charge for bucket?

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do you charge extra for the bucket?

  • Yes! I always charge extra to have a bucket on site

    Votes: 2 15.4%
  • No, same price climber or bucket.

    Votes: 11 84.6%

  • Total voters
    13

treeman82

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I was talking with Mark Tobin earlier this week about this job and asked him about bucket trucks. He told me that many companies do not charge to have a bucket truck on site. I know that several companies around me do not charge extra for the bucket. It's $1,200 per day for; 3 guys / 1 bucket / 1 chipper / 1 chipper truck or $1,200 per day for; 3 guys / 1 chip truck / 1 chipper
 
I dont have a bucket, so my comments are technically off topic. So shoot me!! Boy, that is low. $50 per manhr doesnt go very far these days.

I shoot for 65-75 per manhr, not that we always end up that high. We do have some 8 hr $1200 days, not a problem, of course, it is still OK $. But I try to pay my guys 180-250 per day, so prefer 1400-1600.

:cool:
 
Roger, I know offhand of 1 guy who gets $1600 per day, but that's a minimum for the day and I think it's only for 2 guys / truck / chipper.
 
There's a co here in that telemarkets, sells unnecessary work, gaffs trees, has climbers fall out of trees, etc etc. But they charge and get insane $- over $100 per manhr. Crew leaders can make $1500 per week, and salesmen over $60 k per yr.

They get little repeat bus, we ( most good companies)all hope they will be gone soon- they only rolled in here from Spokane and Portland 4 yrs ago.

In fact, they are blanket emailing arborists all over the country trying to hire salesman and climbers. I got my first email two weeks after the second major accident within two weeks had happened. Got "dream job" email again today...My main climber used to work fro them, also David, who just felled that big fir for me. Both left Evergreen, on ethics issues.

I'm super happy, if i do $1200 with one guy, $1700 with 2, $2000 with three- plus your's truly. And satisfied with less.

Plus my expenses are way lower than most co's, partly due to our low workman's comp, and no dump fees ever.
 
why give a day rate? you only get burned doing that. price the job for what you think its worth and thats it. some tree's are alot harder than others but still take a day. for dead tree's where your legs will be shakeing why price the same as a live tree removal? they only time i gave a day rate was to friends. the bucket is your advantage not the customers.
 
Man, prices around here are low! One local company charges approx $90 per hour for bucket, chipper, and 3 man crew. I shoot for $65 per hour for myself with equip (no bucket). The kicker is-on smaller trees I turn out about as much work per hour as the other guy's 3 man crew! I gotta raise my prices but it is hard-every now and then I catch myself priceing stuff like I did in 1985-and I was too cheap then too!
 
I would have to say the same price usually since most jobs that can be done with a bucket would make it easier for you. I don't have a bucket though.:D
 
Bucketheads

Well if they do not like the cost of the bucket, they can always hire McPeak. I have seen a lot of jobs recently where the extra cost of the bucket is justified because it sped up the entire task by many hours.
 
It all depends on how you want to run your buisness. If you are running the bucket all the time, then it is in your crew hour estimates anyways.

We all know some companies have their head in dark places as to pricing, not to forget workmanship in the mention either.

I'm with Ken F., you need to add things into the equation other then total hours. What are the risks of damage to property? One dead branch falling as the tree moves can have you replacing a facia board and shingle on a shead, well that is what I'm doing actualy. I forsaw some problems in the removal, so I chardged a lot more then if the tree were in a more open area, even though I knew it would take around a half day to do.
 
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