Question about hauling logs

[Shannonbeth]

I am wondering if it's better to have your logs hauled or if it's even possible to rent a truck and trailer? I am considering buying the logs from people I know who have trees on their property and I will need a way to haul them. What is the best way to go about that?

I know I need to take the class and hopefully I can still this year. I was just sitting here and thinking about how I am going to get them from point A to point B.

[StressMan79]

A log will weigh a MINIMUM of 1200 #. Even a goose neck trailer will only have a 14,000 # capacity. You will make lots of trips, and need a loader to put them on and take them off the trailer. Even moving them a mile this way, you will get maybe 3 loads per day.

You are looking at a week to move your logs this way. A self loader can do it in an afternoon.

Also, I don't think you'll find a trailer that can haul a 35' long tree. Seems like more trouble than it is worth. I had 50 trees delivered to my site, 3 log trucks full, dragged 1200 ft up a mountain with a cat. I spent just over 100 per log, delivered. Oh, and going with a logger who is just doing a few acres of log clearing, he can save the best for you. That way you get fairly homogenous trees, none too big and none too small.

-Peter

[loghousenut]

I concur with Peter on this one. I have fabricated two different trailers specifically to allow me to haul my own logs for a couple of smaller log structures I have made. Worked out fine pulling moderately small logs a few miles to build fairly small log buildings.

When it was time to build the main house that my wife wanted, I hired a trucker with a self-loading log truck to haul them 3-1/2 hours to our building site. He was worth every nickel. The video is him unloading our ridgepole at the homesite. That thing weighs over 13,000 lbs. I could not have towed it with my Suburban.


http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t55/loghousenut/Our%20Home/th_P1000844.jpg (http://s157.photobucket.com/albums/t55/loghousenut/Our%20Home/?action=view&current=P1000844.mp4)

[rreidnauer]

That thing weighs over 13,000 lbs. I could not have towed it with my Suburban.
You *could* have towed it with the Suburban. Turning and stopping . . . . eh, not so much.

[LogLover]

and you could be awaiting the tech's call who's replacing the tranny and doing the overhaul. lol
I have in past eatin' up 2 'burbs hauling horses .... they big, they bad but they are not made for this other than occasional abuse. Definitely not worth the potential repair bills IMO. 13K# lots of weight to haul
That's just me .... kinda like my toys to last. :D

[Shannonbeth]

Thanks for the replies guys. I have another stupid question! How do I find a person that has a trailer or who can haul logs to a site for me when I get to it? Just trying to get cost estimates written on paper so know what I am looking at.
I am just not sure how to find cheap trees or someone who can haul them for an affordable price.

[Scoutman]

Shannon, where are you? How far are the trees from point A to point B? How large are the trees?

[Shannonbeth]

I am in Minnesota. The trees are aprox 2 hours away and they're anywhere from 40 to 60 plus I believe he said.

[LogLover]

Duluth area Shannon? I talked to a couple of loggers/haulers this spring who were fair priced. Located both off CL - Duluth area. Posted there and had several reponses. Want me to see if I still have them? IIRC you are in Willmar area or such? You hauling that way?

[Scoutman]

Next question. Taking the class when? Don't get ahead of yourself!!

[loghousenut]

Shannonbeth, Getting logs hauled is no big trick. There are plenty of problems to overcome that make log hauling look like childs play. Take the class and get your head wrapped around the rest of the project. Whenever it's time to drag those dead trees to your place, we'll get you through it. What you want to avoid is getting the log problem solved only to realize that they are the wrong logs, or too short, or that they're gonna have to set in the weather for three years. There will always be logs out there. It almost seems like logs are easier to get now than when there was a booming timber industry.

Trust me when I say "Your idea of the perfect log home will change after you've gone to class". Your idea of the perfect log will change also. My words will be echoed by 95% of the folks out there who have built a LHBA home.

Fly to Vegas and take the class. Then rent a car and take a road trip through the part of the US that has very few mosquitoes. Stop in and check out my place and a dozen others on your way home and get this LHBA thing working your head in the right way. You'll be welcome anytime.

[Mosseyme]

Yes take the class and when they ask if there are any loggers in the group, say no and keep it that way. The 2 logs we put on the rack today took a day each to get down limbed and up out of the creek. Then today we hauled them up 1/4 mile to the racks. The little 450 JD dozer did the job but sometimes the log was picking up the dozer instead of the dozer picking up the log. We even had the tractor on one end helping for a little while. The guy that came out the other day that has a big honkin dozer said he couldn't believe that little JD was getting those logs in. We are slowly getting them in only about 1/2 dozen left to get down. We may even leave a couple of them since it looks like they will take out a lot of other trees when they go down no matter what we do.

[Shannonbeth]

Loglover - I am in Willmar but we're going to be looking for land closer to the metro area as my husband works in Minneapolis. If you have any information that would be wonderful!

Scout - I am going to take the class as soon as I am humanly possibly, I have 7 kids and need a plan...lol. I am not tryin to get a head of myself, just sometimes when I am sitting here I have random stuff pop into my head.

[LogLover]

Wow - that is a looooong drive to work.
And wow again - 7 kids !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How do you find time to even type. ;)
check your in-box _ sent reply(s)

[Scoutman]

7 kids is a heckuva work crew!!

[jrdavis]

Shannonbeth,

You will just have to pick up a phone and make lots of calls (cheaper is NOT always better). To echo LHN, its not hard to find one, but hte right one may take a little work.
Random thoughts are good. -- They come often as a mother of 7. I'm a father of 7. :+}

Keep dreaming and let those random thoughts come out.
This is a great sounding board.

JD

[Shannonbeth]

I just can't wait to take the class. Need to get money stashed aside and get my butt over to one!