Thread: insurance for portable mills ?

No problems with the portable mill thing here, although prices do vary widely. The biggest issue with drying timber is fire risk, which the insurers get picky about if the timber is stickered, but not once it's been put into packs. I'd imagine they might be concerned about bushfire risk if it's stacked outdoors.

Public liability is dependent on your turnover, so if it's low you're not paying much.

I pay about $3k or so in total, but that also insures the shed and the rest of my gear. I can't get fire insurance at all for the kilns, because they're made of coolroom panels, which the insurers say is too flammable.

Originally Posted by charlsie

well it's that time of year again. my insurance is due. i'm wondering if anyone has come across problems when contacting a broker and explaining what a portable sawmill actually does ,you get the silient pause then "can you explain that again" thing. I've taken to milling a lot more at home now ,so i have more clients on the property and i'm worried about public liability .the other issue is i'm providing a sevice of storing timber for clients while it dries.one broker described this as stock and can be insured.like he said it would be hard to steal 30 cubes of timber so shouldn't be too costly. my questions if not prying too much is what costs are you other millers paying in insurance for plant eqipment ie (sawmill, trucks, loaders, fork lifts chainsaws cranes) .How much does it cost for public liability for milling on site and in your own yard. and last of all does any one have any contact with brokers who understand this type of business .cheers charlsie

I'm not running a business but my understanding is a good insurer rep/broker will visit your place of work to make an assessment of what you are doing. That makes good business sense on their side too. At least that is what they do for one BIL who is running a small business.

Originally Posted by BobL

I'm not running a business but my understanding is a good insurer rep/broker will visit your place of work to make an assessment of what you are doing. That makes good business sense on their side too. At least that is what they do for one BIL who is running a small business.

Only ever had 1 bloke do that. There are only a couple of firms who'll insure sawmilling operations anyway, so it's a no-brainer in most cases.

thanks guys, craig is there any chance of a contact number.the company we use at the moment is in adelaide i just need to compare prices his company is called towm and country insurers.coolroom companies are also making fire rated panel now in sydney. woolworths are starting to use it in new stores now.the reason i know this is i've been making coolroom and kiln doors on and off for the last 19 years.any chance of a few pics of the kiln? that's about the only thing i'm missing here cheers charlsie

any chance of some contact Details... (preferably the good ones !!!)

well this post has identified quite a significant concern for me...

I can't find my insurance paperwork - thought I'd jsut get it, quote phone number and sound like a smarty pants!!! But instead of being a smarty pants now I'm a scardey cat cause I can't find it hmmmmm

sigi i think it concerns a few small time millers who might want to up size their operation. like me i'm worried about all the little things when all i want to do is mill timber for people that cant get it done anywhere else. it all sounds like a fun time milling for friends and such ,but if something goes wrong and someone gets hurt i dont want to lose the house over it

Hi Charlsie, I use Direct Insurance Brokers here in Bris, and the underwriter is QBE. there are quite a few brokers who should be able to help, just don't let them steamroll you, because they'll try, the buggers. There are a few components to the package, including theft (stock and equipment), fire if applicable, accidental damage and of course public /product liability. I have my mill insured as mobile, so it's covered regardless of location. Can't do much with pics at the mo, as I haven't yet found the camera after the move . suffice to say it looks like a coldroom . On that topic, do you happen to know anyone after a really large refrigeration unit? It came with the coldroom panels and I don't need it. 3 phase, condensor, 2 evaporators and all the refrigerant pumped down. It was running 300cu.m of coldroom and it's in perfect nick. Compressor is nearly new.

On the fire risk thing with the coldroom, apparently the issue is not that they'll catch fire, but if a fire occurs near or within them, the insulation will melt or catch fire and the whole thing will be a total loss, even in an otherwise small fire.

thanks craig a few other things to keep in mind. if you ring a small refrigeration company (meaning 1or 2 man operation) you'll have more luck moving the unit, bigger companies wont deal with second hand units. on the panel side of things try not to let the kiln get over 80 degrees thats when the glue lets go .as for fire if it gets in the panel it will travel and cant be put out until the structure starts to fall apart. the smoke from it is pretty bad too .anyway craig thanks for the lead ,i'll get the minister for finance on the job cheers

Thanks for the tip on the temp, mate. I wasn't planning to go above 60C, so it should be OK.

Good luck with the insurance.

I think my insurance is through GIO but I had a hard time getting it as the insurance companies main concern was fire risk. Farmers crops and machinery are very expensive. After a few phone calls through my broker with questions of what is a portable sawmill and how big they are I got it with the provision I carry a fire extinguisher which wasnt a problem as I carry one anyway. I pay about $300/month but that includes my industrial unit insurance as well.

...Mark

mark now you have to explain what industrial unit insurance is ? does the $3600 a year cover every thing as well trucks,public liability and so forth?

Originally Posted by charlsie

mark now you have to explain what industrial unit insurance is ? does the $3600 a year cover every thing as well trucks,public liability and so forth?

Sorry Charlsie I should have made it clearer. Insurance cover for Portable Milling, Industrial Unit and on site work( Instalation work). Insured for Fire/Damage, Burglary, Machinery and Public Liability.

I didnt have my truck, loader and kiln insured as the Public liability was more important and you have to draw a line to how much you are going to insure.

If my truck caught on fire and I lost it it would be not good but if my mill caught on fire and burnt down a machinery shed with $5mil of gear inside(Rich farmer!) then I will be covered.

answerd a lot of my questions i was just about to ask the same question.