booking winter work: a year round job or not?

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treeman82

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I have been looking back upon this year's sales calls and seem to be noticing something. Even back in May I was booking work for this coming winter. One customer I had already done some work for wanted a price for removing this medium sized tulip tree which was over some lines, a fence, and other trees. I told him let's do it in the winter. He agreed that it was best done in the winter. June, I was at another customer's property and we agreed that we were going to leave off on clearing out this overgrown area until the winter when I had the time. July, a vista job that I looked at, we agreed to do it in the late fall or early winter. August, a customer asked for a price for clearing out some trees in front of his property, I told him let's wait until February so we can replant ASAP. Today, a guy I had given a price to for 2 crane removals due to understory plantings... we agreed to do the work in December or January without the crane. The last few days I have been splitting wood for the winter.

It feels nice to know that the work will be there in the winter when I really need it, but I feel as though I am planning for too far down the road, and not for the now.

What is the general consensus?
 
i try to save my clearing jobs for the winter. I hardly ever push off residential work, because 9 times out of 10 if they call you now, they want action now, because that tree or tree(s) is bothering them. Residential work slims down to only a few days a week in the winter. When there is no residential jobs all the guys get sent to the clearing jobs. These will take between 30-45 days to complete, so far I have two contracted. If we are running out of work or dont need the full crew out we have two guys working the wood processors to make firewood. We move between 8-900 cords a year delivered and dumped so that also keeps us busy running the trucks around. This year I have decided we are going to start plowing snow as well. Never had a plow before on any of my trucks, but from what I gather its more profitable per man hour than harvesting firewood. So I guess its worth a try?
 
just wait, all that pre sold winter work will help pay for dented trucks, blown transmissions, ect. Snowplowing is a risky proposition unless you have some real good men to put behind the plows.
 
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