Crazy Idea or what? You decide

[aktaylors]

Ok here's my idea. I live in Interior Alaska. the only hardwood we have is paper birch. Not the best. Does ok but it's the only thing. I've been thinking of buying a 40 connex load of oak or maple and having it shipped here. I've figured I can fit 20 cords in the trailer. BIrch here is selling anywhere from 250 to 450 a cord. I think I could sell oak for 500 a cord. That's ten grand a connex load. I think it would be about 2500 for shipping. What do you guys think?

 

[mga]

where is this oak coming from?

 

[RatchetJaw]

good question where is the oak coming from

also you might just be sitting on it for a very long time and be out alot of money .

 

[aktaylors]

Well this is just a theory at this point. I would have to find some one willing to sell 20 cords and load it into a connex. I'm pretty sure I could sell it all in a weekend. Wood here has gone crazy. Hell even if I could just break even and keep a couple of cords for myself I'd be happy

 

[sawinredneck]

Well, that is a wild idea man! I'm not sure what the rest of the country is doing, we are selling Oak $160-$200 a cord here in KS. But I am in central KS and have to cut and haul it in. Just to give you an idea of the wood cost. Obviously it would get cheaper with a load that large.
Finding someone with that much sitting around might be a chore as well! I could get it, but it would be green.
The other thing, I have loaded and unloaded five cord out of a U-Haul van, I don't really ever want to do that again!!

 

[lfnh]

Might want to check the payload limits of a connex 40'.
Seems like it was around 30 ton. what's 20 cord of real dry oak weigh in at ?
Just a thought.

 

[savageactor7]

I think that's an excellent idea all you need is a dependable supplier...that shouldn't be too hard.

Will folks pay that much for hardwood up in Alaska? If it were me I'd be content to keep loading up with softwoods....they're abundant up there right?

 

[abohac]

Are you kidding?

Birch sells for $450 a cord? What the heck is going on up there? Why don't people just go cut some? I don't care what it is

 

[aktaylors]

Birch is the only hardwood available here. The other option is spruce. And then there is Aspen or cottonwood. Both of those are considered trash woods. Aspen is ok but almost impossible to keep dry. As for the price of wood it has skyrocketed with the price of oil. Winter here lasts from mid September to Mid March. It was -3 yesterday morining. With fuel oil above $4.oo a gallon many people are burning wood. The demand has really increased especially as OWB's have become popular. Also the other problem is that a big birch tree is 16" so It takes alot of cutting. Most people don't have the time or energy to do it. I grew up in New England and miss burning oak and maple. So I came up with this grand idea.

Also a connex would be fairly easy to load. It sits on the ground and is 8 feet tall.

 

[biggen0_8]

Just wondering, would there be any problem with the transportation of wood across state/or international borders? That is, if your getting the wood from out of state. Seeing as I live in the middle of Emerald Ash Borer country, I'm used to restrictions on moving wood between counties, much less states.

 

[cantoo]

I've never burnt them but wouldn't wood pellets be a better option for you? Easy to get and almost guaranteed BTU's. No guessing on anything either.

 

[aktaylors]

well you'd need a pellet stove for pellets. And I love my Hearthstone stove. I'd just to be able to burn good hardwoods in it.

 

[mga]

Birch sells for $450 a cord? What the heck is going on up there? Why don't people just go cut some? I don't care what it is

it's probably too cold to go out and cut wood.

 

[Farmer Mike]

I would love for people to drop off conex boxes here to fill at my leasure (like for next season) or green this year.

40' is too big to fill, mostly because of weight. I think you would easly hit 80,000 lbs gross with ANY dense / high BTU wood.

I actually have more hickory than oak, more hedge than hickory, and more honey locust than all of it put togeather . So drop off your conex boxes and I'll fill them as fast as I can !

 

[Nailsbeats]

Here I wanted to go to Alaska, not anymore. :mad I have piles and piles of Hard Maple outside and I aint leavin.:biggrinbounce2:

 

[wkpoor]

Jeez man, you live in the biggest state in the union and the probably the least populated and wildest and your contemplating wood from the lower 40. My vision of Alaska is everyone lives on a thousand acres or more and has beautiful mountains to look at out their rustic log home picture windows.
Burst my bubble!

 

[aktaylors]

I didn't mean to burst your bubble. We do have alot of beautiful places just crappy wood. I wonder what the cpacity of a connex is? I'm guessing a cord of wood weighs about 2500 lbs or so? Anybody know? Seasoned would be much less that's for sure

 

[lfnh]

Found something on the weight of a dry/green cord of wood that may help you.
http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/home/heating_cooling/firewood.html

 

[aktaylors]

Thanks for the info. So I'm looking at 60,000 lbs for a connex full of dry oak I wonder if that is too much for a connex. Anybody know the weight limits of a connex?

 

[tjf85]

Great idea

I don't know if your close to the Alaska railroad if you are why not get 100 tons tree length on a log car the Alaska railroad is not connected to the rails in lower 48 they transload the whole car on a ship to get it there Stay Warm Kip