Being able to supply your demand

[Lust4life]

Currently supplying 2 large pubs with logs and also going to add more with people's houses. Currently split around 400 8-9inch rings in 3hrs with splitting axe.

 

whats the next cost effective step up? Or just work faster!!?

 

One pub has gone through 3T in just over a month and it's not even cold yet!!

 

regards 

[Steve Bullman]

Processor!  You'll do the the work in half a time without breaking a sweat and never look back.

[Lust4life]

7 minutes ago, Steve Bullman said:

Processor!  You'll do the the work in half a time without breaking a sweat and never look back.

How much are they?? I've no access to a Mog with PTO etc. How good are the hand powered farm jack ones around 10-12T???

[Steve Bullman]

No idea the current prices.  Been a while since I was in the firewood game.  Its a worthwhile investment though whatever it is.  

[bilke_user]

No idea on what kind of wood you are splitting, but if it's big(over 2ft dia) maybe have a look at a petrol driven log splitter.

If it's fairly straight stuff around 15" dia it might be worth hiring in a processor.

I've a WP36 that runs off either it's own engine or a PTO and when I hire it out I expect it to process around 25-30 bulk bags of soft wood/ day or 20-25  bulk bags of hardwood, slightly less than the softwood because misshapen bits take a little longer.  £300 is normal for a day's hire + operator.

 

£8k buys you a used mobile WP36.  Maintenance costs are very low and running costs are roughly £25/day for petrol

Not sure what prices are like in your area, but most selling firewood now don't talk about price per ton.  It's either by a measured trailer load (m3) or bulk bag.   If you can find a market for around 200 bulk bags/year you would be well advised to invest in a processor.  

 

 

[Lust4life]

7 minutes ago, bilke_user said:

No idea on what kind of wood you are splitting, but if it's big(over 2ft dia) maybe have a look at a petrol driven log splitter.

If it's fairly straight stuff around 15" dia it might be worth hiring in a processor.

I've a WP36 that runs off either it's own engine or a PTO and when I hire it out I expect it to process around 25-30 bulk bags of soft wood/ day or 20-25  bulk bags of hardwood, slightly less than the softwood because misshapen bits take a little longer.  £300 is normal for a day's hire + operator.

 

£8k buys you a used mobile WP36.  Maintenance costs are very low and running costs are roughly £25/day for petrol

Not sure what prices are like in your area, but most selling firewood now don't talk about price per ton.  It's either by a measured trailer load (m3) or bulk bag.   If you can find a market for around 200 bulk bags/year you would be well advised to invest in a processor.  

 

 

Cheers for your help mate. It's mainly ash, oak and Beech. 8-9inch rings  I think I'd be best to see what my actual demand is for this year and see what client base I can build first?? Then move to a processor once it's proved to be a viable option. I'd rather buy then rent on a personal choice.

Edited October 28, 2018 by Lust4life
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[gdh]

Processors are the most efficient but a big step up and if you're happy with a chainsaw and axe and do mostly arb waste (guessing from the fact you said rings) you would be hard pressed to justify one for small quantities. 

 

If it's less than a hundred ton I would get a horizontal petrol splitter and put a log table on the end, both at waist height so you can resplit without bending down then slide the wood into a bag or container. 

[Mark Wileman]

You could just prep a load of rings and then hire in a man with a petrol splitter for probably about £200 for the day and split the whole lot. Just do that every time you've built up enough enough to justify, will save you hours of your life.

[bankhouse builder]

It all depends on your supply of wood I started with a processor a basic second hand jappa 700 which would be fine for 8-9inch . How ever things change I used to buy in cord but have now found it harder to come by and more expensive . I have now also got a 20 ton horizontal splitter which would do billets as well as rings as I split more arb waste than anything else . I think an ideal set up for you would be a splitter which would do big  rings and make billets of the straighter smaller dia stuff  season the billets then cross cut with a rocking table saw I process 60-80 ton a year as a spare time thing

[Taff855]

I was in the same situation a couple of years ago.... You spend all the time splitting with an axe then stacking then moving..... I then progressed to a 14t petrol splitter and then last year realised it still takes forever.

 

I can't buy straight lengths in as it leaves min profit and most of the wood I come by is ARB waste so I decided to build my own processor.

 

I got a large single axle trailer, an old twin cylinder Lister diesel engine, a 30 inch tct blade,and a couple of rams and a pump..... Lots of head scratching lots of welder burns but now my processer lives and cuts me a couple of  hundred tonnes a year....

 

All in it has cost me about 1k to build and it's how I wanted it and in the way I do things.... It won't win any beauty contest but it works and is safe and cuts all the logs I need.

 

Since having the processor done it works out that what I used to cut and split in a month can be done in just over a week....

Edited November 1, 2018 by Taff855