Firewood bucking/splitting rate

[Joesell]

Saw this ad online today (kijjii). This guys not going to win a spelling bee but willing to process wood very cheap:

mobile wood processor
my hole operation can come to you no
matter where you are
8 doller face cord
if your looking for a reliable guy to make your wood logs into fire wood with out even having to brake a sweat you have come to the right guy. I have just purchased a brand new cord kng that can handel 30 foot logs and do 4 to5 bush cords an hr

He's cheap, but who's going to hire a guy that can't form a sentence?

 

[singinwoodwackr]

When I worked on a firewood crew in the central valley (Cali) we got $40/cord in the Almond orchards...bucked to 18-20", anything you couldn't pick up with one hand had to be split (maul), piled at the stump, brush piled between the two rows you were working. Wood was sold for $70/cord, you pick up...farmer got $15/cord and the foreman/broker got $15. 16" wood paid another $10 for the cutter. We were responsible for all our own gear but the 'boss' would buy chain by the 100' roll and sell to us at cost.
this was in the early '90s. I would hope rates are higher now

 

[513yj]

Sometimes the old saying you get what you pay for is true. You can hire someone cheap, yes. They tend to come late, hungover, take a lot of breaks to smoke 4 packs of cigs in a day, cut everything on an angle and couldn't cut two sticks close to the same length to save their life,,, well, you get the picture.

 

[tex]

If I could get my wood cut and split for $40.00 a cord and sell it for $300.00 I would never split another stick for the rest of my life.
I would simply be a salesman and never touch the wood.
Why is it that the guy that works the hardest and pays for his own equipment get the short end of the deal?
It should be the other way around. I get calls everyday for wood I can produce myself. Around here selling the wood is the easy part, I sell as much as I can produce, on my own.
I’ll gladly pay someone 40 bucks to cut and split my wood.

How is that the short end of the deal? If there is a guy willing to work for "x" price then the market is fair. If "x" is too low then the boss wouldn't find help, and would pay a higher rate. If the laborer wants to make the money of the boss, then he would also need to assume the risk.

 

[muddstopper]

All things are relative. If it takes 3 guys 3 hrs to buck and split 3 cords of wood and they charged 15hr each for labor, then one person, bucking and splitting 3 cord in one hr should be worth $45prhr. Problem is, most homeowners cant see it that way, to them if jim, joe and john are willing to work for $15hr, it doesnt matter how much work is accomplished, old Willy should work for $15hr also. If you are furnishing all equipment, you have to make enough to pay replacement cost of the equipment, and any other associated cost and then add on wages. With the right equipment, it is very possible that one person can produce more than a crew of folks using axes and mauls, but that equipment comes with a price and should be compensated for. Still if jim, joe and john can out produce you with their axes and mauls, you cant expect to charge more pr hr then they do, regardless of how much equipment you have to pay for.

 

[sb47]

How is that the short end of the deal? If there is a guy willing to work for "x" price then the market is fair. If "x" is too low then the boss wouldn't find help, and would pay a higher rate. If the laborer wants to make the money of the boss, then he would also need to assume the risk.

It’s very simple. It’s taking advantage of someone that has no other resource to provide for his family.
If there is no other work to be found, a man will do what ever it takes to make something, no mater how small to feed his children.
The guy with the money can low ball the work because the worker is desperate. He himself would never work that hard for so little money.
It’s called greed, and it happens in every aspect of the economy.
It’s like economic slavery.

 

[460magman]

i do this work for side job i get a one time fee for splitter 50$ (timberwolf tw5 6way ) and 35$ an hour for me and my kid sum people say to much and sum say what a deal i average 2 jobs a month give or take

 

[Samcronkite]

I charge an hourly rate since speed will vary with every type and size of wood. Red oak will split a lot easier than hackberry or elm, and 12" wood is a lot easier to deal with than 36" wood. $45 per hour includes me, splitter, saws and gas for everything, less than 4 hours of work and I charge travel.

 

[singinwoodwackr]

I charge an hourly rate since speed will vary with every type and size of wood. Red oak will split a lot easier than hackberry or elm, and 12" wood is a lot easier to deal with than 36" wood. $45 per hour includes me, splitter, saws and gas for everything, less than 4 hours of work and I charge travel.

that sounds very reasonable to me.

 

[tex]

It’s very simple. It’s taking advantage of someone that has no other resource to provide for his family.
If there is no other work to be found, a man wiIll do what ever it takes to make something, no mater how small to feed his children.
The guy with the money can low ball the work because the worker is desperate. He himself would never work that hard for so little money.
It’s called greed, and it happens in every aspect of the economy.
It’s like economic slavery.

I'm going to bow out of this conversation before the thread gets hijacked. Besides, I can't make you un-drink the kool-aid.

 

[johncinco]

It’s very simple. It’s taking advantage of someone that has no other resource to provide for his family.
If there is no other work to be found, a man will do what ever it takes to make something, no mater how small to feed his children.
The guy with the money can low ball the work because the worker is desperate. He himself would never work that hard for so little money.
It’s called greed, and it happens in every aspect of the economy.
It’s like economic slavery.

I hear this logic/story all the time. Usually from the pro-union crowd. Hey maybe we need a wood cutters union! We can all charge $50 an hour to cut and stack wood. Of course then we have to pay a monthly fee for management representation, and into the medical program for retirees, into the political action committee to make sure we are represented properly, we need a bunch of representatives, and throw in some lawyers, then a disability program in case anyone gets hurt, and plenty of funds for the guys who "accidentally" get hurt or might just be a little lazy, need some guys to go round and encourage those who don't want to join that it is their best interest to join. Sorry, but I hear it from the UAW guys all the time. When I point out all the flaws in the logic they have been fed the only thing left is "workers rights", and the jobs getting shipped overseas.

 

[cantoo]

Hourly rate means nothing unless you know the output per hour. It's the same as arguing about face cord or full cord or ricks. One man with an axe or 1 man with a cord king. Cord king needs a loader too. What about getting the wood away from the splitter, need a conveyor too or another tractor? As for wages there are lots of people here who work for $15 an hour and provide tools for the job or trade. I wouldn't but some do. I cut my own firewood and likely do it for less than $15 an hour too after I add in all my toys. Cheapest wood I ever did was logs I bought and got delivered to my yard. All I needed was 1 saw and a maul or a splitter. Now I get my logs for free but my toys make it much more expensive.
As for not hiring the guy who can't form a sentence, lots of guys who do good work can't read or write. Is the Cord King computer run? I wouldn't think there is a big learning curve on running a cord king.

 

[sb47]

I'm going to bow out of this conversation before the thread gets hijacked. Besides, I can't make you un-drink the kool-aid.

You’re bowing out because you know it’s true.
It’s like throwing a life vest to someone in the water but not actually pulling them in the boat.
You give them just enough to survive but not enough to get ahead.
It’s like throwing someone bread crumbs and expect them to be grateful.

 

[muddstopper]

I hear this logic/story all the time. Usually from the pro-union crowd. Hey maybe we need a wood cutters union! We can all charge $50 an hour to cut and stack wood. Of course then we have to pay a monthly fee for management representation, and into the medical program for retirees, into the political action committee to make sure we are represented properly, we need a bunch of representatives, and throw in some lawyers, then a disability program in case anyone gets hurt, and plenty of funds for the guys who "accidentally" get hurt or might just be a little lazy, need some guys to go round and encourage those who don't want to join that it is their best interest to join. Sorry, but I hear it from the UAW guys all the time. When I point out all the flaws in the logic they have been fed the only thing left is "workers rights", and the jobs getting shipped overseas.

I have belonged to a union for 38 years and find it funny that the folks that dont belong to unions simply dont know when they are wrong or where to place blame. I dont always agree with the union I belong to, everytime i get a raise, my dues go up. I never see a union rep on the job, and they never call you back when you call them. What most folks dont realize is that unions are responsible for most of the laws that keep workers safe, even on non union jobs. Sure those laws cost companies money to comply, but it doesnt take a case of black or brown lung or silicosis to see that workers need protection. While in many cases, unions dont finance the research that has led to a safer workplace, its almost certain without the unions, our workplaces , including non union workplaces, would be a lot more dangerous than they are now. Just because someone is not a member of a union doesnt mean they dont benefit from the work the unions do. You can gripe about Unions running up wage cost and driving business out of this country, but so does everybody screaming for higher minimum wages everywhere. Everybody wants to make more money, but wages are not the number one reason companies build overseas. It boils down to our government creating an environment not conductive to doing business in this country. Rules, regulations, and taxes are a much bigger part of the problem than high wages..
Any for profit business will have the same goal, to make a profit. If you cant make a profit, whats the point of being in business. Taxing a business into bankruptcy doesnt create more jobs or higher wages, it creates more people willing to work for less. The law of supply and demand works the same for labor as it does for a product. Plenty of labor available, the wages goes down. Create a environment that promotes industry, you create jobs. The more jobs the greater the demand for labor and the higher the wages.

It could be taken one step further. More jobs means less people on welfare and food stamps. More people paying into Social Security and Medicare and Medicade. less people relying on unemployment insurance. More people paying income taxes and a lowering of our national debt. Unions are not the problem here, its everybody setting around waiting for the government to support them, and instead of creating jobs, its the government tax that keeps on taxing companies to the point they have to leave America and look for other places to conduct their business.

 

[blackdogon57]

It’s very simple. It’s taking advantage of someone that has no other resource to provide for his family.
If there is no other work to be found, a man will do what ever it takes to make something, no mater how small to feed his children.
The guy with the money can low ball the work because the worker is desperate. He himself would never work that hard for so little money.
It’s called greed, and it happens in every aspect of the economy.
It’s like economic slavery.

A hired a couple of slaves with a cord king last year to process for me. They showed up at 7am and worked until 7pm for two days straight. They were able to cut 55-60 cords in those two days. I felt really greedy when I handed them $2400 in cash. Poor guys.

 

[singinwoodwackr]

You’re bowing out because you know it’s true.
It’s like throwing a life vest to someone in the water but not actually pulling them in the boat.
You give them just enough to survive but not enough to get ahead.
It’s like throwing someone bread crumbs and expect them to be grateful.

keep this up and this thread will wind up in the politics section.
...and we'd be glad to get into it with you

 

[sb47]

A hired a couple of slaves with a cord king last year to process for me. They showed up at 7am and worked until 7pm for two days straight. They were able to cut 55-60 cords in those two days. I felt really greedy when I handed them $2400 in cash. Poor guys.

Ok so they made 2,400 dollars in 2 days. But when you consider there expenses, like hourly rate, insurance, taxes, fuel, chains, oil, travel expenses, wear and tear on there equipment. They didn’t make that much. If you sell cords for 200 each pick up price you’ll make 12,000 minus the 2,400 you spent and you’ll come out making 9,600 dollars and you didn’t do anything. Like I said, the ones that work the hardest and have expenses you don’t have, always come out on the short end of the deal. It cost you zero money to advertize on CL so what expenses do you have? Yet you did nothing but point your finger and say what you needed done, answer a few phone calls and you made 4 times what the guys that did all the hard work did. I’m sure those guys would gladly trade places with you. I’m sure you felt like you did them a favor by giving them some work.

 

[chucker]

yupp! them "poor guy's" need to charge a positive one-hundred dollar bill per cord just to be in the next higher low income bracket.... lol

 

[cantoo]

Maybe he is just throwing them a life jacket and maybe they can pull their own azz into the boat. Because if he throws them a life jacket and pulls them into the boat do you want him to feed them too, maybe give them a meal, place to sleep? When do they better themselves? Everyone has to start somewhere and that usually means doing something they don't want to do and for not much money to start. They can stay there forever and barely get by or they can learn and better themselves and move ahead. It's the American way as far as I know. PS, I'm a Union Carpenter and see all kinds. I take every training course that is available to hopefully get another step ahead.

 

[Como]

Ok so they made 2,400 dollars in 2 days. But when you consider there expenses, like hourly rate, insurance, taxes, fuel, chains, oil, travel expenses, wear and tear on there equipment. They didn’t make that much. If you sell cords for 200 each pick up price you’ll make 12,000 minus the 2,400 you spent and you’ll come out making 9,600 dollars and you didn’t do anything. Like I said, the ones that work the hardest and have expenses you don’t have, always come out on the short end of the deal. It cost you zero money to advertize on CL so what expenses do you have? Yet you did nothing but point your finger and say what you needed done, answer a few phone calls and you made 4 times what the guys that did all the hard work did. I’m sure those guys would gladly trade places with you. I’m sure you felt like you did them a favor by giving them some work.

What about the wood in the first place?
Transporting it.
You need a Computer, Internet connection, telephone, those cost.
Unless that $200 is come and get it yourself, you have to load and deliver, truck cost, maintenance, insurance etc.
The land they are on, he paid for it, mortgage, tax insurance.

And no doubt much more.