Lets talk skidders...

[380LGR]

I would try to get a contract with a buyer if possible.

 

[Metals406]

I would be careful with the big biomass crap its a good thing but not going fast enough. There is lots of plans for it here but they only want to pay 22-34 a ton delivered.

Yup... Dead on! Kevin will only pay 22 a ton max... BUT! I called the Forester today, and asked him if I could park out this job, and squeeze it for every morsel--he said yes. The cruise numbers I'm working with didn't account for all the downed stuff--and there's quite a bit there.

I'm going to high grade all the good stuff to the firewood guy at 42 a ton, and sell the rest to Kevin at 22 a ton.

Kevin also told me on the phone today, that he's hoping to buy more than just biomass this year, so the tonnage rate would be better.

I'll just pretend I'm in Vegas rolling the dice on this one.

 

[380LGR]

Dont forget that this stuff is dry dry dry...Thats not good when you are selling by the ton. You cant afford to chip or grind it for 22 a ton plus you guy to deliver it. The pie is just not big enough.

 

[Metals406]

i think you should go for it just keep it small and simple you have to suffer a bit to know when the good times are plus that timber guy up there wants that crap gone probably look good for future sales

If the numbers work, my banker will bite. Then I just have to worry about some jerk who hasn't done his research bidding this up too high! I can't tell you the hours I have in to figuring this job?.. And I'm still not done! :jawdrop:

I would try to get a contract with a buyer if possible.

My dad said the same thing (and I agree)... But I think that'd be akin to pissing in the wind with this economy... You have to remember that Kevin and firewood guy are gambling too. They have to be able to sell what I bring them.

 

[380LGR]

Im trying every way to sell my slash i must pull 30 ton a day back into the woods from the delimber you just cant make the numbers work. If it dosnt work on paper its not going to in real life.

 

[Metals406]

Dont forget that this stuff is dry dry dry...Thats not good when you are selling by the ton. You cant afford to chip or grind it for 22 a ton plus you guy to deliver it. The pie is just not big enough.

You speak with wisdom bro...

The biomass end will be the least to pay... But I'll hopefully make good with the firewood @ 42 a ton, and the bio will be icing on the cake.

There's a lot of wood on the ground there, and Kevin will even take pine needles.

Dan (trucker) is hungry too, and I'm sure will haul for a little less when he knows the payday gets smaller with the biomass.

 

[380LGR]

I worked out a deal with my trucker if im going to get beat up so are you!!! Now we are both starving cant afford to stop cant afford to keep goin!!

 

[Metals406]

Im trying every way to sell my slash i must pull 30 ton a day back into the woods from the delimber you just cant make the numbers work. If it dosnt work on paper its not going to in real life.

Kevin has a portable grinder too.

I'll make him come to me!

 

[380LGR]

Is kevin a buyer for a biomass plant or is he the middle man?

 

[Metals406]

I worked out a deal with my trucker if im going to get beat up so are you!!! Now we are both starving cant afford to stop cant afford to keep goin!!

I know! That's just wrong! Kind of like walking head on into a 100 mile an hour wind... You walk your butt off, and never really get anywhere.

 

[Metals406]

Is kevin a buyer for a biomass plant or is he the middle man?

Kevin produces the biomass, and resells at a profit.

 

[380LGR]

I would look around for a buyer from a plant to talk to directly,you can be shocked at the diff in the prices.

 

[Metals406]

I would look around for a buyer from a plant to talk to directly,you can be shocked at the diff in the prices.

I'm sure you're right, but Kevin is going to be a good contact, and I don't want to jeopardize that. He's the only one for hundreds of miles grinding bio (he got a big FS grant to get going), and I don't know of any other guys looking to keep him in supply... He's been hunting his own since the start.

Plus, he can bring his grinder to the job, and I only have to pile it... Makes the payday a lot better.

 

[Metals406]

Just got off the phone with Kevin... He'll mobilize his grinder and equipment to my job, and pay me 14 a ton for what he takes.

I'll be doing very little work for it, so I just made the payday a little better on this gig.

I have no way of estimating tonnage for biomass... But it's secondary to the 383 CCF on the sale anyway.

Lets hope the bank sees fit to get me going on this!

 

[bullbuck]

sounds simpler for you just as long as it gets hauled off quickly...

 

[Metals406]

sounds simpler for you just as long as it gets hauled off quickly...

Waaay simple... I'm going to milk this job for every fiber of wood, and park it out... The nicer it looks, the more the FS will like me... The more they like me, the easier it is to get more work.

 

[bullbuck]

sounds good!you be mowin those 30" spruce before you know it

 

[Metals406]

sounds good!you be mowin those 30" spruce before you know it

I'm looking at some other FS jobs even as I type this... No start date on them yet.

If I can sell the byproduct, then they'll be worth doing.

Some of these sales are setup where the FS pays X amount to do the work... The icing is if you get salvage rights too.

 

[bullbuck]

yeah its really hard to make it just logging anymore,next week we start several units on the f.s.boundary to the apache res.and they call it a stewardship program where we will do small diameter thinning right along with the logging if you ask me the way we should have been doing it all along instead of all these goofy little hand piles that never get burned...

 

[Metals406]

yeah its really hard to make it just logging anymore,next week we start several units on the f.s.boundary to the apache res.and they call it a stewardship program where we will do small diameter thinning right along with the logging if you ask me the way we should have been doing it all along instead of all these goofy little hand piles that never get burned...

Yup... Had a long conversation with Kevin about using all of our resources... We need to take something from the Germans... You can eat off their forest floors.

My dad was telling me, back in the 60's, when he was stationed there in the Army... When they'd trim up their vines, they'd save the vine trimmings for firewood!! Them folks don't waste nothing.