What should I charge for bucking services?

[JoeBob99]

Hey someone wants me to buck their firewood. I value my time about $20/hour. I'm wondering how much I should add for the use of my equipment (chainsaws, gas, oil, chains, chaps, etc).

 

[Ryan'smilling]

Depends on what your equipment cost when you bought it (or what the replacements will cost when you need them) and how many hours your equipment will last.

Assume you spent 700 dollars on a chainsaw. It will have and expected service life of 1000 hours so, every hour of use costs $0.70. Repeat that for everything you bring to the job. Boots, gloves, earmuffs, chains, bars, etc. Then there is fuel. Not much cost there, but something. A dollar or two an hour I suppose. Also your time doing maintenance/chain sharpening needs up be billed for somewhere in the equation. You can't work 8 hours a day every day and not spend additional time making sure your equipment will function properly.

Then the kicker is insurance. If you are running equipment FOR HIRE on someone else's property and an accident occurs, you're at substantial risk. Insurance mitigates that, but at a cost, which also needs figured in.

Anyway, there's a bunch of math you can do it you want, or else, assuming you're not desperate for the income, estimate on the high side and see if you have any takers. It seems crazy to drive somewhere and run a saw that you bring for less than $30/hr. More would be better.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Whatever your shop rate is at least. If I was doing it and dragging out my equipment, it'd be $130/hr.

 

[JoeBob99]

$520 for four hours behind a saw? Wow. This is for a friend, I don't want to beat them over the head, I just want to make it fair.

 

[JoeBob99]

I do have to drive there and back.

 

[sundance]

Some depends on how much there is to buck. If it's a few hours work I'd have a tough time charging. If it's days I'd see it differently.

 

[mijdirtyjeep]

This is for a friend

.

For my friends all I charge is a 6pack of beer with the agreement that we will sit and each have a few when done.

Some of the best story’s and times I’ve had are sitting on a pile of firewood shooting the Sh*t with a buddy.

 

[Mad Professor]

A lot wood, depend on the wood (pun intended).

If beer and a cookout followed the days work that would be taken into consideration.

 

[JoeBob99]

It's a lady who wants to give a birthday gift to her husband. She's gonna insist on paying me and I don't feel bad about that anyway.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

$520 for four hours behind a saw? Wow. This is for a friend, I don't want to beat them over the head, I just want to make it fair.

Seems fair to me, but you didn't say anything about it being a friend.

In that case, I'd probably do it for free because that's what friends do... one hand washes the other.

For just a random person, well, equipment doesn't run for free. A new skid steer is ~60k for example.

 

[JoeBob99]

When you say my shop rate, do you mean the shop I would pay to fix something? I have a little shop in my garage...


I wasn't sure what to write. I call the lady a friend cause she's nice to me and sells me milk. I can't do free work for all my "friends," where would I be?

My understanding is that she's got a log deck and I'm going to buck the logs so her girls can run the splitter.

 

[sundance]

When you say my shop rate, do you mean the shop I would pay to fix something? I have a little shop in my garage...


I wasn't sure what to write. I call the lady a friend cause she's nice to me and sells me milk. I can't do free work for all my "friends," where would I be?

My understanding is that she's got a log deck and I'm going to buck the logs so her girls can run the splitter.

I'm still curious how much actual work we're talking. A handful of hours you don't want to donate, rake the $20/hr you figure you want/need. Several days work, maybe wear and tear, fuel, maintenance, etc. become real considerations. Personally I'm not fond of having things done on an hourly basis by someone I've never seen work.

Where is this located? And, as a side question how's her price on the milk you purchase from her?

 

[JoeBob99]

I really don't know what we're talking. She said they burn 3-4 cords and they have some left over. She said they've got logs but the chainsaw is too dangerous for the girls. I assumed there is a log deck but who knows. I guessed I'd be bucking 1.5-3 cords of wood. I'm real green, I don't even know how long that would take. But she knows I'm not the type to milk the clock.

Rural NW. It's raw milk at $6/gal. Grass fed cows that are free and don't live in cow jail. Pour some in a bottle with a bit of real wood fire boiled maple syrup and shake it up...

 

[sundance]

I really don't know what we're talking. She said they burn 3-4 cords and they have some left over. She said they've got logs but the chainsaw is too dangerous for the girls. I assumed there is a log deck but who knows. I guessed I'd be bucking 1.5-3 cords of wood. I'm real green, I don't even know how long that would take. But she knows I'm not the type to milk the clock.

Rural NW. It's raw milk at $6/gal. Grass fed cows that are free and don't live in cow jail. Pour some in a bottle with a bit of real wood fire boiled maple syrup and shake it up...

I'm not sure I'd assume a log deck unless they're common in your area. If you're starting a business doing this you've had suggestions on identifying and applying costs. If you're doing it as a favor (but not willing to donate the time), $20/hr is your base as stated. If you want/need more than quote her at your price and see what happens. I'll admit that if it was near me I'd do it for the fun. Keep in mind it's so her girls can handle the splitting. Doesn't sound like a lot of spare money there to me.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

When you say my shop rate, do you mean the shop I would pay to fix something? I have a little shop in my garage...


I wasn't sure what to write. I call the lady a friend cause she's nice to me and sells me milk. I can't do free work for all my "friends," where would I be?

My understanding is that she's got a log deck and I'm going to buck the logs so her girls can run the splitter.

Whatever you charge at your shop.. or whatever tree work you do. IE the rate that covers all your overhead costs and let's you put bread on the table.

I work for free for friends all the time. And they help me when I need help too. Well.. free... usually there's lunch and drinks or something, but basically free.

Stuff like perhaps helping build a shed, or put in a driveway, hauling dirt (that I did ask for $$ for diesel since I burned like 40 gallons)

 

[GilksTreeFelling]

1-3 cords depending on your saw and how fast you can cut and clear the rounds to the next layer of logs *assuming it's just a pile of logs on the ground* look at 1/2-3/4 of a day if your by yourself. Factoring in time to resharpen, hydrate, unpinch your bar, rehang a thrown chain etc. Multiply by what you value your time at plus your costs*gas, oil, driving time, chains, files, bar nuts etc*

 

[sb47]

It sounds like the girls could do most of the work by handling the rounds after you have cut them so all you should have to do is cut the logs. I would ask how big the logs are so you will know if you have to noodle the rounds in half or quarter them up so the girls can handle them. Then I would charge for at least the cost of one chain, one gallon of bar oil and one gallon of gas mixed and one file plus and hourly rate of lets say 20 bucks an hour. Tell her you will just be doing the cutting and the girls need to be there to move the rounds out of your way to keep your work area clean and safe for you to cut. The girls may not be able to run the saw but they can do everything else. Take a hand dolly for the girls to move the rounds with it. If it close I would skip transportation cost and travel time but if it's not then I would ad that cost in as well. Once it's all said and done and you feel you have over charged then you can give them a discount.

So lets break it down.
1 chain 35 bucks
1 file 3 bucks
1 gallon of bar oil 8 bucks
1 gallon of gas and oil mix 5 bucks
and lets say 4 hours work at 20 dollars and hour
Comes out to 128 bucks and I would round up to $130.00

Adjust cost as needed.

 

[Mad Professor]

Are the girls pretty?

 

[sundance]

Are the girls pretty?

Guess I'd be more focused on them being willing workers in this plan. If they are, then I'd have a tough time taking money for a handful of hours work. Either 1) charge them for your cost (sb47's estimated costs are impressive in places!) or 2) take it in trade for the milk you're already buying from her.

Full disclosure.....I'm comfortably retired, not trying to feed a family and barely getting by. Might see it differently under those circumstances. Mix in: are you giving up paying work to do this? If not, its really whats the dollar value of your leisure time. I happen to enjoy running my saws so it would be a good outing for me. Also like helping a family trying to help themselves.

 

[dmb2613]

It's a lady who wants to give a birthday gift to her husband. She's gonna insist on paying me and I don't feel bad about that anyway.

You gona take it out in trade lol