Do you deliver firewood in the winter?

[Sandhill Crane]

It may seem an odd question, but I found a number of years ago, it was more trouble than it's worth.
I've switched from a flatbed to a pickup and dump trailer. But still, the short answer for me is, people need to plan ahead, and order before the snow flies.

 

[Patrick62]

I am gradually coming around to your line of thinking.
In years past, with the 1 cord truck (marginal 4x4) I have delivered when it really was not sensible.
Including chains on all 4 corners!!! just to deliver a cord of wood...
Now, that truck is pretty much dead... I might replace it with a 2 wheel drive version.
no way would I try to deliver here with a dump trailer. too many difficult driveways.

However, if the roads are decent enough, sure. I will run a load in the winter.

 

[T. Mainus]

If we have wood to deliver, then yes we would deliver in the winter. Have been sold out for about a month now so it won't be an issue this year.

 

[Circle B MN]

I generally dont push my product too hard in the winter. Less daylight, harder to get around. People burn the last stick and then it becomes my emergency to refill them.

 

[CUCV]

I generally avoid it and want to be done delivering by Thanksgiving. If I have wood left over and the weather is favorable, wood is not covered in snow, and roads are clear of salt I will. I cut and haul in wood all winter for the next season but it's on my terms.

 

[Jere39]

I do not. I have very little left that is ready for burn this year, and that will go to people who bring their own truck. I help load it. My end of delivery season is the beginning of deer season (rifle, I've been bow hunting since mid September here in my own woods) here in PA, which is this coming Saturday. When I get back from the mountains, it will be the beginning of a winter of cutting splitting and stacking for next year.

 

[lone wolf]

Well hell yes! That's the best time to sell firewood. Its also the slowest time for work here so it is good supplemental income. This winter they predict heating costs will up a good amount so you might want to raise the prices a bit to keep up with inflation.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Obviously there are beautiful sunny winter days. Roads can be clear for a week, but my wood lot is not plowed out, and pallets are froze to the ground. Last year I was cutting/splitting almost ten days into January before the snow piled up and temperatures dropped. My forklift starts hard nearing +20, and hardly runs long enough to warm up to load a pallet or two. Winter customers usually want 1/3 cord at a time. If I'm processing wood then it runs longer moving logs and pallets. In the past I've moved things around, cutting/splitting into ten cord piles, and bundling in the spring. Turned out to be a lot of extra hand work to palletize from piles. Not difficult, just time consuming, when the weather was nice, and I could be palletizing straight off the splitter-conveyor. Don't know that I gained anything by doing that.
The flip side of not delivering is that customers run out and buy from someone else. I often hear what others are producing and selling in the area. They're buying habit probably will not change however, as they have limited space stacking in their garages.
The first winter I sold wood I delivered a cord and a half to two neighbors in a rural subdivision ten miles from the house. Drifts were higher than the cab of the Top Kick 5500. Although a sunny day the winds picked up, and running empty on the way home visibility was zero at times in the cut, and on the flats. One day I got stuck three times...in my driveway.
Empty it would get stuck on a flat spot. I carried chains from an old Buick that I would throw under the wheels, and later added several buckets of asses.
One woman I delivered to said don't deliver today as she was plowed out but got blown back in again. Either she was blown in or I was stuck at home. This flip flop went on for days, and it took a week to get to her place. Then we got behind a plow truck that socked in the end of her driveway. I sat in the road and a buddy walked up to see if there was a place to turn around up the drive. The plow truck did a 180 at the next road, came back, dropped the wing plow and opened up her drive apron that he had just piled up moments before. I soon learned she had recently opened a local pizza shop in town, as she gave us each a coupon for a free pizza.
As lone wolf noted, winter is a slow time for some of us, and a great opportunity for more sales, but I'm going to pass when the snow sets in.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

It may seem an odd question, but I found a number of years ago, it was more trouble than it's worth.
I've switched from a flatbed to a pickup and dump trailer. But still, the short answer for me is, people need to plan ahead, and order before the snow flies.

I could not disagree more. I hold out all year to wait until it snows to do my delivering. Why would any body do different. Double the money because maybe you need to put on chains one in ten deliveries and get a huge tip. I often get a $50 or $100 tip on top of it. Half cords are very popular so an extra $100 to $150 plus tips. All one has to do is wait a few weeks with zero complaints from customers. You guys who deliver with trailers obviously do not have difficult deliveries. Summer or winter no one has trailers for deliveries. Thanks

 

[lone wolf]

Obviously there are beautiful sunny winter days. Roads can be clear for a week, but my wood lot is not plowed out, and pallets are froze to the ground. Last year I was cutting/splitting almost ten days into January before the snow piled up and temperatures dropped. My forklift starts hard nearing +20, and hardly runs long enough to warm up to load a pallet or two. Winter customers usually want 1/3 cord at a time. If I'm processing wood then it runs longer moving logs and pallets. In the past I've moved things around, cutting/splitting into ten cord piles, and bundling in the spring. Turned out to be a lot of extra hand work to palletize from piles. Not difficult, just time consuming, when the weather was nice, and I could be palletizing straight off the splitter-conveyor. Don't know that I gained anything by doing that.
The flip side of not delivering is that customers run out and buy from someone else. I often hear what others are producing and selling in the area. They're buying habit probably will not change however, as they have limited space stacking in their garages.
The first winter I sold wood I delivered a cord and a half to two neighbors in a rural subdivision ten miles from the house. Drifts were higher than the cab of the Top Kick 5500. Although a sunny day the winds picked up, and running empty on the way home visibility was zero at times in the cut, and on the flats. One day I got stuck three times...in my driveway.
Empty it would get stuck on a flat spot. I carried chains from an old Buick that I would throw under the wheels, and later added several buckets of asses.
One woman I delivered to said don't deliver today as she was plowed out but got blown back in again. Either she was blown in or I was stuck at home. This flip flop went on for days, and it took a week to get to her place. Then we got behind a plow truck that socked in the end of her driveway. I sat in the road and a buddy walked up to see if there was a place to turn around up the drive. The plow truck did a 180 at the next road, came back, dropped the wing plow and opened up her drive apron that he had just piled up moments before. I soon learned she had recently opened a local pizza shop in town, as she gave us each a coupon for a free pizza.
As lone wolf noted, winter is a slow time for some of us, and a great opportunity for more sales, but I'm going to pass when the snow sets in.

Not to mention the damn salt on the roads eats trucks

 

[Big_Eddy]

Once.
A neighbour begged us that he was out of wood and just needed a face cord to get through. Good neighbour so I gave in.
I had to snowblow a path 100’ to the pile. 2 shear pins sacrificed.
The wood pile was frozen in a lump. Every piece needed a knock from an axe or another split to break loose before you could toss it in the trailer. And every once in a while you would get an avalanche of snow down your neck from the pile “snow cap”
The destination driveway was a disaster. Narrow with banks both sides. But we got backed in okay without getting stuck
The wood didn’t dump out cleanly. There was crusty snow in the bottom of the trailer. I had to toss 20% out by hand.
And the customer had the gall to complain about the amount of ice stuck to the splits.
Nope. Not again. Never.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Cambium]

Most people don't wait for winter to get wood. Those that do know supplies are low and will have a hard time finding "seasoned" wood in winter. I have delivered in winter but only to family members..

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Nice to hear both sides. Got our first snow last night. Lake Effect snow, it will be gone in a day or two. Makes processing more difficult as well. Any dirt is wet, and frozen to the logs. Just a bit more sharpening is all.

 

[cantoo]

I once delivered a free load to a needy family. The driveway was 1/8 mile long, 12" of snow ( 2 wheel drive truck) guy sent his kid out to tell me where to back up across the lawn and dump at a basement window so I could "stack the wood" in the basement. I really didn't want to drive across the lawn but I felt bad for the kid so I did. After I dumped out the load I was real light and had a hard time driving back across the lawn, I felt a bump and as I looked back a bicycle flipped out from under my rear tires. My new $220 rear tire. I drove out and never looked back. We do deliver wood in the winter but try to check out the property first. My firewood area is a couple hours of snow blowing at the back of my place so as soon as the snow gets deep the deliveries stop. This also means that when it's wet there are no deliveries either.

 

[SamT1]

It may seem an odd question, but I found a number of years ago, it was more trouble than it's worth.
I've switched from a flatbed to a pickup and dump trailer. But still, the short answer for me is, people need to plan ahead, and order before the snow flies.

We do year round, but weather is super mild here. I’m in a mess this year. Every time I deliver an order I get 2 more. People are getting mad. Most wood I have ever sold. I have stress fractures in my arms from spilitting wood. I have a month wait.