I usually get free wood scrounging or blow downs off my place. I’ve been getting hit up when I ask someone about trees that’s cut down and cut into rounds but not split. If you were going to pay, (Maple is it a lot of times) what do you guys think would be a fair lowball offer. I still have to load it, split it, and trim it from “whatever” lengths. Going rate around here is 150 for green and split per cord and 250-300 a cord for seasoned good hardwood. Thoughts? 25 bucks a truckload is a ballpark I’ve been thinking on. Standard long bed truck. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Is it right of way maintenance wood? Personally, if it is ROW wood and I was offering to clean it up I'd refer them to the HVBW video. If they still wanted me to pay them for wood they had no investment in, I'd let it rot.
I refuse to buy round wood out of someone’s yard mostly because most folks think they’re sitting on a goldmine. Second if it’s big honking Mooseknuckles they get fussy about all the noodles in the yard. Third my idea of a pickup load is stacked up high against the back rack, not level with the bed rails.
That’s what I’ve seen too and why I ask. I’ll see it in a yard piled up and stop and ask and get the proverbial, “What’ll you give me?” Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It’s rare I need to ask but if and when I do I usually would ask if they want that wood to disappear. Sort of lays down the idea that that is the end of discussion. I’ll make it go away, no more no less. From a purely hypothetical situation they are then free to ask for money. If it were to happen I would then consider it (not much) While we’re not all blessed to live in a neighborhood undergoing desert transformation like Brad there’s enough pickings around Ct to keep most people happy if they’re willing to work. Other areas of course are different.
Sometimes a nice "oh, no, I wasn't going to charge you!" in a bit of an aloof manner does well enough to signal you had no intention of paying and them inquiring about what you'd be willing to pay wasn't even on your mind.
As an aside, I often wonder what percentage of rounds ever get split and burned. Sometimes I look around the countryside at so many rounds rotting away in little piles it seems like most could end up as compost. Lots of guys seem to like running a chainsaw but are allergic to swinging a maul.
I've gotten that a couple times and I come back with.. "I heat my family with firewood so not looking to resell this at a profit. I'd be happy to clean it up for you but can't afford to pay you to do it. It's a lot of hard work." More times than not, I get the go ahead. If I were desperate, $20 a heaping truckload of quality hardwood would probably be my max.
Almost finished cutting 56 logs I am paying $20 a truck load for. All perfectly seasoned beech, hickory, red&white oak. Almost 1/2 cord loads. Some of the rounds cut to 16" are surely over 175 LBs. If possible, I split them in half or quarters to make handling easier. A lot of sledging and wedging. When cleaning up logging operations I pay nothing even though the land owner is getting a lot of free labor they would otherwise have to pay for.
When people offer rounds for sale as firewood ask them if you buy it how long will they need to turn it into firewood.
I like the strategies offered in this discussion. I've been fortunate in that I've not encountered anyone trying to sell their rounds. All of my scrounges have been people looking to get rid of the stuff from their property. But, when the time comes, I'll know what to say! And, I'll know when to walk!
Usually if your getting wood out of someone's yard or property your doing them a favor that they would have to either pay someone to do or do physical labor to move haul off or stack so I look at it as it should be free ...they should really be paying you to load and haul but we all see value in wood so we take it just for the wood.
