iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

Pay rate for cutting timber

Started by OldTimbercutter, April 01, 2016, 11:30:40 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

OldTimbercutter

I have an offer to cut timber for a crew . They have a hydro axe , but need a hand faller for the steep ground, and big timber. There wont be any way to figure it by the volume with them cutting too.

Whats a fair price to charge by the hour running my saws, gas, etc.  Its in the southern appalachain mountains .I don't want to over price it , But want what its worth,  A good timber cutter is about extinct in these parts

I work alone now and keeping up with a loader, skidder, saws, and truck is just getting old. Ready to park it for a while and make things simpler.  Thanks
deere 440b
clark f66
loyal dog
stihls 440,460, 066
pretty wife who likes to cook
prentice loaders
A few huskys and a dolmar
Life is good

tj240

Definitly do it by the hour. Where i work i am paid by the hour, and pay my own taxes. 10/99 at year end.  I do ok, but i dont know the rates where you are, i get 25, my saws he pays for gas and oil. Good luck
work with my father[jwilly] and my son. we have a 240 tj 160 barko[old] works great three generations working together

OH logger

at least 25 or 30. your in rough terrain cutting big hogs. usin your saws and maybe drivin to the job. you probably cant cut timber much when your old and we have to make it when we're young. plus it can be awfully dangerous work ya know. lots of risk. hate to work for too cheap and get hurt and be down for a long time or worse...forever. not tryin to be greedy just realistic. just my 2 cents
john

RHP Logging

A good cutter up here can make $3-400 per day.  Most outfits i know pay on volume.  That would be in a 6-8 hour day.
Buckin in the woods

SW Oh Logger

There are so many variables to consider--driving to the work-site, your fuel for saws and vehicle, type of terrain, and timber size and value, probably only you can best figure real costs. I get the per hour thing, and production cutting this isn't, therefore what I usually do in these conditions is charge by the tree, and whether you are limbing and tipping the tree or just falling. That way you're getting paid for what you actually produce--fair to you and the company. You're not to old, just seasoned and in demand!
Snellerized 390xp,stock 395

Spartan

I worked for 25 an hour cutting for several years.  With bad weather, breakdowns, etc...  I made poverty level income.  I now cut between 7-8$ a ton.  But I don't do it every day anymore.  I also skid.
If all you do is falling then you can make some coin if you know what you are doing.  I think you need to look at how much you can put on the ground in a day, how much the company puts out in a day.  What you think you will average for hours.  If you are worth your salt they should pay for volume.
You can always mark the trees you put on the ground.  Keep a counter with you and average out things.  More than one way to skin a cat.  If you work for 6 hrs a day (and you may have had enough of the saw by that time)  Your own commute, expenses, insurance.  you may find yourself working for $16 an hour after everything is paid out, and then theres taxes.  by the time everything is said and done, McDonalds might be a better payout.

Just been there done that.  But, you may need to get your foot in the door too, I understand that as well.

OldTimbercutter

Thanks guys , I wish I could do it by the volume just to be fair for everyone . I would worry cutting by the day that I wasn't cutting enough, if I had a bad day which we all have, and they weren't getting there moneys worth . Counting the trees might be an option . but they said a price for an 8 hour day. If a man cuts for 8 hours, just stopping to fill up and file, he can put a lot of timber on the ground .

I think  $350 a day would be worth it for both of us . Its an hour drive to the job  and a good carpenter makes that much without all the danger. I don't want to sound greedy and I'm not. But its the only God given talent I have , and its  been a rough 30 years cutting to get to this point,  so a feller doesn't need to price it to cheap.
deere 440b
clark f66
loyal dog
stihls 440,460, 066
pretty wife who likes to cook
prentice loaders
A few huskys and a dolmar
Life is good

killamplanes

I am a one man band skidder log truck and 3, 660 saws I buy timber and figure grand a day for every day I'm in the timber.. BUT out of that I truck for a day and work on moving track or workin on equipment so I spend 5 days grossing 3k subtract parts, equi, fuel, insur, etc so I wouldn't do this for 15-20 an hour but 3-400 a day for cuttin sounds pretty reasonable for a decent cutter. That my 2 cents.
jd440 skidder, western star w/grapple,tk B-20 hyd, electric, stihl660,and 2X661. and other support Equipment, pallet manufacturing line

Spartan

Quote from: OldTimbercutter on April 01, 2016, 09:55:18 PMI would worry cutting by the day that I wasn't cutting enough, if I had a bad day which we all have, and they weren't getting there moneys worth .

Just remember, anyone who's been in the business long enough does not go by a day good or bad, but average over long term.  You will have bad days, but you will also have days they get more than their moneys worth.  It should even out.
You should know by now if you've been cutting for 30 years how much on average you can put down in a day.  Price yourself accordingly.


shortlogger

I think the pay will have a lot to do with where your at . In my area I would say 200 a day would be on the high end of pay .
1 Corinthians 3:7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase . "NKJV"

killamplanes

I would agree with it dependant on the area around here anybody could flip burgers for 10 bucks an hour, local truck drivers 12-14 hour. But I know other areas that's a lot.. But remember I'm in the screwed up state of Illinois.
jd440 skidder, western star w/grapple,tk B-20 hyd, electric, stihl660,and 2X661. and other support Equipment, pallet manufacturing line

sandsawmill14

around here its about $1.25 a stick if the company furnishes saw,gas, and oil up to $2 a stick if you furnish it and most pay for 2 sticks for anything over about 30" that is for topping and all but they dont fool with pulp just get the saw logs and go. its pretty easy to measure out the sticks and keep count and leave in tree length :) some of the immigrant workers cut for 50 bucks a tt load and make $300-$350 a day in good timber but they work longer hours than i want to :) i dont know if im getting old or lazy ;D ::) 1 feller i know was making $150 dollars a day on average and was home buy lunch every day he was cutting for some horse loggers and he couldnt cut over 1/2 a day as he would have to let them catch up. around here most timber is 20" and under and when you get in the bottom ground cutting poplar,gum and maple where its 6-8 sticks to the tree :o you can get rich at 2 bucks a stick but in short fat timber scattered in pastures and such almost all will double the rates or just say no :) i wouldnt cut timber by the hour if i could help it for 2 reasons  1 your are limit on the max you can make and 2 if you cut 10 tt loads a day they will still want more ::) but thats just me :)
hudson 228, lucky knuckleboom,stihl 038 064 441 magnum

sandsawmill14

i should have added that stick length is based on 8'9"  tie length logs :)
hudson 228, lucky knuckleboom,stihl 038 064 441 magnum

RHP Logging

Whatever you do don't lowball it and don't feel bad about your numbers either.  They are still making money and if they aren't they are doing something wrong. Hand cutting is a dying form, but its still needed. Demand your highest dollar.  The worst that'll happen is you have to negotiate if they need you bad enough.
Buckin in the woods

OldTimbercutter

This job is around 400 acres mostly white pine . A lot of it is four ft. diameter on the stump, and its steep so there not going to be able to use the cutter much .

There's not many timber cutters left around here. Most are getting old and no one is replacing them . I know of three in the area that were killed while cutting in the past twenty years, one was a good friend, who was older than me . Its been a little over a year, but I think about it most every day, he was one of the best and had done it for over 40 years and never been hurt bad , now he's gone . I really miss him.

I appreciate hearing every ones opinion . I will just give then a price and if its too high for them I can just keep logging . I just wanted to try something different, and my equipment is getting old, sometimes I feel like a mechanic instead of a logger.
deere 440b
clark f66
loyal dog
stihls 440,460, 066
pretty wife who likes to cook
prentice loaders
A few huskys and a dolmar
Life is good

treeslayer2003

75-100 per tt load around here.

RHP Logging

4ft pine on a steep side sounds like a lot of fun! I'm 34 though and love cutting on hills when i can.  So much more can be done with a tree.
Buckin in the woods

madmari

I just did a clearcut of about 2 acres, felling and limbing on steep ground for $20 hour, my gas, my saws, my travel. Figure taxes, fuel, chain, saw wear, etc., you're making minimum wage. Beats anything else though. Mud season here, so any work is good work.
  Good luck!
I know why dogs stick thier head out the car window.

starmac

Mixing the hand fell trees and those of the feller buncher throws a kink in it. Hard to charge by the stick or ton and keep up with it. I feel by the day or hour has drawbacks, many fallers could do much better by the ton or stick than by the hour, plus by the hour you will be expected to be turning out trees every hour you are on the job, same as by the day, they might be expecting you to cut 8 hours, even though you have plenty of trees on the ground and are tired in 6.
Only you can come up with a plan that you will be happy with, just remember they are asking you to do what they can't with what they presently have and price it at a point you are happy.
Old LT40HD, old log truck, old MM forklift, and several huskies.

sandsawmill14

starmac gave the best advice yet price it where your happy if you get it and keep logging if you dont ;D :) there is no need to work cheap to get the job when you already have work you need to make at LEAST what your making now or i woudnt fool with it :)
hudson 228, lucky knuckleboom,stihl 038 064 441 magnum

CCC4

I do what you are inquiring about. I chase Hydro Ax and cut steep ground...sometimes entire tracts just depending. Ok, best bet I can tell ya is to go by the load. In best circumstances I would spray paint the butts of timber you cut and have them loaded seperate. I would charge more for your fallen timber and charge a little less when chasing. Reason for this is you will get more loads per week when chasing. I understand you are in steep ground with big timber...so you may be falling more...but either way, I would suggest by thge load and mark my fallen timber.

OldTimbercutter

Great advise everyone,CCC4 what do you charge a tt load for cutting something like I'm looking at ? Thanks
deere 440b
clark f66
loyal dog
stihls 440,460, 066
pretty wife who likes to cook
prentice loaders
A few huskys and a dolmar
Life is good

Thank You Sponsors!