ICB totes

[sb47]

I have been using the baskets that the ICB totes come in to store firewood in. Mostly for the short scrap cut offs that can't be stacked to keep the wood off the ground and in nice neat storage. They work great.
I have been collecting them hear and there for several years where ever I can find them cheap or even free. Most come with the plastic tote in them witch has chimerical that have been stored it so there not good for potable water.
I finally found a place that does retread tires and they have stacks and stacks of them so I asked if I could get or buy a few from them. I picked up 8 totes yesterday and removed the plastic tubs out of them and was worried how I was going to get rid of them without taking them to the land fill.
I posted an add on CL for free yesterday afternoon and by 8 pm I had at least 7 calls of people wanting them. One guy just wanted 1. another guy wanted them all, and some lady wanted several, and still another guy called this morning wanting some.
I get calls all the time from CL people and most show up but many do not. I sure hope they all are gone today. If so I'll go get another load today. Guy sold them to me for 10 bucks each. I have about 50 of them so far and I could use 50 more.
My only problem is I don't have a forklift to load a fully loaded basket into a truck or trailer. My goal is to somehow load the whole basket and charge a deposit and have them bring them back once they empty them.
Here are the plastic tots after I removed them from the baskets.

Here are how I store wood in them.

Here are the new ones I picked up yesterday.

Here is how I plan on using them. One tote with a 4 foot gap inbetween for stacking splits, then another tote, then another 4 foot stack in between each tote. At lest for now till I get a lift to load the whole basket.

Here is how I have been stacking my wood using T post and treated 4x4's for each section so I know how much wood is stacked in measured amounts.

 

[sb47]

Got rid of all of them in less then 24 hours. I had at least 10 calls from people that wanted them. That was about as easy as it gets.

 

[Cowboy254]

Looks great!

 

[nathan4104]

awesome idea.
I do the same use for the totes. I've been wondering how much to charge for one delivered, or if someone wanted just to come and empty it here into their truck. i could only fit 2 in my trailer to take to town, but with the tractor with forks at least i can place it where they want.
i plan to cut a tank up in a way to hinge a lid and fill it with sawdust. maybe strap it on a pallet to make it easy to move.... the local community horse barn nearby likes the sawdust but it's a pain to keep dry for them and store it till it's worth making a trip.
always neat seeing how others use these sorts of things!!

 

[moresnow]

Might consider keeping the tubs and cutting them in half for top covering. Maybe not necessary in Texas!

 

[sb47]

View attachment 819333
Might consider keeping the tubs and cutting them in half for top covering. Maybe not necessary in Texas!

The tubs have a tar like chemical that drips on the wood, I wouldn't feel good about selling firewood tainted with chemicals.

Now that I can get rid of the plastic tubs, I'm gonna get some more.. I must have gotten 30 calls today from people wanting them.
One guy saw the picture of the free tubs in my trailer and thought I was giving the trailer away. He actually got mad. lol

 

[nathan4104]

The tubs have a tar like chemical that drips on the wood, I wouldn't feel good about selling firewood tainted with chemicals.

Now that I can get rid of the plastic tubs, I'm gonna get some more.. I must have gotten 30 calls today from people wanting them.
One guy saw the picture of the free tubs in my trailer and thought I was giving the trailer away. He actually got mad. lol

I get mine from an aviation company, deice fluid comes in them, as well as a product called 'water-meth' which some. planes use as a take- off engine enhancer of sorts..... If there's a cargo hauling operation near you using Metroliners, they'll have nice clean totes that can easily actually be rinsed out for potable water. nothing wrong with a little methanol . (i know, i know....)

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I got some for free, they had water soluble glue in them originally...

They were much too small for firewood for me, so I wouldn't take any more...

SR

 

[Joesell]

After paying $25 a piece for my 1st 20 totes, I found a guy giving away 60 of them. That was 5 or 6 years ago. Some have taken a beating, some started rusting out. I have about 10 that are unusable now. I'd love to find another guy near Milwaukee looking to get rid of another 100!

 

[sb47]

Fielded 96 calls between Friday night and Saturday night from people wanting the totes and some old windows I was giving away. Safe to say I'll be getting some more totes next week now that I know I can get rid of the plastic inserts.

 

[kevin j]

what do these people want to do with them if non potable?

 

[Ted Jenkins]

SB you have an unusual clean looking operation. I would like to hear more about your operation and its profitability. How big is your community that you serve, how many years have you been in business, hown many employees do you have, what do you pay them, how do you find employees, are you hands on in every aspect or do you have employees manage certain aspects of your operation such as deliveries, do you have people or person do all or some maintenance, what are your main sources of wood, and do you have a prefesional accountant or do your own. Then can yu answer these short questions in two sentences no just kidding. Thanks

 

[sb47]

SB you have an unusual clean looking operation. I would like to hear more about your operation and its profitability. How big is your community that you serve, how many years have you been in business, hown many employees do you have, what do you pay them, how do you find employees, are you hands on in every aspect or do you have employees manage certain aspects of your operation such as deliveries, do you have people or person do all or some maintenance, what are your main sources of wood, and do you have a prefesional accountant or do your own. Then can yu answer these short questions in two sentences no just kidding. Thanks

Thanks for the complement.
Believe it or not, I'm a one man operation. I do it all myself. The wood comes from a tree company just down the road and he gives me the wood for free so he doesn't have to pay to dump. His shop is less the 2 miles from me so stopping in and dumping keeps him from driving all the way to the dump and paying to dump. It saves him time and money and saves me time and money as well. Our winters are all of about 5 mins long so I specialize in bbq quality wood. I'm located inside the beltway of a city that has over 3 million people and I have been doing it for 15 years so my customer base is pretty big. Last year I cut and split over 100 cords. I like to keep my wood lot nice and neat and my wood stacked in measured amounts. All my stacks are 4 foot tall by 4 foot long by 18''
I also sell bagged wood in 50lb bags for people that don't have a place to store wood and just want to cook on the weekends, on there patio or at a park or there back yard. Men can send the wives over and pick up a few bags and put them in there clean car trunk without getting it dirty. I sell more bagged wood the bulk but I do sell to a few restaurants, pizza joints that have wood burning pizza ovens. I get a lot of campers that just want a fire for a single night so there kids can roast marshmallow or hotdogs. The baskets are for the short drop offs that can't be stacked so it keeps it nice and neat.
I sell grilling wood as well for people that don't smoke but like to grill stakes.I have one splitter and 3 saws and a few trailers plus 5 wheelbarrows. I always clean up the sawdust and scraps and burn them for my own entertainment and grilling needs. I have another guy not far that runs a mill and if I get some good quality logs, he buys them from me.
Presentation and how neat your wood lot looks makes a big difference to the customer. It's the same as an auto mechanics shop. A neat well organized shop will net you more business then a dirty cluttered shop. I have a huge mulch pile and I even sell mulch after it compost for people to use in there gardens. I sell almost every scrap of wood in one form or another, not much goes to waste. I sell a cord of hardwood for $350 but that same cord sold in bags nets me over $1,200 a cord. Almost nothing goes to wast here. I have found a market for almost every scrap of wood.
I work my ass off but it does pay the bills and I work for myself. I'm 60 years old and I like to work at my own pace. I report most of what I make and pay my taxes so the IRS doesn't shut me down. I report 50K a year but I make more then that.I do not deliver because that take me away from the wood lot and slows down production, It's pick up only and cash only. I even rake up and bag the scrapnal and bag it and sell it for starter wood.
I make some tables out of some of the trunk flairs and other custom pieces. I don't deliver because it adds another cost and more overhead because I would have to carry more insurance and liability cost. The pictures you saw are only a fraction of my operation. I have more wood that is in a building that never gets wet.

 

[sb47]

what do these people want to do with them if non potable?

I don't know what they want them for but I did disclose that they are not suitable for potable water and I stressed that fact many times.

 

[sb47]

It's been slow since the covid outbreak hit and people can't gather for cookouts or cook offs but even though it's slower then normal. I made $1,400 bucks last week in wood sales.It's a hit or miss operation. Some weeks I don't make much, then other weeks I make 3 to 4 grand. Just when I think I'm going broke, it will bust loose and I get hammered all at once. It has taught me to save my money and sit on it in case sales get slow.
I did just buy a Gorillabac log lift last month and that has helped a lot and has saved my back a lot from lifting big heavy rounds. I don't have the luxury of working with nice long strait poles so I can't use a wood processor. My trees are yard trees that grow out in the open with lots of forks and odd shaped wood.
Here is a video I made of me using it for the first time. This was the first large round I use it on. This was a green water oak round and was my first time using it. I have since learned how to use it more efficiently.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

Thanks for the complement.
Believe it or not, I'm a one man operation. I do it all myself. The wood comes from a tree company just down the road and he gives me the wood for free so he doesn't have to pay to dump. His shop is less the 2 miles from me so stopping in and dumping keeps him from driving all the way to the dump and paying to dump. It saves him time and money and saves me time and money as well. Our winters are all of about 5 mins long so I specialize in bbq quality wood. I'm located inside the beltway of a city that has over 3 million people and I have been doing it for 15 years so my customer base is pretty big. Last year I cut and split over 100 cords. I like to keep my wood lot nice and neat and my wood stacked in measured amounts. All my stacks are 4 foot tall by 4 foot long by 18''
I also sell bagged wood in 50lb bags for people that don't have a place to store wood and just want to cook on the weekends, on there patio or at a park or there back yard. Men can send the wives over and pick up a few bags and put them in there clean car trunk without getting it dirty. I sell more bagged wood the bulk but I do sell to a few restaurants, pizza joints that have wood burning pizza ovens. I get a lot of campers that just want a fire for a single night so there kids can roast marshmallow or hotdogs. The baskets are for the short drop offs that can't be stacked so it keeps it nice and neat.
I sell grilling wood as well for people that don't smoke but like to grill stakes.I have one splitter and 3 saws and a few trailers plus 5 wheelbarrows. I always clean up the sawdust and scraps and burn them for my own entertainment and grilling needs. I have another guy not far that runs a mill and if I get some good quality logs, he buys them from me.
Presentation and how neat your wood lot looks makes a big difference to the customer. It's the same as an auto mechanics shop. A neat well organized shop will net you more business then a dirty cluttered shop. I have a huge mulch pile and I even sell mulch after it compost for people to use in there gardens. I sell almost every scrap of wood in one form or another, not much goes to waste. I sell a cord of hardwood for $350 but that same cord sold in bags nets me over $1,200 a cord. Almost nothing goes to wast here. I have found a market for almost every scrap of wood.
I work my ass off but it does pay the bills and I work for myself. I'm 60 years old and I like to work at my own pace. I report most of what I make and pay my taxes so the IRS doesn't shut me down. I report 50K a year but I make more then that.I do not deliver because that take me away from the wood lot and slows down production, It's pick up only and cash only. I even rake up and bag the scrapnal and bag it and sell it for starter wood.
I make some tables out of some of the trunk flairs and other custom pieces. I don't deliver because it adds another cost and more overhead because I would have to carry more insurance and liability cost. The pictures you saw are only a fraction of my operation. I have more wood that is in a building that never gets wet.

All your comments are very interesting. I will likely add more at a later time. In short you have a great operation certainly above the average. I am located about a 100 miles East of Los Angeles in the mountains at 6,000 feet. Here we have up to six months of winter a year with the coldest hitting -20 F although it only happens once in a while like every 50 years. A week ago we received 30''of snow, but only lasted four days. For year 17-18 we had no winter with very little rain with some towns burning to the ground with great loss of life. The biggest problem I have had was obtaining wood so cut most of it myself. At the present time contractors are giving me wood for free, but have to get it and clean up their mess. My Oak always sell for around $500 a cord and Pine $275-$375. Early in the winter season with snow on the ground selling 1/4 cords for $300 is the best deal. I have well over a 100 K in equipment, but most of it needs some attention because as of late it has not been needed. Now as things have changed I need it all. Why do you not have a log lift which is much much faster than lifting with your crane. I have a gererator on the splitter motor so use a small winch to move splitter around and pull rounds to the splitter. We however do not have flat or level ground. Thanks

 

[sb47]

All your comments are very interesting. I will likely add more at a later time. In short you have a great operation certainly above the average. I am located about a 100 miles East of Los Angeles in the mountains at 6,000 feet. Here we have up to six months of winter a year with the coldest hitting -20 F although it only happens once in a while like every 50 years. A week ago we received 30''of snow, but only lasted four days. For year 17-18 we had no winter with very little rain with some towns burning to the ground with great loss of life. The biggest problem I have had was obtaining wood so cut most of it myself. At the present time contractors are giving me wood for free, but have to get it and clean up their mess. My Oak always sell for around $500 a cord and Pine $275-$375. Early in the winter season with snow on the ground selling 1/4 cords for $300 is the best deal. I have well over a 100 K in equipment, but most of it needs some attention because as of late it has not been needed. Now as things have changed I need it all. Why do you not have a log lift which is much much faster than lifting with your crane. I have a gererator on the splitter motor so use a small winch to move splitter around and pull rounds to the splitter. We however do not have flat or level ground. Thanks

As I mentioned, I'm 60 and I like to work at my own pace witch is a lot slower then when I was younger. It's flat country here and I have a small Kabota tractor with a 3 point hitch that I use to drag logs around if I need to. I generally just cut the logs where there dumped and use a hand dolly to move the rounds to the splitter, or simply set the splitter up next to the log pile and cut and split where ever the wood lies. Then throw the splits on a trailer and use the tractor to pull the trailer to my stacking area. I have everything set up in rows so it's easy for people to drive up and load without having to move the wood as much. If you noticed I don't run my splitter at full speed. I idle it down to slow it down witch is safer and gives me time to get my hands and fingers out of the way for safety. I'm semi retired and all I do is firewood so I'm in no rush to produce massive amounts of wood. A good hard day of work makes me feel old, tired and worn out so I slow my pace down to keep from being so tired everyday. I work slow and steady and take as many breaks as I need to. My little tractor is not big enough to lift a basket or even lift it high enough to load them on a truck or trailer. The wood that I get is never long strait logs so it's all custom cut and worked according to what the shape of the wood is. The tree company cuts the logs in short lengths, never more the 10 feet long and many of the trunks are 4 feet in diameter so using a log possessor just wouldn't work. The wood is free and they bring it to me so I don't have to go out and cut trees and haul it back to the yard. Yes the log lift is slow but a typical log lift wont fit my splitter. With the crane lift I can split off a piece and let the other half just hang out of the way so I'm not wrestling around heavy chunks of wood.
Equipment is expensive and all my money goes to taking care of my 85 year old mother witch I pay all her bills, and my brother who is on dialysis and can't work so I pay most of his bills as well. witch leaves very little for me. I would love to have a little skid steer but they ain't cheap. I have to take care of family first so there is not much left for me to buy equipment. I like working at a slower pace cause I'm getting old and just cant work like a young man anymore. Plus I have health issues as well so I have to take it easy or I would be down for the count. It's a compromise I have to live with. I like to keep things cleaned up as I go and keep the yard looking nice and that slows down production. I keep my wood stacked or two reasons. One is a wood pile will rot and mold and mildew witch if fine for just plane firewood but I sell high quality bbq wood and by keeping it stacked, it makes a better quality product witch sets me apart from the other sellers in my area.

I always ask people about my competition and they say my wood quality is the best over other sellers and thats what keeps them coming back.
Many have told me they have tried other sellers and they say my quality is the best and they wont buy from anyone else. I work hard and my quality shows it and thats what sets me apart. With my ADD issues if I get tried or board of doing one thing, I can do something else so it helps me stay sane. Plus this is Texas where the summer temps reach triple digests I slow down in the heat cause I don't need to drop dead from heat stroke.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

SB I continue to find your story very impressive. I have years where I do quite well then there are years when I barely scrape by. When the time comes I often put a minimum of ten to twelve hour days for months just to survive. My business has always depended on my ability to haul and transport goods or wood. Unless I am delivering the job will not get done. A major part of my budget is to maintain trucks. Hauling trucks and delivering trucks. Haveing some good four wheel drive trucks is essential in that if I want to capitalize on an extra $200 or $300 a cord it has to be done in the snowy conditions. So why do you not have a delivery route with a radius of two to three hundred miles bringing in four times the business. Then have you considered the use of a garden tractor to aid in your prodction instead of a skidsteer tractor. Thanks

 

[kyle1!]

Because SB is on his own time schedule and not someone else's. Making more money is always a plus but the headache of dealing with the public

 

[unclefish]

Ya I have been waiting on some of those . Had to build a chunky wood container out of pallets and some 6 foot pine that came off the mill . Definitely nice not having them all over the ground. Them pieces are ankle Twister's

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