If you won the lottery.....

I remember pondering that one myself.

 

Put your money to work, that's exactly what most of us do..!!
Honestly, if I had a couple Mil. dumped in my lap, firewood processing would not be in my " top ten" of investment options. Sorry.
Solar powered sex toys, that's the future! But, ..but.. how do they work.??

When you boil it down, this would require an investment in an Afghanistan Lithium mining operation. Uhmmm........not going to happen, at least - No support from Me, period!
No, I'd give it to T'Rowe or a few local start-up's- let them figure it out.

 

Have you checked your math? Even buying a $900 splitter a $200 farm boss and $200 of other gear, just figured over 2 seasons is cheaper than that. Using so much wood its easy to come out cheaper

 

Yea that is a lot of wood I agree but I do not agree that paying $150 cord is cheaper than cutting your own!

If I had another $3k laying around I would install a second free stander in my house. I'd put a corner brick hearth in the front room where more heat is needed and out an Englander NC30 there with a pipe up thru the ceiling. Help supply heat to the living room and my bedroom side on colder nights.

 

Yep I'd get a bobcat with a processor head on it or one of the single stage machines that cut and split and have a conveyer on it to feed a pile or truck. I saw a video on here before I think of it?

 

So, let's say I spend another $1300. There is still maintenance and fuel cost. Not a lot, but still there. Then there is the storage for the splitter. I can tarp it, but that will still suffer from more moisture and rust than if it was garaged. Then there is also the time needed to process 10 cord of wood.

Over two seasons I would be spending $1600 for 16 cord ($800 per truck load) and $1300 in gear. That is $2900 for 16 cord processed. That is $181.25 per cord.

 

OK I just assume everyone is like me. Don't pay for. Maintenance as I do it. A spark plug every other yr a chain every yr $30 saw gas. $100 truck gas? And I don't pay for wood nor would I ever so its free. And I try to get wood close. And tar ping a splitter is not as bad as u think. You put like a Rubbermaid tub over motor then tarp. The one of my buddy that we use has been tapes since day one. Other than the fact he wore the original motor out nothing is wrong with it in 15 years or so. Mine I'd put in a shed but no big deal to have it covered. Most will cover a $1000 so litter but leave their $35k truck out in the sun rain???? Not much sense to me but what ever.

I see where your coming from now though.

 

Just pay bills until it was all gone!

Gary

 

How many cord of wood do you scrounge a year?

 

As much as i need. But I only burn about 2.5cd a year. Last year I brought home about 4 cords that I cut split. And 3 more small dump truck loads that would stack out to another 5 cords or so??

I see your point, but I can get as much as I need, got connections .

But if I burned 10 cds I may buy a small portion of wood as well.

 

But to show that for me it is cheaper because I had the stuff anyways. Prior to burning I already had a 64cc saw a set of chaps an axe a maul, 2 trucks and a trailer.

I have this stuff no matter what. I do have more saws now bit its kind of an obsession/ hobby. And I gaurentee you that I don't have as much in 7 saws as the guy that went out and bought a ms440 at the dealer.

I also have a small tractor and a tandem axle trailer that I have used before. But its not fore firewood I would have it anyway.

Also our good friends have a landscape biz. I have access to her small tractor with loader and her Isuzu dump truck which I use to haul large loads with.

 

And you would still be 1 cord short of what I need to plan for each winter.

 

But I don't bring home 10 cords a yr cause I only burn 2-3 not cause I couldnt?? I could easy bring home that much.But I don't cause after a few years I would run out of soace on ny acre lot and end up with rotted wood all over the place!

 

I have had a logger freind offer to drop a trailer at my place. I told him he could not maneuver the truck onto my property so don't worry about it. I live in a small country community.

 

I'm just highlighting the difference of needing scrounge and process 10 cord a year just to keep up, versus having the luxury of only needing 2.5 cord a year and bringing home 9.

Also, all landscapers around here do not drop off. You need to come pick it up and most charge $50-100 per pickup truck load.

In the end, $150 a cord split an delivered is, at the very least, equal to scrounging or buy uncut logs, especially when you factor in time.

 

Got ya. I do agree that is a pile of wood. Your other screen name is not joful is it!! Haha, I know y'all are different.

I don't get wood from landscapers I cut it out of the woods. But I have connections with loggers that I can bring a trailer or dump truck to loggers I know and get trash wood loaded up for firewood.