Starting a Firewood Delivery Business.

[glewis121]

I am new to this site and have looked all over the web trying to find a good site with information. I am interested in starting a firewood delivery business in my spare time. I live in rural Massachusetts.

I was wondering if anyone knew where i could find helpful information or if anyone wanted to help me out.

I need to buy a chain saw and a splitter first off and i was wondering which brand/model you guys suggest.

I was also wondering other sources of of logs that i could split.

thanks for any help you guys can give me.

 

[Bowtie]

Go look in the chainsaw forum for a chainsaw size/brand. Basicaly Stihl, Dolmar, Husqvarna, Jonsered, Shindiawa are the best quality saws recognized. Size is all about what you think you need and can afford. There is volumes of info here, use the search function. Good luck!

 

[Bowtie]

Oh, and welcome to Arboristsite!!!

 

[rx7145]

Well you will need a pro saw like a MS441 Mag. thoes are around $700.

And a Splitter like a timberwolf TW-6. Around $7000.

And a truck to haul wood with.

As far as a place to get logs/wood from try a saw mill for slab wood this could be cut down and split up. Also need to find a woods that has just been logged and go in and cut up the tops, a lot of wood just rots in the woods after a logging crew comes through.

Good luck!!

 

[Industry]

My first question is What is your experience level with firewood and saws in general?

 

[yooperman]

Take a look at your market. Is there a need for firewood delivery? Check local prices. Can you make a profit doing it? Maybe look into a niche firewood bisiness like bundles,campsites, paper birch, kiln drying. I ran a 029 for a while but bumped up to a jonsered 2165. I got fairly lucky with my splitter but a commercial splitter would be better. For a truck a minimum would be heavy 3/4ton and 4x4 if possible. A decent size dump truck or big dump trailer would be better. Keep track of your costs and make sure you charge for delivery. I do $X per full(128cu.ft) cord and $Y per loaded mile. Always be honest and sell good wood. You'll weed out the beer money guys. Good Luck

 

[carvinmark]

Welcome to AS

 

[stumpguy]

i wish i had a dollar for each time this type of thread has been started.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I sell wood from my front yard to help defray the cost of my wifes love of fires.

$20 per 1/4 face, you pick.

I have some regular clients, but if you do the math 12*20=240

splitter = 1300/240=5.42 cords = 64 units = not paid off 2 years later

Then there are the people who will pull in while no one is home and load up the trunk...I need one of those GameCames, but that's another 250+/- or another 21 units

 

[glewis121]

ok. Well in responce to everyone questions, I have a lot of expirience in firewood because i have been cutting down trees and splitting it for my family (4 different houses) or about 12 cords a year.

As per the market in my area, cords of green oak go for about $225 and seasoned hardwood can go as high as $300.

I will need a truck if I want to do this. a dump truck would be the best but would a pickup with high sides on the bed work?

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I will need a truck if I want to do this. a dump truck would be the best but would a pickup with high sides on the bed work?

So this would be an addon to the family supply business.

Search this forum, there is a chart with cord weights by species. That will tell you what you will need to deliver the volumes you will sell.

As for the pickup, will it be worth it to hand load, then hand unload? I think that you will get maybe a face to a half cord into a 1/2 ton truck.

If you get a 1 ton masonry dump, will you be able to make money off of it any other way?

Do some envelope math on the cost benefit, how long will it take to pay for the truck and fuel?

How far out will you go?

 

[blackdoggy]

Just remember to use your head when buying equipment if possible get your self a decent used truck in the two ton range thats got a GVW under CDL. Using a used truck that is over one ton will double the amount of wood you can bring in per load and reduce your over all overhead costs these trucks can be found on www.truckpaper.com as well as your local classifieds. As far as a splitter is concerned get the biggest one you can afford or if you know some one thats good with hydraulics you could in theory have the hydraulic dump on your truck modified to have auxiliary ports that could be hooked up to a three point splitter. With a firewood business bigger is always better lol just look at this company http://www.woodtoburn.com/ they are located about a hour south of here and have piles of wood that look like those massive dirt mounds at construction sites.

 

[pacman]

look ye shall find

Well you will need a pro saw like a MS441 Mag. thoes are around $700.

And a Splitter like a timberwolf TW-6. Around $7000.

And a truck to haul wood with.
My saw was bought new for $400 ,my splitter was bought used for $700

 

[buckwheat]

Do you have a business plan?

 

[glewis121]

I do not have a business plan do you know where i can get one free online?

 

[buckwheat]

It's not a matter of finding someone else's plan and substituting your numbers. A good business plan basically maps out how you intend to operate, what you intend to invest (spend), and what your expectations are for making money. It's real easy to think that with rising fuel prices that you can make a little coin by selling wood, but as you get into it and start spending money and taking up your time, a business plan helps you, any partners, and any bankers, figure out if you're actually making money; and/or when you might begin to make money.

Some things I would look at have already been mentioned: equipment, maintenance, sources and cost of wood, transport costs, insurance, hours worked/delivered cord, break even point, targeted customer base, first year expectations(how many cords), market pricing, profit per cord.

Play with those numbers and see if things add up. In my opinion, there are a lot of firewood businesses; but very few that stay with it.

 

[LNG24]

I can't find any more TW-5's, but I found 2 Tw-6's. They seem to be $1k more. Do you think it is really worth that much more over the TW-5's

Once I make my purchase, I'll post the links for the others.

 

[Greenthorn]

I find drinking BEER is a better investment.

 

[Dok]

Lots of good advice here! Writing a business plan is the best thing you can do. This is a pretty good resource for further info:
http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/plan/writeabusinessplan/index.html

You are getting good advice on what equipment and how large of equipment you need. Put that info into your business plan and find out if the numbers work out. You really don't want to sink thousands of dollars into this only to find you can't break even.

Firewood is a lot of work, all of you that make a living doing it- you are awesome.

Dok

 

[avalancher]

you get what you put into it

In my experience, a wood business is much like anything else. You get what you invest in it. I cut wood on the side, it was not intended to be a significant source of income for me. I have been cutting wood since I was a little guy, but have been selling only for a few years. When I started I had a couple of saws, one new and one used. Had a truck and trailer. Invested in a two new saws, a winch for the trailer, and a splitter. Total investment around 2K.
Needless to say, the investment paid off within the first two months. Everything is paid for, so most of the cash goes into my pocket, except for occasional repairs.
When developing a plan for your business, think about what you are capable of. Like Dirty Harry said, "A man has got to know your limitations"
Can you do all the work yourself? Can you take long hours hauling wood during the peak season
Can you repair your own equipement?
Willing to head out late in the evening when a customer calls and "needs" their wood right now even when its freezing out?
A wood business, no matter how small, is a lot of work and not just a chance to earn a little beer money. Not that there is anything wrong in beer money....:hmm3grin2orange: