leasing of bandsaw mill

[lexmex]

i am new to this forum. owned and operated a mobile diminsion saw in the late 70's. i have found a large supply of free ponderosa pine and am considering of milling again.
i have found a 2003 woodmizer LT40  hydraulic 25 horepower....  the owner does not want to sell but is interested in leasing it to me. Does anyone have an idea of what would be an equitable leasing fee..? 

[furu]

Well to the forum.

Never heard of the actual cost of leasing a mill but am sure someone can help out.  Unfortunately I can't help you on valuation of said lease.  

Where are you located?

Maybe if the owner is not interested in selling and you are still interested in buying you look elsewhere.  Depending upon the cost of the lease and the duration you would be better off buying if you have a large supply that will last a long time.  If you will only be sawing for a couple of months then leasing might be just the ticket.

To me it is kind of like leasing or buying gas tanks for welding.  I buy my oxygen, acetylene and argon tanks as I use them over a long time period; helium tanks are used rarely and thus I lease them and turn them back in.

[bandmiller2]

Don't know if he's someone you want to work with but you have the logs he's got the mill. Frank C.

[red oaks lumber]

welcome!!
a few years back i was between mills so i leased a lt 40 from the guy that actually did my sawing. i didn't have fulltime work for him so he went and got a job so,his mill was left setup in my building. anyway that was a windy explanation that went nowhere we agreed on a lease deal that was layed out this way. $ 25 per tach hour,he also supplied sharp blades.it wasn't ideal but, it got me through a few months
good luck

[HaroldCR - AKA Fla.-Deadheader]

 I agree with bandmiller2 and red oaks lumber. If the guy has a mill that is not being used, maybe he has an outlet for some well sawn lumber. As "crapshoot" (Hogans Heroes) would say, make a deal, a DEAL deal.

 Check who furnishes parts and labor for breakdowns.  Used to be nearly impossible to rack up 1 hour on a meter compared to 1 hour on a watch.

[Stevem]

I once used a MD mill based on shares of the wood/money earned.  Just a thought.

[lexmex]

Furu...  I'm in southern California....  at first i wanted to buy,  but now i think leasing would be perfect for me. if plans don't work out i won't have a mill to sell (at a loss)...  if business takes off then i can purchase.  also leaves me with more cash for other equipment ( forklift, planer...? ) and operating capital.

red oaks....  thanks for the input....  i think I'll start out at the 15$-20$ range... per meter hour

the mill has only 1140 hours... and appears in perfect condition  it should saw many hours without major repairs...?

[4x4American]

Yes it should, but if you're gonna be putting many hours on it you need to keep up with basic maintenance.  Better make sure to bring a bunch of singles to get that 25 horepower moving!