Firewood processing charges

[verypoorfarmer]

I've bought and awaiting delivery of a Trak-Met PLD-450 25t semi-automatic Firewood processor to process wood for my biomass boiler, also to work for other people splitting their wood. there's a local forestry guy who's interested in me splitting wood for him locally (Living near Ledbury, Herefordshire) and willing to put other work my way, probably through him! How much should I charge? by the day 8hrs or by the Metre cubed? My machine when it arrives is capable of 4/6 metre cubes per hour, I've bought a log deck so towards the 6 cubes per hour so with my telehandler and processor and log deck and splitting for 7 hours and say 5+ cubes per hour, approx 35+metres cubes a day a lot of wood split, what is a fair charge considering my expensive machinery and him giving me some of his work! he has a very old small farmi processor. Advice would be greatly appreciated Thank You.

[gdh]

Copy of my post on the other thread :

As always with prices it depends where in the country you are but I wouldn't advise charging by cube except for regulars because you don't know what the logs will be like - having a lot of small or short/knotty logs will really reduce your production.

 

If it's production speed you're after it's usually better with someone on the loader unless you're doing softwood with a big table.

 

I try to avoid going out but with all new machinery, including a telehandler and 2 men we needed £70 an hour plus transport. That meant we couldn't compete with the people who charge £30 an hour and tow their processor for small jobs but for commercial, as I assume you want, we worked out at 10-15 a cube which is fine

[verypoorfarmer]

I noticed I put within someone else's thread me being a newbie here! and forgot to mention I live near Ledbury Herefordshire not many people with processors round by me I've got a Posh Splitmaster 30 as well a great piece of kit for big knotty bits of any wood.both fit on a new 50k tractor so willing to travel within Herefordshire or my side of Gloucestershire As always all help & advice appreciated.

[Rwhiteheadfirewood]

Hi very poor farmer I'm also in the Ledbury ish area and I have a japa road tow processor with petrol engine. I charge 25 per hour for me and the processor but I haven't found much work round here. Hopefully you'll do better. I use the processor mostly for my own firewood but I don't get much that will go through it so I may well sell mine and get someone in to do mine so if you're reasonably priced I may get you're number. Rob

[verypoorfarmer]

Hello, found you just outside Ledbury on Colwall side, I live in Much Marcle just past the Royal Oak on the left coming from Ledbury, If you ever needed any assistance I have a Posch splitmaster 30 great for big tough chunks of anything (within Reason!) up to 120cm long with a 4 or 8 way knife my new processor when it gets here seems to be on a slow boat from Poland! I also have a Woodland Mills HM130 saw mill can put trunks up to 30" diameter with a large Kohler petrol engine which I've mounted on a 16ft trailer easy to move farm to farm and can cut trunks up to 16ft long. Also, have a 4ft Granberg mill with a Stihl ms880 very useful for planking large trunks. other equipment includes front mounted topper and spearhead hedge trimmer, also a JCB 8060 tracked digger with log grab capable of loading 20ft, 2ft diameter trunks and usual buckets which I move around on a 14 dump trailer useful to move spoil, also numerous agri kit if I can help always willing, either here or 07990806038 your always welcome to call in and have a cuppa.

[Woodworks]

I charge £27 by the hour plus 45p a mile each way + Vat. Average cost per cube per cube is much the same as GDH at £10 - £15 per cube.

 

Rarely get to process "processor sized wood":001_rolleyes:

 

Only running a Farmi but it's a very productive machine

Edited May 26, 2017 by Woodworks

[kindlett]

I charge £250 for a 8 hour day ,i only do local jobs .

[SbTVF]

I charge £40 an hour for processing and £30 an hour for travel as the tajfun 400 is tractor mounted.

 

 

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[verypoorfarmer]

Very interesting different prices! But I'm thinking how many cubes processed in a day? Mot of the wood I'll be processing will be mainly oak up to 450mm diameter and about 500mm long with an 8 way knife I'll have a log deck and this machine is supposed to do 6cubes an hour with deck, if I was to split for 7 hours and split 5 cubes an hour should have 35 cubes a day split if this how much I did split what should I charge?

 

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[Woodworks]

Very interesting different prices! But I'm thinking how many cubes processed in a day? Mot of the wood I'll be processing will be mainly oak up to 450mm diameter and about 500mm long with an 8 way knife I'll have a log deck and this machine is supposed to do 6cubes an hour with deck, if I was to split for 7 hours and split 5 cubes an hour should have 35 cubes a day split if this how much I did split what should I charge?

 

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If the machine and log deck work well and you are happy with 450mm diameter wood split 8 ways would have thought 35 cube a day is well within reach. Best I have managed is 19 tonnes of oak but that was cut for regular logs at around 9" long but nice straight lengths with two guys keeping the machine fed.

 

At the end of the day you can only charge what someone is prepared to pay. Sure me and the Farmi are worth more than £27 an hour but don't recon many would give us a go at those prices. Bet they would put up with a price hike once they have seen what an efficient processor can do though.