used splitter from home depot, new saw (me the newbie)

[pacman]

Free Bucks

I talked to a local tree service this week and asked him did he want to get rid of some logs for fire wood and he said that he has any where from 10 - 15 dumps of logs a week that he pays $40 to dump at the land fill . I think I might tell him he can dump logs on my spot for free . Is this a good idea ? What do you guys think ? Any advise ? Thank you !

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Sounds like you have it made for wood, pacman! Be careful, though. One other person on this site mentioned that he found the tree people were dropping off TRASH along with the trees. You'll have to keep a close eye on it, or your uncle's farm will start looking like the trash dump!

He's likely going to drop off the whole tree, too, which means branches and small stuff. You'll have to deal with that, so that's more work to do. You're obviously not afraid to work, but it's just more time you have to allow.


Maybe someday you can get a chipper and do some mulch business, too.


I'll second the motion to get some chaps, though. And you'll need to learn to sharpen that chain. It's going to need it on a regular basis.

That's a beautiful state you live in. I spent about 6 weeks working around Nashville and down south of there a few years back. Nice folks around there!

 

[rb_in_va]

I talked to a local tree service this week and asked him did he want to get rid of some logs for fire wood and he said that he has any where from 10 - 15 dumps of logs a week that he pays $40 to dump at the land fill . I think I might tell him he can dump logs on my spot for free . Is this a good idea ? What do you guys think ? Any advise ? Thank you !

I think it's an excellent idea! But just keep in mind that he may dump logs that you won't be able to process into firewood. Just have a plan to use them. Are there any portable sawmill owners in your area? Might work a deal where they saw the logs for their own use, or yours, or a compromise of the two.

 

[Ed Roland]

Pacman, consider a small mill set up for the logs that are not good for btu material.

 

[Sprig]

Sounds good at da front of it for the wood dump, as others have said tho you'll want to look at what to do with the leftover stuff (giant EPA unfriendly bonfires comes to mind, but heck, I like a good fire (good being it doesn't burn your barn down or poison anyone ).
The reason I'm posting here is to warn you of one factor and that is of where did the wood come from?? Free wood is great, granted, but free wood that was an old fence-line (with potential metal components) may not be such a good deal, and, you wouldn't want to be trying to mill it on someone else's mill unless someone is prepared to check it out thoroughly with a detector.
The reason I am sayin' this is not to discourage you by any means, but I have a bunch of stuff in my yard (that is now being bon-fired as I speak) that was nice looking cut-offs, um, it was full of nails (think they used some of this for guides for a csm) and darned iffin I'll put my saw to it if I can help it. Just sayin', don't let people dump of any-old-sht on ya, if you can help them by getting rid of stuff thats cool, but make sure you speak to them not to lay carp on ya! Other than that.............have at 'er bro!!!!



Serge

 

[pacman]

Thanks for the advise !

This week end im going to go talk with him and maybe I could just pick it up my self ( the stuff he had cut ) . Like you guys said , it might might be alot of stuff on there I dont want . I was just thinking I could get ahead of thing with him dumping about a mount of stuff out there but I better just load it myself , right ! :monkey:

 

[ddhlakebound]

This week end im going to go talk with him and maybe I could just pick it up my self ( the stuff he had cut ) . Like you guys said , it might might be alot of stuff on there I dont want . I was just thinking I could get ahead of thing with him dumping about a mount of stuff out there but I better just load it myself , right ! :monkey:

Definately talk to him. I don't think picking it up will be a very good option, because he's not going to want to stage the material somewhere, so unless you can pick it up on the jobsite, as soon as it comes down, he's not gonna want to leave it laying there waiting to be picked up.

In addition, fuel is expensive, and everything you don't spend on fuel goes straight to your profit margin. You will make more money in less time, if your blocks/logs are being dumped on site for free.

If he's paying $40/ton now, and your site is of comparable distance to what he's driving now to dump, I don't think you'll have a problem as long as you communicate clearly what you are willing to have dumped on your site. Tell him you ONLY want hardwood logs/blocks. If he's generating 15/20 loads of wood per week, he's probably got a chipper for all the brush. You may be able to take his chips for pay, say $20/ton, then either compost them for soil amendment, or sell them cheap for plain landscaping chips. (They do need to be aged 9-12 months before being used in landscaping.) Either way, you will be cutting his dump fees dramatically, increasing his profit margin. It's not unreasonable for you to specifically define what you're willing to have dumped, or how much of it. Clear communication is the key.

He's paying to dump, and you're spending time and fuel to get wood to your site. Sounds like a great way to solve both your problems.

 

[joesawer]

Try explaining your sitiuation to him. Explain that you dont need any trash or huge forks. that you just need logs that you can process into fire wood. Even if he only brings you a couple of loads per week, he saves dump fees and you get lots of fire wood.
The chip thing might be something to look into.
You mentioned going to the farmers market. I'm thinking that you probably wont sell much fire wood there, but you will meet a lot of potential customers.
I think it would be a great sales oprotunity.Take some business cards and a small load of wood. More people will stop and want to talk than you will have time to talk to. You might want to try the local flea market also.
Good luck to ya!

 

[pacman]

That is what I was thinking ....

so unless you can pick it up on the jobsite, as soon as it comes down, he's not gonna want to leave it laying there waiting to be picked up.



If he's paying $40/ton now, and your site is of comparable distance to what he's driving now to dump, I don't think you'll have a problem as long as you communicate clearly what you are willing to have dumped on your site.

Either way, you will be cutting his dump fees dramatically, increasing his profit margin. It's not unreasonable for you to specifically define what you're willing to have dumped, or how much of it. Clear communication is the key.

He's paying to dump, and you're spending time and fuel to get wood to your site. Sounds like a great way to solve both your problems.[/QUOTE]

Well said that is exactly what I had in mind... I thank you for the advise but I dont want the mulch , not this year . This is my first year doing this .Thanks for the advise .

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

... I thank you for the advise but I dont want the mulch , not this year . This is my first year doing this .Thanks for the advise .

I think that's wise. You've got to learn the ropes on the firewood business, get that up and running well, then maybe you can add the mulch business later.

 

[pacman]

24 inch oak buck split

Here is just a pic of what my used splitter is capable of doing . This is a buck from a tree that has been lying on the ground a year or two ( dont know for sure but it was tough to cut with my saw ) . I found a lot with some downed trees to buck and split this week end so I will be posting new pictures . I like doing this stuff .

 

[pacman]

oh yeah

Thats red oak being split in that pic .

 

[Log Splitter]

I like those old trucks! Do they still have the engines and drivetrain?

Good luck with the firewood business, BTW. Looks like you are off to a good start.

 

[pacman]

oh yes

I like those old trucks! Do they still have the engines and drivetrain?

Good luck with the firewood business, BTW. Looks like you are off to a good start.

Most of them have engines and will run . It might need a lil attention though .