Tractors and wood! Show your pics

[IXLR8]

The tree ppl l still know are getting 400 bucks an hr. They have millions in equipment and have to pay good money to employees for hard and dangerous work.
On another hand, other foresters l know are paying land owners $25 stump price per cord.
I would think your idea of fairness falls in between.

I wish I could find tree ppl here for $400/hr. The cheap guy is $600/hr and the guy with millions in equipment is charging $1000/hr!!!

 

[Gordon Gould]

Back in day I would do that job just for the wood but I didn't know any better.

gg

 

[Jstpssng]

The Tree People have exhorbant liability and WC rates, because of the risk level if the work they do

Plus they charge it because they can.

 

[shooterdon]

GG, I learned that "free" wood is not worth it. I have a buddy about 15 years younger than I, that has not learned the lesson yet. He wastes a lot of time getting "free" wood and fuel is not cheap when driving 25 miles each way to get it.

I am 73 and buy cord wood. Friday I cut and split four face cords of oak and stacked three face cords into my modified IBC totes in 5 hours. I used my little processor and worked alone. That is about 20% of the wood I need for a year. My wood is not "free". A face cord costs me $45 and I go through 15 face cords a year for a (wood) cost of less than $700. It takes 25 hours to produce a year of firewood.

 

[DarkBlack]

The Tree People have exhorbant liability and WC rates, because of the risk level if the work they do

Plus they charge it because they can.

Your post got me curious. I found sites showing arborists business insurance is not really out of line with any other type like construction or roofing.
Looks like it’s leaning much more towards “ because they can”, than insurance cost.

 

[wolc123]

I’m just starting into firewood season at home. The first step is bush-hogging the fields. Our farm consists of (6) smaller fields from 5-10 acres in size, separated by thick hedgerows and several small wood lots. Over half of the trees were ash, but all of those are now completely dead or dying, and that has made up the majority of our firewood over the last 10 years.

We got rid of all the beef cattle years ago, and now get most of our protein from the over abundant whitetail deer. I put in just a few acres of RR corn and some white clover every year for them. Most of the fields are just bush-hogged once per year at around this time.

It takes an average of (6) face cords of fire wood per year to heat our well insulated 2000 sq ft house. We supplement with (2) natural gas furnaces. The winters have been very mild the last few years, with the ground never really even freezing. That has forced me to do almost all of my firewood work in the summer, when the ground is good and dry. The land gets rutted up and damaged if I try and do it at other times of year.

The ash trees are too far gone for me to try and cut with a chainsaw now, so I wait for the wind to bring them down, and I process only those which are easy to get at. I know of a guy who was killed recently, from cutting a dead ash, and he was an experienced woodcutter. A small one came down shortly after I finished mowing a field on Friday afternoon, so I processed that one up quick.

When they fall into the uncut fields, I just push them into the hedgerows with my loader bucket and let them rot there. It’s a pain working in the tall weeds and no need for that due to excess supply and minimal demand.

My woodshed holds (24) face cords and there is currently (13) in there, processed and drying. Each row, stacked floor to roof, holds about (1-1/2). Just over (3) rows or about (5) face cords to go, and I’ll be done for the season. I could go for another (6) after that, but then I’d have to keep my 2-row corn planter outside, and I like to keep it out of the weather. It rains quite a bit where we are.

You can see a little cherry wood tucked in there on the lower part of the row behind the planter. That’s a real treat to burn in the wood stove compared to the ash. Hopefully, the timing will work out so that we will get to that when it’s real cold out.

 

[DarkBlack]

In NH firewood can only be sold in cords or fractions of. Seems the simplest way to describe it. I’m always puzzled when I see people describing 24 face cords instead of simply “8 cords”.
Does anyone know the history behind this?

 

[arrow]

I wish I could find tree ppl here for $400/hr. The cheap guy is $600/hr and the guy with millions in equipment is charging $1000/hr!!!

That surprises me. Both coasts are berserk in pricing and other things.
I would have thought as you moved toward middle America, pricing would be more inline. The cheapest guy here has at least a million bucks in equipment.

 

[wolc123]

In NH firewood can only be sold in cords or fractions of. Seems the simplest way to describe it. I’m always puzzled when I see people describing 24 face cords instead of simply “8 cords”.
Does anyone know the history behind this?

It varies by region. Here in upstate Western NY, few have any clue what a “cord” really is and that always means face cord to them. Knowing that this is not a state forum, I always try and make sure to differentiate so that those in regions like yours can understand easier.

 

[arrow]

In NH firewood can only be sold in cords or fractions of. Seems the simplest way to describe it. I’m always puzzled when I see people describing 24 face cords instead of simply “8 cords”.
Does anyone know the history behind this?

I’ve heard a couple stories. One was that ppl would stack their wood against their homes or buildings in a single row because the eves weren’t extending far enough out to cover more than that. As a result, it was measured linearly.
Another story was that wood was bundled with string or hemp or some type of cord and left in a single row for easier access.

 

[Eagle1]

Around here firewood comes mostly in 16" or 24" lengths. A face cord would be either 1/3 or 1/2 cord. Many do not seem to grasp the difference and then there is the "rick" I still can't figure that one out since everyone seems to have their own definition.

 

[DarkBlack]

Well good thing everything simply uses gallons, liters, miles, Kw, etc.. for everything else.
Imagine if parts of the country bought gasoline in face gallons, or drove face miles.
My electric bill was 400 face kWh’s !

 

[arrow]

Around here firewood comes mostly in 16" or 24" lengths. A face cord would be either 1/3 or 1/2 cord. Many do not seem to grasp the difference and then there is the "rick" I still can't figure that one out since everyone seems to have their own definition.

The term “Rick” was utilized because ppl were getting confused with face cord and cord variations or anything that had the word “cord” in it.

 

[arrow]

Well good thing everything simply uses gallons, liters, miles, Kw, etc.. for everything else.
Imagine if parts of the country bought gasoline in face gallons, or drove face miles.
My electric bill was 400 face kWh’s !

That would be only when you were in front of a mirror shaving with the lights on.
That would be a “face” kilowatt.

 

[dodge man]

A “Rick” is the guys name who sells it by the fancy bundles you see at gas stations.

Am I the only one who is a snob and turns their nose up at this bundles of firewood for sale outside of convenience stores? It usually is very clean and pretty wood though. The only way I’d mess with it if it was free.

 

[Jstpssng]

A “Rick” is the guys name who sells it by the fancy bundles you see at gas stations.

Am I the only one who is a snob and turns their nose up at this bundles of firewood for sale outside of convenience stores? It usually is very clean and pretty wood though. The only way I’d mess with it if it was free.

I get frustrated when I see these. We don't want people bringing firewood in from out of state because of emerald ash borer, long horned beetle and a few other invasive pests. Yet I cant fault them when people are charging those prices for a bundle of wood which isn't even enough to make a decent bonfire.

 

[dodge man]

I understand the demand, people that have a fireplace and use it once or twice a year. They always package straight and clean firewood, which probably half of mine at best is that nice. I’m no firewood production wizard but when I get started on it, I figure I cut then split that amount in a couple of minutes.

 

[Jstpssng]

If I had a fireplace and only wanted it for ambience, all that I would want is nice, clean straight white birch.

 

[FriendwithTractor]

I just spent a day off helping my campground owner friend make bundled wood for the 4th.
Three of us processed a cord into bundles in about half an hour. At $7 a bundle, everyone wins. Campers get reasonably priced local wood at the campground, friend gets an extra income stream, and the local woods are managed responsibly.

The real sticking point is that when you see those bundles at $14 and up, the highest I've seen is $25!

Of course, finding your own is always cheaper if you burn a lot and bundles don't apply to most of those here. Compared to my friend's old system, this is a much better deal for him. While the bundler was expensive, after this season it should have paid for itself.

 

[Eagle1]

I just spent a day off helping my campground owner friend make bundled wood for the 4th.
Three of us processed a cord into bundles in about half an hour. At $7 a bundle, everyone wins. Campers get reasonably priced local wood at the campground, friend gets an extra income stream, and the local woods are managed responsibly.

The real sticking point is that when you see those bundles at $14 and up, the highest I've seen is $25!

Of course, finding your own is always cheaper if you burn a lot and bundles don't apply to most of those here. Compared to my friend's old system, this is a much better deal for him. While the bundler was expensive, after this season it should have paid for itself.

I've been doing all wrong, I sell a bucket load in the BX for 15 was 10 until a couple years ago. Delivered to camp site....