Hurricane Relief

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FARMBOSS

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For those of you who travel south for Hurricane relief I need some help, I'm new starting my own business and want to know exactly what I need to go down for hurricanes, I live in Michigan, thanks
 
What exact type of work are you looking to do? What kind of budget do you have for starting this new venture? What kind of equip do you currently have?

In general i'd say to save your money... Too unpredictable to wager your business on it and if you had planned on home base being in Michigan then you also would be way too far away. I think it would make for one hell of a long/expensive trip down. Then once you are down it's not guaranteed you'll be making money.. It's a crap shoot......
 
get

BOBCAT T300 (3)
BANDIT 2680 BEAST GRINDER (1)
BANDIT 1890 ON TRACKS (2)
BANDIT 1890 (1)
BANDIT 250 (1)
KOBELCO ED190 (1)
CAT 320 (1)
INT. BUCKIT TRUCK (2)
HOOK LIFT TRUCKS (6)
MEN (32)

but you will need 2.5mill to buy the kit and $480k to cover pay roll for the first 40 days of work and $64k for logeing and thats only if your first cheak shows up on time :hmm3grin2orange: but in 40 days you could bill them $1,932,000.68 so if you can get a contract for 80 days you might make something:biggrinbounce2: but on a real note get on with some one that is doing it and just go make some $$
 
kkottemann said:
too many more years like the last one and there will be no need for tree services in the south.

your right but people will keep building their :bang: :dizzy: so some one has to go clean up the messes :laugh:
 
how much $$$$

How much are you planning on investing is the question I guess. It's not cheap living in motels or buying travel trailers, and I think your answers will vary depending on how much you can invest in equipment.

Are you thinking of doing freelance stuff like get this tree off my house, or do you want to contract with FEMA?
 
If you are chasing hurricanes you must wait until the electricty comes back on in an area because all of the home owners will have left. This will take from two to four weeks. More in some areas. You must plan on having a self contained camper because there will be no motel rooms available for a five hundred mile radius. You will need and dual wheel pick up to pull the camper and to haul a huge amount of fuel too. Whatever fuel is available will be rationed in hours long lines. Food will be scarce too along with water. Buy equipment with the idea in mind that you will specialize in only part of the tree work to be done. You will not be able to equip yourself to do it all or to bring enough labor with you. Perpaps you could just bring a tractor with a stump grinder on the back and grabbers on the front. Much of the tree work will simply require stumps to be ground and trees cut up and pushed to the road for FEMA to pick up. This kind of operation will require only yourself and a couple of helpers. You can buy tents at Walmart for the helpers. Prepare to stay for four to six weeks. After that most of the best paying work will be over and you will be wore out.
 
fully self contained camper or Rv is the only way to go.
I don't think I could stand to be working or riding with a bunch of stinky guys working in 100 degree weather without showers daily.
make sure your ducks are in a row, the "tree patrol" issue big fines for the ones not up to snuff.
 
TreeCo said:
For profitable hurricane work all you need is a license to steal.

DON'T BA SUCH AN A$$

how much hurricane / emergency work do you do?????????????

I give all my costumers my hr. / daily / weekly / monthly rates up front if they don't like them they are free to get some other CO.

Costumers have to pay more for emergency work because we are working in hazardous conditions ! sometimes 7 days a week from sun up till sun down and some times in the dark and we are paying are men hazard pay + over time + housing + feeding them + travel time to get their . if they want it done ASAP then they have to pay a little more !! or they can Waite for someone to get them into their work load
 
ASD said:
DON'T BA SUCH AN A$$

how much hurricane / emergency work do you do?????????????

I give all my costumers my hr. / daily / weekly / monthly rates up front if they don't like them they are free to get some other CO.

Costumers have to pay more for emergency work because we are working in hazardous conditions ! sometimes 7 days a week from sun up till sun down and some times in the dark and we are paying are men hazard pay + over time + housing + feeding them + travel time to get their . if they want it done ASAP then they have to pay a little more !! or they can Waite for someone to get them into their work load
You are right ASD, Treeco insulted hard working guys who do storm work, basically called you all crooks. Now you called him an A$$, he may complian to the mods and try to have you banned, he's done it before. Even though he clearly violated the rules himself, I can't say what I think cause I'll get banned. Pathetic.
 
clearance said:
You are right ASD, Treeco insulted hard working guys who do storm work, basically called you all crooks. Now you called him an A$$, he may complian to the mods and try to have you banned, he's done it before. Even though he clearly violated the rules himself, I can't say what I think cause I'll get banned. Pathetic.

any one that calls someone a crook for going above and beyond the call of duty needs to rethink their way of thinking !!

if the Ph. rings at 2am and we respond to a call u bet it will cost a little more then if the customer called during bis. hr. and wanted to get an est. some time that week and have us put them in line.
 
The eye of Rita passed right through my area. My town was smothered by out of town Tree companys and contractors. The contractors all did shoddy work for outrageous pay and the Tree companies skinned people right and left. It was a real feeding frenzy.
 
buff said:
The contractors all did shoddy work for outrageous Pay/QUOTE]

that's a pretty broad statement ! to say all out of town contractors do shoddy work but i gess that u are the only one that dose good tree work in your town:laugh: :buttkick:
 
FARMBOSS said:
what kind of liscence do you have to get down in Florida

i don't know about FL. but most city's / states want a bis. lic. but more important is to make sure that you workmen's comp. and ins. is good in that state !!
 
I have never done tree work. I do not own a tree company. I have only one stump grinder. But I saw first hand what kind of work was done after hurricane Rita and what was charged. I ground stumps after the storm but not for $300 to $500 per. I did not run into any of those honest, hard working out of town tree guys who only charged a little bit more for quality work. All I saw was grand larceny on a large scale.
 
buff said:
I have never done tree work. I do not own a tree company. I have only one stump grinder.

so grinding stumps is a side job ? but i am sure u have a lic. ins. wc.and the like ? or are one of those other type (fly by night) that work 4 cheap only on Saturdays 4 cash and give us above board co. a bad name ? not to bust your balls but am i to believe all the people on this site that were doing storm work are hacks?????? and all the people that live in a storm damaged town would rather have us stay home in are nice worm houses and watch them fix their own mess on tv.?? i think not!
 
ASD...I am sensing some hostility in you...Why do you so personally attack me for my personal observations? About you "above board" company types...I know every stump and tree guy in my city. Every one is full of drugs and cheats customers. And it is not just here. One poster told me it was the same up north.
 
buff said:
ASD...I am sensing some hostility in you...Why do you so personally attack me for my personal observations? About you "above board" company types...I know every stump and tree guy in my city. Every one is full of drugs and cheats customers. And it is not just here. One poster told me it was the same up north.
Every one is full of drugs and cheats customers, o.k., you know your self do you Buff? Know what you believe and what kind of guy you are? So you cheat people and are full of drugs then, if as you say you know every stump and tree guy in your city, including yourself. Stop cheating people and go to Narcotics Anon. Good luck to you.
 
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