tall straight pines, worth anything?

[scooby]

ok today i spoke to someone who has run a skidder before.


believe it or not he said i should get a band saw and hack my own lumber, lol.

but i also found out the is a HUGE lumber mill a few miles from me. so lets see, cut the tree, weinch it onto a trailer. take it to them to grade and tell me where to buck.... does anyone think thats sounds like a good idea?

 

[sILlogger]

ok today i spoke to someone who has run a skidder before.


believe it or not he said i should get a band saw and hack my own lumber, lol.

but i also found out the is a HUGE lumber mill a few miles from me. so lets see, cut the tree, weinch it onto a trailer. take it to them to grade and tell me where to buck.... does anyone think thats sounds like a good idea?

Nope, have them come over with their knuckeboom truck and load them after they come over and mark the trees and right you a check for them. your gonna be p*ssing in the wind pulling those trees behind a truck

 

[Forest Steward]

ok FS how mutch does the logger charge? i think i remember hearing 50%?

Like everything else, it depends. If they have to put roads in or anything extra like that, they might charge a bit more. But the basic rule of thumb I've always heard was 1/3 the total timber sale.

I'd also make sure that mill near you buys pine. Some mills are strictly hardwood mills.

 

[redprospector]

I haul some logs with my one ton dodge, and gooseneck dump trailer. Believe me you aren't saving anything doing it that way. I only haul when the job is small enough the mill doesn't want to come out for the small amount of logs.
Total expence so far this year repairing the dodge, and trailer (all due to hauling logs) is about 2600.00. I wouldn't want to try it with a suburban.

Andy

 

[John Ellison]

a very conseritive estimate is 100 trees at 12" accross and 50ft tall.

The board footage value for the information you entered is:
36000 Board Feet

so like $22,000?

I think it would be more like 10,000 bf or less if they average like the one in the picture. Fall the ugliest looking one and yard it around for awhile with the suburban. Just to see how it goes.
If you go to hauling some of them on a trailer, having enough brake is usually the biggest concern.

 

[scooby]

i have heard you folks say drive train alot. what about putting a 10K winch on the truck and dragging them with that, a 10K winch and snatch block can do alot.


hmmm 1/3.....

i will have to stop at the mill tomorrow. if they are open Saturday.

 

[johncinco]

I've been where your at... for a DIY guy, its hard to swallow. It will be hard to find someone to buy the logs from you, no matter what you do. I have been told, and tend to believe, the person who makes the most money in the deal is the guy driving the truck, as long as he gets paid by the hour or mile! Joe Home Owner cant cut down, buck, and haul logs, then get paid, and have anything worthwhile to show for it other than a cleared lot. If you want them removed and end up with $ in your pocket, sell it standing and step back. If you want to try it yourself, your spinning your wheels. You'll have fun at least.

Now if your gonna mill it up, your gonna have lots more fun!

 

[gavin]

i have heard you folks say drive train alot. what about putting a 10K winch on the truck and dragging them with that, a 10K winch and snatch block can do alot....

i think that would cost more than its worth. i'm pretty familiar with offroading and winches. they're meant to pull you out of trouble once in a while - if you use it too much, it will probably burn out. personally i think renting a skidder/cat/hoe would be better.

as for scaling the logs, around here the scaling course costs about $3500 and i've been told the average rate of people that pass is 25%. and preferred mill lengths depend on grade and species. on the flip side, the test is timed, so there is a small chance you could do it yourself. but i would definately recommend you get it done up right unless the market for pine firewood is high and the supply is low...not by any means trying to be rude, just trying to prevent frustration and lost value.

oh yeah, just to compare, my friends dad own's a hoe and a cat, and i've seen him rent a skidder instead of using his own iron to move a bunch of less than 20" dbh logs down to a landing for a self loader to pick up. i'm pretty sure it would be a better bet than using your SUV. he has also worked in logging for countless years, and is a very cabable logger, and he still hires fallers to cut his timber to get the most value from each log. cutting trees is fun, i love every minute of it, but when it comes to money i'd hire a pro. or at least fall them and hire a scaler.

 

[clearance]

You can lead a whore to culture but you can't make her think.

 

[Cheese]

Good tech here.

The landowner sees the trees as money, his time as a tool and needs to convert to cover other projects.

The professionals see their time as money, the trees as work and would like to prevent others from wasting time and discrediting their craft.

There is no doubt in my mind a motivated, half skilled person with time could fell all those trees with only minor issue. Getting them out of the wood, to people who want them in a way they will take them without spending millions of dollars or hours is the rub.

Around here in Colorado, we have stands like this. What most of us do is selectively thin after getting advice from a forester, make 16" lengths and split them up. Carries real nice in a pick-up, no need for grading and $150 a cord is pretty easy.

Good luck.

 

[scooby]

Good tech here.

The landowner sees the trees as money, his time as a tool and needs to convert to cover other projects.

The professionals see their time as money, the trees as work and would like to prevent others from wasting time and discrediting their craft.

There is no doubt in my mind a motivated, half skilled person with time could fell all those trees with only minor issue. Getting them out of the wood, to people who want them in a way they will take them without spending millions of dollars or hours is the rub.

Around here in Colorado, we have stands like this. What most of us do is selectively thin after getting advice from a forester, make 16" lengths and split them up. Carries real nice in a pick-up, no need for grading and $150 a cord is pretty easy.

Good luck.

i have been thinking of making the rest of the wood firewood. but he pines i must sell.

a "forester" told me today that he gets $50-$100 per MBF, i say bull????....
he will be looking at my scelection soon thou, another mill is just arround the corner, and it says on the sign they buy standing hard and soft wood.