Firewood business

I've also been doing some research on FHC with the dump trailer threads. I know a few guys use them in their firewood businesses and for other things, and in my case I think it would be good. I can't afford to have a dump truck and pickup truck so the next best thing is the dump trailer. It will also haul a medium sized skid steer, another reason to need it.

 

The block guides I had to replace after 8 years at a cost of around $30.00 are under the block at the end of the Ram pushing the wood into the Wedge. They are about 4" long and 1" square with 2 holes drilled in them. The Block rides on top of the I beam and these blocks ( 2 of them ) one on each side ride on the bottom of the I beam attach to the Ram holding it straight and they wear over time. I would say that the TW-P1 has split over 200 cord so not upset about the cost or 15 minutes it took to change them. I will say this, the only problem I had with Timberwolf when ordering on the phone was the guy kept telling me that my credit card wouldn't go through and he kept asking me to repeat the number. Come to find out American Express has one less number then other credit cards they don't take American Express.

 

AE- I don't take it either as you have to process only through them- pricy. Discovery cards used to be the same way- maybe they still are. The plastic business is a real rip off on the consumer if you carry a balance- and it is getting to be a pia for the merchants( particularly small guys like me) but as 50% or more of my customers use it for business purchases so I have to make it an available option. The big guys like wally world can get much lower processing costs. By the same token they are also the cause of most of the hacks.

 

Before buying a splitter check out my buddies splitters, made as much as possible in Wisconsin from American parts, Wolfe ridge manufacturing, built one by one, he's sold quite a few now with no complaints

 

I switched 6 months back to a processing company that saved me over a thousand in that time period in fees. Not trying to sell or push anything on anyone but check out Intuit.com they also own my accounting program QuickBooks and I now process online with what I believe you call a square card reader, one at the main register and one in my dinning room on a tablet, and two for delivery guys on their smart phones. Yes they get cards on food deliveries and process them right at the door on the phones. I was scared but the worst that can happen is they put money in my account as they can't take it out. They also process AE cards at a lower rate then I was paying prior. Remember just check it out online and see if it would work for you.

 

Last time I looked at Intuit offerings- I didn't particularly care for there costs and Cloud functions ( at additional costs which are an integral part of there programs) I do not like information sitting off site. The way I do it now leaves nothing to be gleaned, no systems tied together particularly cc processing. No stored #'s cept address for billing purposes and contact # of course. But I am just a little place and have total control- won't work that way for some. Also I do not have a large enough volume in cc to satisfy most of these processors requirements for the better rates. Be careful of that square thingy been a lot of hacks in that area lately. Always very carefully check your monthly statements. I also recommend using a separate checking account strictly for the purpose of cc deposits and charges (you can always transfer funds when needed) This gives a clear record of what transpires- and if it does get hacked you are not totally screwed ( non linked account of course) ( got the t shirt on that about 15 years ago). Just remember the banking institutions will do everything in their power to make you the bad guy while holding themselves harmless.

 

I do use a separate account just for Credit Card deposits and then the wife transfers the money online to our general account as we also have a separate payroll account that funds get transferred into online as well. They deposit nightly at 3 a.m. my time and the wife does a report each morning. They take their fees before depositing and also provide a fee report online. We shop every 6 months to see what's out there and also call our current CC processor to try to get a better rate. Used to work well with World Pay but they were raping us from the start so getting a little lower rate was just a joke.

 

I just took a look at the Wolf Ridge 35 ton splitter, quite the machine. Not gonna ask what they cost, I bet they can be close to the timber wolf tw-5 units

 

I'm not even sure what he's getting for them, he's been asking me for help lately so he's keeping busy, if work slowed down I'll be helping him. I think one of the people who reviewed it had a timber wolf and sold it because they liked the Wolfe ridge better

 

Ya that 1.5-5% + statement fees ( monthly)+ association fee(yearly) adds up quick. Ever since the banking shake up , they are all revenue hungry any way they can particularly in none regulated areas such as an access charge for each transaction on top of the percentage. Rates vary by your volume- that can change on a monthly basis if you don't read the fine print. Almost forgot rental fees on readers another revenue enhancement.

 

I always split pieces to big and say I'll make them smaller next time, nope. The box blade sounds like a good idea to me.

 

I would honestly think a mini excavator and upside down splitter would save you a lot of the work. From tree length to splitting in the back of your dump trailer/dump truck you have no physical labor. You might want to check them out as I think they are the new up and coming thing and going to turn the industry around in many ways.

As for marketing, you can do what I do with fire wood and hay. I use computer spreadsheet to keep track of what I have on hand on any day, and based on averages over the last few years, know how much I should have on hand to get me through the winter. If it looks like I'll have 20 giant round bales left over in Spring, in February I'll sell those 20 round bales and get a high price that I would never get in the Spring when no one needs them desperately any more.

You can do the same thing with firewood. I always put up firewood for myself, but keep it in a shed all winter as backup. As long as the price of propane or coal is cheap, I'll burn that, then in the Spring when dry firewood is at a premium...yep I'll sell it. I don't gouge anyone; I know what is like to be up against it, but failure to plan has consequences too.

 

Howdy.
If you and I were standing face to face I'd look you in the eye and say "purchase a DYNA SC12" . They are made in MI and will produce about 1.5cd per hr. $15k is a very easy cost for a business. Loading: it loads its self or can be set up with a log deck that is standard equipment.
jim

 

I hadn't heard of them until now, nice looking machines. Might be a good idea as a starter machine vs used or something that would cost more than I'm making in the beginning.
Bad part is, the tree length I get from the tree companies is usually upwards towards 24" in dia.

 

Like I said check out
Wolfe Ridge Mfg – Eau Claire, WI USA – 715.559.4376 – Professional Grade Wood Splitters
My good buddy I've been helping build these splitters from the start, worth a look, made in central Wisconsin, keeping everything as local as possible

 

I myself purchased a Dyna 12 xp last year. Really was scared to make the investment, but sure glad I did. I bring in all my logs and pile them. Run anything 16" dia or less thru this machine. Everything else gets piled to the side for later splitting with my 30 ton box store splitter. Also have a skid steer with grapple to load processor and load logs off site. P.S.-- my back sure feels better after a long day!

 

I never realized this as well until recently.

I was talking with a Childrens Camp where they use 75-80 cord per year to heat their buildings and I could not believe the scams they have had endure over the years. Then another guy I said I would sell firewood to said he would buy from me but he already paid the guy for the wood but has yet to see it. The woodcutter said maybe in December, but since he already paid the guy, he does not want to pay me for more wood. Myself, I would just buy my load of wood and IF the other guy shows up with his wood, he would just be a year ahead. ??????????????

But the point is I am so sorry many of you have been scammed by loggers. There is no need for that. Proverbs says to "keep honest scales" and that applies here.