Here's a question That hopefully someone here can answer. I happen to have a pretty good gig selling campfire wood. All I have to do is split it down to size from a stock pile of wood already precut and leave it in a pile. They bundle it and sell it, keep track of bundles and that is how I charge, some years I end up having to bring in more wood because they didn't get enough from the previous winter, but that is another story. Anyway, the question is, "They want me to start bundling the wood in shrink wrapped form", so what does anyone think this might add per bundle, for wrapping(labor and wrap material)?
Campfire wood bundles
- Thread starter Guswhit
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zogger
Tree Freak
Depends on how you are doing it, with a commercial or good qualitty home made wrapper, or by hand. I have done some by hand..I would want a buck a bundle to do that.
Commercial wrappers cost some loot, you would have to recoup that sometime, plus buying the wrap plastic by the big roll.
Commercial wrappers cost some loot, you would have to recoup that sometime, plus buying the wrap plastic by the big roll.
Good points. Lets just not get carried away with figures. I'm looking for someones knowledge that has actually wrapped before because they should know how much it costs them too wrap. I know how much a good commercial machine costs and approx. how many bundles you can wrap per roll of film. I don't know how many bundles you can do per hour, how many hours you can sustain the rate of production.
066blaster
Addicted to ArboristSite
It would come down to what you are using. I have seen bundler s from 700 to 2000 or or a shallow wooden box you set the wood in upright and wrap it, costs 5 bucks. The shrink wrap is cheap. How was it being bundled? What are you getting now per bundle? What are they charging per bundle? What kind of quantity are you doing. That all matters
I don't bundle anymore. It's cheaper and easier to just charge by the stick. They can pick there own from a pre set pile.
I have a roll of cheap twine if they want to tie it up in a bundle.
I have a roll of cheap twine if they want to tie it up in a bundle.
Okay..... specific's. I supply 3 large campgrounds firewood. They do not allow wood to be brought in. Of course they don't search peoples campers, but if they see it in the open in the back of a truck they will make you turn around. One of the campgrounds is very large, land wise, so they get culls and dead trees every year that I process on site for them. It is cut to size in 1 area, I come in and split at my leisure and leave the wood piled. The park personal have helpers that bundle it, stock the selling areas and sell it. They keep track of the bundles, I keep track of my time and then I send a bill every month(May-October). The new plan is to have me take care of the bundling and so the park personal have more time to do other things. They have not kept track of the time it takes them to accomplish the task of bundling over the years, and they don't have an automatic machine. I would purchase a machine to up the process, I'm just trying to put some kind of number together to add to my current per bundle charge, not that I think I can squeeze any more time to do it.
066blaster
Addicted to ArboristSite
Can you use the same technique they were using to bundle it what ever that may be? Kind off a weird situation. Their wood. No hauling. Sounds like they are willing to pay you to not deal with it themselves. Get what you can.
qweesdraw
ArboristSite Operative
Find A BAR STOOL (SWIVEL) mount a tire rim to the size bundle you want.
Add wood bungee the tops.
Make an 90 degree from plumbing steel pipe mounted with a pipe flange epoxy the joints.(to hold the wrap)
It sounds simple but it will take about 6 hours to make
I use 18" pallet wrap cut in 1/2 with a very sharp chainsaw.
Always make perfect 16"cuts with a stick and chaulk or a Mingo marker.
There is alot more work to bundle wood that many think.
Split your logs small as air space is your friend!
Add wood bungee the tops.
Make an 90 degree from plumbing steel pipe mounted with a pipe flange epoxy the joints.(to hold the wrap)
It sounds simple but it will take about 6 hours to make
I use 18" pallet wrap cut in 1/2 with a very sharp chainsaw.
Always make perfect 16"cuts with a stick and chaulk or a Mingo marker.
There is alot more work to bundle wood that many think.
Split your logs small as air space is your friend!
read your post this morning and thought of you. just saw this at the gas station and thought this might work. the guy sells to campgrounds. the bags are 25 lb. onion bags. i ask him what the cubic foot amt. was but he couldn't tell me. he said they weigh about 10 lbs. failed to ask him his price.
i know a guy that uses those bags for onions and will check on a price per bag.
zogger
Tree Freak
read your post this morning and thought of you. just saw this at the gas station and thought this might work. the guy sells to campgrounds. the bags are 25 lb. onion bags. i ask him what the cubic foot amt. was but he couldn't tell me. he said they weigh about 10 lbs. failed to ask him his price.
View attachment 361550
I do bags and bundles (small scale just for now..real small..I am seeing if this could be a viable business or not) My bags cost 35 cent apiece, bought them online off a seed company, small bale of one hundred bags. Surprisingly small cardboard box they shipped in. Mine will hold .75cu/ft if you stuff them well. Sort of a PITA. I use them for chunked up cook wood.
read your post this morning and thought of you. just saw this at the gas station and thought this might work. the guy sells to campgrounds. the bags are 25 lb. onion bags. i ask him what the cubic foot amt. was but he couldn't tell me. he said they weigh about 10 lbs. failed to ask him his price.
View attachment 361550
Bags are 30-35 cents each buying them in lots of 500 around me. The campground used to use these bought the stretch wrap was cheaper they said. I just wonder how long it takes to fill one of those or to wrap a bundle with stretch wrap.
When it comes to bundling campfire logs, nothing is cheaper than bailing twine that you can buy at TSC or Farm and Fleet and a 5" long garden hose length that you cut from an old leaky hose than people give you for nothing. However, you have to know how to tie a Boy Scout knot and figure that 10 to 12 bundles an hour is your maximum output.
The alternative is to spend $3000 on a commercial bundle machine and buy a bunch of plastic. Figure on at least a 5-year payback and don't forget your truck, splitter, chainsaw, labor help, and fuel cost. I have never met a man selling firewood bundles who is serious about making a ton of dough while doing it.. Nice hobby, however.
My biggest gripe is that theft abounds and there is little that you can do about that.
The alternative is to spend $3000 on a commercial bundle machine and buy a bunch of plastic. Figure on at least a 5-year payback and don't forget your truck, splitter, chainsaw, labor help, and fuel cost. I have never met a man selling firewood bundles who is serious about making a ton of dough while doing it.. Nice hobby, however.
My biggest gripe is that theft abounds and there is little that you can do about that.
zogger
Tree Freak
When it comes to bundling campfire logs, nothing is cheaper than bailing twine that you can buy at TSC or Farm and Fleet and a 5" long garden hose length that you cut from an old leaky hose than people give you for nothing. However, you have to know how to tie a Boy Scout knot and figure that 10 to 12 bundles an hour is your maximum output.
The alternative is to spend $3000 on a commercial bundle machine and buy a bunch of plastic. Figure on at least a 5-year payback and don't forget your truck, splitter, chainsaw, labor help, and fuel cost. I have never met a man selling firewood bundles who is serious about making a ton of dough while doing it.. Nice hobby, however.
My biggest gripe is that theft abounds and there is little that you can do about that.
One member here is doing OK selling bundles..
http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/part-time-firewood-sales.259088/#post-4897802
I have baling twine and thought about using it, but a cheap roll of stretchie plastic was...hmm, cheap, I forget now, six or eight bucks, the shortie rolls with built in handle at home despot, and so was getting a small bale of mesh bags, 35 bucks for one hundred of them.
Wrapping sucks but it isn't too bad, and running the numbers, it is a lot more per cord than selling bulk cords.
I just wanted to play with it myself to see if there was any possibility of a market, seeing as how I have access to so much wood.
If I had a real job, full time that paid well already, nope, wouldn't fool with it. I have spare time here and there, but can't go anyplace to work another job, so..I have some extra wood. Testing the waters now, and that's all the money I am putting into it, one bale of bags, maybe two rolls of stretch wrap.
CRThomas
ArboristSite Guru
I bundle firewood Ash 8 sticks to the bundle. My two wrappers cost $1100.00 for one straight hand crank The other electric $2200.00. The bundles cost $93.00 for a box of four shipping all so. I do about 10 bundles a hour that from start to finish not just bundling but from tree to finish product not delivered though. If I push it I can do a 100 bundles a day whole sale at $2.50 a bundle gross is $250.00. Retail the moves up from $5.00 to $10.00 a bundle. As you can see after pictures and cratin and differrent colored paper the price goes up. I do not sell to parks I whole sell it to venders close to the park. People in the million dollar homes are picky so the price goes up the more you do. If you go in the high dollar customers home spitting on there drive way stinking to high heaven mud all over your shoes stay with the campgrounds. I have had to get up at 11:00 pm and deliver 10 bundles there cost $100.00 dollars but they are old customers I make a bout $3800.00 a year from them. I got a customer I get a Check for $250.00 every month to keep them in bundles firewood. Your customers are all different and so you treat the differently. Some of the gang say They would not kiss the customers behind like I do Later
CRThomas
ArboristSite Guru
Was just getting ready to sign off when I notice a car in the drive way I went out they had just got in the camp ground and got there tent set up Ranger Station closed the gas station where they sell bundles I give them four bundles to hold the till day light I ask them how they found me one of the fellows that stay there and check people in told them about me he said you can wake him up if he's a sleep he the the firewood man 24 hours a day made me feel good to know that later I'm going to bed now got a early star in the moring by the way I sell as much fire wood bundles in the summer as I do in the winter. It's year round Later
It's quite possible that we are all wasting our time bundling firewood with twine, plastic, or whatever. Just find a nice chick that will hand out the logs to customers 8 to 9 logs at a time and collect $5 cash each time.
WDYT?
WDYT?
I was telling my 2 girls they should set up a stand by the entrance to one of the parks and do that to earn some extra college money, but the house queen nixed that idea. She said they could go along and help process, but the selling part was up to me.
Well, you might tell the house queen that my idea is exactly how the park administrator sells the logs that I supply to him. His two daughters do most of the selling by handing out 8 to 9 logs for $5 a collection. They are also saving for college. One of my truckloads produces 50 to 60 bundles this way. He pays me between $110 and $120 per truckload, so the girls can profit close to $200 per truckload after they pay off the old man.
He stocks out about every two weeks, depending on the holidays and special events. The girls also help me unload the truck whenever I make my deliveries.
woodchuck357
Addicted to ArboristSite
I worked evenings at a campground that had rules like that a few years ago. The owners left me in charge for a few months one summer. I quit selling bundles (started selling the wood by the arm load) and got rid of the restriction on bringing your own wood in. When they got back they were so impressed with the amount of work the crew had gotten done and the increase in occupancy and profits that they never went back to the way things were before.
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