Is it worth it?

[andy cobb]

Soo.... I've had a big balfor 40 ton horizontal splitter for a few years now and it probably only works for about 2 weeks a year.

recently I've been wondering if there would be any demand for renting it out (probably with an operator).

its a monster of a machine and if fed by a timber crane or 360 soon knocks big timber into billets or smaller lumps for bio chipper.

could offer it with forwarding trailer to feed it and billet bundler for produce.

Question is? Is it a service that any firewood merchants or estates actually need or have screw splitters on 360s surpassed what a hydraulic splitter can achieve?

thanks for your opinions. - Andy 

[gdh]

I think splitters make a better product than cones so would always prefer to use one but from experience there isn't much of a demand to rent them. We've only rented ours a few times in 3 years. 

 

Problem I see is that smaller operations will run a saw through and larger ones will have their own equipment. If you could find a few landowners with biomass boilers who want their own billets I think it could work but it's finding them /getting their attention that's the hard part. 

 

Also renting one with a trailer /360 is a big cost for a new customer to take unless you're brave enough to quote per ton...

[andy cobb]

Yeah I think you've confirmed what I was thinking. Will try a few of the bigger estates that have there own grab trailers and mini diggers.

Thinking they may have oversize timber from roadside trees they can't do a lot with.

Thanks for your reply.- Andy