Mobile firewood splitting
What to expect from mobile firewood splitting
If you already have logs on site, we can bring the saw, splitter, and equipment to help turn them into usable firewood. The best fit is not "free heat." It is a pile of usable wood, good access, and clear expectations before the work starts.
When this service makes sense
On-site firewood processing makes the most sense when you already have suitable logs and want them processed instead of hauled away. The usual sweet spot is roughly half a cord to four cords, depending on tree size, wood quality, access, and how much cutting or moving is needed.
If you just want the easiest possible firewood, buying delivered firewood may be simpler. A firewood producer has larger processing equipment and can drop a load in your yard. Our service is a better fit when the logs are already yours and using them has value.
Pricing and what the clock covers
$150 minimum · $75/hr, including travel and on-site time. There is no separate travel fee, but travel is part of the hourly clock. On site, the clock covers setup, cutting logs to stove length when needed, splitting, moving wood within the immediate work area, and cleanup.
If your logs are not already cut to stove length, we can cut them at the same hourly rate as splitting. That is often useful, but it changes the pace of the job. Clean rounds staged near the splitter process much faster than a tangled pile that needs cutting, sorting, and moving first.
What keeps the cost down
- Cut logs to your preferred stove length before we arrive, if you can.
- Stage rounds close to where the splitter can safely work.
- Keep the work area clear enough for truck, trailer, splitter, and operator movement.
- Keep cut wood free of metal, wire, rocks, construction debris, and other contaminants.
- If you can be present to help feed, move, or stack, the work usually goes faster.
Wood that slows the job down
Big wood is harder to move, harder to split, and slower to process. Rotten wood often burns poorly and can split badly. Knots, crotches, branch unions, and twisted yard-tree grain can turn a clean-looking log into slow work. Dirty wood may split, but if it needs cutting first it can dull a saw quickly. Metal in residential trees is more common than people expect and can stop cutting work altogether.
How much firewood is in a tree?
Less than most people think. The University of New Hampshire Extension's cordwood table estimates about 0.30 cords from a 12-inch tree, about 0.50 cords from a 16-inch tree, and about one cord from a 22-inch tree. Yard trees can be less straightforward than forest-grown trees because low limbs, branch unions, rot, and poor form reduce usable firewood and increase handling time.
Seasoning still matters
Freshly processed wood is not automatically ready to burn. UNH Extension notes that green wood can be more than 50 percent moisture, while properly dried firewood is much lower. Cornell Cooperative Extension recommends burning wood below 20 percent moisture because wet wood gives less usable heat, creates more smoke, and increases creosote risk. Splitting helps wood dry, but stacking and time still matter.
What to send before scheduling
- Photos of the log pile from a few angles.
- A photo of the access route from driveway to work area.
- Your preferred firewood length.
- Whether the logs are already cut to length or still need cutting.
- Any known septic, leach-field, utility, slope, or soft-ground concerns.