Lowballers

[muddstopper]

I saw a ad on facebook last winter, Firewood, $75 cord, seasoned, delivered and stacked. I called them up and asked how many cord do you have, answer was, My husband is cutting everyday. I say ok, I'll take 10 cord as soon as you can deliver. She was delighted to get such a big order, but I knew she didnt know what a cord was. I asked her what size truck would they be delivering with and she said a 3/4 ford. OK, how much do you haul at a load. She said she could get a full cord per load. Really, does your truck have side boards that reach above the cab of the truck. NO, but we round it up pretty good. I said ok, so it will take you about 20 trips to haul my 10 cords. I had her totally confused and so she said let me have my husband call you back. OK, but just so you know, I know what a full cord of wood is and I expect 10 full cords not 10 pickup truck loads. Husband never calls, but their facebook ad did change to pickup load instead of cord. Actually, the $75 per load was a pretty good deal, considering what others are selling wood for, but you dont cut seasoned wood every day. I also didnt need any wood, but would have bought it anyways at $75 per cord.

 

[sb47]

I saw a ad on facebook last winter, Firewood, $75 cord, seasoned, delivered and stacked. I called them up and asked how many cord do you have, answer was, My husband is cutting everyday. I say ok, I'll take 10 cord as soon as you can deliver. She was delighted to get such a big order, but I knew she didnt know what a cord was. I asked her what size truck would they be delivering with and she said a 3/4 ford. OK, how much do you haul at a load. She said she could get a full cord per load. Really, does your truck have side boards that reach above the cab of the truck. NO, but we round it up pretty good. I said ok, so it will take you about 20 trips to haul my 10 cords. I had her totally confused and so she said let me have my husband call you back. OK, but just so you know, I know what a full cord of wood is and I expect 10 full cords not 10 pickup truck loads. Husband never calls, but their facebook ad did change to pickup load instead of cord. Actually, the $75 per load was a pretty good deal, considering what others are selling wood for, but you dont cut seasoned wood every day. I also didnt need any wood, but would have bought it anyways at $75 per cord.

He may be like me. I do cut seasoned wood most days. I get loads in at a time and I cut it in rounds and stack the rounds till I can split them. Sometimes I leave it in log form till I'm ready to cut and split. So yes I do have seasoned wood that is not cut or split to work with.
I have about 40 cords in log form, waiting to make firewood.
I started leaving most of my inventory in log form. If I get audited, I can't be taxed on log wood until it's split into firewood. I only keep about a dozen cords split at any one time. Down here in this heat, a 16'' log will season in a year easy.
$75 for a full truck load stacked is not a bad price. Most pickups can hold a half cord stacked. That's only 150 a cord. Pretty cheap.
If he is cheaper, It would be worth the drive over and look at what he had to offer.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

I saw a ad on facebook last winter, Firewood, $75 cord, seasoned, delivered and stacked. I called them up and asked how many cord do you have, answer was, My husband is cutting everyday. I say ok, I'll take 10 cord as soon as you can deliver. She was delighted to get such a big order, but I knew she didnt know what a cord was. I asked her what size truck would they be delivering with and she said a 3/4 ford. OK, how much do you haul at a load. She said she could get a full cord per load. Really, does your truck have side boards that reach above the cab of the truck. NO, but we round it up pretty good. I said ok, so it will take you about 20 trips to haul my 10 cords. I had her totally confused and so she said let me have my husband call you back. OK, but just so you know, I know what a full cord of wood is and I expect 10 full cords not 10 pickup truck loads. Husband never calls, but their facebook ad did change to pickup load instead of cord. Actually, the $75 per load was a pretty good deal, considering what others are selling wood for, but you dont cut seasoned wood every day. I also didnt need any wood, but would have bought it anyways at $75 per cord.

Mud it sounds like your firewood suppliers are from the same place as those in my neighborhood. Often I see folks with out side boards piled high in some cases a small size pickup with a big sign $200 for a cord and this is it. My F250 with side boards hauls a comfortable cord and half in rounds. I tried using a trailer too, but the setup nearly ran me off the mountain so its a pick up load at a time. ThanksView attachment 598234

 

[Roger2561]

I don't sell firewood but I used to mow fields and till garden plots for people. Due to physical problems I can no longer do that type of work. When they inquired about price I told them it's $45.00/hour me, I operate the equipment. Usually it's those people who have money to burn who complain the most about the price. If they stated it seems high I always gave them the names and numbers of my competitors. More often than not, they'd call back within a week asking when I can mow their field or till their garden plot for them.

 

[67L36Driver]

I've only seen firewood advertised as a pickup load around here. Most often 150 or 200 per load.

I gather none have a clue as to what a cord even is.

 

[spike60]

Yeah, same old horse. I understand that in some parts of the country all those terms make sense to somebody. When the term "face cord" first started to be used around here, most people were still using big fireplaces, and wood was cut close to 24", so a face was half a cord. I delivered in an F600, 12' bed with 6' sides. A couple times a year I'd dump a cord and the customer would yell, "I only ordered 1 cord". Most of the people using the term "face" were selling a half cord at full cord prices. All of the legitimate firewood guys used 1/4, 1/2, and full cord. So, the term that was first used around here by schisters, has always left a bad taste in my mouth, Joe.

You're 100% right. In fact the regional nature of all of those non-standard and ill defined terms is what makes it hard for all of us to have a discussion with each other cause we're from all over the map ourselves. Loggers cord, rick and rank are not used at all around here.

Face cord is the non standard term in wide use around here. Clearly understood to be a 4x8 stack of 16"-18" wood. That's a 3rd of a cord at 16" wood, and a little better at 18" wood. But that aspect is not as clearly understood, as you will get different answers to the question, "How many face cords to a cord?" Many will say 3, but some will say 2.

The other factor adding to the confusion is when dealing with wood lengths that are not evenly divisible into 48. 16" is easy as 3 4x8 stacks is exactly one cord of wood. But 3 stacks of 18" wood results in a cord that is 6" "deeper" when stacked, and therefore that cord only needs to stand 3.5 FT high when stacked. Some folks see this and think they have been shorted, when they in fact have not.

I know one seller who racks his wood before delivery in rack he made that has a rope he strings across the top and raises it or lowers it to provide an honest cord for whatever wood length the customer wanted. He's one of the few guys in the area who will mess with custom lengths, so it's the only way he can be sure of what quantity he is selling.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

I bumped into a recent customer this past week. She said I own you money. She stacked the cord and a half I delivered and it filled five 1/3 cord racks I gave her. That's 1/2 of a 1/3 cord rack too much.
2' x 8' x 1.33 (16") = 21.28 divided by six pallets (1 1/2 cord)equals 3.55cubic feet too much per pallet. (4.73 3/4 cu. ft. bundles)
Close enough for me. I'm happy!
Better a little too much than too little.
When I saw her I was actually on a narrow road and I pulled the truck over to let someone by me, and it turned out to be her.
I told her that the cord and a half on the truck was going to her neighbor. Thank you very much!

 

[Marine5068]

Lesson learned,

Took a check for a cord from a first time customer several years ago. She told me she got my name from another regular customer in her general neighborhood. Upon finishing delivery, she told me she didn't have time to get to the bank, would I take a check, or come back the following day. Single mom, couple of kids, moment of weakness, took the check.

Week later I get a notice from the bank check bounced. Not due to insufficient funds, but rather account was closed. In short she paid me with a check from an old closed account. After several attempts to contact her, I ate the bank fee, contacted the state police and was told this was a civil matter, to contact an attorney or file in small claims. Did neither, took one in the shorts and moved on.

Hope my lesson is of benefit to one of the other firewood sellers on here or lurking.

Take Care

Cash is king. No cheques ever.

 

[muddstopper]

Way to many times I have had people tell me their 3/4 or 1 ton pickup will hold a cord of wood, or I they can stack 1 1/2 cord on the truck because they have side boards. Aint going to happen. A regular cab, long wheel base truck will have a bed that is 8ft long with the tailgate closed. Normal width between the wheel wells is 4ft wide, just wide enough to slide a 4x8 sheet of plywood and lay flat in the bed. To get a cord of wood in the truck, it would have to be stacked 4 ft high, which is way above the cab of the truck. Even packing the extra area around the wheel wells with wood, the wood would have to be stacked to the top of the truck cab in order to measure a full cord. If a truck pulls into my driveway, with side boards that reach to the top of the truck cab, I then might take their word for hauling a cord per load. At least they are trying to haul a cord, but dont throw on 12" or 16" or even 2ft tall side boards and round out a load and call it a cord, because it aint. Even if you dont subtract the area of the wheel wells and hauled 6ft lenghts, your 1 1/2 cord loads will have to reach way above the cab to be a true 1 1/2 cords.

My dump trailer is 6x10 and has 2ft side boards. Bigger than a pickup truck bed and wood stacked tight to the top of the side boards is 120cuft. That is 8cuft less than a cord. With good rounding stacked, I can haul a full cord and thats over 5000lbs, closer to 6000lbs, not counting trailer weight, behind a 1/2ton pickup. Flat landers might get away with such loads, but I am not a big fan of such loads in my area. I already know that there are driveways around here my truck cant pull such loads up.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

Actually I haul 1 1/2 cords of wood in my 3/4 ton F250 very often. Most often I haul one row of Oak and the rest in Pine. I do not think that I could safely haul a full pick up load full of Oak. Oak depending on some variable factors will weigh 6,000 to 8,000 lbs. So could end up at 10,000 lbs on my bed. Pine on the other hand will top off at 5,000 lbs a cord. Olive on the other hand will come in at close to 10,000 lbs a cord. So when hauling a full load of rounds after splitting it comes out to a full measured cord and a half. My goal is to keep my loads around 8,000 lbs which is plenty for my road. I usually stack about 6 to 10'' above the cab and try not to haul any equipment or saws too. Thanks

 

[muddstopper]

Actually I haul 1 1/2 cords of wood in my 3/4 ton F250 very often. Most often I haul one row of Oak and the rest in Pine. I do not think that I could safely haul a full pick up load full of Oak. Oak depending on some variable factors will weigh 6,000 to 8,000 lbs. So could end up at 10,000 lbs on my bed. Pine on the other hand will top off at 5,000 lbs a cord. Olive on the other hand will come in at close to 10,000 lbs a cord. So when hauling a full load of rounds after splitting it comes out to a full measured cord and a half. My goal is to keep my loads around 8,000 lbs which is plenty for my road. I usually stack about 6 to 10'' above the cab and try not to haul any equipment or saws too. Thanks

Ted not saying you cant, just that most dont. They call it a cord or cord and a half when really it is closer to a half cord. If they a selling a cord of wood in a long wheel base truck and it dont have side boards reaching above the cab, and the wood aint stacked to the top, then they aint selling a cord.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

Mud you know that no matter what MOST folks will find a way to make sure that you do not receive what you think you are paying for. Most of the time when driving through town there are a couple of guys sitting besides their import or compact pick up loosely piled in their bed with out side boards $90. To make it worse 90% Cedar with maybe 5 pieces of Oak. Good deal for somebody. Thanks

 

[unclemoustache]

There's a sign-making company in St. Louis that also sells firewood. They have anybody bringing in anything, as long as it's split. He doesn't care if it's fresh off the tree or what species. The sellers dump it all into a huge pile in his lot. He prices it out by the stack. 2x2, 2x4, 4x4. High prices on each, and he sells out every year. He does virtually no work and rakes in the money. Really I can't blame him for his saavy.

 

[MrWhoopee]

What is the ratio of tossed wood to stacked wood?
I.e. When you measured the pickup and got .85 actual cord, how much tossed wood was there? Or was it stacked in truck and you just measured L W H as normal?

It was stacked. I would have sent them down the road if it had been thrown.

 

[rarefish383]

Way to many times I have had people tell me their 3/4 or 1 ton pickup will hold a cord of wood, or I they can stack 1 1/2 cord on the truck because they have side boards. Aint going to happen. A regular cab, long wheel base truck will have a bed that is 8ft long with the tailgate closed. Normal width between the wheel wells is 4ft wide, just wide enough to slide a 4x8 sheet of plywood and lay flat in the bed. To get a cord of wood in the truck, it would have to be stacked 4 ft high, which is way above the cab of the truck. Even packing the extra area around the wheel wells with wood, the wood would have to be stacked to the top of the truck cab in order to measure a full cord. If a truck pulls into my driveway, with side boards that reach to the top of the truck cab, I then might take their word for hauling a cord per load. At least they are trying to haul a cord, but dont throw on 12" or 16" or even 2ft tall side boards and round out a load and call it a cord, because it aint. Even if you dont subtract the area of the wheel wells and hauled 6ft lenghts, your 1 1/2 cord loads will have to reach way above the cab to be a true 1 1/2 cords.

My dump trailer is 6x10 and has 2ft side boards. Bigger than a pickup truck bed and wood stacked tight to the top of the side boards is 120cuft. That is 8cuft less than a cord. With good rounding stacked, I can haul a full cord and thats over 5000lbs, closer to 6000lbs, not counting trailer weight, behind a 1/2ton pickup. Flat landers might get away with such loads, but I am not a big fan of such loads in my area. I already know that there are driveways around here my truck cant pull such loads up.

I've posted this before, but, it's worth repeating cause it's kind of funny. When I was in high school, most of my farmer friends sold wood in the winter. Most of them called a 3/4 ton load a cord. Being in the tree business, I knew what a cord was. I'd call them on their load, and they would say,"man, that's a lot of wood and a lot of hard work, close enough for me". Then I had one friend, with an F250. He made two frames of 1X1 angle with 3/4 ply. He'd lean one against the back of the cab and slide the other inside the tailgate, and stack the wood down the middle of the truck. We cut our wood at 24" back then so two rows was a perfect cord, no arguments or complaints. Sure did look odd running down the road, Joe.

 

[rarefish383]

Oops, I left out the part that the frames were 4'X4', but I guess you figured that out, Joe.