Not sure if this is the right forum to put this but I just wanted to introduce myself and tell my story. My name is Cody I grew up in northern MN and currently live in the Minneapolis metro. I grew up cutting and splitting wood for our own usage at the house, my father remembers me asking him when I was about 12 how I could make some money, he told me to split wood, around this time he started to make a career change back to logging so he'd bring the tops home and wood in log length saw it up and I'd split it. I remember many nights splitting by oil lantern, there is a fine line between being proud and being prideful but I definitely thought I was the coolest kid in school because no one else was doing that. So we put up a few ads in a grocery store and gas station, we had one call that year, but that guy bought about 15cords from use every year until about the time I graduated. I believe at $135 a cord. I went off to college, quickly realized it wasn't for me, but what I did find was online poker, for about the next 5 years that's what I did, I traveled wherever I wanted and as long as I had Internet I could "work" I lived in Baja California for many months at a time and also was in Las Vegas every summer for the world series. But then I met a girl, best thing that has ever happened, our one year anniversary of marriage is Monday. I was getting bored with poker any how and knew it wasn't something long term, it's hard to quit though when you have the freedom to go wherever you want whenever. Around late May I was talking to a cousin of mine who I knew had been selling wood for awhile in the city, he said he was getting $150 a "face cord", "first time I heard that term but whoever decided to come up with multiple cord terms should have to split elm for the rest of their life". Well I about fel over when I heard that was only a 1/3rd of the real cord, two days later I had bought a truck and headed back north to home, what I dream. Well the 84 f250 hauled about 15 cords in 2 months before I upgraded in mid July to a 93 Super Duty with a 8x12 flatbed, I'm now making weekly trips with that and am still having a hard time keeping up with the demand, dump trailer advice? This week has been my busiest yet, 15 deliveries in 6 days, about 5.5 cords. And about 35cords in 3.5months. Not much else to say about myself but I guess that idea for selling firewood must have stuck in the back of my mind because here I am. Love to get to know and meet you all, much love from MinnesotaCody
MinnesotaCody, Welcome to the site. Where in the metro area do you live. I am in Cottage Grove almost to Hastings. I don't recognize that Holiday station as to one near me.
Welcome to FHC MinnesotaCody .... Sounds like a complete circle has happened in your life... But doing what you love makes work not really seem to be like work at all...
Welcome aboard Cody. Interesting story. Glad you found us....so now that you have, hang around. $450/cord? Holy Canoli.
Welcome MinnesotaCody ! I love how everyone's life story is unique and liked reading some of yours. I've only played nickel-dime poker and the thought of making one's living playing the game is both exciting and a bit scary at the same time. Love the line you wrote: "But then I met a girl ...". That line sure has changed many a story!
Welcome to FHC MinnesotaCody ! Sounds like you are "All In" to the firewood again. (I couldn't resist) There are a couple threads on dump trailers if I remember correctly. Try to search it up. There's a lot of helpful folks around here, I'm sure they'll help you figure it out.
Welcome to FHC; you won't find a nicer bunch of folks anywhere else; I am testimony to that. Interesting to know the differences, down here sometimes you can not even give wood away.
Hello MC, nice to meet ya Check this thread if you haven't found it yet.... Dump trailer! need advise | Firewood Hoarders Club You've definitely come to the right place and you already have the "pics or it didn't happen" thing under control, so let's see what else ya got goin' on out there!
Woah thanks for all the love so far guys! Marty- I'm on the west side of the metro so looks like we're running different routes, that Holliday is up 10 just past Big Lake. Chvy-Yup definitely doesn't feel like work when I'm having fun every minute of it. Thor- It's been fun, I have a pretty addictive personality so when I find something I enjoy my first thought is how I can make money at it, I think I finally found my niche. Dave/Jack -Yeah I wish I could go and buy back all those cords that got sold at $135, that's about what I have into a cord after getting it down to the metro and delivered. Jack, my dad's been logging hard the last 5 winter's and has a good amount of oak that's been sitting in log length for that time, but the way I'm going through it I'll be looking for even more sources, good thing we've got connections with other loggers Harvest- Yeah definitely owe a lot to what I learned living and earning through a poker lifestyle, tons of value learned in learning how to think for myself, not to hate on working for the man, but I just couldn't sit still long enough to do it. Thanks for the links for the dump trailers, I'll probably pull the trigger if I can find a used 6x10 rated for 10k, probably could haul 1.5cords, I'd like to be able to haul more but I don't want to get a cdl yet and im not sure how the 7.3idi would do with 10k on the bed with 10k pulling. Thanks again for the welcome guys I've felt extremely blessed every step of the way, gotten real lucky with prices on the trucks and I got lucky to have the knowledge and access to the wood but also be living in a large market area. Usually for firewood the wood isn't what you're paying for but the effort to get it to the buyer, here in the metro the wood has value itself because there's not where to get it, and no where to store it, I'm just fortunate to have the perfect set up for that just a few hours north. Let's see if I have any other pics for you guys, Rented a wood processor a few months back and wacked up about 25cords, I'd imagine one of those is in the near future. Blew a tire in the f250 loaded one day 4:30 on a friday, no spare, no jack, call triple a? Yeah right. These two came out of no where and had me back down the road with a new tire 30mins later, didn't have to lift a finger even, best $50 I've ever spent. Week later I get to a delivery spot and the opposite read looked like this, Happy to know that it was just rotten tires and not because the old ford couldn't hand 5000lbs of oak in the bed. Thing is still a lumber wagon empty though, few days after I started looking for a new truck and got lucky again finding the Superduty for $3000, thing is rust free too. Keep the comments coming guys this is fun, the only communication I've been having is cursing at rounds that won't stand up straight or split well, probably should find some time with the wife soon here. Oh also, naturally I got a coonhound because if you're hauling wood in an old ford you better have one ridin along, Cody Edit- Oh also did my math wrong on delivers this week, 16 deliveries, 7 cords.
Welcome MinnesotaCody -You're gonna like it here, I guarantee it...We provide for all your addiction counseling needs here...Nice to meet ya.
Welcome! Looks like you've got a full house there! I would love to see a video of the wood processor. Sent from my iPhone so pardon any autocorrect bollocks
Welcome to the 'hood! Where abouts are you from? I spent a lot of time in the Duluth area over the years.
Welcome to the forum Cody. Sounds like your life has been interesting so far and let us hope it gets even more interesting as you go! Having met the right girl can go a long ways towards that goal. Yes, I can speak from experience on this one! Interesting that you rented a processor. My guess is you did this to jump start the business; a wise decision no doubt. Still, you need to determine how you will handle the business long term. For sure you need to look at the splitting part as doing that by hand can get you into trouble quite rapidly and there is no sense in trying to screw up your body too early in life. Believe me, it is not worth it! You will pay big time later in life for being too rough on the body while you are young and able. It can bite you really hard later on so please keep that in mind. At least a hydraulic splitter but even then, don't think you have to have the biggest and baddest machine out there. It is amazing how much wood one can split (if he learns the proper way of working with one) with even a small splitter. Also an elevator to load the trucks rather then throwing wood. Just picture that elevator on the processor and then imagine the truck sitting so that the wood goes from splitter right up into the truck. It would be interesting if you would edit your signature line and do as so many have on this forum and that is to list your tools, like saws, splitter, truck, stove, etc. Best of luck to you on this new business and congratulations to both you and your wife on the anniversary. Celebrate all weekend and into Monday! Then celebrate even more! Keep loving that girl like you did the day you married her and she will return that love.
