Am I being unreasonable? Tree removal question.

[karl]

I have three oak trees in my yard that need removed. Two of them are very large (4 feet or so at the base). The third one is smaller but certainly not tiny. I have contracted with a guy to cut them down in the spring. Our deal is that he drops them and then bucks them in to 18" lengths.

So I'll have a yard full of unsplit wood. I approached a local wood seller, that I kind of know. This guy has a splitter and basically sells firewood in the winter for extra money.

The deal I offered him was this. He brings his splitter to the house. We both split all of the wood together. He keeps half of the split trunks and halls them away himself. I keep the other half of the trunks and stack them myself, and I keep all of the limbs, which don't need split anyway.

He acted like I was offering him some chump Craig's List type deal. He said he would need some money too. He didn't say how much.


Is this not a reasonable proposition?

 

[ansehnlich1]

I'd say the heck with him, rent a splitter, split til I was done, and keep all the wood for myself.

 

[branchburner]

The wood itself has minimal value - the value is in labor, transportation, equipment, etc.
If I had a splitter, and no trees, I'd be right over. Your offer would be more than reasonable.
If I had a splitter and was in the wood business, I'd do the math. Sounds like he did, and he puts low value on the wood.
If you can find a guy with a splitter, who has no trees, maybe he'll pay you.

 

[NH_Wood]

Seems reasonable certainly - if he doesn't want the wood, fine, but I don't think you were insulting him at all. But, +1 with keeping ALL of that oak for yourself Cheers!

 

[smokinj]

Its hard to make money for the fw dealer unless the wood is free and you keep all of it....Even then its not easy! (most get paid both ways) In your case would be nice because your giving free labour. (but keeping half the wood) Rent a splitter and keep it all! Maybe Your best bet.

 

[Jags]

I am afraid that I am on the wood sellers side. The wood has virtually no value till it is turned into firewood or lumber. To ask him to bring over his equipment, his labor and yielding less than half a tree...I wouldn't do it, (I would for a friend, but not business proposition) and I don't even sell wood.

My opinion for this kind of trade would be a 1/3 - 2/3 split.

Rent a splitter for a day, then you get to keep it all.

 

[muncybob]

I'd say the heck with him, rent a splitter, split til I was done, and keep all the wood for myself.

Yep, this is what I would do!! Several people here run CL ads for renting out their splitters...one is $25/day w/2 day min and it's delivered/picked up and the other is $30/day.
I take the $30 one as I only want to split for 1 full day and it's horiz/vert type. Grab a friend or 2 and split all day, you can probably get several cords done in 1 day.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

He's in business to make money- not to gather up some wood for himself, so time/labor is at a premium. He probably gets PAID to cut/haul wood off, so the net offer that you're giving him is "Hey- come split some wood for me". It really might be a bad deal for someone in business.

 

[karl]

The wood itself has minimal value - the value is in labor, transportation, equipment, etc.
If I had a splitter, and no trees, I'd be right over. Your offer would be more than reasonable.
If I had a splitter and was in the wood business, I'd do the math. Sounds like he did, and he puts low value on the wood.
If you can find a guy with a splitter, who has no trees, maybe he'll pay you.

I know the labor is what's hard, and I was going to help him split the stuff. Splitting 48" rounds really is a two man job anyway.

As far as the math goes. I think that's the problem. I doubt he can do math.

I figured it out. For what he calls a pick up load and for what he charges. He's getting $200.00 a cord, probably a little more.

I'm going to be giving him 2 1/2 cords at least for a long days worth of work. That's $500.00. I know he only makes about $10.00 an hour at his normal job. Also, he doesn't cut wood for a living either.

 

[krex1010]

Sorry but I would has to say I would not do it if I were him either. He probably gets logs delivered to him for free or dirt cheap through deals he has with tree guys, so from his standpoint you are asking him to come and provide you a service and he isn't really getting anything in return. The wood has no value to him, he probably has wood sitting in his yard waiting to be split and he doesn't have to move his splitter to your house, split wood at your house and then load his truck drive it back and unload the wood. This deal is almost along the lines of the people on cl who advertise a standing tree as free firewood, and want someone to cut it down and clean their yard in return for the " free firewood". Rent a splitter and keep the wood for yourself, or if to have any friends that burn get them to go in on the splitter with you and share the wood with them.

 

[ISeeDeadBTUs]

Selling FW is not a lucrative business.

But um . . . it's Oak. Forget the splitter. Man-up and split the stuff with a Monster Maul. When you get done processing FW, you realize fuel oil is actually pretty cheap!!

 

[Nic36]

If those trees are as big as you say they are, it will take many many hours to split it all.......even with a hydraulic splitter. One 4 feet wide, 18 inch long round will make a lot of pieces. Plus, you have to wrestle them and get them down to a manageable size first.

I agree with the others. It is not worth his time to split it with you. He can probably find free wood plus charge for cleanup elsewhere.

 

[basswidow]

On the surface - it looks like free wood being offered to the wood seller. But in reality, his cost is splitting your half, even though he will have your help to do so. Keep in mind that all the rest of his wood - he probably gets for free without having to split half the wood to take it. He probably doesn't like the idea of splitting half the wood and not getting paid (his payment is the other half - he's used to getting free).

I'm with the rest of the group, keep it all for yourself. Rent a splitter! It will be worth it.

Also, you can ask the tree guy not only to buck the rounds - but he can also noodle them (pie cuts) so they can be moved by 1 person - to make splitting easier. Shouldn't cost you too much more.

 

[krex1010]

A 4' diameter, 18" long oak round is not really moveable by one person unless you are a incredibly hulkish. So even if you rent a splitter you will likely have to noodle those rounds as was mentioned or use a maul and wedges to break them down into manageable pieces, and even then you better eat your spinach before you start working on that wood. Make sure you have a good maul and a half a dozen wedges.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I try to put myself in your and the other guy's place. I can see both sides and agree that it would not be good for him unless he was a close friend. If it were me, I'd be really happy to have all that wood to myself!!

Man handling a 48" log is not easy for sure but it can be done by yourself. However, it might be best to get some help. Another idea would be to use a sledge and wedge to split those things in half. Then wrestling those halves into the splitter is much easier.

Realize that oak needs a lot of time to season so there is nor need to really hurry on the splitting job. Take it one step at a time. Don't try to do it all in one day or even one weekend. Work at a level where you are comfortable and if you get tired.....STOP! Don't work on these things when tired as that is when accidents happen. Pace yourself.

I am what some call a senior citizen but I would not be afraid of tackling that job and would really look forward to it! This reminds me of a neighbor who had some big white oak rounds (approximately 48" diameter) that he could not split and did not think my splitter would do it. I took the splitter down to his place and as I split the wood he stood there with his mouth hanging open like....Wow! The next day, he bought a new splitter. lol Guess he underestimated what can be done.

 

[Mcbride]

Sounds like you offered him a more than fair deal, in my opinion.

As others already mentioned, why not rent a splitter and do it yourself, thus keeping all the wood.

For the really large blocks, if to heavy to lift yourself, ask a buddy to come help you for a few hours, and pay him/her in pizza and a couple beverages.
Or ask the wife, kids, or whomever to help you, depending on your situation.

 

[CTYank]

What are you equipped and prepared to do with the wood? Do you have a chainsaw, maul(s) and wedges, and know how to use them safely?

Most species of oak are pretty easy to split by hand (quicker than hydraulic for the experienced.) You don't have to horse big rounds up onto a splitter, doing it by hand.
The really gnarly forked and knotted pieces you can "noodle" (rip lengthwise) with a chainsaw; the only hard part for the saw is clearing the chips out of the clutch housing.

You don't have to cut clean through; a groove is a good starter for wedge/maul. Groove along side or face works fine. Chips are great mulch, too.

With the above, you could at minimum reduce the larger rounds in preparation for hydraulic splitter, so you could load them solo. You could pretty easily (IMHO) make the hydraulic splitter redundant. And ... the exercise you get from violently swinging a 6 lb maul downward is excellent for the abs and the back.

You do know how long red oak typically takes to air-dry properly, I hope. Ans: min 2 yrs, maybe 3+.

If you needed justification for buying some tools, there it is. (Think decent 50+/-cc saw, 18-20" bar.)

Enjoy, and let us know how it works out for you.

 

[Dix]

Sounds like an opportunity to justify buying a splitter, to me

 

[rdust]

Rent a splitter, grab a friend and have some fun. Here are some shots from a 48"+ white ash I worked on with my dad a while back. We used a long pipe and a dolly to lift them then slide the splitter under them.

 

[mywaynow]

For your large oak pieces, cut them to your lengths and let them sit on their sides for about 6 months or so. I had a similar take of wood and just did not touch the stuff during the hot months. By the time I worked on it, it had split on it's own as it cured. It was quite easy to break down to sizes I could handle. I used a pick to work the pieces under the splitter. Worth the effort- the large rounds will provide 30 splits each.

 

[Shari]

Keep the wood yourself. Have you treeman noodle the large diameter ones at least in 1/2 so you can handle them yourself if working alone.

 

[firefighterjake]

As others have said . . . for the guy selling wood the deal would not make a lot of sense since it would be his equipment and he would be moving all his stuff to come to you. However, it does seem like an opportunity for you to either keep the wood and split it yourself . . . or put out a notice and see if anyone who has a splitter but no access to wood might be willing to split the wood find with you.

 

[burntime]

I would agree with the wood seller. Like others have said the wood has no value until split and delivered. It would actually cost to get it out of there. If it were the neighbor with the splitter the 50/50 is fair. Other then that I am sure a tree guy has all the wood he can handle.

 

[karl]

Rdust, those pics are about like what I'm looking at. I'm a decent sized guy and in shape, but I'm not wrestling that stuff around by myself. My saw won't go through that stuff either. I have a 16' bar and a wimpy motor. I guess I'll have to rent a splitter and hire someone to help me.

At least the opinions are about split here, so I don't think I was being too unreasonable.

 

[remkel]

I suppose the other option is to do it the old fashioned way- maul and wedge. Great exercise. My father used to call it "Dad's Nautilus"