# Supplementing Your Snow Removal Business with Firewood



## The Snow Punishers (Sep 30, 2018)

Hey,

Have been doing this starting this season already sold 2 cords of wood. ($400 here).

It is a VERY simple "add-on" to your bottom line for snow plowing. If you have a short bed you'll need to buy a boat trailer frame and some hardware to fit a cord or 2.
If you have a standard bed you should fit a cord if STACKED row by row not thrown in.

We come across down logs all the time so we cut it up and all you really need is a chainsaw and a small wood splitter to start. Few hundred to invest and around here supply is plentiful and so is demand so it requires a snow plowing brand to really sell better.

Take note of customers that have wood out by their homes and market to them.

Seasoned wood is just wood that has dried out on the inside and that's what people want. If takes 6 to 12 months for dropped logs to season and they season faster split. They give a Hollow sound and the bark starts coming off....

Just figured I'd start a thread as it seems like a good supplement to snow Removal.

Its easy money and I like it.

But I'm just a young gun hustling what do I know..


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## TJS (Oct 22, 2003)

Do you also stack it for the customer.?


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## The Snow Punishers (Sep 30, 2018)

TJS said:


> Do you also stack it for the customer.?


I do $175 dumped and $200 stacked it's worked well here.


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## seville009 (Sep 9, 2002)

Biggest hurdle is presumably finding a steady source of wood, unless you already iwn your own supply. 

Town around here proposed regulating firewood suppliers this past summer.


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## The Snow Punishers (Sep 30, 2018)

seville009 said:


> Biggest hurdle is presumably finding a steady source of wood, unless you already iwn your own supply.
> 
> Town around here proposed regulating firewood suppliers this past summer.


Yea around here I have 3 wooded acres plus I have gotten loads of free fallen wood. 
Around here it's not as regulated yet I see it as opportunity


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## TJS (Oct 22, 2003)

I have a dump bed and thought about doing this. No way I would stack it for 25.00 extra. Back up, hit the button, dump it and lower it and say bye bye. I have 10 cords of seasoned wood I don't use in an enclosed building on my property.


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## The Snow Punishers (Sep 30, 2018)

TJS said:


> I have a dump bed and thought about doing this. No way I would stack it for 25.00 extra. Back up, hit the button, dump it and lower it and say bye bye. I have 10 cords of seasoned wood I don't use in an enclosed building on my property.


That's perfect dude you should definitely try it I'm just starting so as a service for retention I offer to stack it but honestly people don't care if it's all hardwood. You have the perfect setup to man! I say go for it you'll be glad you did the demand just check in your area (craigslist, fb marketplace, letgo) and see your competition pricing and you're golden ponyboy


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## FredG (Oct 15, 2012)

The Snow Punishers said:


> Hey,
> 
> Have been doing this starting this season already sold 2 cords of wood. ($400 here).
> 
> ...


Go ahead hustle, I would try to get cash for the wood. When I was doing it many years ago you want to check with the farmers that sold there wood in the wooded area's to a big lumber company or a logger.

The loggers go in there and take the trunks or bigger stuff, they leave the smaller limbs tree tops behind. A good portion of the stuff don't even need splitting. If you like it and do good with it a cheap conveyor would be nice.


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## The Snow Punishers (Sep 30, 2018)

FredG said:


> Go ahead hustle, I would try to get cash for the wood. When I was doing it many years ago you want to check with the farmers that sold there wood in the wooded area's to a big lumber company or a logger.
> 
> The loggers go in there and take the trunks or bigger stuff, they leave the smaller limbs tree tops behind. A good portion of the stuff don't even need splitting. If you like it and do good with it a cheap conveyor would be nice.


Thanks for that! Yea I'm trying my best man. It just seems like easy money low overhead. That's a good point of checking where the farmers sold lumber too.and yea I'm doing cash or credit.


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## 1olddogtwo (Aug 6, 2007)

How much does a cord of wood weigh?


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## The Snow Punishers (Sep 30, 2018)

1olddogtwo said:


> How much does a cord of wood weigh?


A face cord is stacked wood 4' high 16" deep and 8' long and a full cord is 4' x 4' x 8' long. Not sure weight I'd imagine it varies.


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## WIPensFan (Jan 31, 2009)

I don’t come across a lot of down logs so I’m gonna pass. But good luck to you, and hope you make some good extra cash.


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## The Snow Punishers (Sep 30, 2018)

WIPensFan said:


> I don't come across a lot of down logs so I'm gonna pass. But good luck to you, and hope you make some good extra cash.


Thanks yea it does help I have wooded land


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## Mr.Markus (Jan 7, 2010)

1olddogtwo said:


> How much does a cord of wood weigh?


2 tons...


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## 1olddogtwo (Aug 6, 2007)

Yea. That's going make a half-ton truck fun.


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## Mr.Markus (Jan 7, 2010)

Volume....Unstacked it will take up 200 cubic feet, an 8 ft box would have to pile it 5 ft high uniformly to carry it. 2 ft above the cab roof...lol.


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## tpendagast (Oct 27, 2012)

The Snow Punishers said:


> Hey,
> 
> Have been doing this starting this season already sold 2 cords of wood. ($400 here).
> 
> ...


I'm not so sure how "easy" that money is.

If you factor the amount of time it takes to harvest, spilt, store and deliver you come to realize how little you're making with that time vs say... washing windows cutting grass or even working as a greeter at Walmart.

I know of a few businesses (very few) that make actual profit with firewood and both of them are literal assembly lines rivaling a ford plant in how they do it and how much wood they've got stock piled.

I've lived in communities where a large portion of the houses primarily use wood as their source of heat in the winter, 
I've been part of some really large scale programs to help the elderly and poor heat their homes for the winter (with wood) and the amount of cords we've processed is staggering (a home above 4,000 ft in the Rockies will burn 6 cord a winter)
At your prices that's $2400 a winter or almost $350 a month for heat
I heat with gas (substantially colder for longer than when I lived in the Rockies , here in Alaska) and I only pay about $175-190 for winter heat.

I imagine the people who you are selling $400 cords too are burning it for romantic evenings by the fire and holiday get together a rather than primary heat.

I can't imagine going through that much effort fit $200 a cord (which is the going price in northern Idaho) and trying to make a profit.

It also depends on what kind of wood is in that cord


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## JMHConstruction (Aug 22, 2011)

tpendagast said:


> I'm not so sure how "easy" that money is.
> 
> If you factor the amount of time it takes to harvest, spilt, store and deliver you come to realize how little you're making with that time vs say... washing windows cutting grass or even working as a greeter at Walmart.
> 
> ...


I was just thinking that. I can't see actually making much when the whole process is said and done.


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## 1olddogtwo (Aug 6, 2007)

Beer money


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## tpendagast (Oct 27, 2012)

JMHConstruction said:


> I was just thinking that. I can't see actually making much when the whole process is said and done.


IF you don't have anything to do and you're literally waiting for snow to fall ... hey, do it.

I just can't see it falling under "easy money"


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## jomama45 (Dec 25, 2008)

When I was a kid, my Dad always sold firewood in the winter. I HATED making firewood every weekend, but hated knocking on doors peddling the crap even more. A typical Saturday was loading 2 truck loads (we either used a 2 yard dump truck or a 4x4 long bed truck with a ladder rack and 2' poured wall forms for sides) with the second usually getting filled right around dusk. Usually, he'd get the truck buried in the mud on the way out, and the only thing he ever had to get it out was a broken cable come-a-long that only traveled a few feet at a time before you had to strap to another tree. Getting the truck out also meant unloading the whole damn thing, and obviously re-loading once we got it out. THen peddling the crap door to door, and had stacking 95% of the loads. It was a huge bonus to have the dump truck and have a customer just want you to dump it. I swore I'd NEVER make a piece of firewood again when I became an adult, and here I am heating my house with wood, LOL......

25-30 years ago, I doubt we made much money off of it at all, but the work ethic gained was worth far more than any money we ever received and pee'd away

Come to think of it, he still does make firewood on a smaller scale, probably still makes 20-30 full cords a year, although he probably gives half of it away to family and friends. He's going to be 74 next Tuesday, if he would have sat around rather than staying moving, he wouldn't be moving the way he is now. There's no doubt, it' not "easy money", but it certainly is good, honest work. Probably something a lot of folks here could benefit from a little more......


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## The Snow Punishers (Sep 30, 2018)

tpendagast said:


> I'm not so sure how "easy" that money is.
> 
> If you factor the amount of time it takes to harvest, spilt, store and deliver you come to realize how little you're making with that time vs say... washing windows cutting grass or even working as a greeter at Walmart.
> 
> ...


It may seem complicated but its not. If you stack wood into a standard bed you get just about a cord and yes people in NY pay $200 / cord not $400 not sure where that's from.
That being said i may have been better calling it money for grabs for those who work.

Beer money? I made $400 gross and $250 profit on that. And another $600 projected this week with a net profit of $500.
And this is me learning the business......

All I'm saying is there's money there if you live in the right area guys. Some easier than others. I'm already projecting a 2nd splitter for next season which starts after winter.

*Why I thought it was worth sharing...*
We have free time inbetween storms. Like more than we'd like to admit at times, albeit busy still but comparatively it's not that time consuming. And yes I understand marketing, truck repair, etc all take up time. But just saying this could mean _decent_ money for some people on this site. I was as skeptical as some of you until I saw the green... if you have logs available to you from land or obtain many fallen trees your cost is gas , wear , depreciation, time. That's it. Then you cost to split that wood is time (it goes down as you learn it, like a lot) , maintaining the equipment, and delivery mileage....
Hint: I market to towns within 10 miles to keep costs down...
And as you learn your points of profit optimization, you will make money. I'm doing it. And I only see it getting better week by week


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## The Snow Punishers (Sep 30, 2018)

jomama45 said:


> When I was a kid, my Dad always sold firewood in the winter. I HATED making firewood every weekend, but hated knocking on doors peddling the crap even more. A typical Saturday was loading 2 truck loads (we either used a 2 yard dump truck or a 4x4 long bed truck with a ladder rack and 2' poured wall forms for sides) with the second usually getting filled right around dusk. Usually, he'd get the truck buried in the mud on the way out, and the only thing he ever had to get it out was a broken cable come-a-long that only traveled a few feet at a time before you had to strap to another tree. Getting the truck out also meant unloading the whole damn thing, and obviously re-loading once we got it out. THen peddling the crap door to door, and had stacking 95% of the loads. It was a huge bonus to have the dump truck and have a customer just want you to dump it. I swore I'd NEVER make a piece of firewood again when I became an adult, and here I am heating my house with wood, LOL......
> 
> 25-30 years ago, I doubt we made much money off of it at all, but the work ethic gained was worth far more than any money we ever received and pee'd away
> 
> Come to think of it, he still does make firewood on a smaller scale, probably still makes 20-30 full cords a year, although he probably gives half of it away to family and friends. He's going to be 74 next Tuesday, if he would have sat around rather than staying moving, he wouldn't be moving the way he is now. There's no doubt, it' not "easy money", but it certainly is good, honest work. Probably something a lot of folks here could benefit from a little more......


Thank you for sharing that was awesome. I guess it is a love hate relationship I used to hate friggin stacking wood as a kid at my buddies house every weekend. But as an adult and as I make money doing it I'm starting to really like it I even have a specific way I stack the wood of each size lol


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## tpendagast (Oct 27, 2012)

Yea 
I know a guy who palletizes half cords, shrink wraps them and uses a mini skid with forks to deliver them

The whole hand stacking the cord for a lazy buyer puts any firewood business in the red.

You have to hand stack it in the truck and then unload and restack it 
For the same price? 
Garbage 

This guy stacks it once he can put the pallet anywhere he can reach but that’s it.

I recall one customer that wanted it buggy lugged inside, through a narrow hallway and down a set of stairs to where the Franklin stove was.
“I’m old” is usually the excuse 
Yea well I guess you’re going to be born old and cold then ... because this wood isn’t going into the house from the driveway for free!

I really liked the guy with the pallets of firewood and mini skid 
If I were to do it again, I’d do it that way


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## The Snow Punishers (Sep 30, 2018)

tpendagast said:


> Yea
> I know a guy who palletizes half cords, shrink wraps them and uses a mini skid with forks to deliver them
> 
> The whole hand stacking the cord for a lazy buyer puts any firewood business in the red.
> ...


Yea I've been increasing the stacking fee due to that


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## m_ice (Aug 12, 2012)

We dabble in firewood, most of our customers are restaurants, yuppies, and campers. The campers are the best because they pick theirs up on the way to the campgrounds and pay the drop box. It's all the junk wood that I dont want to mess with or leftovers. 
I have a couple of tree companies that supply our wood and I'm picky what I will take.


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## jomama45 (Dec 25, 2008)

tpendagast said:


> The whole hand stacking the cord for a lazy buyer puts any firewood business in the red.


I'm making a couple assumptions here, but I'm willing to bet I'm right on at least 2 out of the 3 of these:

- You've never truly been poor.
- You've never signed the front side of a paycheck.
- You're lazy.


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## The Snow Punishers (Sep 30, 2018)

m_ice said:


> We dabble in firewood, most of our customers are restaurants, yuppies, and campers. The campers are the best because they pick theirs up on the way to the campgrounds and pay the drop box. It's all the junk wood that I dont want to mess with or leftovers.
> I have a couple of tree companies that supply our wood and I'm picky what I will take.


That's really cool I've been thinking about calling tree companies too


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## The Snow Punishers (Sep 30, 2018)

jomama45 said:


> I'm making a couple assumptions here, but I'm willing to bet I'm right on at least 2 out of the 3 of these:
> 
> - You've never truly been poor.
> - You've never signed the front side of a paycheck.
> - You're lazy.


Well said man I'm trying to hustle my way out of a tough spot kinda why I shared it


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## tpendagast (Oct 27, 2012)

The Snow Punishers said:


> It may seem complicated but its not. If you stack wood into a standard bed you get just about a cord and yes people in NY pay $200 / cord not $400 not sure where that's from.
> That being said i may have been better calling it money for grabs for those who work.
> 
> Beer money? I made $400 gross and $250 profit on that. And another $600 projected this week with a net profit of $500.
> ...


Many states (I'm not sure about New York) you can obtain a permit from the forest service to go in and harvest fire wood (limited to certain areas pre designated) the permit is free just needs to be applied for.
Same place you can get a permit to cut ONE Xmas tree.

However.
This has been done and calculated many times over.
The amount of time, fuel etc required to cut, split, season and deliver a single cord of firewood for only $200, leaves you with less than minimum wage when taking into consideration that fact you could have been spending that time working a job somewhere.

Only when the firewood is harvested on a huge scale and processed with other efficiencies does it become a money making enterprise. 
It's really an "all in" kind of thing.

If ones in poverty and looking to anything to make money and can't find a job... money is money.

There's a reason people are willing to give you $200 a cord easily, because everyone else has done the math... and a cord of wood is worth considerably more than that


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## jomama45 (Dec 25, 2008)

m_ice said:


> We dabble in firewood, most of our customers are restaurants, yuppies, and campers. The campers are the best because they pick theirs up on the way to the campgrounds and pay the drop box. It's all the junk wood that I dont want to mess with or leftovers.
> I have a couple of tree companies that supply our wood and I'm picky what I will take.


Just making a few cords for myself every year, I have to admit I'm extremely picky as well. I'm not willing to handle junk, much less take in inside my house. Most recently, due to the EAB here, and the fact that one of my former employees works for the local city in their forestry dpt., I've been picking up ash logs (8-12' long) that they load right into the truck for me. Already limbed, ready to cut and split on concrete in my yard is the way to go for me.


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## m_ice (Aug 12, 2012)

jomama45 said:


> Just making a few cords for myself every year, I have to admit I'm extremely picky as well. I'm not willing to handle junk, much less take in inside my house. Most recently, due to the EAB here, and the fact that one of my former employees works for the local city in their forestry dpt., I've been picking up ash logs (8-12' long) that they load right into the truck for me. Already limbed, ready to cut and split on concrete in my yard is the way to go for me.


When the Ash is gone I'll probably get out if firewood


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## The Snow Punishers (Sep 30, 2018)

jomama45 said:


> Just making a few cords for myself every year, I have to admit I'm extremely picky as well. I'm not willing to handle junk, much less take in inside my house. Most recently, due to the EAB here, and the fact that one of my former employees works for the local city in their forestry dpt., I've been picking up ash logs (8-12' long) that they load right into the truck for me. Already limbed, ready to cut and split on concrete in my yard is the way to go for me.


Me and my buddy just picked up a big ash tree pre cut from the golf course his dad maintains


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## tpendagast (Oct 27, 2012)

jomama45 said:


> I'm making a couple assumptions here, but I'm willing to bet I'm right on at least 2 out of the 3 of these:
> 
> - You've never truly been poor.
> - You've never signed the front side of a paycheck.
> - You're lazy.


Wrong on all three.

I've already stated I've lived where wood heat was the primary source of heat (no furnace)
My wife stood in food lines while I found waterever work I could following the economic collapse in 2008 where I could not find steady employment for almost two years and I've owned, operated and sold several businesses.

As I also already stated 
I was part of the organization of a firewood program for the elderly and poor that still runs today and processes a few hundred cord a year so people can heat their homes, 
It was started with my chain saw and 95 Dodge Ram. 
Not many people had access to 4x4s over a half ton at the time it started.

Been there, done that and I'm well aware of the cost and time involved in a cord of wood.

As well as I have already mentioned I have seen a few operations actually make a profit at it and the scale is massive in order to do so.

Those of us who have done it at any length know, 
The actual value of a cord of wood is more than the $200 customers are willing to pay for it. 
Most people who "make" money doing it are actually selling face cords and decieving customers who don't actually realize how much a cord is.

$200 is not enough for a cord of wood


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## EWSplow (Dec 4, 2012)

The Snow Punishers said:


> Me and my buddy just picked up a big ash tree pre cut from the golf course his dad maintains


Have you thought about wrapping bundles for the local convenience stores?
There are guys who have a little "wood shed" at gas stations, etc. for campfires, fire pits and fire places. They keep them stocked and I think they make more from a bunch of little bundles than they do on a cord delivered. Its more work, but its another option.


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## tpendagast (Oct 27, 2012)

m_ice said:


> We dabble in firewood, most of our customers are restaurants, yuppies, and campers. The campers are the best because they pick theirs up on the way to the campgrounds and pay the drop box. It's all the junk wood that I dont want to mess with or leftovers.
> I have a couple of tree companies that supply our wood and I'm picky what I will take.


Having someone harvest and drop off your wood and having the customer come and pick it up (especially given the fact there's no way campers are taking a cord of wood with them)
Dramatically changes the economics of selling firewood, due to cutting out a huge amount of time involved and selling it in smaller bundles (like you see stacked up at the gas station)


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## Chineau (Aug 24, 2010)

1olddogtwo said:


> Beer money


Easier to plow an extra driveway.


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## tpendagast (Oct 27, 2012)

EWSplow said:


> Have you thought about wrapping bundles for the local convenience stores?
> There are guys who have a little "wood shed" at gas stations, etc. for campfires, fire pits and fire places. They keep them stocked and I think they make more from a bunch of little bundles than they do on a cord delivered. Its more work, but its another option.


Yes
The gas station bundles are wildly overpriced 
Multiply what they charge out into a cord and they're getting $1000 per cord or more.
Work an angle on mini bundles and you can make bank 
Even a quarter or face cord for the right price.

But people trying to buy multiple cords for $200 are trying to heat their homes and don't want to pay oil/gas prices so they're just supplementing their living off you ... $400-$500 per cord would be good money.

Problem is you're not going to move much volume at that price.


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## cjames808 (Dec 18, 2015)

I pay to dispose of 150+ trees per year, chips and wood. 

It is a race to the bottom vs a guy on cl with a splitter OR the large supply yard with 1,000s of cord and automated splittting equipment.

A friend stocks 40 local liquor stores and gas stations. He makes $1-2 per bundle after everything. And he drives around filling and checking them himself.


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## tpendagast (Oct 27, 2012)

cjames808 said:


> I pay to dispose of 150+ trees per year, chips and wood.
> 
> It is a race to the bottom vs a guy on cl with a splitter and the large yard with 1,000s of cord and automated splittting equipment.
> 
> A friend stocks 40 local liquor stores and gas stations. He makes $1-2 per bundle after everything. And he drives around filling and checking them himself.


Yes
But that's a massive operation 
Different scale of economy

Are there many guys on CL with that kind of set up/investment in firewood in your area?


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## cjames808 (Dec 18, 2015)

I meant or. Two types of competition low ballers and the economy of scale guys who really set the price.


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## m_ice (Aug 12, 2012)

tpendagast said:


> Having someone harvest and drop off your wood and having the customer come and pick it up (especially given the fact there's no way campers are taking a cord of wood with them)
> Dramatically changes the economics of selling firewood, due to cutting out a huge amount of time involved and selling it in smaller bundles (like you see stacked up at the gas station)


Bingo
And it pays for the equipment for personal use helps too.


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## tpendagast (Oct 27, 2012)

m_ice said:


> Bingo
> And it pays for the equipment for personal use helps too.


Yea

The guys I know making money at it are in positions where 
A) they're either getting paid to cut trees or clear land anyway 
And b) the cost of the wood disposal is substantial 
And c) they have employees they need to "keep busy" or they'd lose them for when they need them.

Factor in all that with a large yard full of wood and space and you've got a different world that guy, truck and saw trying to hustle a few cord of wood.

The above mentioned people are WHY cords of wood are so low, if they weren't priced that way it would cost them more Money to get rid of it...


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## tpendagast (Oct 27, 2012)

cjames808 said:


> I meant or. Two types of competition low ballers and the economy of scale guys who really set the price.


Yeap

Like I said 
Modern fuels are really more efficient and affordable for home heat.

People who want romance or camp fires are the ones who you can make money off

Economy of scale is what puts a huge damper on trying to hustle a score cord of firewood per year


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## EWSplow (Dec 4, 2012)

jomama45 said:


> Just making a few cords for myself every year, I have to admit I'm extremely picky as well. I'm not willing to handle junk, much less take in inside my house. Most recently, due to the EAB here, and the fact that one of my former employees works for the local city in their forestry dpt., I've been picking up ash logs (8-12' long) that they load right into the truck for me. Already limbed, ready to cut and split on concrete in my yard is the way to go for me.


@jomama45, don't you have a friend who processes and delivers firewood to people in upscale neighborhoods for their fireplaces? Or, is he out of that biz now?


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## jomama45 (Dec 25, 2008)

EWSplow said:


> @jomama45, don't you have a friend who processes and delivers firewood to people in upscale neighborhoods for their fireplaces? Or, is he out of that biz now?


I'd call him an "acquaintance", not really a "friend"......

I'm pretty sure he spent too much time in "the red" handling firewood and loosing money, he's now far more focused on his "Taj-Mahal" up North that he built with all of the money he lost in firewood......


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## jomama45 (Dec 25, 2008)

tpendagast said:


> My wife stood in food lines while I found waterever work I could following the economic collapse in 2008 where I could not find steady employment for almost two years and I've owned, operated and sold several businesses.


I guess we'll have to agree to disagree, I'd clearly choose making and selling firewood at any price before I expected my wife to stand in line for government handouts.........


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## The Snow Punishers (Sep 30, 2018)

By the way I should have mentioned I target the top 40% income in area and have high quality wood source like some cherry and I spend literally 3-5 hours max per cord including getting it which is free and my splitter doesn't use much gas. I'm making money on small scale so agree to disagree or maybe I just am good at marketing I haven't had a cord sit for 2 days max dont mind working AND getting and extra driveway


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## FredG (Oct 15, 2012)

Wow, this is getting heavy, The OP is just trying to hustle to make some money while not plowing. He is a young guy has made no large investments and mostly using his back to do it. 

OP, If your enjoying what your doing and happy with the earnings go ahead, some would rather over think things and watch Jerry Springer instead of trying to make a little road money.

If the earnings are giving you enough money for your booze, tavern time, smokes and your weed your on top. I work hard and like to play hard as well. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Thumbs Up


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## Philbilly2 (Aug 25, 2007)

This kinda reminds me of the guys that sit in the bar and talk about how they hunt to put food on the table. They say “it’s free food from Mother Nature”

I typically hurt their feelings when I bring up all the costs that they inquired to go harvest that “free” animal. 

When you live in an area like we do and a grocery store is only a 1/2 hour drive away, you are not saving any money.

You are doing a hobby that has a reward. Better than golf in my opinion...


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## Philbilly2 (Aug 25, 2007)

OP

I would challenge you to keep track of your time and expenses that you inquire to produce a cord...

I think you will find harvesting and selling wood is about like any other agricultural job... a crap load of work for not huge payout... unless you scale.


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## The Snow Punishers (Sep 30, 2018)

FredG said:


> Wow, this is getting heavy, The OP is just trying to hustle to make some money while not plowing. He is a young guy has made no large investments and mostly using his back to do it.
> 
> OP, If your enjoying what your doing and happy with the earnings go ahead, some would rather over think things and watch Jerry Springer instead of trying to make a little road money.
> 
> If the earnings are giving you enough money for your booze, tavern time, smokes and your weed your on top. I work hard and like to play hard as well. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Thumbs Up


Thanks man yea I'm a young buck trying to make some money honestly to grow my plowing business into potentially a green truck in summer lol.
By the way guys you can buy a boat frame trailer for couple hundred and build a nice trailer for cheap.
I take your challenge guys and I will calculate my earnings after this week


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## The Snow Punishers (Sep 30, 2018)

For what it's worth guys too I'm a lot more proud of making money selling wood than I would being a greeter at walmart lmao


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## m_ice (Aug 12, 2012)

The Snow Punishers said:


> Thanks man yea I'm a young buck trying to make some money honestly to grow my plowing business into potentially a green truck in summer lol.
> By the way guys you can buy a boat frame trailer for couple hundred and build a nice trailer for cheap.
> I take your challenge guys and I will calculate my earnings after this week


This is a prime example of teaching a man how to fish. Good luck, you'll be fine.


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## kimber750 (Sep 19, 2011)

Used to do firewood with my grandfather when I was a kid. I mean what kid doesn't playing with chainsaws, splitters and other dangerous equipment. Miss that man. Any way we always considered a 8' truck bed, stacked to the top of bed rails as half a cord, not a full cord.


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## Randall Ave (Oct 29, 2014)

kimber750 said:


> Used to do firewood with my grandfather when I was a kid. I mean what kid doesn't playing with chainsaws, splitters and other dangerous equipment. Miss that man. Any way we always considered a 8' truck bed, stacked to the top of bed rails as half a cord, not a full cord.


What constitutes a CORD of wood?


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## kimber750 (Sep 19, 2011)

Randall Ave said:


> What constitutes a CORD of wood?


4x4x8


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## BUFF (Dec 24, 2009)

Philbilly2 said:


> This kinda reminds me of the guys that sit in the bar and talk about how they hunt to put food on the table. They say "it's free food from Mother Nature"
> 
> I typically hurt their feelings when I bring up all the costs that they inquired to go harvest that "free" animal.
> 
> ...


The "Perazzi" of log splitters for "free heat"....


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## Aerospace Eng (Mar 3, 2015)

The guy I bought my large brooms from sold firewood. He used the broom money to buy another wood processor sort of what is like depicted in Buff's post. Powered with a Cummins diesel. Load up to 12' logs onto a moving table with a forklift. The operator had to move a lever to get the next logs onto the processing line and start the log down the line. 

Once that happened, it was automatic. The machine moved the log forward. When the end of the log hit a stop (adjustable for different lengths, it ceased moving, and cut the end off with a hydraulic chainsaw. The cut section dropped down as depicted, and was split into 1/8s/ 1/6's or 1/4's depending on what splitting (die?) was installed. The split wood dropped onto a conveyor, and off to a pile. Unbelievably fast processing if the log diameters were consistent.


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

jomama45 said:


> I'd call him an "acquaintance", not really a "friend"......
> 
> I'm pretty sure he spent too much time in "the red" handling firewood and loosing money, he's now far more focused on his "Taj-Mahal" up North that he built with all of the money he lost in firewood......


Do you have any friends?


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## Mr.Markus (Jan 7, 2010)

My closest friends I haven't met yet...


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## Mark Oomkes (Dec 10, 2000)

Mr.Markus said:


> My closest friends I haven't met yet...


Guys you "met" on the internet???


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## Mr.Markus (Jan 7, 2010)

Whatever happened to snowplowchic...


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## Philbilly2 (Aug 25, 2007)

Mr.Markus said:


> My closest friends I haven't met yet...


I like when my wife comes home with a new picture frame that has an overly happy family in it. She will put the frame up as she likes the cute saying on the frame.

while she waits to find the picture that she is going to install, people will ask who the people in that frame are...

"We don't know them just yet" is my go to response.


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## FredG (Oct 15, 2012)

Mr.Markus said:


> Whatever happened to snowplowchic...


 Ya. :laugh:


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## The Snow Punishers (Sep 30, 2018)

So I calculated 3 hours it takes to split a cord with a tiny electric splitter probably 1 hour with a 25 ton we're getting soon. Took an hour (liberally calculated) to both pickup and to deliver. I spent $4 on a Facebook ad. So my costs were $35-$50 off of $200 a cord. Which then is $150-$165 / 4 hours = worth it in long term


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## Philbilly2 (Aug 25, 2007)

The Snow Punishers said:


> So I calculated 3 hours it takes to split a cord with a tiny electric splitter probably 1 hour with a 25 ton we're getting soon. Took an hour (liberally calculated) to both pickup and to deliver. I spent $4 on a Facebook ad. So my costs were $35-$50 off of $200 a cord. Which then is $150-$165 / 4 hours = worth it in long term


Again... you are not paying yourself anything so in the end it is a lot of work for not much money...


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## m_ice (Aug 12, 2012)

Philbilly2 said:


> Again... you are not paying yourself anything so in the end it is a lot of work for not much money...


But that $40/hr gross to that young guy when he has nothing better to do isn't horrible. My next challenge would be to streamline his process and as some of his cost decrease try to get it around $50-$60/ hr.


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## Philbilly2 (Aug 25, 2007)

m_ice said:


> But that $40/hr gross to that young guy when he has nothing better to do isn't horrible. My next challenge would be to streamline his process and as some of his cost decrease try to get it around $50-$60/ hr.


Correct, I understand and agree.

As much as I appreciate a hard working young person, I guess my way of helping people is trying to lead them to finding out what their own time is actually worth.

Most of the costs are missing.

A 25 ton splitter is minimum $800.
Saws cost a pretty penny last time I bought one...
Chains, bar oil, 2 stroke gas, wedges, mauls, copping and splitting axes, none of that grows on the trees so someone has to pay for them. 
Trucks break, insurance cost money, lights and heat need to stay on. All this stuff goes into the cost of doing business. You have to know the point of what things actually cost to produce and make sure that you are charging accordingly to cover those costs.


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## plow4beer (Nov 16, 2016)

Philbilly2 said:


> Correct, I understand and agree.
> 
> As much as I appreciate a hard working young person, I guess my way of helping people is trying to lead them to finding out what their own time is actually worth.
> 
> ...


Agree

FWIW, I find it hard sometimes to justify my/employee time to harvesting firewood for one of the properties we own. And that's a scenario where there is timber to harvest on the property, a 35ton splitter, and all nessecary small tools.


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