Keifer
Senior Member
Tommy:</p>
What sounds like a deal that is toogood to be true might be just that. I'll throw my two cents in here and you take it for what you think its worth.</p>
First, you might want to consider contactinga professional forester and get some free advice from him. Explain the situation to him and maybe even have him go out to the woodlot and have him look around. You hire a forester on a percentage of the profit paid to a timber company. That way the forester is working for you and not the timber company. Making a deal with a timber company is like makinga deal with the devil. Sorry, but they have earned their reputation.</p>
Timbering is a hard and dangerous business. My extended family has been in the lumber business for generations. From supplying posts for underground coal mines to logging and cutting rough cut lumber. Several of the family have been kiiled in the woods from cutting timber. I worked in the woods several summers and decided that work wasn't for me.</p>
Equipment: Big money to get good equipment. The pros use mostly the 'orange stuff'. Stihl and Huskavarna saws mostly. And you are right to consider how to get the logs out of the woods... and swampy woods at that. Skidders with 4 wheel drive,with oversized tires and chains and a brush blade is your first choice... maybe only choice. Buying one... out of the question I would think... renting one... maybe out of the question as well.Big bucks! Leave that up to a timbering company. Cleaning up treetops.... and burning them.... monster of a hard job. But lots of firewood size wood there.</p>
Get agreements with forester, land owner, timber company, hauling company...if you continue..... get everything in writing.</p>
Are you bonded or have liability insurance?</p>
Tommy, not trying to say you have a bad idea there, just throwing out a few tidbits for you to chew on. Good luck.</p>
Keifer, a RTV wannabe</p>
What sounds like a deal that is toogood to be true might be just that. I'll throw my two cents in here and you take it for what you think its worth.</p>
First, you might want to consider contactinga professional forester and get some free advice from him. Explain the situation to him and maybe even have him go out to the woodlot and have him look around. You hire a forester on a percentage of the profit paid to a timber company. That way the forester is working for you and not the timber company. Making a deal with a timber company is like makinga deal with the devil. Sorry, but they have earned their reputation.</p>
Timbering is a hard and dangerous business. My extended family has been in the lumber business for generations. From supplying posts for underground coal mines to logging and cutting rough cut lumber. Several of the family have been kiiled in the woods from cutting timber. I worked in the woods several summers and decided that work wasn't for me.</p>
Equipment: Big money to get good equipment. The pros use mostly the 'orange stuff'. Stihl and Huskavarna saws mostly. And you are right to consider how to get the logs out of the woods... and swampy woods at that. Skidders with 4 wheel drive,with oversized tires and chains and a brush blade is your first choice... maybe only choice. Buying one... out of the question I would think... renting one... maybe out of the question as well.Big bucks! Leave that up to a timbering company. Cleaning up treetops.... and burning them.... monster of a hard job. But lots of firewood size wood there.</p>
Get agreements with forester, land owner, timber company, hauling company...if you continue..... get everything in writing.</p>
Are you bonded or have liability insurance?</p>
Tommy, not trying to say you have a bad idea there, just throwing out a few tidbits for you to chew on. Good luck.</p>
Keifer, a RTV wannabe</p>