The Economics of Firewood...Buying Poles From Loggers 

Wow, so July 8,2020 you had 100 subscribers? It is December 20, 2020 and you have 5k. Great content!!

Very interesting. I am 74, live in S. Ontario, Canada, and for the last few years I have enjoyed access to quality trees, locust, ash, maple, apple, elm, birch, that various people have wanted removed from their premises and didn't want to pay expensive tree service companies for their work. All I want is the wood. These people answered my internet ad, and after an initial site visit to review the trees' location, (near neighbours' fences etc..) if everything was ok, I'd return with my truck and two trusty Husky saws. This year, I have been overwhelmed with work, and have been working my way through about six cords of good hardwood. I'm not finished yet, and have put to one side the lumps my 5hp splitter can't handle. (It doesn't refuse much), before I rent a large Wallenstein for a day to handle the remainder. I have decided this is my last year of harvesting my own wood. I'm going to go the triple axle trailer route, for about Cdn$1300 for 6-7 cords, and have it all delivered right to my property. I'm starting to realise my limitations. Good video.

I always seem to learn something new about the firewood business, while watching your videos. There's no one like you on RU-vid in the firewood business. Keep up the good work.

I'm in southern Ohio and have a outdoor wood boiler. I order a load of logs from a local logger - love it when I see some of that beech in the load. I'm paying equal to what the logger would get for pulp wood at the paper mill. So, I don't even think about trying to sell firewood, at my age, 74, I figure I'm doing good to keep enough cut, split and stacked in the shed just to keep the chill off the house. Thanks for the videos and stay safe out there in the wood lot.

There is tons of free wood and I like the exercise from it. We only split hardwood in the south. Mainly Oak, hickory.

My dad did firewood for something like 30 years here in Oregon. Almost exclusively lodgepole pine. When he first started it was taking the truck out and selling truck loads. Then he got into selling semi loads to SoCal, then Reno. The last 15 years or so was delivering local retail buying log truck loads.

Always enjoy watching the oldies again! Hey i wanted to say that i have recently finilized my LLC and have got our first log truck of poles scheduled for delivery. I have to say thank you Joe for the motivation and continous helpful tips, and ideas that really made me want to take my hobby 1 step further! Keep on keeping on buddy

Do you know what grows under a beach? Sons of beaches!!! Lol

Congratulations on 100 subs lol! Headed off to work soon but sitting here this morning watching some of your old vids. Never would have thought about boom on front instead of boom on back for better deal on logs….my brisket thanks you!! John

Hello Joe, I agree with you on the fact of buying logs (beech or other species) certainly at a cost, but it allows to produce quality firewood easier to work, we win largely in time and pain, more logs have in the end a much more beautiful appearance

Congratulations on your 100 subs!! Awesome watching guys like you grow your business thanks for taking us on the journey.

what a difference from spring to winter, really enjoy the videos ..

Hi, great info, bought a wagon load of timber myself, to fit in when things went scarce, allowed me to keep on producing good split, dry logs,,,, 👍

Great video joe! 👍🏻 very well explained my friend. I do the same thing.. break it up with log loads in between procuring my own. Keeps me and my equipment out of the woods and saves time.

Reminds me of when Dad and I would go to the mill with a tractor and have a decent sized trailer filled up. This was the early 90s in south Derry, Ireland. And yes a tip for the loader.

REaly enjoyed your video....I'm not in the firewood business but through the year I've made many a cords of firewood and I can understand the work involved.....I will be watching....CHEERS

I used to love getting a truck load of logs. My black Lab would climb to the top and I'd join her with a cup of coffee. Then it's time to get to work.

That is great! What a load, I have starting to look for a triaxle load for the future. Seems to be difficult so far, most that I have found are somewhat far away. Thanks for taking us along, take care!

Great video! I'm a timber guy in SD you are correct on what your saying. Most people don't understand how it works. Great job! Remember our forests are the greatest renewable resources we have. People have lost that understanding

Good content....look forward to next one.Best wishes from northern Ireland!

Just subscribed. I just process for myself and my wood stove. Thanks for sharing.

Hey I just found your channel cool info, I live on 25 acres and the idea of camp wood processing looks interesting as we have 4 campgrounds within 10 miles of my house. Keep up the hard work. I currently cut and stack my own wood for winter and find it very relaxing to do..

just found this channel Its growing really quick IMO

Watched my first video here this morning - new sub - look forward to watching and learning - Boto Bob from Central PA - I lived in the Dayton, OH area from 1984 to 1989 when I was stationed at WPAFB.

Nice load of wood you got there!! And congratulations on the 100 subscriber mark definitely looks like your growing now👍👍

We bought our 5 here in PA in 1979 there is a big beech tree on the other side of the creek its hollow up to the firsr y maybe 15' probably 24" across. Been like that all this time & still looking good. Patiarch of the forest

Wow Joe! Going back to this old video (still great stuff) and you only had 100 subscribers back then??!? Crazy!! Today, 2 years later, you're at 36.4K!!!! That's awesome. I've been going just 1.5 years and have 60 subs..... I guess it'll take me 3.5 more years to get to your level -- probably more like 20 years! LOL Cheers. Keep up the great job!

Joe, Great video! I want to develop relationships with loggers in my area, but I can see the value in buying wood already split from small operations. I've also considered buying it in rounds since I have a fast splitter and conveyor already.

Congrats on the 100 subscriber marker.. The logs look great too..

Buying a load of logs is my next step to take it to the next level. Thanks for the information.

I sometimes struggle to get loads of logs. The one guy I prefer to deal with, hauls 5.5 cords. Another guy that I am lucky to get 2 loads a year from, hauls 6-6.25. I got a load from another guy, and he had over 7 cords on the truck. He picked up his rear axle when he pulled in the driveway, and when he came up the little hill in my driveway, he could barely steer the truck. Some of the logs were 24' long. He had them piled above the bunks. I have video on my channel were I talk about why I buy logs. I think it is cheaper to buy logs, than to cut them yourself. I need to get this pile worked up I have and if I had 3 more loads I would be good for what I want to do. I also tip the driver, which the one is the owner of the company.

I sell firewood in Brookfield! Lived in Youngstown for years! Drop N chop LLC! ...love your videos! Always have firewood for sale!

I like this guy because he is honest

Great video thanks for the info, considering the firewood industry as a next business move in UK.

It's definitely been hot Joe, besafe my friend! I think the beach firewood is excellent firewood, and your correct the elm is a nice firewood but a little ugly! It sure burns hot! Nice load of logs take care buddy I truly enjoyed 👍

Joe has come along way since 100 subs.

Congratulations on 100 plus subs Joe. Looks like you had some storms yesterday, we need some rain. Stay cool.

Lol really enjoy your videos and I love the Hamilton shout-out!! You are positive and doing things right.

VERY INTERESTING thanks

Thankfully I got in good with one logger in the area brings nice size logs mostly ash, beech hickory and some birch gotta love cutting and selling firewood

Nice video. I look forward to seeing more. In this part of PA, a tri-axle load of wood runs about $900. I’ve never gotten less than 8 cords from a load and it’s usually 9. All front mounted cranes though. Thanks for the tip!

Im a new subscriber - think you're doing a great job - these vids are really informative! Thank you for putting these up :-)

Congrats ! Says 1.04K subs here, and you can add me to the list, I process my own firewood by hand, I find free wood and cut and split it by hand, chainsaw and an axe, I just enjoy relaxing at home outdoors near a nice fire....coffee, anyone ?

That looked like a decent load for that type of truck. I have been buying log loads for personal use for more then 15 years. It takes time to find a decent logger. My first 5 years I was dealing with anyone who could get me a hardwood load. I live in upstate N.Y. and loggers come and go quickly. After trying many loggers I started to understand how the industry works,at least how it works around here. In my area there is one logging company who buys from most of the smaller companies. They then resell the logs in bigger quantities to milling companies. The wood that's not mill quality gets sold as firewood poles. I bought from the smaller loggers in the beginning. They always seem to be struggling and there quality of wood wasn't the best. The major player around here is a company called Klein and son logging out of white sulfer springs N.Y... there wood is always top notch. They do charge $50 more then everyone else but it's well worth it. There loads are always 7/8+ cords. Sometimes I buy 2 loads at a time and they have taken off a significant amount of money. Do a little research there is probably a major player in your area who you can establish a very good relationship with. The last 10 years I have only had to deal with 2 different drivers... I always tip them as you do. They definitely remember who treats them well and they show the appreciation. Good luck in your search for a logger. Thanks for the awesome videos.

That was a good video. I want to transition from oil to firewood in a couple years. Never considered buying wood by the truckload. That’s genius for a consumer. Even with some labor, $600 for a winters worth of firewood is a good price. My neighbor pays $2k for his pellet stove every year. I still have a lot to learn about firewood. Subscribed !

Good channel! Thanks

I own a tree service here in michigan and at times give quite abit of wood away simply because i dont want to deal with it. I have found a few people that heat they're homes and just send them a text with the address and they go get it. I don't sell firewood myself and my employees heat our homes so it works out well. Getting paid to heat our homes is a win win..

I have acres of beech unfortunately they are young. Only 30 years old. Nice load. Congrats on 100 subscribers.

GREAT VIDEO !

Good stuff.

Hi I am actually a Logger/trucker/Firewood guy from west Wisconsin. Her in WI our trucks usually are called Tri axles, with the 2 dualled drive axles plus the single drop axle, thus three, or Tri axle, plus the front steer. Our loaders are on the rear, so we pull a "Pup" trailer which has 2 axles. Usually we haul 5 to 6 logger cords on the truck, and 5 to 6 cord on the pup. It goes by tons of payload. So with greener Oak, mabe 10 cords per full truck/pup load. If the wood is seasoned for a few months and dried down some, or there is more ash/elm/maple we might get up to 12 cords per load. usually a going rate to pay for delivered F/W up to 50 miles would be about 100$ green, or up to 120$ per cord seasoned. Mostly the wood is free, what U R paying for is the cost of cutting/skidding/processing/trucking the logs. That log truck is actually a Quint, or 5 axles on the rear. If your guy is 6' high x 8' wide x 16' long would B about 6 logger cord. Good F/W vidja.

Just cut down a beech tree last Sunday to widen a trail. Looking forward to burning that wood once it is seasoned. I personally like how easy it is to split especially since I'm still splitting everything with a splitting maul.

Great video, wish we could buy like this in NZ

Now, if you had your own self loading log truck you could buy logs direct from the logging company.

It makes sense not to want seasoned hickory if you are using it to smoke. Unseasoned should give much better smoke.

GOOD JOB

Yep I love there food like the one over on parkman rd

Nice video, although buying logs like that is an expense I quickly found out it's very convenient too.Your not fighting brush or the elements of weather which is a cost how ever you look at it. The logs I buy come cross ways of the truck bed bout 8 ft long.

Looks good I think it all depends on your time as well fast splitter saves time increases your money agreed i get with more with crane on front as well at least a cord and a half more

This guy let me cut some odds and ends on his property and was so appreciated for it. He had some piles that he was selling and didn't want anyone to cut on them. No problem. He was spelling it by the load for 300 dollars. The trailer was a lowboy for hauling a small dozer. Seems kind of expensive by the time you cut it up and get about a cord for 300 dollars.

You got a new subscriber!

That’s a dream load of wood on that truck. Loggers are a better source to buy logs from, usually no nails or junk wood. Buying from tree companies in my experience is not as good. Huge diameter logs, twisting logs, are a recipe for a short amount of cord wood. I would of been super happy with that load.

I work for a firewood supplier on a mass production level here in the state of Oregon. We produce quite a few chords every day

I'm a municipal lineman we have a line clearance crew that is always looking for ppl to take wood we will take loads of small stuff to ppl on a list. But we have a hard time finding ppl to take all the stuff we have to give we like ppl that will take and burn stumps and crap wood too but few ppl have that kinda room.

Here in Canada is the same if the driver calls the answer is yes.. the problem up here is the mills.. if they want wood we get nothing... you should try a find a guy with a pup you will double your load.. good luck and keep chopping

I’ve thought about getting log trucks before. I would love to get my hands on one but I’m in the same situation. I don’t know many people in the business or anybody local so I’d have a huge delivery bill to have it brought in from over an hour away

Just found you congrats on the channel. I live in w ny state. I get a truck load like your s every year and I track how much I get by taking ruff measurements. I get 3 ruff lengths 8 12 18 ft. They are normal 6 to 18 inches. About 700 ft of length and I end up with about 20 face cord. It’s the cheapest for me. I sell half and keep the rest. At 65 buck a face cord I almost pay for the load in sales. Truck cost 750 bucks. Pretty good margin. I only split and cut when I have time. So I don’t count my labor and it’s just fun doing it. All equals out tome heating my home for just me free time. Happy cutting splitting and stacking.

I'm up in da u.p of Michigan. You'd love the beech up here!

nice video

First time I've seen your videos in my feed. Very interesting, and you've earned a new sub! Tried to go to your website, Facebook, and insta, with no luck, though! Are the links bad, or is something else going on?

What we've experienced is that the loggers like it when you go to where they are. That meet an greet means a lot. Let them know how much firewood you're moving. especially when you find a logger that has a valuable tree stand.

New subscriber, enjoying your channel! Just got a double load delivered-57000 lbs in logs! 18 cords estimated, staying busy!

Good video. I live in South Carolina and have thought about selling (surplus wood from my property) to lumber yards. But the shipping cost is prohibitive. One local guy I talked to wanted $400 to ship 7.5 tons. That would be a loss with most grades of wood I have.

Wood the BEST WAY, stay positive 🔨

Cord up here runs 250 a cord in rural areas but the city it’s 400 a cord

Our prices are close. I just bought 15 cords of Birch for $95/a loggers cord. That however, is the highest I have ever spent for firewood. I do mill some of the nicer logs.

I am a homeowner with a lot of wood ready to split, I reckon, 2-3 years worth out seasoning just now but it now needs split, I have hydraulic splitter so that is no bother but the issue is storage, my winter store is full and most wood already at the 12 month mark but I am fed up with 3-4 foot lengths of firewood lying everywhere and it needs to be split and stored once and for all to tidy it up and stop it sitting out all year. I have a large wrap around garden but the issue is that it is all quite nicely presented and I need to find a way of incorporating mass log storage neatly. Could you do a video on storage you see, particularly where you customers have nice gardens yet the wood stores just sort of blend into the background. I think a wood store is a nice looking thing and stacked with logs it is not an eyesore but I still need some ideas and I have already exhausted Google images! Thanks.

Paid $1500 this spring for a full 20 and rented a wood processor for $450. I had 5 cord in logs from last year that I never got to so the wood processor made short work out of that as well. Ended up with 17 hours on the processor but got a full 25 cut, split and piled for under $2K. This is about 2 years of wood for my homestead.

Hey Joe, a fellow Buckeye here! Have been enjoying your videos as of late, good stuff! I'm planning on starting to sell firewood next year, on a small scale at first. I also heat with wood, so I have all the equipment I need to process it. My biggest hurdle as I see it is sourcing the wood. I've done the tree service thing, its not for me really. I've been fortunate to get permission to cut on private property for wood, and I picked up fair amount of free wood from our local Green waste recycling center. But I feel if sales go well enough for me, that well won't provide enough water. So I did a internet search for logging companies in my general area, and it got me nowhere. I was able to make 1 contact and they said they are back logged and don't really sell to people to make fire wood, which I don't really get. So finally to my question, do you know of, or heard of any logging companies or drivers that operate in the northwest portion of Ohio? If I could get 5-10 cord a year delivered its well worth the cost for the time saved! Thanks!

Well I been doing fire wood for 30 years in buffalo ,our log loads we buy hold bout 18 to 24 face cord loads on eather truck ,,,I run timberwolf processor, it the best

FYI. there is a natural succession of tree species in any forest. One species succeeds another as the forest evolves. Beech is the oldest species of hardwood in the forest. Not the oldest tree, but the oldest species. The catch phrase "beach to beech" reminds us that what begins as a sandy beach evolves into a forest full of beach trees.

Cut two loads a year since I was just a young kid living with my parents. Used to get a tri axle for $300 growing up but now its $650. After gas, oil, bars, and chains I will pay $150 a chord split. I still grab a few pick up loads myself off my land just to remember how to sharpen a saw these days. I'm in NY so most all the firewood you buy is Ash because of the Ash Bore Beetle. Everyone is selling their logs to China in containers, log length. The loads I cut myself I cut Oak, Maple, Beach, Burch and mix my fire for time and heat.

Good basic video and gives people something to think about. If this is going to be a business, you really need to understand all your costs and markets very well. Having a processor is easier but those machines are costly to buy and repair, plus you usually have to pair it with a conveyor and someway to load the wood onto it. Also things like fuel costs, what your labor is worth and also you are left with a lot of mess of bark and sawdust etc. that must be delt with. Also competition is a factor. To be honest i do wood myself about 40 cords a year in central newengland with tree service and logging waste. My costs are lower and i have no lack of clients who are more concerned with fair volume, species and price..not buying wood to look pretty on the porch. Therefore i can easily make a profit and undercut others in my area. oh, im not knocking your business model..but definetly a lot of factors to really think about

The green hickory gives off more smoke!

hello there i am a retired logger from the PNW just curious how much u pay for a log load? then how do you do a cost break down of processing the logs into firewood stacking loading delivery unloading labor cosy fuel costs trucking costs ins etc

Cutoffs. Buy cutoffs. $100.00 for a truck load? I have a beech tree in the yard. It’s a monster. They can live 350 years. The roots grow above the ground under the canopy. It has a lot of wood that’s dead still in the tree. It really needs a good arborist.

Costs all depend on what part of the country your in, a cord of softwood dry is 350 here and a cord of hardwood 455, the hardwood is trucked in from 400 miles away.

Great informational video but I would like to know if you don't mind how much do you pay for a load of logs like that.

Just found your video. Have a question(s). Is there a local wood turners club you contact when you get a truckload in? I know beech is and other hardwoods are good to turn (maple, walnut, apple, pear, etc). If I lived nearby I'd be visiting your business!! Again looking forward to new videos!

Same way I get all of my wood delivered we average 6 tamdum loads a week of ash

Do you ever use Sweet Gum for wood? Or do you stay away from it? I have not had good luck with curing it

Ohio I am surprised this was at your 100 subscriber mark - I will keep dreaming. I just published a video proving the cost benefit of burning firewood! Great for firewood businesses. Curious of your feedback. Cheers.

@ohiowoodburner How much does a tri-axel load of logs typically cost?

Hey Joe, what are your sizes when you talk about a cord of wood?

Up in Canada we charge $300-350 a cord. But I’m not sure why you claim only six bush cord off a single load. I typically get 8 or 16 with a pup trailer behind. Around $1200 for 8 bush cord. Looks like you’ve got a great setup. All the best. God bless.

Enjoyable channel. Just subscribed. In Syracuse, NY I've seen 3 cord delivered for $240. If you are paying $600 for 6 cord dropped off at your house to split and deliver to clients/customers, where is the profit?

I'm trying to rebuild a cabin. Have you found a way to connect with loggers?

Why didn’t you get the driver to lower and lock the other wheels, so it would reduce the depth of the ruts in your yard?

What if you have your own forest, is it worth the labour cutting trees. Cutting big trees can be laborious and dangerous, but free

so for non-commercial use, I am obsessed with bonfires!!! Does it really matter the type of wood? What do you like to use, any aromatic yet affordable? Lastly, ever heard of scenting a firepit with dried citrus/cinnamon/herbs? I use whatever Home Depot sells (unfortunately) which is usually RUBBISH birch or a miscellaneous mixture and use (believe it or not) heat treated (HT) wood pallets (not MB though). The pallets are there for kindling, but also mid sized pieces to smoothen out any "smokey" logs. I am in the inner city, so your fire pit game must be strong, the slightest bit of white smoke will get the cops / fire dept called on you!