Iain H

Where abouts are you looking for work?

yes I know but the price you posted was less than buying a cube of cord at roadside you priced in labour diesel insurance etc but not for the cord to process £50 £60 per ton + the vat which is about 1.5m3 before you can even start to produce logs if it's to be a viable business.

I have agreed to pay landowner by the cube if the job will stand it, so all costs are fixed relative to the end value of a cubic meter of logs. Weight will be irrelevant. Prices are based on contract cost so my profit margin is included. Don't get me wrong it will probably not be cost effective but we decided to give it a try. Really depends if we can find wholesale buyers for the logs direct from the wood. If the site was closer to home it would mean i could sell the logs at retail but it is to far to transport.

when the value of the timber in the round at roadside is about £40 a cube think you need to rework your figures.

 

softwood clearfell up here around 300 tons landowner was quoted £10k + all the timber

I am working on a cubic meter of loose logs

Do you supply into the biomass market? We have a 75kw boiler running a log dryer and get through a fair amount of timber. Maybe people only have them if they are self sufficient in timber? First thinnings through a bilke at maximum length makes good boiler fuel and is so fast it is the most efficient way to process it into a saleable product.

I have been contracting for 9 years now and built up over time. Main work has always been tree planting and follow up maintenance but have been involved with firewood and thinning work for 5 years now. Started with small vimek minimaster then farma 6 ton trailer then got a grant towards the vimek 606. Mainly do thinning for our own use as firewood. Like you say there is not much profit in selling timber at roadside! I own all my kit so no worries with repayments and smaller kit doesn't cost so much to run for instance the forwarder will do a full day on 25 litres of diesel. Like i say it is a trial to see how things work out and it may well bite me but nothing ventured nothing gained! It will revolve around getting a fair price for processed logs straight out of the wood to wholesale market or to biomass boiler market. Massive potential in the National Forest over the next few years. Do you run a harvester? I have not seen a machine that could cope with hardwood first thinnings?

Landowner received a grant for ride widening and coppicing work which has covered some of the cost. It is a trial and as such i will not know the full economics of it until the job is finished. Assuming we can the equivalent of 8 cube of split logs per day i think the system will work. I have based that on extracting the equivalent of 60 cube of split logs a day and we can process 40 cube of logs per day with the bilke so £31.25 per cube cost in a log. All depends on what we can get cut in a day.

I am hoping for around £40 per cube processed logs collected plus vat but until we have worked a full block and costed the job i will not know for sure. It is a trial site 6ha first thinning 15 year old mixed broadleaf woodland. Its going to be tight to make a return and pay the landowner for the timber but that is the plan.

I had to Google The National Forest. Didn't realise you were established by the Government in April 1995 and are a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

 

No wonder you've so much kit.

National forest own the camera taking the video! They are trying to promote thinning in the area. I am working a site in the area as a trial to see if it is feasible.

We did a demonstration on a site we are working in the National forest last week and are now looking for a market for either wholesale logs collected from site, wholesale logs delivered from site in 25 cubic meter trailer. Large billets suitable for biomass boilers either collected or delivered and some processor size timber. Total amount available around 400 cubic meters (loose logs)[ame=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kduI7YJFqT4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kduI7YJFqT4[/ame]

I did a demonstration event in the National Forest last week with my Vimek and Bilke processor in some hardwood thinnings.

[ame=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kduI7YJFqT4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kduI7YJFqT4[/ame]

I have just started a site near Ashby de la Zouch which will have some nice mixed hardwood first thinnings.

Big load on the Vimek 606

I have got a Vimek 606 and hire in a Ponsse wisent for bigger jobs

All timber is now sold thanks.

I try to grade the sizes as it helps with processing and selling to the right person at the right price. It was a nice stand to work in.

Sycamore and beech 3 meter from 20cm to 50cm aprox diameter 250 ton available near Scunthorpe message for details and transport costs. Also 50 ton pine sawlogs, 30 ton chip wood and 40 ton oversize beech and sycamore

Having run my vimek 606 for a few months now i can say without doubt it is more productive than the kubota and farma trailer we used to run more productive than the alpine tractor and driven trailer and you can do it all in relative comfort with no worries about damage from brash and stumps because it is designed for the job. Both the kubota and alpine required a lot more nursing through the woods. On small thinnings i can get 25 to 30 ton per day on larger thinnings i have comfortably done 50t in a 6 hour day. Requires a 7.5t lorry for transport and yes it costs a bit but would not be without it now. We use a larger machine on clearfell sites but for thinnings its great. Only 1.8m wide so no need for racks on most sites. Apologies for the pictures not sure how to get them rotated!

What size is it and how much do you want for it?

I hope to have a Vimek 606 at the show for a demo and look over for those that are interested.

Here is the Vimek with a good load of lime on and also done tree length first thinnings.

Great to hear you are getting the minimaster working. I have been having a clear out and found a couple of drive belts for the minimaster. No good to me and i know from experience that you will need one once you start using it. PM me your address and i will post them to you.

Got a job near Mansfield later on or possibly Newark other than that Revesby on the 7th September when there would be more time to look over it.

It is going down near Oakham next job then up near Lincoln so depending where you are we could sort something out.

It is mixed hardwood 1st thinnings, all timber 100mm to 200mm will go through a bilki s3 in the wood and delivered in bulk to local firewood suppliers. All timber over that size (which is not that much tbo) will be sold at roadside. First block is 6.5ha 15 year old with sweet chestnut, ash, birch, oak. If you could make 20 - £25 per cube just for storing it and delivering it would that be enough?

Vimek 606

Trying to develop a market for 1st thinnings processed in the wood and delivered straight to local firewood merchants. The plus side is we reduce the handling costs and will be using small diameter timber that would be too inefficient for the conventional cut to length at roadside method. The down side is the customer will need space to store the freshly split logs. Hoping to be able to offer the landowner a return for the timber and sell wholesale around the £45-£50 per cube in 25 cube load. Any thoughts on potential demand