Tree Service is back in town. Nice Score!

[midwestcoast]

I heard a big chipper start up nearby this afternoon so took the dog & went to investigate. Sure enough it was the tree service that had been to my place a few weeks back to drop a Maple in my yard & had emptied their grapple truck of Mulberry & Elm on my lawn to boot. I spotted the grapple truck & peaked in to see what was on the menu. It looked to be 1/2 full of Oak! So I let them know they were free to unload at my place & the guy said he was just about to bring it over to me. He called it Black Oak, but I can't tell it from any other type of Red Oak... There was one Silver Maple trunk in there too.

 

[midwestcoast]

Anyone care to guess on quantity? I'm thinking like a cord & a half?
Nice sized stuff too. Not too big. Largest rounds are about 20".
The scrounging has been dead easy this Spring. I could have had a truckload from them about 10 days ago, but it was all Elm & looked a bit twisty so I stayed away in case I couldn't split it.

Anyway I started cutting it up, but ran out of mix before finishing, so began hauling rounds to the back yard with my new wood-hauler, sans side rails Here it is loaded with rounds cut to 19-20+" length.

Edit: I forgot to mention this was NOT free wood. Cost me 2 cold ones ;-)

 

[SolarAndWood]

Can't beat that. I'd say a cord to a cord and a half. Nice thing is you are probably permanently on his map now.

 

[nate379]

Why don't these tree guys run a firewood business off on the side?

 

[loon]

you got it great midwest ;-) good for you eh!!

loon

 

[Shari]

Lucky duck!

 

[smokinj]

Now Thats as good as it gets, and still get a little trigger time.

 

[nrford]

Bottom log in forth pic is Basswood. Free and it burns. Rest of pile looks like great score.

 

[mayhem]

Why don't these tree guys run a firewood business off on the side?

Initial cost of investment can scare them off. In order to do it in enough quantity to sell wood for real money, you've got to be able to split alot of wood really fast without much human involvement or its going to cost too much money to make a penny at $200/cord delivered.

 

[nate379]

Cut to 16" lengths, toss in pile on their lot, $xx a truckload.

Many of the tree places here sell wood chips that way.

 

[FireAnt]

Now Thats as good as it gets, and still get a little trigger time.

I agree best kind!!

 

[certified106]

Awesome, How cold it get much better than that delivered to your door!

 

[midwestcoast]

Bottom log in forth pic is Basswood. Free and it burns. Rest of pile looks like great score.

Methinx that one is Silver Maple. Sawdust looked like Silver too: White & shiney. Will be confirmed when I start splitting, but honestly you can't swing a Fiskars around here without hitting one. Not even the old-school 28" %-P

 

[midwestcoast]

Thanks for the estimate Solar. I always overestimate, but at least I'm consistant. I think I am on the map!

Why don't they do firewood? Well most services around here do. These guys may even sell some, but I don't think they could move near the volume they bring in, just not enough demand for it & low profit margin as Mayhem says. Even the ones seriously into firewood only bother with the Oak as far as I can see.
I'd like to see more people heating with wood (even if it means more scrounging competition), it's just a shame to see so much fuel chipped/landfilled.

 

[nrford]

Bottom log in forth pic is Basswood. Free and it burns. Rest of pile looks like great score.

Methinx that one is Silver Maple. Sawdust looked like Silver too: White & shiney. Will be confirmed when I start splitting, but honestly you can't swing a Fiskars around here without hitting one. Not even the old-school 28" %-P

Me KNOWS that is Basswood!

 

[drozenski]

Why don't these tree guys run a firewood business off on the side?

Think of it this way.

1 guy cutting loggs / splitting 1 guy splitting/moving splits

They will not stack for proper seasoning. Waste of time and money.


Figure 8 hours a day x 2 = 16 hrs x $8 an hour = $128 in employee expenses

$50+ for fuel / oil ect

Mic expences for tools

Figue about 200-250 a day in costs.


Now figure these two guys using a regualr splitter with a 15 second cycle time would only put out 3-5 cords per day

Now add in time for some one else to make up signs / advertise your wood. Consider unhappy customers with wood purchases, delivery fuel and employee expense and it just becomes more of a hastle then it's worth.

Also factor in all that wood is now sitting on his lot untill it can be split and sold.

Comercial wood splitters that 1 person can operate run in the 10's of thousands.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Congratulations Midwest. You need to make a reminder for yourself. Be sure to keep cold beer on hand...

 

[midwestcoast]

Bottom log in forth pic is Basswood. Free and it burns. Rest of pile looks like great score.

Methinx that one is Silver Maple. Sawdust looked like Silver too: White & shiney. Will be confirmed when I start splitting, but honestly you can't swing a Fiskars around here without hitting one. Not even the old-school 28" %-P

Me KNOWS that is Basswood!

You've got a great eye! I took a few slabs off a round at noon. Very light. Visible pores on endgrain. Outer layer of wood is stringy. Will post a pic.
Looks like I'll have plenty of kindling next winter.

 

[midwestcoast]

Pics for nrford's bragging rights

Ignore stuff in the background that IS actually maple.

 

[weatherguy]

Why don't these tree guys run a firewood business off on the side?

Think of it this way.

1 guy cutting loggs / splitting 1 guy splitting/moving splits

They will not stack for proper seasoning. Waste of time and money.


Figure 8 hours a day x 2 = 16 hrs x $8 an hour = $128 in employee expenses

$50+ for fuel / oil ect

Mic expences for tools

Figue about 200-250 a day in costs.


Now figure these two guys using a regualr splitter with a 15 second cycle time would only put out 3-5 cords per day

Now add in time for some one else to make up signs / advertise your wood. Consider unhappy customers with wood purchases, delivery fuel and employee expense and it just becomes more of a hastle then it's worth.

Also factor in all that wood is now sitting on his lot untill it can be split and sold.

Comercial wood splitters that 1 person can operate run in the 10's of thousands.

I know a couple small tree guys keep the wood and split and sell it, they have a lot of downtime in between jobs. The bigger guys are usually pretty busy and like your numbers show, it wouldnt work for them.

 

[DiscoInferno]

I think the tree-service economics are similar out here. Way more wood cut then could ever be sold as firewood, so they mostly just keep the oak if they do firewood at all. From what I've seen of the going prices for tree work, they could never get the same labor rates for firewood.

 

[Woody Stover]

The scrounging has been dead easy this Spring.

"Economy Tree Service: Free wood and free delivery." :lol:

 

[SolarAndWood]

Pics for nrford's bragging rights

Ignore stuff in the background that IS actually maple.

I don't care what it is, 16" reasonably straight delimbed logs dropped in your driveway for free are a beautiful thing.

 

[midwestcoast]

Pics for nrford's bragging rights

Ignore stuff in the background that IS actually maple.

I don't care what it is, 16" reasonably straight delimbed logs dropped in your driveway for free are a beautiful thing.

Agreed, nothing to complain about there! but I do have to stress once again that this wood was NOT FREE! Cost me 2 cold beers. New Belgium Ranger IPA to be exact. At that price, a year's wood comes to about a 6-pack and a gallon or 2 of 2-stroke mix. The time input doesn't count since I enjoy it too much.