oil cost

[Jim Schumacher]

I spent the extended holiday weekend cutting and splitting. Late firday night while stacking in the moonlight, I started to wonder...How much does oil cost? So thats my question, how much could I expect to spend on oil to feed an evaporator covering, lets say, 550 taps? Fellow woodchuckers... I am just curious...for now;)

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Jim,
Depends on the bells and whistles. Got a piggy back? Preheater? RO?
Estimates for a bare evaporator with no enhancements and "average" test sap are usually around 4 gallons of oil per gallon of syrup produced. Add the bells and whistles and that may be reduced to1/2 gallon of oil per gallon of syrup. So with 550 taps and a real good year you might make 200 gallons. Anywhere from100 gallons to 800 gallons of oil. Current oil costs around here are about 2.50 per gallon so $250 to $2000.

[Fred Henderson]

When I can no longer cut wood I am done making syrup. If I only make one gallon that don't take much wood.

[petersp22]

curiosity killed the cat.

[KenWP]

They talk about 3 to one syrup to oil up here but that's with a moderen evaporator. Up here if it's not installed right you can have trouble getting oil delivered to it.

[Jim Schumacher]

curiosity killed the cat.

I love that reply. That made me laugh right out loud!

I cut split and stacked almost three cords over the weekend, just got a little burned out I guess. Almost all oak and maple, dry and hard as bone. Anyone in northern Wi knows that you can't just back your trailer right up to that stuff. The hardest part is lugging it out to the trail. Most of the rounds were over 12" diameter. When stacked on the truck and trailer in rounds it measured to be 2.14 cords. When split and stacked on skids it measured 2.81. There. Solves that mystery.

[KenWP]

Never get to cut oak here. The only maple I have have been dead for years or still alive. Aslo have those goofy dead elms all over the place. I can see the time I either run out of wood and go to oil or give up period. I haul home pallets right now for some extra wood but being shy I have only one place I can get any right now. Many places have piles of them just rotting looks like but am not a guy who likes to just ask.

[maplecrest]

jim i switched to oil in 1993. back then i figured how many times i handled the wood X theman hours at min wage and was ahead so far as the price of oil. then i was boiling straight sap no preheater or r/o or steamaway. you do the math.

[3rdgen.maple]

If the time you spend cutting wood can be spent making money at a job or wherever then I would think oil would make more sense. If the time you are cutting wood does not take any income away then trying to justify it with a labor rate will never make sense to me. This is how you are saving money versus spending it. If your time is worth more to you with other hobbies then it may be worth it to you. I however will continue to use wood until I run out or I can no longer cut it. Until that time comes I will save the money and use it elswhere.

[michelle32]

Kenwp, You must remember the squeaky wheel always gets the grease . Speak up boy. Didn't your father ever tell you that.Keith

[nas]

The cost of firewood is always more predictable. Just X # of hours of hard work:) . But as long as I have my sawmill, burning oil will never be an option;)

Nick

[brookledge]

I have to agree with 3rd gen. Unless you are paying someone or cutting the wood is taking you away from making money doing something else, then I think wood is the way to go.
You need to determine what your time that you are spending to cut the wood is worth. As was said previously with your tap count you should make 200-220 gal of syrup so at 3 gal of oil/gal of syrup that is 600-660 gallons of oil. and at 2.50 you are talking $1500-$1650.
Last year I burned 30 cord and other than the small amount of gas to run the chain saw and splitter I spent nothing other than my time The 30 cord of wood is approximately equal to 3500 gal of oil @2.50 a gal thats almost $9,000 that I would have had to shell out instead I put that into my pocket
Keith

[petersp22]

There might be a middle ground. Loggers around here are looking for buyers and you could pick up a load of oak for around $80-100/cord. Then you get the economy and satisfaction of making wood and you don't have to work quite as hard. I can help you find someone if you want. I also know people in the firewood business and they get $175/cord cut/split/delivered locally, though you're probably not where they'd consider local.

[Jim Schumacher]

I'm not to that point yet. I cut about seventeen cords this year so far. Most of it will be going toward the evaporator, the rest toward the house and cabin stoves. I guess the problem is I only get to cut when I am up north which is only, at most, once every three weekends. When I'm not up north I'm working 75 hours weeks. It just seems like every time I am up there I am cutting, and if I'm not cutting I feel guilty. I toured a guy's place a few weeks ago who needs 100 cords per season for a 4x14. If I get that big I will be getting some delivered for sure. I truly do enjoy cutting, and want to make very sure to keep it that way. You guys did a very good job putting into perspective the fuel values and how they very according to each individual's lifestyle, priorities, and available time. Thank you.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I cut about 6 cords this year for sugarhouse and it didn't cost me much more than time. If I make 100 gallon of syrup and burn 3.5 gallons of oil per gallon of syrup which is likely with my 50 to 1 sap to syrup ratio, then at $ 2.50 per gallon, that is $ 875 that I would rather keep for myself. I don't make any money the way it is, and I don't want to go another $ 875 in the hole. Equipment is getting close to depreciated out in 3 or 4 more years, so the $ 875 might be the difference in profit and breaking even and if oil is $ 4.00 per gallon, then that is $ 1400 and it won't be long before we see $ 4.00 per gallon again, I would guess within 24 months. I understand why others do it and it is better for a larger producer in most cases to burn oil, especially if you are making a gallon of syrup with .5 gallons of oil. But burning raw sap around 1.7 to 1.8 percent, it is blowing money up the stack. Besides, wood is good exercise and enjoyable if you have a good attitude.

Sorry Dave, couldn't be an optimist on that one! LOL!

[Haynes Forest Products]

Michelle32 The squeaky wheel might always get the grease but its the first one to get :o REPLACED