Looking for grapple load in NH

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KJamesJR

Feeling the Heat
Jan 8, 2018
362
New Hampshire
Looking to get some references for a grapple delivery in central/lakes region NH. Someone who delivers an honest load for the $$$. 8 - 10 cord.
 
Looking to get some references for a grapple delivery in central/lakes region NH. Someone who delivers an honest load for the $$$. 8 - 10 cord.
Have you looked for some logging firms in the yellow pages? Or you can do a search for the same online in your area.
 
Have you looked for some logging firms in the yellow pages? Or you can do a search for the same online in your area.
Yeah it seems kinda difficult to find someone out here. There’s only a small handful of logging companies listed. They really don’t have a whole lot of reviews or references. Seems like finding them are a word of mouth endeavor. I don’t personally know anyone in the trade.
 
The only guys I ever see with an ad up is McClure Logging. 7-9 cord load for $900.
 
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The only guys I ever see with an ad up is McClure Logging. 7-9 cord load for $900.
Yeah... that’s a bummer. Especially if you only got only 7 cords for $900. I’m lucky that there’s lots of loggers right here in the small northern town I live in and I know many of them. There a lot of lumber and paper mills up here since there millions of acres of both public and private hardwood forests that are always being harvested for their slow growth close-ringed quality wood. I’ll show you the pipe of red oak I just paid $950 for two months ago from a logger I know in town and he charges that for everyone now. He said it was around 10 to 12 cords. Good luck finding a deal on your wood...
 
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I live close to you here in nh. I've done searches for grapples on Craigslist and it comes back with a few results. A coworker buys a grapple each year, I'll ask where they buy from.
 
I live close to you here in nh. I've done searches for grapples on Craigslist and it comes back with a few results. A coworker buys a grapple each year, I'll ask where they buy from.
Thanks I’d appreciate it.

Got a call back from a logger. Said I’m too far away to deliver. He did give me contact info for another guy. Haven’t heard anything back from them yet.
 
You could call the cooperative extension service and talk to county forester. He would know who is working in the area.
 
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Well I got someone who was willing to actually make a delivery. Approximately 8 cord load for $1150 or I can wait three weeks and get a 14 cord load for $1850. Mostly oak and maple delivered from 27 miles away. That sound reasonable?
 
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At $144 a cord or $132 a cord respectively it’s expensive to me but I don’t know... maybe that’s the going rate there. The guy that brought my wood from the loggers drove his truck 23 miles to get it then came back 28 more miles to bring it to me for $80 a cord but that’s here. And that’s in this truck.
 
It sounds really expensive for this type of load. I can get rounds (not logs) delivered for 120 per cord. If you get more than 1 cord it drops to 110 per cord. This is in Philadelphia suburbs.
 
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$130 - $140 Is expensive for this area so I don't think I'm going to go with them. Seems like most people delivering grapples are going $110 - $120 a cord. Some of them haven't contacted me back, and two so far have said I live too far away. I'm going to keep calling around but if I don't have anything by the end of March I'll just have to order processed.
 
One hassle in southern NH is there is a EAB quarantine in some areas. Raw wood can only be sent across the quarantine line to certified facilities. I think its easier to chip it and truck it.

The price does seem high. Western Maine Timberlands who services the Conway area charges $225 for cut split, delivered and possibly stacked. Note a grapple load of wood is pretty notorious to yield less wood than a split and stacked tight cord as the crooked logs take up a lot of air space. Optimistically my guess is at best a cord of grapple wood measured by volume is equal to 2/3rd of a cord cut and stacked. I expect unless there is active logging in your area that you may have live with tree services.

Best way is finding a active log yard and offer cash.
 
Best way is finding a active log yard and offer cash.

This was my next step. I drive past three of them daily. The issue is catching them while someone is there. There's no signage anywhere to indicate a company name, but I've seen the trucks full ready for delivery.
 
That odd, NH law states that there has to be cutting permit posted prominently with the contractors name at all logging sites. The town gets a tax on every log cut and the state foresters keep an eye on the sites to make sure they volume is accurate. Its usually laminated and mounted on tree near the entrance. Keep in mind most logging operations are all contractors due to workman's comp. You need to talk to the guy in charge of the site. The hassle is you need a job that is using a self unloading truck. The trailers set up for pulpmills and the some of the larger sawmills are unloaded with specialized loaders so they don't need an unloader, although I expect few logs from Southern NH are going out for pulp.
 
That odd, NH law states that there has to be cutting permit posted prominently with the contractors name at all logging sites. The town gets a tax on every log cut and the state foresters keep an eye on the sites to make sure they volume is accurate. Its usually laminated and mounted on tree near the entrance. Keep in mind most logging operations are all contractors due to workman's comp. You need to talk to the guy in charge of the site. The hassle is you need a job that is using a self unloading truck. The trailers set up for pulpmills and the some of the larger sawmills are unloaded with specialized loaders so they don't need an unloader, although I expect few logs from Southern NH are going out for pulp.
These are the log yards. There’s no cutting going on at these sites. All these tons of logs seem to be brought in and dropped off. One of these places is a saw mill which I was lead to believe was going out of business. They still seem to be receiving logs though. I made another call to a place in Strafford. Still waiting on a call back.
 
If there are different species of logs piled up, what you are seeing is a yard that is buying odd loads and specific species for resale.
 
Is there a paper mill in the area? There’s a bunch up here and the pulping plants for the mills have full length logs that get rejected because they have some metal in them and they sell the wood for $35 a cord. Then I hire the truck in the photo above for $0.30 a mile and $10 a cord to go get it. It’s birch or hard maple.
 
No pulpmill in NH (I helped shut the last one down ;( ). The closest one is Rumford Maine and that is a couple of hours away from southern NH.