There are pros and cons to doing it yourself. I have a couple good friends that split the price on a quality trailer and we're able to tote around 2 tons of pellets to and fro so I tend to not pay the ripoff delivery fee. But it means we have to tear down the pellet stack on trailer and restack them when I get home as I do not have a pallet jack. I've reconsidered but I always come back to the fact that I am in a position to do it for free -- not everyone has access to a trailer or a truck that can haul a ton of pellets. How about you? What do you do?
Usually pay for most, like when i buy 4-6 tons at a time, then it is adding $10-15/ton. When scooping single ton or less deals pickup myself and have been occasionally known to split a pallet here or there with a forum member. Also might have put 1 ton in my f150, i have 2 pellet places withing 3 miles of my house.
I often read where people will buy a trailer.. then a used pallet jack, (or worse, new), (which doesn't get them off the trailer), to get their own pellets.. And I ask (myself) I wonder how much the trailer cost, registration.. insurance.., and the pallet jack... And then offloading the pallet to another one in the garage, so that you can move it 20 feet... And then try to figure how many years it takes to pay for the stuff... If you can get something that heavy, delivered, and put into the corner of your garage... for ~$40-50 bucks... man... I don't see the big savings.. Granted, I am also older... but I get my pellets offloaded and put 2 feet from my bulkhead. I am not going to offload them from a pickup (or a trailer) bag by bag, and then make two or three more trips, to save 40-50 bucks.. Dan
That's where I move to and swing back. I didn't buy the trailer. I don't have a jack. I restack them by hand. And our delivery fees are about $75. But to purchase and be one and done is darn appealing.
Wife and I would usually pick up 4-5 ton at the beginning of the year on sale and take a weekend to do it. Exercise to me and delivery fee in my pocket is better than theirs. What else would I have done? post on some firewood forum.
There is a family owned company here in Maine that will deliver pellets state wide for a relatively small delivery fee. However, he delivers for free to Veterans. I've bought from him in the past and will be doing so in the very near future. He has a flat bead trailer that he hauls with his pickup and a pallet jack and will put the pellets wherever you want them. Very nice guy.
Normally go pick them up myself in the truck 25-25 bags at a time. Back the truck up to the walk out basement and use a cart to move them in and re-stack them. It's a system that works just fine. There have been a couple times when I paid for delivery, but I really don't like paying more than $15 extra per ton for delivery, so if there is no way to make that math work, I will just pick them up. Robbins has always been good about the delivery fee. I often think of picking up a trailer so I can take a full ton (or more) home at once, but the price of a used trailer in decent shape that can carry a full tone or more always far outweighs the cost of just paying for someone to deliver them and it would take too many years for the trailer to pay itself off in the end. Nevertheless, I keep looking for that elusive trailer deal...
We're very fortunate the Satisfaction pellet dealer is local, stores inside their warehouse, and is cool with allowing customers to pickup, as needed. At the moment, 5 - 10 bags max. at a time: since we're usually in town for work, etc. there's really no additional cost: other than a few 'extra passengers' worth of fuel, and a few minutes unloading / adding to the stack 3-4 times a week. * At least I know I'm guaranteed some exercise on those days.. Been stepping much more lively, w/ this cold weather.
I paid for delivery once, during a fire sale at a local big box. Normally, my local pellet house will do free delivery of purchases of 4 or more ton. That is what I do during the spring sales.
Wood Pellet Warehouse. He's a good guy and he moves a lot of pellets. It's nice to see someone who works so hard be successful.
I don't normally reply on here because I do not have a pallet stove, but yesterday Katie and I helped out my dad who wanted an extra ton of pellets before the blizzard hit, so we went over and picked them up for him. His car was being repaired and we had to head to town anyway... He has just a small trailer, but it handles a ton of pellets well enough. My take on owning a trailer is that a person can use it for far more than just grabbing pallets of pellets so it has value. Since a trailer can easily outlive several vehicles hauling them, their value is also spread over a long period of time making them pretty cheap, and a great investment. A big trailer is not really needed either.
Timely thread. I just ordered two ton of MWP softies to be delivered(second paid delivery all time for me). I loaded some pellets into my house this morning and realized I only have 120 bags or so left. Aint gonna cut it considering i have bags 12 and 13 for Jan going right now.
My friends put in money together and bought a nice trailer that can store 2 tons on it safely. They said I can use it whenever but they just ask for gas money and/or a meal. That's a very nice and reasonable offer -- except the one time one of them brought their wife and 2 kids along. $70 lunch bill!
