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bound for the tub grinder

Started by getoverit, February 20, 2006, 10:23:38 PM

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getoverit

A friend fo mine let me know yesterday about a construction site near me that had about 30 oak logs, all trimmed of limbs and stacked in a row. He said they had been there for a couple of weeks, so he thought I should go by and talk to the construction crew about them.

This morning, I hooked up the trailer with the new "DanG-Deadheader Log Loader" attachment and went to pay the guys a visit. I finally found the job forman, and told him I was interested in the logs. He said they had hired a tub grinder to come and chew up the logs, and couldnt turn him around, so he felt obligated to let the tub grinding company grind them up for the landfill. No amount of talking could be had for getting him to let me have the logs, even offering to pay for them.

Most of the logs were about 12 to 14 inchec dbh, but some were around 30 or better.

There is something wrong with this picture....
I'm a lumberjack and I'm ok, I work all night and sleep all day

Dan_Shade

you'll have that, those guys can be finnicky about stuff, especially when you show up with a trailer.  you might have been better to go talk to him, then go back and get your trailer.

other times, they just get their mind made up, and that's that....
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

Troy

You should find out when the guy is coming with the grinder and offer the operator a few bucks for some of the larger logs.  He is getting paid to get rid of the logs, what difference would it make to him if you help out in the process!
Peterson ATS 8" 27hp

Dangerous_Dan

Big logs are tough on a tubgrinder.
Find out who is doing the grinding and talk to them, sounds like it's their job to get rid of the wood on the job.
Let them know it's quicker and easier to load those logs on your trailer than to beat up their machinery grinding them.
Of course you could offer them some "real 2 inch" decking for trailers out of some of the logs.
I would not offer any money for the logs. If you do make a deal involving money they will want money every time. If you just take the logs away and you give them some boards from the logs, eventually they will be over run with boards and probably just give you logs and tell you to keep the boards. Just my way of thinking for the long term.
If I was grinding on a job and someone wanted the big logs I would give them away in a heartbeat.
Less logs to grind = The faster I'm out of there.  ;)
When I'm done grinding and the machine didn't break, I'm happy.   8)
First you make it work, then you trick it out!

getoverit

I left my name and number with the forman. I think I'll pay him another visit later in the week and see if I can get a date from the tub grinder guy. My friend works near there, so he sees what is going on every day and can let me know too.

This is about a 5 acre wooded lot that has been basically clear cut for some kind of a business. As far as doing anything on a routine basis with the construction company, I dont thik its possible. The tags on the construction guy's trucks were all from out of state and aparently the company is from out of state too.

It *HAS* give me ideas on finding sources of free logs though. When my cards finally get printed I know another trade that I want to send a card and welcome letter to.
I'm a lumberjack and I'm ok, I work all night and sleep all day

thurlow

Quote
Quote from: getoverit on February 20, 2006, 11:39:04 PM
I. When my cards finally get printed
You can buy print-your-own business cards from Wal-mart; 10 cards per sheet, 50 or 100 sheets per box.  No embossed or raised lettering, but they look pretty decent 'til you get the real thing.........
Here's to us and those like us; DanG few of us left!

Kelvin

Around here in central michigan any site big enough to need a lot clearing company always sells for pulp wood.  They chip everything up to about 32" they say.  I can't get a thing out of them.  Its pointless to even ask.  Look at the trucks they drive.  Why wouild they care one iota about me getting logs?  They get the job done, no monkey business.  THey don't like anyone even talking to them is my experience.  If you aren't handing them $100 bills they aren't going to take one second to think about your existence.  When a lot is cleared of trees, topsoil sold off, sand brought in, drives installed, sewer and what not, how much money is this guy dealing with?  More than a pile.  The only chances i have around me are actually buying logs from small guys or homeowners.

SwampDonkey

Alot of times these guys are relying on past experience. They have a deadline to have the trees cleared and moved and some one says they'll be by tommorrow and tommorrow never comes. Not everyone is like that, but I can see it happening once or twice and driving that contractor batty.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

TexasTimbers

Hey thurlow you look alot like Billy Bob Thornton! Hope that is not an insult it isn't meant as one, just an observation. It's uncanny actually!
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

beenthere

getoverit
Depending how much you want to push the issue, but I think I'd be prepared to show up with truck (w/business name on the door) and trailer at the time these logs are about ready to be moved to the grinder, and let an interested news reporter in on a story of salvaging logs from the grinder.  One then has to be prepared for the consequences of a possible follow-up story at the mill site, converting these logs to lumber with some value. 
May not be the exposure you want or just not your nature to stir up the pot.  But there seems to be a message here, that good material is going to waste as a result of 'big' money. 
Just a thought.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Part_Timer

Ken
a buddy of mine run an excavating company and we have a deal worked out for the better logs.  He lets me know when they are coming out and if I'm there with the trailer I can have them.  If I'm not there ON TIME they go in the slash pile and get burnt.  No hard feelings, no excuses,  just business.  I show up early and with doughnuts.  :)
Peterson 8" ATS.
The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.

thurlow

Well kevjay, actually that is him........from Slingblade (some folks call it a Kaiser blade);  I'd posted the picture and a quote from the movie when I first got on board.  Actually, I'm much better looking............... 8)
Here's to us and those like us; DanG few of us left!

getoverit

Looks like I must have stirred up some guilt with the job forman that has the logs. My friend that works near there called me at lunch time today and said there was a pulp wood truck loading up the logs. I'm glad there is something becoming of the logs, even if it isnt for me. I just hate to see good logs become landfill fodder.

He is going to keep an eye out for me in that area, as it is one of the fastest growing parts of town. The next time he sees a bulldozer being unloaded, I'll be there right away to try to get the logs BEFORE they are pushed down.
I'm a lumberjack and I'm ok, I work all night and sleep all day

iain

A few year ago when visiting folks back home, we drove passed a pile of logs, screeched to a halt, and backed up, nice pile of Burr Elm, knocked on the farmers door,

they were not his, but belonged to the estate he worked on, phoned the manager, and found out that the logs were promised to a local tree surgeon for $750 all in

i thanked the farmer for his time, and asked him to keep an eye out for more of the same, he than walks me around the side of the straw barn and says "like these"

so iains back on the phone to the manager, explains about the logs round the back of the barn, and what they are, and what they are worth in real money, and i offers him $18,500 for the lot,

but the manager Say's that he has "shaken on the deal"
and that he is disappointed that the surgeon has taken advantage of him, but he would not budge from his shaken deal,

my advice was to , move them into the barn for "security"  and ask the surgeon straight out about them

he phoned me a couple of weeks later, and said that the surgeon had upped his price to about what i had offered him, and was phoning to say thanks, and to offer me a reward, i turned him down flat, but did accept his offer of some logs next time around

the logs measured out at a total of 648 cubic feet, and were the heaviest burr i have ever seen, they went to Italy for veneer


iain


Ron Wenrich

We buy logs from a land clearer on a regular basis.  He seperates the logs and we haul them out.  He also has a tub ginder and a really good mulch business.  We even send him out bark. 

Most of the land clearers in our area do sell off the logs first.  It just adds to the bottom line.
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

TexasTimbers

Ron, I have talked to dozer guys in the past and to a man they have all agreed to call me. I have never gotten a call back even though up until about 4 months ago I would give reminder calls to stay fresh on their minds. I even made a list of sources for trees like tree services etc. and with dozer guys on it.
The reason I quit seeking out more logs in big quantity is because I now have more stuff in the ground than I can possibly get over the next year (unless of course I hired a logger), even if I didn't have anything else to do.
I still look for big quality stuff in onesies and twosies though. Like that elusive 3 foot dia. 20 ft to the first limb solid osage.
But for future reference, what advice do you have to get these guys to call me?
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

Cedarman

In areas where land is being developed, it always seems to be the case that the trees gotta go right now.  That being the case, would it be possible to identify land that is likely to be developed and deal with the land owner directly. Around these parts when land is being sold the landowner gets a logger to get every last dime out before the land is sold.
But near cities the value of the land is 100 to a 1000 times more valuable than the wood and those owners don't really care about the wood. Anyone tried wheeling and dealing ahead of time?
I am in the pink when sawing cedar.

Brad_S.

My experience with these guys has been exactly like Kelvins. Ron has the legitimacy of being a huge operation. It seems they only respect operations that have the same capital investments as they do and don't want to give the small guy a break. I offered one guy a fair price of $1K for a pile of wood, his reply was that he was working on a million dollar job and $1K wouldn't even cover his fuel costs for that morning. He was going to bury the stuff like he always does and not have to mess around with me. 
I find it much easier to deal with smaller operators. It may only be a tree or two at a time, but they are personable and receptive to dealing.
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." J. Lennon

Kirk_Allen

Richard,while living in the Chicago area I did exactly as you suggest.  I had more logs than I knew what to do with and no place to store them.

I have concluded it comes down to people skills and communication.  Its all in the presentation and 9 out of 10 times I got what I was asking for, at no cost, and they were happy as a pig in slop.

Little things go a long way with folks.  One contractor I got trees from was about as stubborn as anyone you have ever met and had no people skills.  Early one morning I showed up with donuts and BRIEF explanation of why I really needed those logs he was fixing to burn.  You have to educate them the savings they see for working with you. 

Burning log piles are frowned upon in communities, they pose a health risk to folks with asthma, there is a risk of fire spreading with winds AND, it burns for days BECAUSE of the big logs.  Take the big logs out of the equation and the fire burns hot and fast and the pile is burned up in a day. 

WANT, NEED or DESIRE.  Identify one of those three and build from that.  This contractor WANTED to get done but knew the piles would burn for days.  He NEEDED to get it burned so he could finish his work, and his only DESIRE was to get on to the next job. 

After getting about 5000 BF of logs he told me it saved him at least 4 days of work manipulating burn piles.  He called me on every job there after.   :( :(  Bummer that I dont live near there any more.............WRONG :D  I enjoyed getting the wood but I HATE THE SUBURBS :D

This business is about relationships.  Work on building those and the busines will come.  As a part timer I have more logs and customers than I can keep up with.  Just yesterday I told a potential customer it would take me several weeks to get to his logs and I suggested another mill south of me that would do it for the same price and could probably take care of him in a day or so.  "Not going to happen"  was his excat words.  He was refered to me by several power company guys I cut for and they assured him I was the best to deal with on a business and personal level.  Makes you feel good when you get feed back like that.

Our Mayor has had a ERC log behind his shop for the last six months. He is also the local mechanic and a Hobby woodworker that could be a PRO.  He just finished a cherry grandfather clock that I would pay no less than $1000 to own.  It is beutiful.  Well I stopped in after lunch yesterday with my mill and told him I was going to cut that log for him.  It took me 5 minutes to set up, 15 mintues to cut the log, 5 mintues to hook the mill back up.  He tried to pay me but I told him to keep his money but did ask him to keep me abreast on any developments going on in town that may present some free logs.  Got a call this morning 8) 8)  One of the locals who watched me cut the log told the mayor he was taking down a row of pines on his property in preperation for building a shop. Said I can have the logs if I could haul them out for him.  White Pine, 12-14" DIB  8) 8)

Relationships, Relationships, Relationships  8) 8)

sawguy21

Amazing how that works. :D He needs to see he is getting value for what he is parting with and that you are not taking him for a freebie. I found Cedarman's comment about the urban vs rural dweller interesting. The latter sees the value in the wood and is more willing to see it go to good use. The urban landowner sees the trees as an obstacle to profit from the land sale.
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

Ron Wenrich

All the land clearers in this area get paid a couple of thousand per acre to clear the land.  The logs are free.  But, most of these guys were loggers in the past, so they know the value of the wood. 

The more you understand someone else's operation, the better is your chance of a sale.  That doesn't matter if you're buying timber, selling services, or selling wood.  When you go in there with an attitude that your's is the only way, then you'll hit resistance. 

If that doesn't quite put them over the top, then maybe you need to do some things that are a little more personable.  Get the guys name and address, then send him a Christmas card.  If you can find his birthday, send him a birthday card.  Sometimes that can put it over the top. 

The donuts and coffee is a nice touch, as well.   Just stop in at the job site and chew the fat.  Stop in sometime and don't bring up anything about logs.  You have to try different tactics with different people. 
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

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