Carburetorless
ArboristSite Guru
Someone asked me to take down a tree for them, a Pine around 24" in diameter, about 35' high, and has so many limbs that it would difficult to climb without trimming it out on the way up to top it.
She wanted it taken down without damaging other landscaping around it, so I decided the best approach would be to limb it on my way up, then top it out, drop down part way and top it again, then drop the remainder, and cut it up. She wanted it cut into short logs and moved to the other side of the house where the city could pick it up, so there was no chipping or haul off required.
I told her I would do it for $350. I actually thought I might have been under bidding the job, but she said that was too much, then she went into how she had "a guy" cut down a much larger tree a few years ago for $175. She said he had two helpers and a chipper, and it only took them a few hours.
I tried to explain to her that I would have to make at least $175 just to break even, let alone if I was paying two helpers and maintaining a chipper.
Sure two helpers would make the job go much quicker, but they wouldn't work for nothing, nor would I.
Finally she said she was going to call the guy, but she heard that he had hurt his leg, and I thought to myself "No he didn't hurt his leg. His helpers quit, his equipment wore out, and he wasn't able to replace any of it on what he was making".
Why do these guys work for nothing? I mean it's easier to over bid a job and get it than it is to under bid jobs and work yourself to death for nothing. What are these guys thinking?
She wanted it taken down without damaging other landscaping around it, so I decided the best approach would be to limb it on my way up, then top it out, drop down part way and top it again, then drop the remainder, and cut it up. She wanted it cut into short logs and moved to the other side of the house where the city could pick it up, so there was no chipping or haul off required.
I told her I would do it for $350. I actually thought I might have been under bidding the job, but she said that was too much, then she went into how she had "a guy" cut down a much larger tree a few years ago for $175. She said he had two helpers and a chipper, and it only took them a few hours.
I tried to explain to her that I would have to make at least $175 just to break even, let alone if I was paying two helpers and maintaining a chipper.
Sure two helpers would make the job go much quicker, but they wouldn't work for nothing, nor would I.
Finally she said she was going to call the guy, but she heard that he had hurt his leg, and I thought to myself "No he didn't hurt his leg. His helpers quit, his equipment wore out, and he wasn't able to replace any of it on what he was making".
Why do these guys work for nothing? I mean it's easier to over bid a job and get it than it is to under bid jobs and work yourself to death for nothing. What are these guys thinking?