ashman

Thanks, but i have already built my own vertical splitter, quite similiar to that. What i had in mind was a horizontal splitter that will multi split.

Thanks, perhaps i aint as crazy as some may think, i also believe there would be a market for such a machine

I already have a ram in mind, lets just say it wont be the ram that lets go !! and the stroke is long enough to fit four rings in at a time, i reckon i can get the pump and aux settings right so that it wont have a huge cycle either, but i will go into that in more detail before i start building.

I have been having thoughts about a purpose made splitter. I want a splitter that will handle large volumes of poplar, i have been thinking about building one that has a 16 way split on it, very similiar to the splitting option you get on the palax 100s. My line of thought is this, with the amount of poplar i am looking at, lots of it is too big for a processor, 18"+ As i dont own a processor anyway, instead of the outlay on one, a good man with a saw can ring a lot of poplar in a day, albeit not as uniform as a processor. Once i have a fair amount of rings ready, then one pass with a large way splitter and job done, i have a method for feeding the rings from heap to splitter. I dont see this method been much slower, if any, than sawing lengths into 1.6 mtrs, splitting in half to fit a processor, feeding and processing, but without the outlay of the processor. The splitter would be purpose built for the pop, but with the option of a changeable splitting head, ie, a 2 or 4 way head than can easily be changed via a quick release pin. I have most materials in the workshop and the knowledge to build said splitter, but, what do you reckon, am i crazy or is it viable ?

Yes i agree, i think they are plenty cheap enough, however when worked out against competitors locally i am about the same price or just top end. How do i compete with those that are doing it cheaper, i only put mine up this year and got a few negative comments, a main customer (buys a load every 4 weeks) said i was dearer than the next man, i tried to explain it was a bigger load, and it was all top quality oak and ash, but it just falls on deaf ears, some folk cant see further than the price ! I have never offered kindling, but i may think about it, depends on what investment would be needed to supply them. Rob.

I charge £180 for a large load, it works out at 3.12 cubic metres, still reckon its too cheap but everyone round me are doing loads for £120/£130, one guy is charging 100 quid for a large transit tipper full !

Hi, When you say £100 per cube, i am right in thinking that is a cubic metre ? loose stacked ? If i could get near that i would be a very happy bunny indeed ! not sure my customers round here would pay that much for logs, not when guys near me are selling a transit tipper load of reasonable hardwood for £100. Regards, Rob.

I am going to drop one tomorrow to have a better look and work out some volumes, will get a few pics and sizes for you then, send me your email and i will forward them on to you. Regards, Rob.

Cheers for that steve, I dont think that is likely, i have been doing the hardwood for many years now, as well as lots of other bits for them, the pop job has only just been mentioned. Even if i dont do the pop job i still have an ongoing thing with the ask/oak. It is purely my sense of fairness that i want to do the poplar job, i have been well looked after where i am and if i can return that favour then i will. Hence i feel i need to get this work, i do all the chainsaw work on the estate and would want to carry on like this, not been funny but why should outsiders come in if i can do it myself ! Your right about people looking over your shoulder though.....have had a few people (close to me) try and get the better of me on the timber available, luckily, the owner and i have a good rappor and he not only has turned them down but has told me what the deal was they offered !!! It makes them look stupid, (especially when one of the guys used to work for me), all i can say is due to been fair, he always approaches me first ! I will genuinely say, he will not expect more than it is worth......but he wont take a stupid offer !!! does that make any sense, he aint stupid and hopefully niether am i ! i have a good rapport with him that i wish to carry on. Just wish i knew a bit more about pop than i do ! Rob.

Sounds like you think along my lines....however i already have a fair deal on the rest of the timber, ie. the ash and oak is mine at the moment, i am paying for it in different ways, work undertaken for him and his friends, (dangerous trees, hedges, conifers etc) as well as the usual per cord removed, we are both happy with the deal we have on all the ongoing things, the poplar is new to the equasion, i want to find him the best deal as well as me on the poplar. To sum up, the larger job that is ongoing is already wrapped up, (i want to keep it that way) so i need to put a proposition forward to him that is......fair to both paties, but ......means i am gauranteed to get it....that doesnt take me for a ride !!! but will not take the p**s out of him either. at the end of the day he is a businessman, he wants the estate to make the most it can within reason. As for forwarding, well i will look at that more when the time comes, i have a crawler with winch that i use for extraction, i have use of tractors of the highest spec, i can do the felling, haulage, i can store, i can process, in fact the job is well within my capabilities from start to finish, (i would actually enjoy it), it is the "everyone gets a fair deal" that i am struggling with. This poplar job is out of my comfort zone, give me oak, ash beech etc and i would price it in 2 mins !! i am a firewood man that only ever delivers good hardwood. hence never done poplar. Am real gratefull for all your replies so far, "takes my blinkers off" so to speak. Keep them coming. Regards, Rob.

I dont think the timber will ever be worth a fortune due to type of wood and the work involved in extracting it, however it will always have a value of sorts, even if i spend the next three seasons processing it for logs, i have worked out its worth direct to a supplier in nets ...not a fortune but a small profit to be made, and it would also supply me in work during the quieter months. Genset, please expand on your comment "sprat to catch a mackerel" not sure i follow your line of thinking. Yes the ash is worth a fortune as is the oak, hence it is my main line of work and not something i would be looking to lose. Rob.

No we do not have a contract of any kind, it is a verbal agreement we have always worked on, we have huge respect and trust between us, has always worked very well. However, he has given me an awfull lot of work and timber over the years and i want to be fair to him with this project, my comment about losing wood from him, that is based on the assumption he has to get someone else involved to clear the poplar and knowing how sought after wood is, they will most likely make him a very good offer on the rest of the timber, we are talking possibly 1000 mature oak trees, 400 acres of ash woodland, not to mention the poplar, as you can imagine an awfull lot of timber ! i do not want to risk losing it. My main concern is making a deal on the poplar that is fair to both of us, as both the owner and myself have no deffinite idea of value i was looking to get some ideas before we sit down and discuss the work. I like to have a good idea what i am talking about before jumping in feet first ! That way i wont feel done over half way through, and he wont get people telling him i am ripping him off either. Been honest with him (and others i work for) has always stood me in good stead, when more work comes up, i always get first priority as they know they can trust me to be straight. I know in this day and age everyone says a contract should be in place, and in most circumstances i agree, however i dont feel the need on this occasion. Regards, Rob.

Hi Jonathan. I am based in bedfordshire. That was my original thought, however i have never sold poplar before, i have always viewed it with suspicion, for this reason i have no idea on the value of a load of this, may be worth looking at advertising these loads seperatly from my usual round, i only know a few of my customers who have wood burners and they all seem to like the oak and ash i normally deal with. They seem happy to pay for this so i am happy to deliver it !! Going back to your post, i think the estimate of 80 ton per acre seems on first thought to be well over the top for what i am looking at, the timber seems very light, and although they are well established trees i would be very suprised if the numbers came in at that. They are well spaced out, having said that i may well be wrong as i never put timber over a wiegh bridge ! i have only ever worked on volume untill now, lose cubic metres and cords. On another note i have seen a member on here advertising oak for £30 a ton roadside, is poplar worth as much ? i would have siad deff not, just my opinion ! David c, posted that in the late 60's bryant and may planted a lot, not sure if these were part of it but they were certainly planted in the 50's and 60's. One thought i have to deal with this amount of timber is to process it and bag it, i have a buyer local to me who buy in bulk, although the rates they usually offer are pretty poor it would enable me to shift it pretty quick. Regards, Rob.

Thanks fella's, couple of good idea's to be looking into over the next few days. Far too much timber involved for me to process in one go. Out of interest i rung a few rounds off today from one to see what condition it was in, it actualy looked fine. Will be good to see what interest there is in it and what sort of margins. Regards, Rob.

Hi. The owner of an estate i work on approached me today with a propostion. He has approx 30 acres of standing popular, well 90 % is standing, 10% is windblown, snapped off at the base. All the butts average 12" to 14" across. straight as a die and approx 60/70' tall He has asked if i would be interested in doing a deal on it, i think he wants it totally cleared for a replanting scheme next year. Now i have never had any dealings with popular before, so i need a few ideas ...... What is the value of the timber once it is roadside. Is there a market for large amounts. How much is it worth standing. What i am looking to do, is make an offer on the timber standing, then cut, extract, store, and hopefully process it over the next few years. I personally think popular is c**p wood and that is the reason i have never been involved in it before. But as i do all the work on this estate i am partly bound to do the job, or face loosing all the hardwood (oak and ash) i currently get. Any help, suggestions or prices would be very gratefully recieved. Many thanks, Rob.

It is most likely play in the cv's, however it can be a few other things as well, i hate to be the bearer of bad news but my previous fourtrak had exactly the same symptoms, it cost over 1k to rebuild the front hubs. Ps, anyone saying it is normal..........WRONG. you will sometimes get a clunk as it engages, but not anything continuos unless there is a problem. Driving on tarmac in 4wd will wind either the axle or transmission up eventually, they really dont like it. If your selling it and it drives ok in 2wd without any noises, then use it as little as poss and get shot, you are most likely sitting on a heap of trouble that has the potential to let go at any time ! I have had 7 of these trucks, still got one now, they are one of the best trucks i have owned, rarely break but when they do make sure your wallet is ready ! Regards, Rob.

To be fair a lot of my customers buy all year round from me, however some have used them all up and some just dont have enough storage to see them through the year, i still have plenty left i can supply but always on the lookout for some more ! The ones that annoy me are the ones that didnt want to pay summer prices, thinking they would get a better deal in the winter !! what a suprise they get when they ring back desperate for logs cos most other people round here have run out ! I love my phone ringing and hate to turn work down.

I have contacted every advert on there, none available at the moment, although a couple didnt even bother to reply ! bad busness ethics if you ask me. Regards, Rob.

I would also be interested in buying timber in if it is hardwood. Seasoned or green, collected or delivered. any amounts considered if the price is right. Send me a pm with your details and i will get in touch. Cheers, Rob.

Thanks for the welcome everyone, forgot to say that i am based in bedfordshire. Rob.

I have been browsing this forum for a while and picked up a few good things so decided to say hello to everyone and introduce myself. I have been involved in timber for many years now, albeit on a much smaller scale than many on here ! I started around twenty years ago been born and bred on a farm with plenty of woodland, it was the annual job to fell, saw, split and stack the next years wood ! It gradually grew from there to sorting relatives out with fire wood then friends for beer money and so on and on it went. I am probably the type that most of you love to hate, never went to college, never had any formal training, everything i learnt was from hands on experience and i learnt the hard way. I am a digger driver by trade now but my heart has never left the woods and spend many weeks a year felling and logging for estates and farmers local to me as well as my usual wood round that has steadily grown over the years. The kit i run is all stihl, currently, 025 x2, ms260, an ms391, an ms460 and two older 064's. last year i decided to take it a step further and make a business out of it, although the money is not as good i am never happier than when out in the woods with a saw in my hands, and in my book i would rather be less well off but happy ! So will stop boring you all now and just say hi, will have plenty of questions for you all in the future no doubt. Best regards, Robert.