how may of you guys sell fire wood?

[Tree Machine]

..... rent out splitters, chainsaws and axes and invite do-it yourselfers to split their own......

Todd, There are no do-it-yourselfers on my jobsite. Only people who wish to load themselves up some free wood. I provide all the cutting, and sometimes help em load up. They just take it. I don't understand it totally, and it continues to amaze me that even a 60-something, well-dressed lady will pull over and and hump pieces into the spotless trunk of her Eldorado.... but firewood has value and if you do the public a favor and only put out there GOOD QUALITY, consistent, regular pieces. I think it's magic, really. Many people have wood lust, and when they see FREE, they can indulge. If there weren't a FREE sign, they would look at the pile and go, "I wonder if that wood is free....?" and keep on driving. A smile and breif eye contact when they pull up and get out to check it out makes them feel acknowledged and welcome. Most of the times, that is most often how it goes for me.

I think wood lust exists invisibly out there, ingrained in peoples' DNA from their ancestry. Either that or their familial lineage were a bunch of cheapo's that can't resist the word FREE. I'm not sure .
:angel:

 

[geofore]

free

It was the smile, did it. How much did the smile cost you? I give them away free. I don't put up freebie signs unless the cutomer asks for it first.

 

[Tree Machine]

Firewood and smiles

A smile can be your most potent marketing tool.

 

[treeguy347]

DIYers?!?

Checked out the firewood business site. Do-it-yourselfers with my equipment cutting wood on my property. Scary, to say the least. Gotta agree with Todd about the onsite medic (only one?) and a good lawyer

 

[treeguy347]

Also good call on the smiles. Good service = good money.

 

[Tree Machine]

Firewood marketing ideas

I just checked out the firewood site, too. http://www.timberwolfcorp.com/advic...od_business.htm

I now get your references, Todd and DDM. They actually SUGGESTED that as one of the methods of marketing firewood.... having folks show up and y'all get jiggy with the tools. Yea. I can see that being a well-oiled machine. Just the logistics of getting several peoples' schedules together, all in one place at one time sounds scary enough. But to put them in charge of a splitter or even a saw.... IncompreHENsible! Not even if I were getting paid. I am a treeguy, not a babysitter or put more mildly, a hand-holder. I don't like any stranger or client even picking up a rake . Any tree site is a place where getting hurt, or even seriously hurt, has the real potential to happen. Even an incidental injury of any kind, to a non-employee, has to potential to wreck your life. How many cords would you then have to sell to replace the fingers your 'help' just took off with the splitter? I vote 'No casual helpers allowed' to that tidbit of published strategy, meant as a tip, but it would be like inviting in uncalculable risk. Remember, you, Mr Bossman Treeguy, are responsible for everything.

 

[blackwaterguide]

firewoood

I sell some of it if I hve to for friends and neighbors, but then, I haven't filled my 500lb lp tank for coming 3 year. I've never heated with anything else but wood and you can't beat it. Warms you up twice don't you know. Need land to put a hundred or so cord dumped (always use 8 to 16 hp elevators to load the bigger trucks.) Had some luck loading it on trains bound west where they ain't got as much hardwood. But, 300 a cord? wow, never heard of such. If you care to add to your machinery and are in a place to to it high production and a few local country boys can make ya money. Don't forget to pre-heat your water heater, too. High prod processors are great given good location.

 

[Newfie]

firewood lot...

I've seen that Timberwolf site where they suggest a cut your own firewood business. Everything about that article is way out of touch, from log costs (what size log by the way, right?) to investing in an expensive cyclone fence. That seems to be the only time they even skirt the whole idea of liabilty.

Never mind all of the other issues associated with "free" wood, liabilty seems to be the biggest risk of all. Stubless, quality, large stuff split doesn't protect you from the village idiot claiming they hurt themselves loading it or from kids coming along and tossing it all over the place. Fast food chains get sued for serving coffee that is too hot, don't underestimate your vulnerability to being ruined by "free" wood.

It seems you already do a large portion of the work involved in the firewood business, why not go the extra step and hire another employee to split and deliver green cords for $100? You just turned your "free" into at least $50 bucks in your pocket while you were still doing tree work. Just an idea. But some guys just aren't into that.

 

[NeTree]

Gee...HIRE somebody? Naw... Got the 15 yr old to take care of that in his free time. Gives him a few extra bucks, and keeps the other kids from picking on him. (You wouldn't believe the arms on this kid!)

Seriously, I know a few other tree co's in my area that hire kids after school for a few hours a week to split wood, makes them a few bucks to take that hottie on a date, and the wood gets split pretty cheap.

Just a thought,

 

[NeTree]

I should have been more specific... the 15 yr old is my son. He doesn't have much interest in arbo stuff, but he likes the pocket money from the cordwood.

 

[Tree Machine]

I must acknowledege that you guys are getting to the core issue here, and that is, LIABILITY. In a litigious society, such as ours, I imagine there are people driving around LOOKING for an accident to involve themselves in. These folks are my worst nightmare. Never had an encounter with one of these loonies, but we all know they exist.

 

[Nickrosis]

This thread is getting a little bizzare and sarcastic. All I can say is that it is a good thing nobody mentioned Wisconsin as a state with hacks in it.

I've lost a thumb, and it's not fun. Thanks to cosmetic surgery, I'm good to go, but I don't recommend running out and slicing off any fingers. By the time you've trained someone to run the splitter (5-10 minutes) and gotten insurance (15 seconds to tell ADP), you're making money! Funny how that works.

Nickrosis

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Wait a minute Nick, you want us to get insurance <I>before</I> we do business??

Was your thumb loss work related?

 

[Toddppm]

Nick , with a splitter? My old boss lost his that way.ouch!

Saw another co. selling palletized firewood today! The local mulch co. is selling 1/4 cords for $50 + delivery, sounds way cheap to me, not sure if they're leaving the pallets or not but it's catching on!

 

[Newfie]

It's obvious that this not a cut and dry (so to speak) situation and there are many variables that determine the viability of the firewood option for a tree service. Demand for wood, heating costs and availabilty of steady tree work not to mention labor and liability costs or the addition or subtraction of tipping fees. All of these different variables are different for different areas of the country. Selling firewood successfully and professionally isn't rocket science and if you think it is then you will probably micro-manage yourself into a new career.

Some might argue that selling firewood as an added source of revenue for a tree service makes about as much sense as plowing snow. I don't believe that but you could sure make an argument for it with broad sweeping blanket generalizations.

 

[murphy4trees]

Here is an interesting pile of firewood.... thought you guys might enjoy...
Daniel

 

[TREETX]

You forgot to leave your black marker on cardboard sign saying "Free Firewood".

 

[Newfie]

At least he covered it with the tarp!

 

[treeclimber165]

Do ya think he has enough?

He might want to split a couple more logs just in case it's a cold winter........

 

[Tree Machine]

The FREE sign

Now TreeTX, it sounds like you're poking fun at me regarding my 'free' sign. I use this as ONE of the many ways in which I deal with moving onto the next climbing issue as efficiently as possible. Having corresponded with you guys throughout this thread, I'm becoming paranoid and am more keen on having a list of guys who I can call to come get the wood. I STILL prefer to give it away, as it is spontaneous and easy. I speak from some authority as I USED to sell it, 6, 7 and 8 years ago, first to homeowners (had to be split, seasoned, delivered, unloaded, stacked, conversation, etc, etc) and then to guys who would re-sell it (if they were paying for it they were picky, there was price haggling, couldn't come til tomorrow, etc.)

So I just don't sell it anymore. I'm perpetually booked 2-3 months out with climbing jobs, so to just give firewood away and move on to the next job means more trees are being cared for. I've entertained the thought of a new method of giving the wood away that I'll share with you.

Take out a small ad in a local paper: FREE FIREWOOD Call local treeguy to get put on the list. You come get it and it is yours for the taking.

I've personally never done this, but I think it would work. I often put out a FREE sign on a pile of wood at my jobsite, and every now and then one of the takers asks to be put on the call list. I rarely use the FREE sign in the Fall and Winter because my 'call' list always grows during these seasons. I acknowledge there is liability risk with the FREE sign thing, but again, I work alone 19 out of 20 jobs and just try to keep my skills focussed on what it is I do best... climbing and caring for trees.