The Most Expensive Firewood I’ve ever Sold
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- čas přidán 22. 08. 2024
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It's amazing how good for business honest, ethical dealing is...and how many people don't seem to understand that.
Agreed! - …and sad how it can be hard to find these days.
People get desperate and don’t give much thought to life beyond the trade at hand. It’s awful petty. What surprises me is people still do it and don’t realize it’s that much easier to be exposed with the internet, etc.
You nailed it!!
Marketing loves a repeating customer. Brand loyalty comes from a good service or product.
The time you got to spend with your dad is priceless never forget that cause that's better than the price of wood.
Agreed!! Priceless
Agreed. Mine died on Sunday.
That kind of money is what we should be getting based on the equipment involved and the labor it takes!
I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that your returning customers will pay good money for good product.
Producing firewood is a lot of work. You are worth what you received!
Judging by the neighborhood, I would guess those folks are used to quality products and services and understand the cost associated with them. I agree that your product is worth the cost, but your willingness to separate the load and help at each location is of high value to these folks too. Like you say a great group of customers. You are also spot on about the replacement cost of equipment. I was shopping a new splitter recently and it only took a short amount of shopping to determine the one I have is just fine.
No they have enough money and are to lazy to cut wood
@@davidsignor7931 no no no!!!!
They appreciate a good product and great service and have the funds to show their appreciation.
Best video I've seen lately. Nice explanation on your justification for wood & delivery charge. Inflation has hit everything.
Hey, you are doing it exactly right with the calculation, everything has to be included in the selling price what you have to spend, even if it is not constantly accumulating like gasoline. But if you load the trailer like this, you should secure the wood so that it does not fall down, for example with a net or tarpaulin. Otherwise your costs could go up very quickly if a piece of wood falls off and damages another car.
Hey Adam! I’ll just throw another idea out there. I seen a while back that Mike M. was experimenting with the firewood bags. If you devised a way to load 1/3 cord per bag you could lift them into your trailer. Then have a removable 2x6 or 2x8 spacer/divider between each pair of bags. That way you could lift the dump bed, dump out 2 bags, lower it, remove said spacer, lift again at the next stop and dump 2 more and so on or whatever combination of such as your order prescribed. Would be easy for you, cleaner for your customer. Charge for the bags OR pick them up on your return trip in exchange for a new batch. Keep up the good work!👍🏻 Jim
I have bought three loads of wood in the past two years. The first load was delivered when I wasn't home. Lots of limbs, and green wood.
My firepit is 6'. My burn area is 4'. I asked the last two guys for specific length. Again. I was burned (no pun intended) Very short wood, and several limbs. A lot of green wood.
I'd love to have an honest business person like you. Keep up the good work!
Great pond update! Looks great and look forward to the updates! Great to have your dad help you! Making memories with him is wonderful and you will always remember it! Great product leads to happy customers. Customers dont mind paying more if the person is honest with them. You are honest and deliver a great product! Great video Adam! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Adam, it's very easy to keep the wood in the basket and load/unload. Loading - set the first two baskets in as far as they will go with the forks and then just push them back with the next set of baskets. To remove, just as easy. After unloading the first two, use a winch, or a strap tied to the basket and your tractor and then just pull to the rear of the trailer and then pick up with the forks. Been doing this for years w/no problems and it'll save you a TON of time. The nice thing about leaving it in the basket is that for your regular customers like the one you profile, you can just drop the basket at their house, and then pick it up when you bring them a new one the next year. Of course, it they don't have a trailer, then you're back to unloading by hand, BUT you still save an immense amount of time on the front end of the op.
Yeah, a winch at front and back...prob solved, time is money
Easier to borrow a flatbed trailer.
@@paulprigge1209 no...not at all man. Drill a hole at the front, at the level of the bed....pull totes to the front...then same thing at the back. Sooooo much less time wasted
Easiest way is to make it a dump bed and use spacers between drops and just raise the bed and then remove spacer for next drop :)
Pond is filling and the firewood's selling. Life is good.
Nice delivery day! You’re right about the inflation/replacement cost. Great planning. It’s great that you have an honest business relationship with your customers. Your providing a good service at a good price. There’s nothing worse than trying to burn unseasoned firewood. Nice video. -Chad
An honest and reliable business, it's great to see. And not common anymore. Great work.
A few key points here,
You got to spend quality time with your dad.
And you have proven to your customers that you continue to be an honest business man.
Love your videos Adam. You bring honesty and frank common sense to the firewood business. Keep up the good work and enjoy your PA winter !
Adam - so true, I would gladly pay someone honest & hardworking like yourself rather than try to save a couple dollars with on an inferior product and shady characters. Keep it up, always happy to see the progress at the homestead and learn something along the way.
Nice work Adam! I very rarely comment but am happy that you are charging what you're worth! You have a great product and are a stand-up guy... people will pay extra for that! Love your channel and wishing you nothing but continued success!
If your delivery was typical, it's time to invest in a deck over trailer. If what the customer orders is in IBC totes, that's what I load. This isn't meant to be negative. It just seems you could improve efficiency. Great customer service by the way!
Wow! That’s a lot of handling! There has to be a better way.
I enjoyed the video.
My thoughts exactly!
Maybe there is a better way, but Adam isn’t doing this day in and day out. I believe he said he only had 6 cord left to sell for the entire year. If you have to handle 6 cord of wood a little more than normal, it isn’t as big of a deal as it would be for 60 cord.
Lots of labor. If I sold wood, it would be have to be over $2000 a cord.
Trust me as he gets older they will be paying too much handling way way too much
Put side rails on trailer and dump on 2 cords, forget stacking it onto trailer.
I'm from Quebec and thought I'd offer some of the differences up here... when people talk "cords," they actually mean "face cords." An actual cord is referred to as a "full cord" - but no one uses that measurement unless you are at the wholesale/woodlot level. Processors typically do not sell less than a full or half load - some have 10 (face) cord capacity haulers that they split with a gate. 5 (face) cords is usually the minimum. Seasoned wood is a luxury that I have never been able to find - loads are made with the processor's conveyor dumping right into the hauler. The full length logs might be 2 years old and they'll call that "seasoned," but of course it isn't. For that reason, I always order my wood at least one season ahead. And a typical price for a face cord right now is about $100 - $125, depending on area.
Fantastic Video, Adam. Glad to see the pond filling up. Love the beach area and the primary use for swimming and skating. I think you will find the pond will naturally become populated with many species of local fish due to the droppings of various waterfowl that eat fish eggs. At least that’s what I have read in the past. Really awesome that you provide such outstanding customer service. And equally great that your customers recognize your efforts and are not only willing to fairly compensate you but add in a nice tip. You deserve it! Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks Bob
I absolutely love the music in this video
Good idea to keep the pond updated coming.
Hey Adam, I attended a pond clinic years ago and had a pond we built for 18 years, they said grass carp leave too mush nitrogen in the water from their defecation which helps the weeds grow. The only fish I would put in is bass, they keep the bugs under control and if a duck would bring in fish eggs they eat the fry, also they are real fun for kids to catch.
yep, a neighbor put some grass carp in our pond trying to "help" and it it made the algae growth terrible. Ended up having to shoot them with a .22 as they fed around the edge of the pond.
Add sides to the dump trailer to whatever height you need for it to hold a cord and a half thrown in. It will save you so much work, for the cost of a couple of 2x12x14 s
Without reading all the comments I’m guessing someone may have already suggested this. You could try putting a one tote in then use the next one to push the first one back then rinse and repeat.
I was in business for 35 years. My mentor told me I could charge anything I wanted.....BUT, I better be worth it. You have a good product and service. People will pay for that. David A.
Glad to see you deal with people who are willing to pay for quality product and service.be blessed and stay safe
Your page was suggested to me by CZcams and I knew I recognized Doug from the community. We're near gravel run and I've been watching all your videos! Are you an accountant by day, we're in need! Also, what about picking up a used pallet jack, then you could just move the baskets whereever you want to on the trailer.
Adam, great explanation of unseen cost🚜🪵👍🏼🇺🇸
Stumbled on the video...glad I did. Sweet Channel, looking forward to watching more!
Hi Adam, another great video. I love them all. I was surprised that you aren’t planning to stock that pond with some bass and gills. You might not want to fish but your boy will! A 7 to 10 year old loves nothing more than drowning a worm…
A good product should command a good price. I have been burned many times and now just cut my own. No bark and split small, just how I like it.
Thanks for another good episode !
I’m up in New England and would be happy to pay your going rate per cord knowing it was a quality load. There are simply too many short timers thinking they can make a quick buck knowing they’ll never see you again and then you get burned and not the wood !!!
I believe gravel beds are needed for fish to lay eggs in. I could be totally wrong.
As for loading totes, it might work to have a large D ring welded on either side of the front along with a winch mount. Use a snatch block to redirect your line to pull in totes or even full logs that your tractor can only lift one end of. Makes the most use of equipment you already have.
He’s not going to have fish, for them it’s a swimming pond and ice skating pond. ⛸🏊♀️🏊
We slide pallets of Sod into our dump trailer. The loader operator has a contraption that he can slide onto is forks with a big flat bar across it he can slide the entire pallet forward with it. In your case you would need to load both pallets of wood side by side have the bar wide enough to push both forward at the same time. Load your next two and push them against the first and then finally load your last two pallets.
I would pay premium price for good product as well. You pay for what you get. I can't believe that Home Depot is charging 1750 for that 27 ton Log Splitter. It's only 1300 here and the 34 ton is listed at 1700. Wow! I am about to purchase one soon - I am going for the 34 ton. Thanks for your channel - it's inspiring!
I'm always impressed with your videos. They are very distinct and I enjoy watching them. I so enjoyed the end of this one because that was probably one of the best explanations I have heard in a long time to make people understand why things are costing the way they are right now. Keep up the good work Adam it's very refreshing. Lee Horton Canton Mississippi
Hey, Sunday morning early. Please keep up the good work. AC
Always exceed your customers expectations. Good Job
Good job Adam, hoping your pond fills quickly, but, I just don't think it will that quickly. Hope I am totally wrong because you seem like such a good dude.
Always take care of your customers, and they will take care of you. It’s that simple.
Recommend using a couple 4x4 posts to push the baskets with the FL. Get the baskets up on the trailer then push them as far as possible with the front of the forks. Then position the 4x4s between the baskets and the forks to “extend” the length of the forks.
Good for you, Adam! Goes to show you that hard work and honesty go along way, +$150 tip just paid for the gas for that trip alone.
I can relate. I, too, have been burned a couple times by unscrupulous folks. It's crazy how they don't think about repeat business. The last one delivered included alot of soft wood and was alot less that a cord when I stacked it. Unfortunately I wasn't home when he delivered it.
And oh by the way! lol My first time here, won't be my last. You sir are a role model that ANYone can look to for guidance on how to life correctly. But you need to find a way to herd younguns through here. While they are still guide-able. Keep up the good work my good man. May God Bless you and yours.
People will pay a price for good quality, premium wood. And most of them understand that things have gone up in price. You are selling a quality product and quality is important, that's what people want in anything!!
For the future I suggest try to push the pallet in, then when to unload it, get a rope strap around the pallet, and pulled it back out to the open gar then unload it with the fork
Thanks for the video Adam & tell your Dad I said hi! :-)
I hand stack fire wood I doit for the exercise nothing wrong with hard work !!❤️
With the part about having to stack all the wood again and not being able to use the pallet forks. Just start from the back like you said and sit one down as far as you can reach with the tractor. Then get another and use that one to push forward with the second basket on the forks and sit it down. Then use the third basket to push it up as far as you can and if you have more room that you can't reach to push forward use a fourth basket to push it all the way forward. And just repeat for the other 3. Hopefully that helps and maybe you're able to save quite a bit of time that way.
Umm, couldn't you just drop a tote on the trailer's (you call it entry point in video), fetch another tote and use it to push the first tote to the front of trailer, now drop second tote on the trailer edge...lather rinse repeat till you have all 6 totes on the trailer?
Also, COVID is more the cause for the material increase in raw materials to build that trailer and log splitter, inflation is less the reason. Not to mention leftover trade war tensions with China, a major steel provider for us.
Great work getting customer loyalty, man! Super proud of ya.
Exactly what I was thinking
By definition inflation means nothing more than a rise in prices reducing the purchasing value of money. What you are describing are reasons that cause inflation.
Enjoyed your take on inflation. On the first day of our current president I paid $2.20 for gas. Just looked up the current price for gas at the place I usually buy gas in Iowa , and it was $3.25 per gallon. I live in Illinois but live only 16 miles from Iowa. I usually shop in Iowa. Gas in Illinois is thirty cents per gallon higher than Iowa. It’s unbelievable that your trailer costs 50% more than a year ago. I bought an 18 ft. Used Aluminum trailer this summer from a local trailer dealer. She told me that they would order trailers at a set price and they would call back 6-8 months later (yes, dealers are waiting even longer than that for inventory.) telling them that the price is 30-40% higher. If they want the trailers, you pay the higher price. Unfortunately I don’t see any relief in site with this administration in the future. Tighten your belt and go into survival mode.,
Thank you for all your videos. We have enjoyed your videos throughout the years. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your beautiful growing family. Will there be a Thanksgiving Special? LOL
Happy Thanksgiving
PS... I like the camera angle for the ride-along on the deliveries.
14:22 Thanks for sharing your business tips. Great philosophy on how to properly structure a sustainable business and charging appropriate rates!
I use to print t-shirts, I always through in some extra shirts. Just in case there was any problem that I didn't see. Taking good care of a client is just good business.
Great way to take care of your customers, I know how the customer felt, I had a very expensive load of firewood that was far to wet to burn, it was barn dried, a term I still don’t understand but in common use here, I was told he would deliver a cord, he delivered a truck bed, small truck bed lode and before i got outside had dumped it on my drive! I rejected it and after some back and forth did keep it for a 70% discount, just just can’t trust people you don’t know.
Great Job, never be afraid to charge for good work, everyone appreciates hard workers. Cheers, Stay Safe.
Quality products and service - This is how its supposed to be. Good stuff sir!
Nice job on the pond! I take my woodlot debris (sawdust, bark, splinters) and run it through a hammermill. Makes great compost. Inflation? Let's Go, Brandon!!
Nice work Adam! Keep those customers happy. People talk about gouging…this isn’t gouging…this is quality product. Same reason people buy a Yeti cooler over a styrofoam cooler. You’re doing it right. Aren’t prices stinkin crazy right now? Keep it up buddy!
If you put a hand jack into the trailer ($200) you can set each IBC down, then move it to the far side and turn it around to get the hand jack out.
Pond is looking good. Good idea with the sand dam. The wood road looks good too.
Thanks Mark
Had a customer who wanted 1/3 cord of seasoned birch. I explained I just did mixed hardwoods. He could see a facecord of birch stacked back a ways. Normal price for mixed, seasoned hardwood in our area is $120 picked up. He wanted the birch so bad, he offered $500 for the facecord. I didn’t try to negotiate a lower price. I helped load it and just smiled as he drove off.
Comon Adam, don’t screw this up, we got the big rooftops!
Hi Adam, maybe if you attach a 12-volt winch on the back end of your trailer, you could fill the bed with your totes, then winch them rearward to unload them. Just a thought.
It's your pond and you can do what you like. But, I'm kind of intrigued with the idea of turning a valve in the kitchen and having rainbow trout come out. 🐟
Hey Adam have you made any videos about standing dead trees or moisture content? I’ve seen a lot of other channels doing that, and I don’t think everyone seasons as long and good as you. I’m wondering if I take down a standing dead tree, how long does it still need to season in order to burn?
I am surprised that you don't have to secure your load with a net. It is a must on a dump trailer in Germany.
Pittsburg area looks like it's recovered nicely from the steel mill shut downs in the 70s. In the fingerlakes area of western ny need to be in 70 to 80 dollars a facecord range if you want to move much wood.
If you don’t over fill your baskets, they can be stacked so that more can be stored in the same area. Looking good!
Open the tailgate and set 2 totes side by side (if they will fit side by side) on the trailer, then when you grab the next 2 totes use those to push the first ones forward. You have to be creative and work smart with the tools at hand. I've loaded a full tractor trailer from the ground with a forklift doing it just like this.
Good for you. Sounds like you deserve and have earned it.
Honesty always wins. Keep doin it Adam!!
On the topic of loading the baskets from the rear of the trailer, have you tried to set a basket on the tail of the trailer and use the next basket to push the first basket toward the nose of the trailer?
Hy! I've just converted it: Here in Germany I paid my wood supplier around 650 dollars this spring for 5 square meters (equivalent to about 1.5 cords). First class firewood, most is beech, some ash. But for him it's only a 15-minute drive to my property.
You cab get them in the back of the dump trailer, you just shove them forward with the next basket and by the 3rd basket the first basket is at the front. It's even easier when there is snow to make it so they slide in easier. Either way, seems like you have a pretty nice set-up for processing firewood. I'm thinking of buying some property in Central Oregon and if I do I plan on putting together a processing area and sell firewood in the fall as well as all summer for people camping. Liked and followed
So how was it pulling that trailer out the new driveway? No ruts and didn’t get stuck from what I could tell.
Didn’t sink down an inch. I love the new road
Did you moisture test any of the as t shipment?
Or do you date the I.B.C. totes ?
How do you know when "it's ready"?
Never keep them waiting and
Always leave them wanting more
I only moisture test if If the wood feels heavy. Usually I can tell by weight and sound. If you go to pick up a piece of firewood and it’s so heavy your wrist can’t support the weight it’s probably still green. As far as sound goes your firewood should sound like bowling pins when you hit them together
You are one honest Man I tell ya! 👏🏼
it might be worth your time to get deliverable bins. Either more of those units you use to store the wood in but smaller so you can have half stacks and whatever and fit them in your trailer. Or see if you can grab a used trailer. I know from my own sort of business (I work in IT), that I have to calculate my man hours in for sake of determining my profit. Meaning if I charge $85 dollars an hour for say 10 hours of work, part of that 85 is taxes, material costs, fees related to the task, transport (depends on project), utility costs and so on. But part of that is my actual personal income plus any other people I sub out to. So if I can find a way to cut down how many actual hours I spend on something, even if the overall project still takes 10 hours, that's more either profit for me or the business. The time spent unloading from your seasoning bins for example could be spent cutting more wood. Or could be spent doing something else to make money.
Nice to see industrious people though. I think that is a lost skill in the inner city where I live right now, lol.
I use a dump truck with IBC totes, put one in, then the next one will push that one to the front Saves me from unloading and stacking like you did. Less times you have to touch the wood the better:)
When I get to my delivery I just hand unload each tote. Takes 6-8 min per tote. Just a thought for you.
Nice pond color!!!!!!
Hey Adam, everything is looking nice ! Great to see
Thanks Corey
A company near me, said the state government regulated them to fire dry their firewood before it was sold because of the stinkbugs. That was a few years ago. Apparently, they still do that because the wood they brought us was well seasoned. Only thing, it had a lot of "trash" left on the ground after I stacked it. A lot of wood, but it came with a mess.
That's a benefit I noticed with all the hand stacking and hand unloading in this video... Much of the "trash" like loose bark and other small debris gets selectively left behind. If he would have dumped the last 1/4 cord of wood, that last customer would have had a ton of trash from all the debris left on the trailer, and it would have looked bad to the customer.
Cool. I cut and split firewood today.
From the looks of that neighborhood, your customer doesn't stress the cost of wood.
Nice wood,it would be ticket time here in upstate New York. All loads must be covered regardless of what is in the trailer . They like to hang out bye the land fills so when you go to the dump and it’s not covered they give you the not covered load ticket .
I would load them in, loaded pallets, and push them back as you load! Then use a chain or strap and pull them out as you unload!
lol didn’t MIke Morgan just called a thief for his “bundle math” on a cord of wood charging $700 a cord (when bundled)? Obviously you’re delivery distance is a MAJOR factor in this. Awesome video Adam, I love when you get all CPA on the firewood haha
Lol I love when I get all CPA on firewood too
2 baskets in the back. Then get the next baskets and push those 2 forward. Then get the last 2 and push the others forward. Way, way easier with much less manual labor.
I am fortunate enough to pay a higher price for a quality product and labor. I do not like inflation, especially the way it’s coming at us now, but I understand that a working man needs to pay his bills and I don’t mind helping with a little extra. Keep up the great work.
hey adam just a thought for you........... some of that bark from your firewood workes great in your meat smoker i use it all the time esp maple ,cherry and, apple
All around great video! Your content is always enjoyable, educational and inspiring! The pond is awesome and I look forward to watching the first hockey game played (or at least filmed)! Also, you’re a good man for giving a little extra on the delivery! Lastly, your video editing is top notch!
I just got a cord of Tamarck firewood delivered. It was $595 delivered. It's crazy how much prices have gone up. I would have gone and harvested my own wood but the property I have access to only has poplar/aspen trees which are not ideal for burning in the house as it has such a low heat output an makes a pile of ash.
Convert that $880 to bundle prices and they got a deal! Happy customers are repeat customers.
Nothing wrong with selling green firewood, as long as it's being sold as such. I got burned by our local tree company reselling their soaking wet scraps. I learned to buy a moisture meter and test what I was buying first. I would willingly pay 75% for next year's firewood now.
I don't normally sell firewood any more, but an ad on Craig's List intrigued me. Guy wanted some delivered, said he would split open some with a meter and check it. Over 20%, take it back with you !
So I emailed the guy, said I'd sell him a cord, but won't deliver......$300/cord. Most around here getting 75-100 per "pickup load" (whatever that is), and seasoned means "cut at least a week".....ahaahhaa. So we back/forth a bit, he finally says "I have a short bed truck Ford truck, I'll come try a 1/3 of a cord."
He came yesterday, we got out exactly 1/3 of a cord measured in a basket I made out of square tubing and expanded metal, open front. 4'x4'x32" deep. He and I filled it out of one of my 4 cord sheds with 2 year old hickory(80%)and white oak (20%). I had the basket on the front of the tractor forks, tipped it into his truck bed from the back, and we had to pick up some once he closed the tailgate. It totally filled his bed with 1/2 stacked, 1/2 sorta loose.
He texted me after he got home and said he checked a couple pieces inside....16-17% MC. Happy as he could be, wanted to know if he could come get another 1/3cord next weekend.
That guy was smart, though I'm guessing it was from an expensive lesson in the past.
Funny how many people will contact a stranger (someone they've never bought from before, and who wasn't recommended to them by a friend) and hand over hundreds of dollars without bothering to check the quality of what they are buying. If you want something more definitive than the sound or heft tests, a basic moisture meter for wood is $30 or $50, it's not a big investment.
Most people don’t even know how much a cord of wood is in size. And with 16” stove wood there are 3 ranks in a cord and if it’s 24” wood there is 2 ranks in a cord.
Happy thanksgiving to you and your family! KC Don