehouse]

Have a good friend that is a real wood whore, he owns a real nice lakefront lot but it's not big enough to store anything but his years supply. We have a mutual friend how owns 80 acres of flat ground. It's a marriage made in heaven, he's got a place to store his wood, help his friend, now they cut wood together all summer. They must both have 10-15 years worth of wood cut stacked with little roofs on each, it's their hobby

 

[mainewoods]

If you are splitting the wood your tree service contacts are dropping off, and he sells firewood, why would you be delivering wood to his customers? He should not be running out of wood any more. You are giving him wood in exchange for storage on his land, unless you also sell firewood, why would you cut, split and deliver your wood to his customers? Somethings missing here.

 

[Cheesecutter]

If you split and stack it, I think 1/3 cord for storage and using his truck would be enough depending on delivery distance of course. He's maintaining customers he would otherwise lose. Another possibility would be once its delivered, you split it, and wholesale it to him outright at a preset price. Mutual benefit is you get your $$$ quicker and he builds his inventory and his customer base without breaking a sweat. If things work out it could evolve into a 50/50 partnership. In a nutshell you supply and split the wood and he would store, sell, and deliver it.

 

[Marshy]

If you are splitting the wood your tree service contacts are dropping off, and he sells firewood, why would you be delivering wood to his customers? He should not be running out of wood any more. You are giving him wood in exchange for storage on his land, unless you also sell firewood, why would you cut, split and deliver your wood to his customers? Somethings missing here.

Yeah, read it one more time, he was saying the guy will lend him his dump truck and allow the OP to deliver his wood to the guys customer if he runs out of wood for the year. That way the guy gets to keep his customer happy getting some wood to them while the OP gets some cash for his wood. Who knows, maybe the guy with the land is short several cord a year and the little extra the OP is going to provide said guy with land is not enough to cover the rest of his customers through the heating season...

 

[lone wolf]

Not my business but you asked. I think I would rather store it or rent a piece of land off someone who doesn't do firewood. Just too many things to go bad when you are both operating separate businesses from the same spot. What if he pizzes off a customer of yours?

Best way to go pay rent and do your own deals.

 

[LT100]

Best way to go pay rent and do your own deals.

Yikes! So much downside on this one. At the beginning everything sounds great, but you are stepping on a slippery slope. Without getting too far into bad scenarios that could play out, "free" can end up being very expensive in a lot of ways. Like Lone Wolf said above, just pay your own rent and do your own deals. What begins sounding like a great bargain can get really ugly in no time.

 

[lone wolf]

For sure.

 

[Marshy]

Anything can be justified, just depends on how close you want to get. If your ambitious you could figure out the what a storage spot would cost for your hobby and then pay him the equivalent in cord wood based on the price of what cord wood would cost you if you were to go buy it in log length from a logger...

 

[robespierre]

Thanks for the replies, I am going to use his land and pay him in rounds that get dropped off to me for free. The landowner and myself solidified the deal over several cold Pabst Blue Ribbons. If something goes wrong I am hopeful we can work it out as "men", if not chalk it up to a wood deal gone bad. I am up to 9 hand split cords on his land in less than 2 weeks. Oh and his daughter is gorgeous. lol

 

[lone wolf]

Thanks for the replies, I am going to use his land and pay him in rounds that get dropped off to me for free. The landowner and myself solidified the deal over several cold Pabst Blue Ribbons. If something goes wrong I am hopeful we can work it out as "men", if not chalk it up to a wood deal gone bad. I am up to 9 hand split cords on his land in less than 2 weeks. Oh and his daughter is gorgeous. lol

Yup that will ruin it!

 

[robespierre]

Yeah, we were both in the garage when his daughter stepped out and I had to refrain from looking because I was thinking '" this is the first test I have to pass"

Pabst almost shot from my nostrils

 

[cantoo]

We're going to need pictures of the garage, with the daughter if possible. If not then don't bother with the picture.

 

[robespierre]

kidding about what? If the tree service brings me 2 cords of rounds, I give the landowner one cord and I keep one cord to split myself.

6Say I get 2 cords of oak delivered, do you think half and half is good

Your kidding right?[/QUOTE]