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Feller buncher rates for clear cut

Started by CuddleBugFirewood, August 29, 2012, 10:13:11 PM

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CuddleBugFirewood

I am getting ready to start a new job.  approximately 23 -25 wooded acres of hardwoods.  Oak, hickory, river birch, smaller walnut are the primary species.  The ground is heavy to pulpwood/small sawlogs.  There probably be no veneer, but some grade logs.  The majority of the sawlog trees are 18" dbh.  The terrain is flat (dry creek bottom area) to gently rolling.  Probably as good as it gets for a feller buncher in southern illinois. 

I log part time and thought I would see what it cost to hire a feller buncher to cut and lay the timber over as it would save me time and I could concentrate on merchindising and skidding.  I talked with servarl people and one of the guys I buy my firewood logs from recommended someone and gave me a a general idea on what a price might be.

I met the individual tonight and he quoted 6500 for the job or $282 per acre.  I was expecting 3,000 to 3,500 or 130 - 150 per acre. 

What are the going rates hire a feller buncher (843 john deere wheel buncher)? 

I have property lines marked and have notified the adjoining landowners.  The landowners objective is to maximize profit before selling the property.  I suspect it may get turned into a farm field or pasture over time.  I am not afraid to hand cut and skid myself as I have done smaller jobs this way (5-7 acres or so).  I do have a one year contract signed, with the majority of the money to be paid by nov 1 to the landowner. 

Thanks for the help!

HiTech

I am not sure about the rates...but they can put wood on the ground in a hurry. Only watched them operate a couple times and they are very impressive. Talked to an owner of a big logging company and he told me his operator could clear cut almost 50 acres in a day. Wow!!! No wonder wood prices are down. These machines can do the work in a week that a crew used to do in a year. Just look at the wood the "Swamp Loggers" haul in a week with just one guy cutting and where he puts that cutter. He is my hero...very talented.

Jamie_C

Quote from: HiTech on August 30, 2012, 08:06:37 AM
I am not sure about the rates...but they can put wood on the ground in a hurry. Only watched them operate a couple times and they are very impressive. Talked to an owner of a big logging company and he told me his operator could clear cut almost 50 acres in a day. Wow!!! No wonder wood prices are down. These machines can do the work in a week that a crew used to do in a year. Just look at the wood the "Swamp Loggers" haul in a week with just one guy cutting and where he puts that cutter. He is my hero...very talented.

50 acres a day ?? Not possible ... 50 acres a week running double shift maybe ...

Feller Bunchers get about $6/ tonne up here depending on the wood

Ken

I think Jamies number of $6/tonne is pretty average for this area if the block sizes are reasonable and wood is decent. 

Quote from: HiTech on August 30, 2012, 08:06:37 AM
Talked to an owner of a big logging company and he told me his operator could clear cut almost 50 acres in a day.

There may be some big operations that do 50 acres/day but it is not even remotely possible with one operator on one machine.   Some of the very best operators are fun to watch.  Their tracks rarely stop moving and they are usually moving ahead.
Lots of toys for working in the bush

1270d

ive also heard of 40 plus acres in a WEEK.  certainly not a day.  and that was with multiple machines.  I've never run a buncher, but ill second with ken.  they are incredible to watch with a good operator.  One outfit in the LP i got to watch could move 13 loads of chips and 15000 plus bf in one day.   amazing

Bobus2003

When I was Running Delimber, The Buncher that we had running (Timbco 445), All he needed was a 15 minute lead on our skidder and we couldn't catch him. Figured it out to 1 hour of Buncher time, made for 2-2.5hr skidder time to clean up, and he was laying down 20-30 loads a day (Select Cut) If it woulda been a clear cut there woulda been crazy amounts of wood being laid down

CuddleBugFirewood

The operator said it would take him about 3 days at first, then when he quoted me the price it would take 2 to 3 16 hour days.... If I use $6 a ton... he is probably pretty close.  I was figuring about 20 loads pulp and hopefully 20 loads of sawlogs.  I have usually underestimated on timber volume on my other smaller jobs, but I would sure hate to over-estimate my largest job to date... 

If I haul to the paper mill instead of using in my firewood business the numbers do not look very appealing (not much room for error...but I guess that is loggging.  I was hoping to generate some extra cash flow as I do not need the firewood logs right now.

29.25 ton delivered @ 25 tons a load = 731.25
Landowner pay @ 3 ton = 75.00
Contract Trucking @ 3.00 mile @ 100 miles = 300
Buncher if I hire @ $6 ton = $150
My take for delimbing (by hand) skidding, and loading on a truck = 206.25

So the question I guess I have to answer for myself is do I want to cut myself for an extra 150 a load and is is worth 206.25 to delimb skid and load on a truck per load to send to kentucky



pigpen

 I'm with bobus2003 on this one, ran timbco fellers for around 13 yrs and 300 cord a day or more or someone is sleeping in between.  ;D I was offered a contract to cut for the company that I was operating for and they offered me $7.50/cord and they would move me and keep me in wood for 9 out of 12 months. I'm in northern WI. so our market may be different as we target pulp more than logs or veneer. But I think if you could get him for what you originally were thinking, I think that's more in the ballpark. I've never run a wheeled buncher but I wouldn't think it would be any more expensive than a tracked buncher to come in. Have to consider how far they have to move the machine to cut your timber also. If it's a tracked buncher, I cant imagine it would take him more than 2 days if the timber is anything like here. Usually the better the timber the faster you can go until you get to the massive timber, then you get to balance the tree in the head like a bat in the palm of your hand and that gets to be time consuming and also hard on the machine. All referenced to a 425 timbco leveling cab machine.

Jamie_C

Quote from: CuddleBugFirewood on August 30, 2012, 10:35:14 PM
The operator said it would take him about 3 days at first, then when he quoted me the price it would take 2 to 3 16 hour days.... If I use $6 a ton... he is probably pretty close.  I was figuring about 20 loads pulp and hopefully 20 loads of sawlogs.  I have usually underestimated on timber volume on my other smaller jobs, but I would sure hate to over-estimate my largest job to date... 

If I haul to the paper mill instead of using in my firewood business the numbers do not look very appealing (not much room for error...but I guess that is loggging.  I was hoping to generate some extra cash flow as I do not need the firewood logs right now.

29.25 ton delivered @ 25 tons a load = 731.25
Landowner pay @ 3 ton = 75.00
Contract Trucking @ 3.00 mile @ 100 miles = 300
Buncher if I hire @ $6 ton = $150
My take for delimbing (by hand) skidding, and loading on a truck = 206.25

So the question I guess I have to answer for myself is do I want to cut myself for an extra 150 a load and is is worth 206.25 to delimb skid and load on a truck per load to send to kentucky

Hate to sound crass but i wouldn't even get out of bed in the morning if all i was getting was about $8/ton to delimb, skid and load on a truck.

Jamie_C

Quote from: pigpen on August 30, 2012, 10:42:18 PM
I'm with bobus2003 on this one, ran timbco fellers for around 13 yrs and 300 cord a day or more or someone is sleeping in between.  ;D I was offered a contract to cut for the company that I was operating for and they offered me $7.50/cord and they would move me and keep me in wood for 9 out of 12 months. I'm in northern WI. so our market may be different as we target pulp more than logs or veneer. But I think if you could get him for what you originally were thinking, I think that's more in the ballpark. I've never run a wheeled buncher but I wouldn't think it would be any more expensive than a tracked buncher to come in. Have to consider how far they have to move the machine to cut your timber also. If it's a tracked buncher, I cant imagine it would take him more than 2 days if the timber is anything like here. Usually the better the timber the faster you can go until you get to the massive timber, then you get to balance the tree in the head like a bat in the palm of your hand and that gets to be time consuming and also hard on the machine. All referenced to a 425 timbco leveling cab machine.

300 cd per day ?? Would love to see that kind of wood ...  Bring that buncher over to our part of the country and 100-150 cd per day running wide screaching open is more realistic

CuddleBugFirewood


Jamie_C:   
What would be more realistic?  I do the logging part time and I don't get into many pulp heavy jobs like this.  Mostly select cut veneer, grade, pallet/mat logs, and I do that for a set fee per board foot.  The pulp logs make me firewood for the firewood business.

In the past I have stored up all the firewood/pulp myself as last year I paid $27 ton delivered on my lot (800 tons).  This job would set me up for next winter.   I am thinking to go ahead and store it up as firewood logs for 2013/2014 winter (we will cut & split them January-May and season for sale in fall of 2013).  then my trucking would drop dramatically to $100 a load or I could probably haul myself each night on the way home.  (the job is about 10 miles from the house).

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