Current rates for firewood processing

[Woodworks]

I run a Farmi WP36 and like to think I am pretty efficient with it having been running one for 7 years.  Currently rates are £30 hour plus 45p per mile plus VAT but toying with going up to £35 per hour. Now I know this is not exorbitant for some areas but I am not beating customers away at present and most work is a bit cheaper down here. Just find there are many hours of prep and maintenance before and after every job. It's easy to put prices up but embarrassing to have to lower them again if I get no work so what do you reckon is the going rate? 

 

Thanks

[gdh]

They seem like reasonable prices, it's probably a bit high for commercial rates in all honesty but I'm guessing that's not your target and for small jobs I can't see many arguing - it's got to be cheaper than buying in firewood for the customer.

 

For what it's worth our 480 with tractor and labour is £50 plus VAT an hour. Transport included for a reasonable distance and we can supply a loader to speed things up. 

[Matthew Storrs]

Would it be worth doing a higher rate for the first few hours in a day. Say £80 for the first hour and then drop to £28 after that. Gives you a bit more in a day but also if your day is shorter due to your efficiency then your still covering a bit more of your time spent prepping/yard time etc. Works out about the same as £35 per hour but customers will feel more inclined to fill the day and if they don’t then you haven’t lost out as much?

[Woodworks]

3 minutes ago, Matthew Storrs said:

Would it be worth doing a higher rate for the first few hours in a day. Say £80 for the first hour and then drop to £28 after that. Gives you a bit more in a day but also if your day is shorter due to your efficiency then your still covering a bit more of your time spent prepping/yard time etc. Works out about the same as £35 per hour but customers will feel more inclined to fill the day and if they don’t then you haven’t lost out as much?

I wouldn't mind a few more part days haha. It's amazing how that last little pile of wood that the customer digs out at 15.00 just keeps on giving. So most days are pretty full but an interesting way to adjust pricing and would cover much of the prep time nicely. 

 

gdh. Most customers are domestic but the few trade ones are a fair chunk of my work. One chap has no kit at all! He buys in the wood and borrows a tractor for processing days and handballs from a pile to his truck. Not sure he even has a working saw these days. I dont want to scare these customers off. I could just do a discount rate for these guys as I can see much over £30 an hour is going to hurt.

[scbk]

I've heard there's someone round here who does tractor, firewood processor, and 2 men for 250 a day

Maybe there's extras like mileage, fuel/vat on top, I don't know.

 

 

At the other end of the scale, a local dealer is hiring out a road tow farmi, machine only, think the price was 250, so that's excluding delivery, fuel and operator.

[Woodworks]

2 minutes ago, scbk said:

I've heard there's someone round here who does tractor, firewood processor, and 2 men for 250 a day

Maybe there's extras like mileage, fuel/vat on top, I don't know.

 

 

At the other end of the scale, a local dealer is hiring out a road tow farmi, machine only, think the price was 250, so that's excluding delivery, fuel and operator.

£250 a processor and 2 men is nuts.

 

I can imagine hiring out a processor to those who have never used one ends in a fair repair bill so maybe not making as much as it might look. I wouldn't consider hiring mine out. 

[scbk]

4 minutes ago, Woodworks said:

£250 a processor and 2 men is nuts.

 

I can imagine hiring out a processor to those who have never used one ends in a fair repair bill so maybe not making as much as it might look. I wouldn't consider hiring mine out. 

The machine only deal, I was more meaning from a customers point of view, it might end up costing £300 + a day of their time, and as a newbie to the machine, how much would they actually get through?

[jamesmerriman7]

On 24/09/2019 at 20:51, gdh said:

They seem like reasonable prices, it's probably a bit high for commercial rates in all honesty but I'm guessing that's not your target and for small jobs I can't see many arguing - it's got to be cheaper than buying in firewood for the customer.

 

For what it's worth our 480 with tractor and labour is £50 plus VAT an hour. Transport included for a reasonable distance and we can supply a loader to speed things up. 

Spot on I’m the same! 

[bilke_user]

£280/day for machine and man. Extra man £120/day  Hire of machine only £200/day.  Weekly rates are negotiable with one or two men, but non negotiable on machine only.   
You'd be surprised how well folks treat the machine when on hire without an operator.  

[Rough Hewn]

Wp36 with two operators,
£350 a day.
West Yorkshire
[emoji106]