A fair %

[nwmo_aggie]

Scenario to consider...you've been offered to come cut wood on a guy's farm. It's not good terrain, but he has offered to fall and drag the trees out of the timber to a semi level, open pasture area to block up and load. You'd get a percentage, and he's asking to have a percentage left behind that you've blocked up, but not split. Wood is a mix of live and dead of these species: black locust, honey locust (some thornless, some dead that have lost thorns), pin oak, black oak, red elm and hackberry. Trees run from 12-30" diameter at the base, some at least 30-40' tall.

So, your inputs, saw gas and use, some used on wood you wouldn't take home.

Your gains, wood.

His costs, saw use to fall the trees, and tractor wear/fuel

His gains, cleared land, wood.

What's the percentage he should get to keep? 70%...60%...50%?

 

[gzecc]

75-25 you get the higher

 

[paul bunion]

When dealing with firewood, loggers get about $60 per cord for bring it to the landing. Distance and terrain will change this figure. A trucker gets about $30 per cord for loading it trucking it to the buyer. Log length is typically sold at $100/cord. That leaves the landowner with about $10 per cord at the stump. You are eliminating the trucker so make it $70 at the landing. Are the logs coming to the landing delimbed? If they are you should be bartering at about $70/cord that you take. If he is dragging the trees out top and all and you need to delimb and deal with the brush it will be a great deal less. Check you local prices for log length and work from there.

 

[nwmo_aggie]

Don't see many folks willing or able to deliver poles...a logger maybe. Wood sellers around here are getting $70-80/cord for nearby delivery, more if they have to haul it very far. Not a lot of limbs on them, so some may have some tops to cut off. I forgot to mention that part. May have to move that a little to work, but he has a bobcat and grapple to pile the brush.

Should have also added, you don't have to touch what you leave for him, no loading or splitting of his share.

So you're suggesting probably around that 50/50 split would be fair?

 

[yooperdave]

Well, unfortunately, the easier it is made for you, the less your % will turn out to be...and the greater the % for you, the more you'll have to do.....
Play it right, and just maybe you'll have a source of wood for more than just this one time.

 

[BEConklin]

I think I myself would be comfortable with 50/50 at least to get an agreement started. If it turns out worse than you thought you can re-negotiate after the first load is done.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Don't see many folks willing or able to deliver poles...a logger maybe. Wood sellers around here are getting $70-80/cord for nearby delivery, more if they have to haul it very far. Not a lot of limbs on them, so some may have some tops to cut off. I forgot to mention that part. May have to move that a little to work, but he has a bobcat and grapple to pile the brush.

Should have also added, you don't have to touch what you leave for him, no loading or splitting of his share.

So you're suggesting probably around that 50/50 split would be fair?

There is no way I'd go 50/50 on this one!

First thing that strikes me is that he will be skidding the logs. This means you will be dealing with dirt on the logs which means a lot of chain sharpening even if you clean the logs. Taking an axe and chopping where you will cut takes a lot of time and effort. Or you could wire brush it. For this you could use a cordless drill and one of these:

If not, you will be doing a lot of sharpening of your chain which means extra time, extra cost in files and chains. The least I would go would be 75/25.

Fwiw, some years ago I sold some firewood. They cut the trees, left the tops in the woods and skidded out the logs. Then they bucked ans split. We did this on a 75/25 deal. That is, I got one load to their 3. Also did some with them getting 4 and us 1. Both times the wood we got was bucked, split and hauled to where I wanted it.

 

[Chimney Smoke]

60/40 or 50/50. He's dropping them and moving them to an open area for you to cut. Basically the only work you have to do is cut to length and load. I'd be more than happy to burn twice as much gas through my saw in a pasture for free wood that I didn't really have to work for. I just got a little over a cord of maple for free. It was limbed and cut to 6 or 8 foot lengths. The only cutting I did was to length- 16-18 inches. I didn't do much cutting but I carried all the wood piece by piece up out of a ditch and over a snow bank to load into my truck on the side of the road. I would have rather cut 4 times as much wood that I had easy acces to and left half of it there.

 

[nwmo_aggie]

So trying to sort out with him how to keep track of who gets what...we're thinking about splitting it there, but not sure if I split it all that 50/50 is fair if I have to split it, but if we load our trailers, we could keep track of things somewhat vs. just guessing. I have a car trailer with sides, he has a 10k 18' trailer with sides, so close to the same, he maybe has more capacity. Still, though if I cut, and even if he helps split or load some, seems like I need to be in that 60-70% range right?

 

[Waulie]

I'd go 50/50 if you don't have to split his. Splitting is a lot of work. It sounds like you'd just be bucking up logs that he delivers to an open area? 50 percent for you in that scenario sounds like you'd be getting a fine deal actually. I mean just bucking up logs is not a big percentage of the work that goes into most firewood.

 

[Standingdead]

Gotta take into account his risk. Farmer is dropping tree (risk). Skidding out with tractor (equipment and fuel). Your bucking to length (much less risk). Your both using saws, gas, etc.

I would say 50/50 is a good deal for you.

 

[ihookem]

I'd ask to cut it right in the woods if that works. Maybe 36" and put em in the loader, or a trailer in the woods. Every situation is different. Is he a decent guy? I ask cause I have a friend, he really is a friend, but he gave me 6 nice egg layers. Picked em up and fed them a month. Never layed an egg though.... . UGH. Seems I do the work to find I'm just getting rid of his mess.