any advice to moving more into a more machinery based role in forestry coming from domestic arb and landscaping

[DJM Tree]

im seeing  if anyone's managed and has any pointers. ive been running my own business now for 8 years subbing abit for other firms but mainly been doing my own thing. ive got an level 3 forestry and arb. 2 years ago i hurt my back at the grand age of 24. compressed disk L4 L5 im since back at work but its never really been right since surgery. i was always aware this might not fully recover but im now always worrying about it.

 

so i was thinking about buying some bigger equipment  and going into forestry  /  biomass as an industry. 

has anyone made this change successfully and will it make enough money or  am i just pissing in the wind ?

 

any advice would be grate, i dont really want to leave the industry because i do really enjoy working with and around trees and not being stuck in a office.

 

 

 

[swinny]

There must be something in this biomass because every man and dog is at it.... 

 

Not sure what it is as I've always been 3rd fiddle etc. 

 

Bigger machines only good if you have the works for them. 

 

Pricing on some of the bigger jobs is daft. We have one firm local that bids loads of stuff low. And when you consider the gear they take, time they are in the job and cost..... they can only be breaking even. 

 

No inspiration to buy bigger gear and move up scale there

[DJM Tree]

i was more thinking to go contacting with, but yes agree id need to see if there is even a need for another timber trailer and tractor/ skidder or maybe even a low loader trailer. 

i dont know i was more thinking to just try and take the strain of my body more than anything. 

[topchippyles]

1 hour ago, DJM Tree said:

i was more thinking to go contacting with, but yes agree id need to see if there is even a need for another timber trailer and tractor/ skidder or maybe even a low loader trailer. 

i dont know i was more thinking to just try and take the strain of my body more than anything. 

If you have the yard space and contacts look at getting into mobile saw milling always a call for it and good coin selling the timber. 

[doobin]

1 hour ago, DJM Tree said:

i was more thinking to go contacting with, but yes agree id need to see if there is even a need for another timber trailer and tractor/ skidder or maybe even a low loader trailer. 

i dont know i was more thinking to just try and take the strain of my body more than anything. 

Definitely buy machinery, you only get one body. Not sure about the large kit though- huge finance, lots of people doing it. Grapple saws etc are all very well, but when the ash dieback glut has finished?

 

don’t forget that a lot of the big chippers you are will be grant funded too. Hard to compete with that!

 

If you don’t have an existing customer base I suppose it’s very hard to know what machines would be best to buy. Diggers, loaders and compact tractors work for me along with a bandsaw mill and coming soon a log bullet. Which was 75% grant funded…

[JLA1990]

Do you have any experience operating larger pieces of kit? There's money to be made being an owner operator but only getting the client in yourself not subbing for other firms. Primarily it all depends on how much money you want to make.... decide what work you want to do with what machine and start making enquiries/lining up work. Hire at first until you have a healthy forward order book then outlay for the machine. This doesn't have to be large bits of kit either plenty  of work with avants,roboflails,3t diggers etc, you can easily make 40-60k with a small machine however if you want to break this ceiling multiple bits of kit or larger kits required. Personally in these times I would face the larger overhead of hiring (if you have the cashflow) rather than owning especially if you have no client/contact base.

[DJM Tree]

19 hours ago, JLA1990 said:

Do you have any experience operating larger pieces of kit? There's money to be made being an owner operator but only getting the client in yourself not subbing for other firms. Primarily it all depends on how much money you want to make.... decide what work you want to do with what machine and start making enquiries/lining up work. Hire at first until you have a healthy forward order book then outlay for the machine. This doesn't have to be large bits of kit either plenty  of work with avants,roboflails,3t diggers etc, you can easily make 40-60k with a small machine however if you want to break this ceiling multiple bits of kit or larger kits required. Personally in these times I would face the larger overhead of hiring (if you have the cashflow) rather than owning especially if you have no client/contact base.

perfect thanks for the input. ive currently got a tracked chipper thats not making enought money so i planning on selling that and using it as a deposit but maybe get rid hire stuff for a while see whats making money then buy. i was thinking of going larger than avant but im already pretty much set up for that  kind of work with a hilux and large trailer. probably a better starting place realistically to build from  

 

just out of intrest have you done this you self and who was your target client ? other firms or larger domestic stuff ?

 

 

[doobin]

1 hour ago, DJM Tree said:

perfect thanks for the input. ive currently got a tracked chipper thats not making enought money so i planning on selling that and using it as a deposit but maybe get rid hire stuff for a while see whats making money then buy. i was thinking of going larger than avant but im already pretty much set up for that  kind of work with a hilux and large trailer. probably a better starting place realistically to build from  

 

just out of intrest have you done this you self and who was your target client ? other firms or larger domestic stuff ?

 

 

An Avant can be used for everything from tree works to building to installing a hot tub. You can tow it around easily and build up your customer base via making existing jobs easier. 
 

If you buy a larger bit of kit such as a biomass chipper, then you need to be 100% committed and do whatever it takes to get the work coming in to pay the finance. Personally I think multiple smaller machines are better than one big one. £1500 a day for a big chipper sounds great mouthing off down the pub but how much of that is diesel and finance? Half? Two thirds even? I’ve got a mate in forestry and he says depreciation is a killer too. 
 

£350 for two hours including travelling moving some materials is much more my style. Two jobs like that a month and the finance is paid, you can take it a little easier. 

[maybelateron]

59 minutes ago, doobin said:

Personally I think multiple smaller machines are better than one big one.

That is my plan as I get older and more decrepit. I have a tracked chipper, road tow turntable 7.5inch chipper, 18m tracked MEWP, minidigger with grab, stump grinder, compact tractor with loader and heavy duty flail mower, road towable log splitter and 20+ years experience. All of my stuff is paid for and I am more than happy to work for and pass on any tips to the right minded younger guys (and girls) coming along now. 

[josharb87]

Have a look at Iron Mikes posts/threads, seems to have made a success of running a miniforwarder