advice required

[tedward]

Can anyone help please!!!I am thinking about buying a processor I like the look of the hakki pilke 60 , who is the best person to speak to as I don't do a huge amount of wood so was thinking of looking for an older machine.

If anyone can help that would be great oh and also what a realistic price would be

thanks guys

[Gillsgardening]

Sounds like you might price yourself out of any profit! Need to be selling a large amount of wood to justify a processor.

[Alycidon]

As a school lever many years ago in my first job I always remember one of the sales reps telling me:

 

"You know the problem with this company is they expect you to dig you garden with your hands, they then give you a spade and show you where the field is.". Give me a spade and I can dig the garden, then give me a tractor and plough for the field.

 

You do need decent tools to do a decent job.

 

As well as a processor you will need something to drive it, budget 3k for a half decent MF135 You will also need something to handle timber pre processing as it wont all come in nice 100mm -150mm dia lengths and something to handle the processed product. Storage of processed product also needs planning as does how you are going to deliver it and handle it at the point of delivery.

 

I bought a similar processor a few years ago and it has done me pretty well, cost me about 5.5K from Fuelwood. I should really now upgrade it.

 

But and its a big but the cost of buying in timber compared to the cost of buying in ready processed and kiln dried from the Baltic is not hugely different, by investing say 30K in a bigger processor and tractor to lift it I would be saving about £20 a processed cube at current rates. That takes no account of the days I spend processing, with a machine that size then its 6 - 8 cube a day allowing for setting up and taking down and clearing up. A 30k machine would manage my annual sales in a few days !!, that would cause a backlog handling processed product as the store is half a mile from the processing area. May well hire one in instead.

 

So as a starter and you have access to the other equipment you will need then go for it, look to be spending 4k-6k for a tidy machine. Ideally buy it through a dealer such as fuelwood if a JAPA or the Hakki dealer if you go that route.

 

Unless its really hot over the next few weeks it is now really to late to get freshly processed product dry enough for this winter sale unless the bark has fallen off.

 

A

Edited September 13, 2014 by Alycidon

[Billy68]

Save on a tractor get yourself petrol driven processor I've got the farmi great machine no tractor needed try riko

[tedward]

Thanks for the reply, I have tractors splitter and plenty of seasoned cord just need a processor to speed it all up,do you guys think I could get a hakki for two and a half grand ??

I can see the benefits of buying one from a dealer but it's the 20% on top that puts me off !!!

[Chris Sheppard]

,do you guys think I could get a hakki for two and a half grand ??

 

I doubt it, and if you do happen to find one at that it's going to have been worked hard.

 

Second hand processors seem to change hands for a lot still.

[farmer_ben]

Look at a new ish machine like an investment. You wont loose an awful lot of money over say 3 or 4 yr pay off period

[Alycidon]

2.5k is not enough for a decent machine.

 

Look at 4k-6k.

 

A

[rovers90]

As I've said before in response to similar questions, there is a company advertising on their website they can produce 15 cube an hour! From what looks like a small processor. Hire them in for a few days and get all your processing done. Massive saving on cost of machine and tractor and your time.

[Mortimer Firewood]

You are not going to find a processor for that sort of money. When I bought my first one I found they were not much cheaper than new. Ended up buying new as there was so much scrap out there.