Wanting to start a splitting business

[dave_dj1]

I thought of mentioning that but I know how I am with loaning things out. Even to friends.

There is a guy near Saratoga NY that has about 7 cheap splitters and rents them out, think about it they are pretty indestructible aside from dumping sand in the gas or oil.

 

[SweetMK]

I worked with a guy that had a son who owned a rental business.
I had heard him complain about how the customers kept damaging the wood splitters, many times .

He asked me to have a look at the splitters, and recommend anything that could help the splitters survive.
I went to see them one Saturday.,, three looked ready for the scrap pile, three had just been purchased.

These were WAY overbuilt units, that should have survived a nuclear blast!!
He then told me the three that were in such bad shape were only 9 months old!!

After thinking about it a little, I asked for a couple hand tools,,
I reduced the relief valve pressure one full turn on each of the new splitters.

He was concerned that the customers would complain about the lower pressure,
I told him "NA, they will never know, if they do complain, blame it on the wood they are splitting."

About a year later (after I had forgot about the splitters) he came by one day, and laid three $100 bills on my desk.
He said what I had done was AMAZING!! The splitters, other than a little paint missing, still almost looked like new!!
AND, they never had one complaint.

He told me how happy his son was,, and wanted me to look at the other stuff they rented.
I laughed, and said that I could not perform miracles EVERY day!! LOL!!

 

[LondonNeil]

I can see the attraction, make the splitter pay for itself more, get a little exercise and all on.
I'd suggest charge by the hour of splitting time, have a minimum time/charge that makes it worth getting to the job, don't go too cheap or wear on the splitter etc will mean you're out of pocket, offer bucking and also stacking as options, be clear what you do/expect eg, easy access to tow splitter to within 25 feet of log pile, logs no larger than 24" diameter, stacking not included/within 25 feet, etc.
If you can offer kindling splitting, or even provision too perhaps.
Remember to enjoy it, or stop.

 

[Oletrapper]

I agree. I am nervous about by the cord never know the issues you can run into with knots and splits in the wood. I’m thinking of charging by the hour. I work my but off when I am splitting.

Ha Ha, Wait till you get to my age. You'll work more than your butt off. Just saying. OT

 

[cookies]

its 40 a hr or 150 a day to rent them around here, i wouldent do it for less than 50 within a 25 mile radius three hour minimum. If you have to run a saw or move logs i'd add 25 per hour to the price. With that splitter you should (by yourself)be able to split half a cord a hr easily if parked next to a plie of cut wood. If you want to be in the firewood game you first must get a space to operate, 50x50 minimum. I made friends with a few folks and get free range of their property to split, stack, store my wood year round and I cut up or down their standing dead trees for them when its convenient for me, they cover the small fuel/chains etc expenses.

 

[Eagle90301]

Yes it is. That's what's nice about a splitter like his. For a small splitter like yours, I think $45/hr is fair, assuming you can make a cord in 3 hrs. "Face cord" isn't a legally defined term, it's use and definition varies regionally, so I wasn't sure exactly what you meant by that.

Yah I know it’s not a legal term. When I first started looking up firewood everyone was saying 3 faces to a full cord. Around me they don’t even sell by the cord. They call it a cord but it’s only 1/3 of a true cord.

I can see the attraction, make the splitter pay for itself more, get a little exercise and all on.
I'd suggest charge by the hour of splitting time, have a minimum time/charge that makes it worth getting to the job, don't go too cheap or wear on the splitter etc will mean you're out of pocket, offer bucking and also stacking as options, be clear what you do/expect eg, easy access to tow splitter to within 25 feet of log pile, logs no larger than 24" diameter, stacking not included/within 25 feet, etc.
If you can offer kindling splitting, or even provision too perhaps.
Remember to enjoy it, or stop.

My goal is $45/ hour 2 hr minimum. I’ll do whatever they want me to do. Cut, split stack move the wood if they are paying. I’ll do whatever wood they have. If I need to go vertical With the splitter I will. I have a full time job that pays the bills. I love my full time job, if my side hustles are not fun I stop doing them.

its 40 a hr or 150 a day to rent them around here, i wouldent do it for less than 50 within a 25 mile radius three hour minimum. If you have to run a saw or move logs i'd add 25 per hour to the price. With that splitter you should (by yourself)be able to split half a cord a hr easily if parked next to a plie of cut wood. If you want to be in the firewood game you first must get a space to operate, 50x50 minimum. I made friends with a few folks and get free range of their property to split, stack, store my wood year round and I cut up or down their standing dead trees for them when its convenient for me, they cover the small fuel/chains etc expenses.

My goal is $45/ hour 2 hr minimum. I’ll do whatever they want me to do. Cut, split stack move the wood if they are paying me I’ll keep working. To me there is no point to charge extra for these services. Not looking to get into the firewood game. I have sold a little by the bucket the last year. Like 1/3 cord but I sold it for enough I could buy 2/3 of a cord with the money.

 

[LondonNeil]

Reading what cookies said I think your prices are cheap. I'd suggest you round up to $50/h
for the first couple of hours at least, then maybe drop the price for further hours.

 

[Eagle90301]

Reading what cookies said I think your prices are cheap. I'd suggest you round up to $50/h
for the first couple of hours at least, then maybe drop the price for further hours.

I will defiantly think of that. I started advertising a few years ago at 35/hr for split. $45 for cutting splitting. Then I decided to just do a flat 45. But 50 is a much rounder number to me.

 

[sawfarmer]

I worked with a guy that had a son who owned a rental business.
I had heard him complain about how the customers kept damaging the wood splitters, many times .

He asked me to have a look at the splitters, and recommend anything that could help the splitters survive.
I went to see them one Saturday.,, three looked ready for the scrap pile, three had just been purchased.

These were WAY overbuilt units, that should have survived a nuclear blast!!
He then told me the three that were in such bad shape were only 9 months old!!

After thinking about it a little, I asked for a couple hand tools,,
I reduced the relief valve pressure one full turn on each of the new splitters.

He was concerned that the customers would complain about the lower pressure,
I told him "NA, they will never know, if they do complain, blame it on the wood they are splitting."

About a year later (after I had forgot about the splitters) he came by one day, and laid three $100 bills on my desk.
He said what I had done was AMAZING!! The splitters, other than a little paint missing, still almost looked like new!!
AND, they never had one complaint.

He told me how happy his son was,, and wanted me to look at the other stuff they rented.
I laughed, and said that I could not perform miracles EVERY day!! LOL!!

I worked for a large rental company as a mechanic.Most of the hydraulic equipment we turned down the pressure on .The back hoes,Excavators ,log splitters etc.It helped them to last !

 

[ElevatorGuy]

I thought of mentioning that but I know how I am with loaning things out. Even to friends.

Right! My brother called me about this car rental thing he found out west. He was (maybe is) going to rent his bmw vert out that sits mostly in the garage. He tells me my 4Runner would rent for good money daily with its off road capabilities. I told him he was ****** crazy, I know your average person doesn’t know **** about driving off-road and wasn’t willing to rent it to anyone. He doesn’t understand yet we look at vehicles completely different.

 

[Old-Feller]

if this is not the right area to post please tell me.
I am wanting to start a Log/ Firewood splitting business for a little extra income. I am about 45minutes southwest of Chicago I do not have the ability to sell firewood( the wife would kill me) I live in a residential area with not enough room for wood storage and no real way to get logs. Most tree companies around me either sell firewood themselves or process the logs into mulch. prepared firewood by me sells for aprox. 100 per face or 300/ cord.

I purchased a 25 ton splitter a few years ago for my own use but it sits unused most of the time. I have advertised on and off a few times and did some splitting for a few people they were happy. Want to turn this into something I can do but do not know where to start with advertising or pricing. I think I can realistically do around a face an hour by myself depending on size and how straight the wood is. I am not looking to make a killing but I also don't want to work for next to nothing.
Any help would be appreciated.

Get a New Wife! Just kidding, Ever wonder why most tree service guy's don't split and sell their wood? There's no money in it. I've split around 50 cords with my home-built splitter Approx 40 ton, I have done quite a bit of maintenance to it in the last few years.