clear felling valley, what to charge?

[Highland Forestry]

If you are being asked to price it, it most likley means that you have been invited to tender because it's far too steep for machines or not suitable for machines.

 

Others have discussed steep slope working machines (and their various benefits) in this thread but IMO if it was just a case of using steep slope sloggers then that's what they would be doing before even considering asking someone in for motor-manual operations.

 

My suggestions would be:

 

...Skyline it with an excavator based skyline, be prepared to pay up to £25 a ton for extraction or thereabouts... skyline systems can take timber out of anywhere regardless of terrain.

 

...Winch out with a decent tractor winch if suitable to top or bottom - we often use this method and it works well for us, albeit not as productive as forwarding.

 

...Price it at 10t per man day, as you should easily achieve this if it's half reasonable timber.

 

...If you have any doubts about what you are doing, how long it will take and the financial exposure then leave it well alone as you'll get your backside handed to you, and these are the kinds of jobs that can catch you out.

 

...Sub it out to someone else and add a margin on the top for your management time.

 

Finally - good luck with the job if you go for it, sounds an interesting one!

[Highland Forestry]

nice one mate!

thats possibly the way im hoping to heading in the future, owning my own harvester would be awesome, one of the main reasons why i've been studying a lot of the engineering side of things, is to be able to fix and maintain big kit, this has potential to cut down huge call out fees, and its just bloody good fun

 

Preventative maintenance saves thousands..... that's all i'm saying!

[Highland Forestry]

Just thinking here...

 

You should be looking around 40,000t of timber there..... sod hand cutting that!

 

No machinery = no felling here i'm afraid mate.

[andy26]

i've been studying a lot of the engineering side of things, is to be able to fix and maintain big kit, this has potential to cut down huge call out fees, and its just bloody good fun

 

I wouldn't worry about fixing it yourself, preventative maintenance yes.

 

A harvester should be earning in the region of £150/hr, therefore if a fitter is costing £50/hr and gets you up and running quickly then this is the best option.

[liamjordan]

aha yeah i agree on the prentative maintenance

but say your machine does break down, and you have to get a forestry engineering to come out to you... that could be up to a day wasted,

thats why i have done a years agri engineering and now going onto a years forestry engineering

plus all the kit we run is old so its good to be able to keep all that going

[Brushcutter]

Unfortuantly when your forwarder breaks or your harvester. You have to ring Mr Wilson and tell him. Then sit down for a while and weep when he tells your your broken boggie is about 6k.

 

At least with older kit you just weald a new bit on:thumbup1:

 

Chris i too am suprised about the lack of 'micro harvesters' over hear as i like to call them. I've had the idea for a while then Nick Hilton turned up with one in the forestry journal. practically the same set up idea. The harvester heads are the killer a s/h valmet and cranes are reasonable money if you look in the right place.

 

Have a look in the forestry journal there are a few skylines for sale one forwarder mounted. might do the job.

[Chris Sheppard]

 

Chris i too am suprised about the lack of 'micro harvesters' over hear as i like to call them. I've had the idea for a while then Nick Hilton turned up with one in the forestry journal. practically the same set up idea. The harvester heads are the killer a s/h valmet and cranes are reasonable money if you look in the right place.

 

.

 

I was always fancying one of those little Vimeks but upon seeing Woodwise's one in FJ that got me thinking. Seen it in the flesh at the Weald woodfair a couple of times and really think it's a great concept; like you say, it's the cost of the head that scuppers it.

 

That valmet and botex that was on here a while back at that auction would have been a good starting point and only £13K was a bargain.

 

I'm still wondering about one of those Naarva stroker heads but they're a guillotine rather than a saw, but might be a start.

[Highland Forestry]

I was always fancying one of those little Vimeks but upon seeing Woodwise's one in FJ that got me thinking. Seen it in the flesh at the Weald woodfair a couple of times and really think it's a great concept; like you say, it's the cost of the head that scuppers it.

 

That valmet and botex that was on here a while back at that auction would have been a good starting point and only £13K was a bargain.

 

I'm still wondering about one of those Naarva stroker heads but they're a guillotine rather than a saw, but might be a start.

 

I saw some good second hand harvesting heads on mascus a few weeks ago, they were around the 5k mark.

 

Have a look on YouTube for Timbear lightlogg c, I think this could be the future..!

[slack ma girdle]

 

that be a fancy piece of kit. I like the way it it convert from harvester to forwarder.

[Brushcutter]

I saw some good second hand harvesting heads on mascus a few weeks ago, they were around the 5k mark.

 

Have a look on YouTube for Timbear lightlogg c, I think this could be the future..!

 

How many hours on a 5k head.