County4x4

CPL will be happy to send you a wholesale price list which will suggest resonable margins around 41%. However, if you look at their retail website you'll find that you, me or anyone can else can buy direct from them, and get free delivery, for about 3 pence a bag more than their wholesale price! They give you RRP's - on which the margins are calculated, but they don't sell at anything like the RRP - so in effect they act as wholesaler AND the main competition for their wholesale customers! If anyone does have any contacts, I'd be interested too as I'm after coal and smokeless fuels for customers on the canal. Cheers, Andy

Well thanks very much Mr. Stockbridge - I've just kept wifey company all the way through 'Enders, and we still don't know! Who wants to be a millionaire can get to the point quicker than this! Andy

I've never run an Iveco, but have read some real horror stories about what they cost when they go wrong, and how dealers are about the only source of parts for them. I've had nothing but Transits for years, both 2 and 4 wheel drive, and never had any bother with any of them really that's amounted to more than a few quid. Plus they're easy to fix yourself and there are loads of aftermarket parts if you don't want to pay Fraud's prices for bits. It's only my opinion, and it's heavily biased - but I'd spend the money on a decent Transit meself! There's probably a good reason why there are still so many old ones knocking about...... Andy

Well it's going to be a bloody big bonfire round at your gaff if you're still sitting on that pile you posted pics of a month or two back!! Maybe we could float it round the coast to me down here.....? Andy

You have a pm mate. Andy

My old head forester wouldn't have elm in his house. "Elm hateth and waiteth" was what he reckoned.... I used to burn loads of it! Given that the rhyme is pretty old by the looks of it, I wonder if it was on about seasoned live elm, as opposed to dry dead elm? I certainly had no bother with it, and it seemed a lot less work than birch which we used to get tons of - lovely fire but needed a top up every ten minutes! Andy

Might have been preferable judging by the pic! Only my opinion mind. Not altogether sure about these "works of art" There was one on the canal down at Preston called "Gauging the ripple". Dirty great bloke withhis hands clasped looking down at the water. No-one knew it as gauging the ripple of course - everyone called it "The Ribble Piddler" After five years it was discovered that it was rotting and possibly going to land on someone so it was removed. Cost British waterways over 20k to install and about another 5k to remove - money that would have been much better spent on replacing leaky lock gates and plugging holes in the canal if you ask me - or 99.9% of boaters on the canal. Andy

I'd be careful of doing anything involving burning with them - shipping crates from overseas are often fumigated with nasty stuff like methyl bromide powder to kill any bugs that might be living in the wood. There are moves to try and get this stopped - or the chemical changed at least - but I know the last crate I had from India was treated with it. Might not be too healthy to bung 'em on the fire or make sticks out of them! Andy

Sorry for the off topic - but John - I sent you an email and a pm through Navitron a week or so ago - did you get it? Andy

The barge guys did it for me:biggrin: I seem to recall that their "winch rope" appeared to be lots of bits of old rope that looked like they'd come out of the river as well, all tied together! I do miss Melvin Lardy though...... Andy

You're welcome mate - and I know exactly what you mean. There's actually some divided opinion amongst boaters as to whether it should actually be restored at all. The worry is that now the link is operating, the canal could become very popular if boats can travel right up to the foot of the Lake District, and it would end up being like a watery M6! I'm guessing that quite a few of those against it are long term Lancaster Canal folks though who grew used to having this waterway all to themselves when it was isolated from the rest of the system. Having said all that though - there were an awful lot of people who said the Ribble Link wouldn't happen in a million years - and there it is. I think there's a local fella up here who owns an awful lot of land around the northern reaches and he's pretty keen on getting this project moving. Time will tell eh! So - anyone interested in selling me a heap of logs?! Cheers, Andy

Hi Buzz, Not quite in half mate - though it's cut several times by the M6 and the A65. The bit we have left is about 42 miles long and runs from Preston up to Tewitfield a couple of miles north of Carnforth. It's also the longest lock free stretch of canal in the country! To the north of Tewitfield it's all still in water (and maintained as a feeder for the main canal) between the culverted road crossings, before it ends at Stainton near the Hincaster tunnel. From there on, some of the canal bed remains though other parts have been landscaped into farmers fields. You find things like this: There is a lot of noise about restoration going on to take it back all the way into Kendal where it used to end - they've spent a lot of money on feasibility studies and what have you already, and the general opinion seems to be that it will happen one day - though whether we'll see it is another matter! Cheers, Andy

Mr Ed - PM'd you a few days back - not sure if you've seen it yet? I've been giving this some more thought and I think I need to be looking at the firewood to narrowboats thing as a specialist sideline rather than a mainstay. Reasons being it's obviously a fairly limited market, and the majority of them, apart from a few dyed in the wool eco-types are hardcore cola burners as they find it easier to keep the small stoves in overnight on coal. I reckon I'll consider offering the smaller logs to them and then just produce them as and when, rather than buying in loads of them and then maybe sitting on them for years. So - while I'm looking at stuff like diesel and coal supplies etc - I'd like to look at supplying firewood to home based customers, so is there anyone who would be interested in supplying processed wood in bulk in north Lancashire? Cheers, Andy

Hi all, A proper remap is a much better bet although more expensive. These tuning boxes work by fooling the ECU into simple over-fuelling right across the rev range, whereas a remap is a much more involved process that alters loads of parameters to give a wider range of benefits. Martyn on the Transit forum - who has been linked to in this post, has received nothing but praise for his work - he will sometimes will spend hours making sure everything is set up right. He will also use different maps and so on depending on what sort of changes you're looking for in your motor. Also - if you are not happy with the results he will return your vehicle to standard and give you a refund. He also offers postal remaps for some vehicles if you can manage without them for a few days. Well worth checking him out IMO. Cheers, Andy

Not sure what the problem with Transits is? Cheap to buy, cheap and easy to fix, probably about the same or better mpg as a pickup like you're on about, bigger, will probably outlast several L200's if looked after, will do starship mileage. I could go on! The bed on most pickups seems to be tiny if you're wanting to carry anything other than tools. Is it that you've set your heart on an L200 and now want some back up? Andy

Oh it is now mate! Only in the summer though - so we get lots of visitors from all over the place if they're brave enough to attempt the link, which can be a little hairy if the weather is against you. Also gets dodgy if you make up your own route out of the River Ribble and into the link instead of following the instructions, as quite a few have done this year, and then ended up grounded in the middle of nowhere waiting for the next tide! I've seen several pics in the office at work but probably not allowed to post them! Last one was sitting at an angle of around 45 degrees front to back and had the coastguard with them all night - the owner responded by getting the black paint out and touching up his hull! Here's the link to the link - sorry couldn't resist! Home Page Glad to see all you hard working timber guys have been busy sorting out my ideas for me all day by the way:laugh1: So - given that I think that nets are going to be not so popular with boaters due to price and low volume - should I be asking for loose loads delivered for me to pack into fert. bags or similar, or should I be getting real competitive on the net prices instead? Or finding bigger nets? Would the wholesale prices for loose and netted logs be a fair way apart? @gensetsteve - yeah - bit of a hike to your neck of the woods - I use to drive down there and back to Carnforth every night once upon a time - your stuff sounds like it would be ideal. I'm already looking at coal prices, and I have a message from one of the kindling guys on here, so hopefully got those bases covered. I'm also looking into diesel supplies as it's virtually impossible to get on the canal - nearly all the boatyards have stopped selling it now. Next things to look at are gas and pump outs (lovely job when it's warm!) I work on the canal at the moment but it's technically a seasonal job and is supposed to end after September - there is a slight possibility of something permanent, but nothing guaranteed by any means. I'd love to stay on but if it doesn't happen then I need to be looking for another source of income. Hence all this and I'd like to supply local homeowners as well as boaters - don't mind working hard and not expecting to get rich as a result, but need to make enough to pay the bills etc. Realistically I don't think I'm in a financial position to gear up to go and start felling my own timber, so buying in is the only option really. Ok I might make a bit less, but don't need to shell out thousands on tackle to do it all myself. Thoughts anyone? Cheers, Andy

Buzz - yes I know mate - but there are no supply boats on MY canal, as well as problems for boaters getting red diesel and pump outs. If there was a working boat on already I wouldn't even consider this. The working boats that are already out there tend to be in the Midlands and south for the main part, and tend not to step on each other's toes as far as the area they cover. I'm only looking at the wood as one part of the idea - it may turn out that there is not enough interest in it to make it worthwhile because as I said earlier, most of the boats use coal. It would be nice to give them the option though, and we do have a number of fairly "green minded" live aboards who would probably see wood as a better option. I'd be looking at providing other goods and services as well. I'm also interested in supplying "normal" wood to land based customers so as not to put all my eggs in one basket and restrict myself to sales on the canal. @jpbeaver - I'd be interested in both at the right money mate. I know there's still some predjudice against softwood in the market, though I have no problem with it personally and if the difference is reflected in the price then no worries. Bottom line is I want to provide a good product and a good service - not just turn up when I feel like it or only if the sun is shining etc etc! I'm still thinking that buying loose in bulk and then packaging as necessary for whoever wants it maybe a better bet than buying nets ready done, but if anyone thinks different, please shout up! I don't pretend to know all the answers:wink: Andy

Buzz - I'd probably be looking at both - though probably more at the individual boaters. I'd guess that if the marinas were to take a cut as well then there wouldn't be much left to go round. The wood is only a possible part of a bigger idea supplying coal, diesel, pump outs and other services and products to people on the canal, so it's not like it would need to supply 100% of any income. Having stuff delivered directly to the boat would no doubt be a good selling point to many customers. As I said to Mr Ed, I would also be interested in supplying "normal" wood to land based customers if I can buy it in at the right price. I'm open to all ideas at the moment! Andy

Hello mate, Well that's the big question ain't it?! The answer as ever is more elusive! This is why I'm trying to get numbers together to give me (hopefully) some idea of the viability of the idea. Traditionally, most boaters are using coal - I'm looking into wholesale suppliers of that as well. To get any number of them into wood is going to need a good product and a keen price. At the moment, I'm looking at this as a potential sideline business, though at the end of the day, I would like nothing more than to make my living up and down the canal. It's one of those lifestyle things really - if I could make enough to pay the bills and so on, with a little left over, then that would do for me. At the same time though, I'm not under the illusion that I can do it just for the love of it - I have bills and kids just like the next man. Would there be a possibility of supplying the smaller size logs in bulk for me to package myself, or would it only work for you going out in nets? As I said, I'd also be interested to hear from any potential suppliers of "normal" firewood to cater to people living on the land. At the moment I'm happy to listen to what anyone has to say, and to any advice they might give. Cheers, Andy

"Granny logs" - like it:biggrin: Andy

Hi Mr Ed, Thanks for your reply. I think you're right in that it will need to be nets or fertiliser size bags for the boat customers. Storage space is often at a premium so very few of them would be able to take anything like a bulk bag at a time. As far as size goes, most of them will be running small stoves like the Morso Squirrel, or the equivalent around the 4-5 kW mark and traditional things like the small Epping range style cookers. To be honest, the Epping firebox is probably too small for effective burning of wood. We have them on our workboats on the canal and they are tiny. Fatha in law has a Squirrel at home and he feeds it stuff at about nine inches from memory. I'm kind of hoping that delivery direct to the boat will be a plus point - at the moment they are probably having to lug it from the nearest garage and then probably split it down again. I'm looking at supplying coal as well on a similar basis, but want to be able to give the customers the option of wood. I don't know how much the garages are making on nets, but they always seem to be very expensive when you see how much wood you actually get in one! The fertiliser bag size may be a better bet. Cheers, Andy

Hi all, I'm trying to put some figures together around an idea for a new business - part of which would be supplying boats on the local canal with fuel for heating. I'm looking into how many of them are using woodfuel at the moment (a lot use coal in their stoves) and what would get them to buy more. Is there anyone around the top end of Lancashire on here who could supply wholesale firewood to me, and what would be the options regarding size of the product - a lot of boat stoves are pretty small and garage forecourt stuff in nets tends to be pricey and often on the large side for them. Could it be supplied at a specific length if required? I'd be grateful for any input along with delivered prices, minimum order requirements and so on. If you can supply nets, bags or loose I'd like to see the prices for both if that's okay. Also any advice you'd give would be more than welcome - even if it's don't do it! I'm guessing this is going to be just a sideline for a while at least - and the wood is only part of a bigger picture that is not yet fully worked out. I'm just trying to get some numbers together and get the ideas into some sort of order before I jump into anything that's going to cost me! I'd probably be looking for some kindling in nets as well. I may well look at supplying to land based customers locally as well, so hopefully I could shift a reasonable amount of wood. I've run businesses before and they've done very well in a big part due to customer service - I try to make sure everyone is happy with what they get and if i say I'll be there then I will etc etc - you know the score. If you want to discuss anything privately just send me a pm, but any input would be very welcome as you guys know more about the firewood game than I do! Cheers all, Andy

:laugh1: one at every party Andy

If you're here looking for advice, the first bit I'd give would be "Stop it!" MDF dust ain't good for you at all - it contains formaldehyde amongst other things and you don't want to be breathing dust containing that!. Burning it in a domestic stove or fireplace will basically send all those nasties up the chimney for your neighbours and the rest of the planet to breathe in. Industrially, waste mdf has to be incinerated at much higher temperatures than you'll get in your stove to break down all the nasty compounds it releases. There is enough "decent" timber around - often for free if you scout around a bit - to keep the home fires burning without poisoning the planet for everyone else into the bargain. Hope I don't come across as preachy - it's just that this is one of those things I'm actually bothered about - in much the same way as it hacks me off that big local salad growers who hype their produce as fresh and healthy and good for you etc, are quite happy to burn trailer loads of shrink wrap and waste plastic out on the marshes where they think no-one will notice - you can see the black smoke trails for miles........ Cheers, Andy