Need a new Processor

[ADAMH]

my chomper which is the smallest and slowest does 1 cord in 1:45min..with 1 person

 

[Tree Student]

Down here in the south we get a lot of rain and have to keep cutting as long as possible or it would shut us down for the better part of 4 months. So dragging logs across the ground causes them to collect a lot of mud which ends up in the processor and final product. Loading something like a cord king is not a problem in this case for Blackdiesel as mentioned in his first post so he could load 8-10 logs on then process for an hour or so before reloading. With the chomper you have to stop and reload after each log and free spool the winch cable which gets tiring.

Here he is looking for something to produce at least 2 cords an hour and that will never happen with a chomper because of its design, don't get me wrong I love the concept just not the results for high production. I produce about 30 cords a week with three guys and expect to have 1000+ by the end of the year.

 

[redprospector]

Tree Student,
It's evident that you have studied the Chomper and found it to be undesireable for what you're doing, but think about this. You are producing 30 cord's a week with 3 people. I can fairly easily process 25 cord's a week by my self. So you and 2 other people are sharing the money made from what I can do + 5 cord's. I get to keep all the money. It's not alway's about how you can produce the most, it's about how much of the money you bring in stays in your pocket.
Sure you could get a Cord King, but can you keep up with the payment's, pay the help, and keep the rest of the bill's paid?
I'm going to keep my little 14" Chomper, and probably upgrade to a bigger pump while deciding if I want to keep doing this. If I do keep it up I'll probably upgrade to the big Chomper. I think it's a great machine.

Andy

 

[ADAMH]

EXACTLY!!!!

i know I can do 1 cord every 1:45 min..lets say 2 hrs just to be very safe...

lets do a 8hr day....thats 4 cords a day..20 cords a week....with a $15,000machine

i would say unless your selling alot of wood...those other machines are overkill

 

[redprospector]

EXACTLY!!!!

i know I can do 1 cord every 1:45 min..lets say 2 hrs just to be very safe...

lets do a 8hr day....thats 4 cords a day..20 cords a week....with a $15,000machine

i would say unless your selling alot of wood...those other machines are overkill

Let's say you do that for 40 weeks out of the year, that would leave you with almost 3 months for weather, break downs, and vacation. 40 x 20 = 800 cord's. I don't know what you get for your wood, but let's say 100.00 a cord, that's 80,000 a year. Not too shabby for a 1 man operation.

Andy

 

[blackdogon57]

800 cords a year ??

Assuming 1 guy does manage to crank out 800 cords per year. How does this one guy manage to deliver 800 cords a year ?? Not likley .

 

[redprospector]

Assuming 1 guy does manage to crank out 800 cords per year. How does this one guy manage to deliver 800 cords a year ?? Not likley .

That's why I said 100.00 a cord (wholesale) which is low for most areas I would think. In January & February I processed & delivered about 100 cord's to a wood lot. It was a 3 1/2 hour round trip to deliver it from the job site. If you could do that every month that would still be 600 cord's a year. I'm working on a deal with a couple of woodlots to pick up the wood at the job site, then my hypothetical scenario might be a little more feasible.

Andy

 

[blackdiesel]

If you buy your pulp wood, pay for fuel, and your equipment payment i usually receive around 50% of my gross income for profit.

So, you beat your brains out for (in our hypothetical scenario) 9 months, worry about finding wood to cut and places to sell it to, work in the hottest hot and/or the coldest cold for just 40k a year? Go big or go home IMHO

 

[Tree Student]

If you buy your pulp wood, pay for fuel, and your equipment payment i usually receive around 50% of my gross income for profit.

So, you beat your brains out for (in our hypothetical scenario) 9 months, worry about finding wood to cut and places to sell it to, work in the hottest hot and/or the coldest cold for just 40k a year? Go big or go home IMHO

+1

With my three guys I don't touch a thing other than the phone. My estimate of 30 cords a week is our minimum and that includes stacking it on the semi trailers.

Chompers are great for some but in this thread we have certain criteria to meet for high volume production, time is money!

 

[ADAMH]

I sell my wood for $290/cord and that includes free local delivery(within 15km) past that I add delivery charges..

 

[blackdogon57]

Re: 290 per cord

What part of ON are you located ?? I am near Oshawa and 290 would be cheap around here. I was getting 375 no problem all last fall and charging extra to go anywhere near Toronto. Also sold a lot of 1/2 cords from 210 to 240 delivered. Just talked to one of the guys who brings me logs and he said his price will be going up 100.00 on a double load. With Diesel at approx 5 dollars a gallon I can't say I blame the guy and have no choice but to pony up the extra cash.

 

[ADAMH]

Hi,
I am up in Barrie area... what are you paying for a load..i get about 15 cords for $1600

Thanks
Adam

 

[blackdiesel]

nearly 400 dollars per cord?!?!?! Whoa, i need to start trucking north

What does good seasoned hardwood sell for in Northern Missouri and Kansas area?

 

[NC Firewood]

I sell my wood for $290/cord and that includes free local delivery(within 15km) past that I add delivery charges..

Thought I'd never say this, but "I'm moving north".

 

[blackdogon57]

Log prices

Hi,
I am up in Barrie area... what are you paying for a load..i get about 15 cords for $1600

I am paying 1600 to 1700 per load depending on the trucker. This is a standard grapple truck with a pup trailer. Not sure if I am getting 15 cord per load. More lke 12-14. Some guys do pack them on better than others. Maybe we should compare notes on suppliers some time. Most of my logs come from Haliburton/Bancraoft/Minden areas. I wouldn't be surprised if we use some of the same guys. I am always looking for good contacts on that end as it is hard to find guys that will consistantly bring good quality logs. Some guys will sell you a load of junk that should be going to the pulp mill if they think they can get away with it. My processor will cut the big stuff but it needs to be fairly straight, not rotten in the middle, and fairly clean for me to get fast production.

 

[redprospector]

If you buy your pulp wood, pay for fuel, and your equipment payment i usually receive around 50% of my gross income for profit.

So, you beat your brains out for (in our hypothetical scenario) 9 months, worry about finding wood to cut and places to sell it to, work in the hottest hot and/or the coldest cold for just 40k a year? Go big or go home IMHO

Hahaha. I'd really much rather go home. Firewood is a pain in my butt.

I'm a thinning contractor, so I don't have to pay for wood, I get paid to haul it off. I have all my equipment paid for so no payment's, and it's still really not worth it to me. I process firewood in the winter when the job's are few & far between, keeps me buisy and gets rid of the wood I've been paid to haul off.

But all in all you're right, it's a lot of miserable work for not much money.

Andy