Hourly rate to rent out my sawmill?

[grizz55chev]

Last year a vacation resort ranch was bringing down 10s of Ponderosa. Really big stuff and arrow straight. They were offering if up for free. Two neighbors and I went down with our trailers and loaded them up heavy, for firewood. They were listing it as for use as lumber. No takers. I suspect those with the resources to handle those big woods had their own sources. A shame that the wood couldn't be best utilized. Though it was great for me.

https://www.arboristsite.com/threads/free-firewood-yeah-baby.352275/#post-7523256
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The stuff we handled was over 40" dia on the butt, and it was everything the skidd steer loader could handle to get it to the mill. Matter of fact, the last cut of one of them could not get loaded at all! That was last May and that wood is now dry enough to be used as construction material without fear of checking or warping. My friend received a quote of $2,800 and a wait time of over a month to do the job, we did it in a week for a price of $2k, and he operated and rented the skid steer!

 

[user 122190]

The stuff we handled was over 40" dia on the butt, and it was everything the skidd steer loader could handle to get it to the mill. Matter of fact, the last cut of one of them could not get loaded at all! That was last May and that wood is now dry enough to be used as construction material without fear of checking or warping. My friend received a quote of $2,800 and a wait time of over a month to do the job, we did it in a week for a price of $2k, and he operated and rented the skid steer!

Nice! A win for everybody.

 

[The Shooters Apprentice]

I would lend out my chainsaw for 50 bucks a day. For a machine that costs 30,000 I'd be looking for 500 a day and 3k a week.

Thats unrealistic. A skidsteer cost about 80k give or take and I can rent them all day every day for $300 a day.

 

[ballisticdoughnut]

you mite offer to cut their lumber for a fee? I wouldn’t let most people borrow a screwdriver.

 

[snobdds]

Thats unrealistic. A skidsteer cost about 80k give or take and I can rent them all day every day for $300 a day.

Using your numbers as a pricing factor:

(300/80000)*30000=112.50 Per day. Not that far off.

 

[Cantdog]

IMHO.....renting out a sawmill is not not good idea. Either come and custom saw their logs on their site or have them bring them to you to saw. Charge by the board foot. Near endless array of problems that can happen with inexperienced sawyers/laborers.
I have owned and operated a stationary, rotary sawmill for the last 40 odd years and can tell you straight up that no one touches the handle on my saw rig until they have done several years of servitude in my mill.....but by then they don't want to....LOL!!.....scary chit can happen in a heartbeat!!! Granted a small bandmill is not near as scary but still it can be dangerous for the machine and the humans involved and one incident can cost more than you would ever make on rental fees.

 

[grizz55chev]

IMHO.....renting out a sawmill is not not good idea. Either come and custom saw their logs on their site or have them bring them to you to saw. Charge by the board foot. Near endless array of problems that can happen with inexperienced sawyers/laborers.
I have owned and operated a stationary, rotary sawmill for the last 40 odd years and can tell you straight up that no one touches the handle on my saw rig until they have done several years of servitude in my mill.....but by then they don't want to....LOL!!.....scary chit can happen in a heartbeat!!! Granted a small bandmill is not near as scary but still it can be dangerous for the machine and the humans involved and one incident can cost more than you would ever make on rental fees.

Best answer yet!

 

[northmanlogging]

local portable mill guys, charge $100 per hour 1/2 that to rent is a reasonable rate. Make them buy new blades BEFORE delivery of Machine.
Renting out a mill is a bad Idea, but we all know that Softdown isn't going to listen to any of us.
So figure in a few weeks on a thread about renters destroyed my sawmill, how do I fix it.

 

[Hermio]

Local associates want to rent my Wood Mizer DT35. I want to charge by the hours used - it has an hour meter. No idea on a fair charge though.

I just can't find the time to saw logs this year. Might be good to make some money with it. It has 21 hours on an ~$30,000 sawmill.

These guys are above average in responsibility in my experience. Still a risk but what isn't?

The area is Forbes Park, Colorado. Prices are at least average to above average due to slight remoteness. It is ~20 miles to the closest town.

Consult a lawyer on potential liability. Maybe you can get them to sign a rental contract that would absolve you from any personal liability. Also, there needs to be a deposit to be used against any repairs, cleaning, etc. Normally rental shops charge so that the product is paid for in about 6 months, so that would be at least $164/day or $20/hour. I would probably charge $200/day portal to portal whether they use it or not. That will get it back to you sooner.

 

[softdown]

A lot of people said to cut for them. I found the time to start it up for a couple minutes this year. At 64 I have to rest more than before - or take extra ordinary risks due to not being properly rested.

Almost every time I have a question I find myself remembering that there is only Ingsoc. Why is Ingsoc concentrating so heavily on wood processing?

E. Germany had 10% "watching" the rest.

 

[grizz55chev]

A lot of people said to cut for them. I found the time to start it up for a couple minutes this year. At 64 I have to rest more than before - or take extra ordinary risks due to not being properly rested.

Almost every time I have a question I find myself remembering that there is only Ingsoc. Why is Ingsoc concentrating so heavily on wood processing?

E. Germany had 10% "watching" the rest.

Kinda off topic , don't you think?

 

[HansFranz]

Almost every time I have a question I find myself remembering that there is only Ingsoc. Why is Ingsoc concentrating so heavily on wood processing?

E. Germany had 10% "watching" the rest.

Somebody forget his medication today?

 

[northmanlogging]

for those less literary minded, Ingsoc, is from the book 1984 "new speak" is for English socialism, (also note: most of the "new speak" is defined as the opposite of what say the oxford dictionary would have to say, its important to read and the whole book if you plan on paraphrasing one little point)

Anyway, I get the feeling that old Softdowns starts blathering about "ingsoc" when ever someone comes along and points out exactly how stupid he's being, usually with a few "predictions" as to whats likely to happen, oddly enough they generally come true.

But since Softdown already knows everything ever, he's not going to listen to what the dozen or so folks that have told him this is a bad idea, and will march out there to prove us all wrong, then of coarse what many have said will happen, does happen... anyway you'd think at the ripe old age of 64 he'd of grown the F up by now.

 

[Bubster]

I know I am off the topic by a bit, but I bought my post driver for $13,900 and the going rate here in WV is $125.00/day rental. Not much can go wrong with a good post driver except bodily harm. Even a chainsaw rents out at $35/day around here. I would be at least $400/day with a sawmill, but I doubt I would rent it at all. I did rent my driver out one time though and never slept until it was back 3 days later.

 

[Oletrapper]

Kinda off topic , don't you think?

George Orwell strikes again. lmao OT

 

[Oletrapper]

A lot of people said to cut for them. I found the time to start it up for a couple minutes this year. At 64 I have to rest more than before - or take extra ordinary risks due to not being properly rested.

Almost every time I have a question I find myself remembering that there is only Ingsoc. Why is Ingsoc concentrating so heavily on wood processing?

E. Germany had 10% "watching" the rest.

You asked a question wanting opinions. You got opinions. You seem to not like those opinions.
Now you throw 1984 and George Orwell into the mix because some of those opinions were not to your liking. For what reason I have no idea.
My personal opinion is that you don't even own a Woodmizer mill and you just threw some chit against the wall to see what sticks. As I pointed out in an earlier post, Model was wrong and price was wrong. Come clean softdown! Have a nice day. OT

 

[Dcsco]

I used my neighbors band saw mill after 5 minutes orientation. Woodland mills cutting up to 24” width. If they get the operation down, let them use it. You could Ask for 10% of the wood.
I cut about 6foot per minute, could charge 1$/minute.
Anyway, if they are competent as you state, let them use it. You aren’t a rental company or a lawyer, let them use it for fair cost and they may help you out later.

 

[jolj]

When I rent, I am ask to leave a check for damage/repairs, most of the time it is $50.00, never had a check cashed.
For $30,000. mill, I would want a check for at least $500.00 as a down payment on damage to my mill.
I am guessing, but $50.00 is to little & $100.00 sounds better to me.