Question
Does anyone have advice to share on adding a road-legal log trailer/grapple loader to a small-scale lumber service? I currently have a WM sawmill, 2500 bf kiln, skidsteer, and a 25" planer. Total investment of $41K, plus barn, truck, chainsaw... It looks like a trailer/loader to match my operation would run between $15K and $20K. I started off mobile, but now I'm only willing to accept jobs where the customer delivers logs to me. This limits my customer base and my business to part time. I'm wondering if the ability to bring my customer's logs to my site for a fee will add enough business to justify the added equipment. I realize there are too many variables for anyone to say whether I should or not. I'm just looking for insight from others.
Forum Responses
(Sawing and Drying Forum)
From contributor R:
It's hard to justify spending that kind of money for something you don't really put to work all the time. I looked at getting a grapple trailer, but like you, wondered if I could justify the expense (especially to get one that would lift up large logs). I have a lot of urban customers that have one or two logs from a yard tree and frequently no room for the sawmill. My solution was to take a 16' flatbed trailer and make hydraulic loading arms similar to those used on portable sawmills. You drive the trailer next to the logs, roll them on the arms, and the loader flips them on the trailer. I put a little 5hp gas and hydraulic pump up on the trailer tongue. The arms fit into stake pockets on the trailer, and get thrown in the truck when the logs are loaded. To unload, you just roll the logs off the side of the trailer (no fenders). Excluding the trailer (that I already owned), the whole setup cost somewhere around $1500. I'm still not sure how much weight it will pick up... biggest I've lifted to date is a 28" oak 10' long.
If a customer really wants logs sawn, they can get very creative in getting logs to you. If you want such a trailer for other uses as well as picking up customer logs, it may be worth the price, but as a means to generate business, I wouldn't recommend it.
By the way, I have a Majaco grapple trailer. I find it useful for dealing with slab wood, getting freebie logs and buying large, hard to move items at auctions cheap because others can't move them, but I don't use it much to get a customer's logs for the above reasons.
My mill isn't portable and I have to turn down a lot of work and/or free trees because of that. I will get free ones here within a few miles, but it is a pain since I have to haul the tractor to the site and then go back to get it. A grapple trailer would be nice.
They even inspect the wear rating of the tires on the trailer. 5 ton trailer with tires that are for a light pickup, you're screwed. Or a converted travel trailer with a 2" ball is now a big log carrying trailer. Except it still has only one axel of brakes, and the 2" ball, etc. You get the picture. No excuse for killing someone because you were using the wrong equipment for the job.
I used to haul used horse feed. Charged for it to cover expanses, trucking, tires, tarps, tractor, etc. Soon my competitor undercut my charges, then another competitor undercut his charges. Within a couple years, it was being hauled for free. A $10,000 a year contract became a $00.00 dollar contract. It hurts the economy of work... It hurts the bottom line everywhere.
People will act differently when they have to pay for a service. I don't mean gouge. Just pay a simple fee, even if it saves him a ton of money, human nature says that he will feel like he got a good deal at your lesser rate, verses "free." Then you can get folks trying to take advantage of your free tree pickup service... by loading junk wood (just to get rid of it).
I have dumpsters, used to set them for free at tree sites, then I noticed all the garbage wood (had a grinder at the time, so it wasn't all that bad). But I was looking only to get the saw logs. They saw it as a way to get rid of all their logs, for free. When I started charging for the service, they were really particular and careful to load only good saw logs. Garbage loads cost a lot more. And I had a sliding scale; some folks just don't have the money (traded services once, for a peach pie). Money does make a difference (the pie was worth it too).
Common Lumber Name | A | B | C |
Hardwoods | |||
Alder, Red | 9.9 | 19.2 | 2506 |
Apple | 10.9 | 31.7 | 4132 |
Ash, Black | 9.3 | 23.4 | 4132 |
Ash, Green | 14.3 | 27.6 | 3590 |
Aspen, Bigtooth | 10.3 | 18.7 | 2439 |
Aspen, Quaking | 10.3 | 18.2 | 2373 |
Basswood | 6.2 | 16.6 | 2174 |
Beech, American | 8.9 | 29.1 | 3793 |
Birch, Paper | 8.8 | 25.0 | 3260 |
Birch, Sweet | 11.9 | 31.2 | 4065 |
Birch, Yellow | 9.2 | 28.6 | 3723 |
Buckeye | 8.9 | 17.2 | 2235 |
Butternut | 11.3 | 18.7 | 2440 |
Cherry | 13.8 | 24.4 | 3184 |
Chesnut, American | 11.6 | 20.8 | 2708 |
Cottonwood | 8.5 | 16.1 | 2102 |
Dogwood | 6.8 | 33.3 | 4331 |
Elm, American | 10.2 | 23.9 | 3116 |
Elm, Rock | 12.2 | 29.6 | 3860 |
Elm, slippery | 11.5 | 25.0 | 3251 |
Hackberry | 11.8 | 25.5 | 3319 |
Hickory, Bitternut (Pecan) | 14.7 | 31.2 | 4062 |
Hickory (True) | |||
Hickory, Mockernut | 9.1 | 33.3 | 4332 |
Hickory, Pignut | 9.3 | 34.3 | 4332 |
Hickory, Shagbark | 10.9 | 33.3 | 4333 |
Hickory, Shellbark | 6.6 | 32.2 | 4195 |
Holly, American | 8.3 | 26.0 | 3387 |
Hophornbeam, Eastern | 7.9 | 32.8 | 4266 |
Laurel, California | 15.1 | 26.5 | 3456 |
Locust, Black | 21.2 | 34.3 | 4470 |
Madrone, Pacific | 7.8 | 30.2 | 3925 |
Maple (Soft) | |||
Maple, Bigleaf | 12.8 | 22.9 | 2980 |
Maple, Red | 13.1 | 25.5 | 3318 |
Maple, Silver | 12.4 | 22.9 | 2981 |
Maple (Hard) | |||
Maple, Black | 12.3 | 27.0 | 3523 |
Maple, Sugar | 12.3 | 29.1 | 3793 |
Oak (Red) | |||
Oak, Black | 11.7 | 29.1 | 3792 |
Oak, California black | 16.4 | 26.5 | 3455 |
Oak, Laurel | 6.3 | 29.1 | 3791 |
Oak, Northern red | 13.6 | 29.1 | 3793 |
Oak, Pin | 13.0 | 30.2 | 3928 |
Oak, Scarlet | 13.2 | 31.2 | 4065 |
Oak, Southern red | 9.6 | 27.0 | 3520 |
Oak, Water | 10.4 | 29.1 | 3793 |
Oak, Willow | 6.4 | 29.1 | 3790 |
Oak (White) | |||
Oak, Bur | 15.4 | 30.2 | 3928 |
Oak, Chestnut | 10.1 | 29.6 | 3858 |
Oak, Live | 17.5 | 41.6 | 5417 |
Oak, Overcup | 10.7 | 29.6 | 3860 |
Oak, Post | 11.0 | 31.2 | 4063 |
Oak, Swamp chestnut | 10.7 | 31.2 | 4063 |
Oak, White | 10.8 | 31.2 | 4062 |
Persimmon | 7.0 | 33.3 | 4332 |
Sweetgum | 8.9 | 23.9 | 3115 |
Sycamore | 10.7 | 23.9 | 3115 |
Tanoak | 9.0 | 30.2 | 3926 |
Tupelo, Black | 10.4 | 23.9 | 3116 |
Tupelo, Water | 12.4 | 23.9 | 3115 |
Walnut | 13.4 | 26.5 | 3454 |
Willow, Black | 8.6 | 18.7 | 2438 |
Yellow-poplar | 10.6 | 20.8 | 2708 |
Common Lumber Name | A | B | C |
Softwoods | |||
Baldcypress | 13.2 | 21.9 | 2844 |
Cedar, Alaska | 14.4 | 21.9 | 2844 |
Cedar, Atlantic white | 10.9 | 16.1 | 2100 |
Cedar, eastern red | 16.4 | 22.9 | 2981 |
Cedar, Incense | 13.1 | 18.2 | 2371 |
Cedar, Northern white | 11.1 | 15.1 | 1964 |
Cedar, Port-Orford | 12.6 | 20.2 | 2641 |
Cedar, Western red | 12.2 | 16.1 | 2100 |
Douglas-fir, Coast type | 12.3 | 23.4 | 3049 |
Douglas-fir, Interior west | 13.2 | 23.9 | 3116 |
Douglas-fir, Interior north | 14.0 | 23.4 | 3048 |
Fir, Balsam | 9.9 | 17.2 | 2236 |
Fir, California red | 10.6 | 18.7 | 2437 |
Fir, Grand | 10.7 | 18.2 | 2371 |
Fir, Noble | 10.1 | 19.2 | 2507 |
Fir, Pacific silver | 10.4 | 20.8 | 2711 |
Fir, Subalpine | 10.5 | 16.1 | 2101 |
Fir, White | 12.2 | 19.2 | 2506 |
Hemlock, Eastern | 12.6 | 19.8 | 2573 |
Hemlock, Western | 11.5 | 21.8 | 2847 |
Larch, Western | 11.3 | 25.0 | 3251 |
Pine, Eastern white | 12.3 | 17.7 | 2303 |
Pine, Lodgepole | 11.5 | 19.8 | 2576 |
Pine, Ponderosa | 12.6 | 19.8 | 2573 |
Pine, Red | 12.2 | 21.3 | 2777 |
Southern yellow group | |||
Pine, Loblolly | 12.9 | 24.4 | 3183 |
Pine, Longleaf | 15.0 | 28.1 | 3658 |
Pine, Shortleaf | 12.9 | 24.4 | 3183 |
Pine, Sugar | 12.6 | 17.7 | 2302 |
Pine, Western white | 10.0 | 18.2 | 2370 |
Redwood, Old growth | 14.9 | 19.8 | 2573 |
Redwood, Second growth | 13.2 | 17.7 | 2302 |
Spruce, Black | 11.3 | 19.8 | 2575 |
Spruce, Engelmann | 10.0 | 17.2 | 2234 |
Spruce, Red | 10.6 | 19.2 | 2506 |
Spruce, Sitka | 10.8 | 19.2 | 2506 |
Tamarack | 12.0 | 25.5 | 3318 |