Diesel Fuel Prices!

  • Thread starter Thread starter DECKERTREE
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Anyone have a clause in their estimate sheet or contract that references a price increase if fuel costs rize substantially between the bid time and job time?
 
We are paying $4.45 for fuel here $3.49 for gas. I have seen prices on services go up and any trucking well better take out a loan to pay for it.
I dont know but i dont think this is the boost to the economy Bush was talking about. Something tells me that if they get any higher some bussineses might be selling out.
Do to these prices we are putting off some of the equipment that we could use, and sticking with laoding trucks the old way no chipping and throwing heavy stuff ontop and strapping down the load.
Nate
 
It sure gives kudos to the "stay small and manageable" philosophy.

Lot's of big-ticket used supertrucks in the classifieds, many for just 'take over payments' but no thanks, some of us saw this coming.
 
On top of that I come home to a call from a long time client (8 or 9 yrs)we are suppose to do work for this Saturday. I gave her a price for $2500.00 for a 3+foot DBH maple in a back yard plus a little pruning. She was calling me to tell me her neighbor had also called a tree sevice about the tree and got a price for her tree for $900.00. I told the woman I just paid $400 bucks to fill my truck and chipper. I said no comment about the co. she's thinking of hiring and good luck! Not only is it costing more to go to work, other companys are willing to work for way less. At least I had a call today to approve a job for $3000.00. So it didn't hurt as bad.
 
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Due to these prices we are loading trucks the old way no chipping and throwing heavy stuff ontop and strapping down the load.


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Doesn't it cost more to do the work that way? Harder to get rid of the brush (instead of getting rid of chips) and longer to load??
 
When my customers tell me they got a much lower price I ask them for the company's number and tell the customer that they work so cheap I will sub them to do all my jobs. QUALITY IS PRICELESS!
 
yeah it is harder but cost wise i wave a lil for the work. As for hauls a most wood goe to the house for winter heating and the rest gets chipped up later or set aside for summer fires and BBQs.
I invested in an Alaskan Mill for the customers who want the lumbernad charge that way to make up thr cost. Right now we are discusing other ways to help out ppl woth costs of work so to kep them as clients and not loseing them.
Nate
 
Gets ya thinking about burning french fry oil.
It would be cool to fire the truck in the morning and smell chimichanga fumes. Anyone know whats involved in converting a motor to use used cooking oil?

Ill take a big mac, small fiies, a coke, and 100 gallons of your dirty oil please.
 
My mechanic is in to the whole bio diesel thing. He has assorted barrels of old cooking oil laying around. Makes his rounds late at night to get his oil. When the price of diesel gets below $2.50 a gallon he swithes back to buying diesel. But as of right now diesel costing $4. a gallon, he is saving a mint. I must say personaly I can't stand the smell of the exhaust. It's a mixture of smells of everthing cooked in the oil. Even one of my friends had to follow him back to his shop one day and said his eyes wouldn't stop watering and it smelled disgusting.
 
I think you have to heat it first. And start the engine on regular diesel, then switch it over. I beleive it also depeneds on how refined it is.
 
He has the whole set up in his garage. About a month ago he almost burnt the place down. During part of the heating process a belt to a mixer broke. He has a tank in the back pickup that he pumps the used oil into. He says it's a pain in the winter time because the oil solidifies and has to heat it up before pumping. Same goes for his truck he has to preheat the oil when it's the cold. He also had problem's with his injectures when he has been sloppy on his refining.
 
If I understand Vermonts DMV I have to register the trucks as "Alternative Fuel" which is $1936.50/year verses $1109.50/yr for diesel for my crane and loader truck. Then of course theres the road tax/IFTA stuff to deal with. Add in the time to go get the used cooking oil and process it plus the cost of the equipment to process it(a guy I went to school with paid around $7000. for his equipment for his farm use) and I just don't think it would add up for me. Don't get me wrong I'm in favor of the idea just not the costs as TIME is something I always seem to be short on.
 
I see time as the biggest issue. I doubt I would want to spend my evenings running around gathering the oil. There is also the cost of the additive used in refining, so there are additional on going costs plus the initial investment.
 
I believe it comes down to demand, yes.

18-wheelers all use diesel, which is a lot of fuel at a constant rate. Diesel is also quite similar to home heating oil, so demand goes up more in winter. It wasn't as pronounced last year, but typically pricing reverses in summer (i.e., gas costs more than diesel).

k
 
Making biodiesel isn't very complex from what I've read, but it can take some tinkering to get the process down. Old diesels tend to be able to run anything, while newer engines (especially volkswagen TDI's) seem pretty sensitive to fuel quality. I hope to run home-brewed BD in my dodge someday, but probably won't use anything but commercially produced fuel in the Beetle.

Learn more about making your own here.

Also worth noting: for a bit of an up-front investment, you can add a conversion that will allow your diesel to run on filtered vegetable oil (no chemistry necessary). Read up on SVO if you're interested. Generally it involves a second tank with biodiesel or petrol diesel--you have to run the lines clear of veg oil before stopping and preheat the engine before switching back.

k
 
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