Is there a market for this

[STLfirewood]

I have been wanting to do this for a while but i need to know if there is a market for this and if so how to market it. I have a 1-ton truck (going to get a 2 ton before long) with a chip box (12 yards) and a 12inch diesel chipper. I would like to just show up and do the clean up work on the ground for tree services. Or at least chip and haul the brush away. I do a small amount of tree work. I hire a climber to come in and put stuff on the ground for me. Problem is I have a full time job and that limits me during the day. My father is a very hard worker he is retired and he helps me on all tree jobs. When we leave and area it is totally clean not a spec of saw dust a leaf or anything. He can go to the job and start working then I can get there early afternoon and help him finish. Do you think there is a market for a person with a chipper and a place to dump the chips. I don't want to have to do the work to get the jobs. I just want to be contracted to do them. What kind of rates could I charge. I'm insured and everything. Equipment isn't junk and I'm reliable. Your advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Stihl User]

I would never JUST rely on one way of making $$$$$ especially when most legit guys already have a truck & chipper. IMO



Almost forgot;

Get your name out to the local landscapers they'll give you tons of work.

 

[DDM]

Yup its easier to clean up along the way.

 

[Treeman587]

If I were to hire you, which I wouldn't because I already have equipment, I would probally leave you the biggest mess you have ever seen. That is what you are going to have to deal with. You will show up, the tree is down, and in one big knotted up pile.

If you have the equipment, find a decent freelance climber, or learn to climb and make all the money. You dont have to go looking for jobs, do good work and people will find out about you and the phone will ring

 

[rahtreelimbs]

We work exactly the way you describe. When the job is not a leave/lay job and we have a chipper coming in everything is stacked near the road and in an orderly fashion.

We have been successful doing this going on 10 yrs. now.

It can be done so long as the climber and his crew set you up in the manner I described. It won't take long to see who are the right people to work with.

 

[treeman82]

I hire outfits such as yours from time to time. Reason being I have issues with; storage, dumping, and of course $... don't have enough work coming in to justify the purchase of, or even afford a truck and chipper. I know a few other guys like this... they get jobs from time to time, but not enough to pay those notes... or even make it worthwhile to pay out a smaller amount in hard currency. As far as what I pay... anywhere from $300 per day to $800 per day. The guy for $800 per day really boosts productivity, while the guy for $300 per day just has me shaking my head.

 

[murphy4trees]

it all depends

of course there is... but what kind of market?... and how much are you going to make?.... we can share a few thoughts on that, but you have to find out for yourself...
I'd get on the phone to local tree/landscape contractors from the yellow pages, then try putting an ad in a local paper or two and get some phone calls coming in from either do it yourself homeowners or contractors... you can sell the work by the hour and tack on something for disposal and miles if needed or even train your father to go bid the jobs if everything is ready. You have to ask some questions and find out what the market will bear in your area... The market really changes in this industry depending on the area.... Once you get the thing rolling, just keep raising your prices til your as busy as you'd like to be... Then maybe think about bumping up to a bigger chipper or a skid loader... You could even get into the dumpster business... get dad to get his CDL... The possabilities are endless... Work hard, do what you say you're going to do, do your best to meet your customers needs, and keep your prices up... This is America... I smell $$$...
Good luck with it...

 

[SilentElk]

Interesting idea. I had considered doing when I first started doing trees. However there was alot of difficulty when determining a consistant pricing scale. I wanted to set up up so I work with several tree companies whom were familiar with my pricing. I was going to set the pricing lower than normal based upon the assumption that I would not be required to bid each one individually. Also, brush was to be stacked correctly so another guy and myself could drag a massive pile up to the vermeer 1800 and run huge piles at once quickly. Sounded good on paper but would couldn ever get it to work well. Occasionally it worked out fine but more often and not nobody felt they made what they should monetarily by the end of the day. Just ended up being a ton of headaches. Not saying dont do it, but if you are slow it would be worth looking into I suppose.

Landscapers CAN, not always, be the best to deal with. However, you will end up seeing tons of poor cuts and trimming job that make you cringe if you work for them.

 

[TreeStyle]

where it's at!

yeah mate, i hire a chipper in when i need one. they charge me by the hour, this means that i have to stake the brush neatly and the logs seperate so they can chip it quick and charge me less. i think there's a market for it, here in the wonderful land of oz there is. a limited market but defintley a market. don't know bout insurance but you ever thought of hiring the truck and chipper out for a daily rate? i get charged 500 a day or 120 and hour. probaly the cheapest price round here.

Australia Rules!

 

[Dadatwins]

There would probably be a market for it, but you would have to specify how the brush was left or potentially walk into a spagheti pile of mess. Usually best to have the chipper on site while the work is going on. With the cost of equipment and disposal fees, you have an advantage having access to a dump site. I subbed some cleanup jobs years ago but I was specific about how the material was left. I also like to see the yard before the work was started so I could survey any obstacles and prior lawn or hardscape damage. The business could work but there are a lot of specifics that need to be worked out. Good luck.

 

[Treeinnovator]

if you have the truck and chipper than you are giving away all the profit to whoever takes down the tree.

 

[STLfirewood]

if you have the truck and chipper than you are giving away all the profit to whoever takes down the tree.

I know but here is the problem. I have a full time job in an auto factory. the pay and the benefits are good. I have been there 13 years(I'm 31). I have to much time invested to try and quit and make a go of it doing tree work full time. I do a small amount of removals now. I'm looking for something my retired father can do 2-3 days a week. I can show up after work and finish helping with the clean up if he's not done. I have a very nice John Deere skid steer already with a grapple bucket so I can load bigger trees. I also have a 14x7 dump trailer to make the hauling easier. Everything is paid for so if dad could show up and chip and haul the wood away it would be a great gig for him. I run the chipper for people now I usually charge $70 an hour with a 3hr min. I know this is dirt cheap but it's great money for a retired guy with a good pension. If he could get that to show up to jobs he would be very happy. Thanks for the advise and the info.

Scott

 

[ozy365]

Charg by the hour

Advertize yard clean up days when you will hit 20 well stacked piles.

(within 15 foot of hard top access, no more than 8' high).

Some of the 4 day a week climbers around here are looking for chipper and stump grind assist...advertise. Maybe a couple of contracts ($700 for up to ten saturdays for an hour x 8 hours.) etc

 

[ATH]

I'd be glad to find somebodylooking to do what you are talking about. I'd like to stick with what I can do best and let somebody else do what they do best. I am happy to share profits with somebody helping me give me the client the best service.

 

[CoreyTMorine]

The skid steer and dump trailer might actually be more marketable. You could handle big chunky wood for companies without that kind of gear. If an outfit has been handling big wood by hand, once they see your machine take care of it they will never want to go back. Also most stump guys I know have no interest in cleaning out, back filling and reseeding the hole; good money there.

I have a tractor, a chipper, and only one truck. I would be interested in having your dad move equipment for me. Well, someone like you dad, I don’t think him commuting to Boston would work to well

How’d you end up with a full time job and all that gear anyway?

+1 re Murphy and ATH

 

[STLfirewood]

How’d you end up with a full time job and all that gear anyway?

+1 re Murphy and ATH

Well the chipper we got about 6 years ago. We had been renting one here and there to do a lot of clean up on the farm. Where I'm at you can't burn in the summer. We decided it was cheaper to buy a chipper and use then it was to rent. When you rent to get your money out of it you have to keep feeding that thing straight for 8 hours. So we looked for a good deal and found one on e-bay. The guy stopped the auction early for guaranteed money. We bought a Gravely Pro Chip 495 for $5500. The chipper was 4 years old and had 350 hours. It's a 12inch with a 120hp Turbo diesel engine. We couldn't;t pass up the deal and drove from St. Louis to Phoenix to get it. It has been a great chipper no major repairs but it doesn't get abused
Around the same time we bought a dump trailer. This past year we sold the original dump trailer and bought a bigger one. Last year I told dad that we needed a skid steer to work around the farm and to help us with firewood. We looked for 6 months and came across a very clean JD 260 It had 1000k hours but looked damn near new. It's a very tight machine. I have been adding attachments here and there as I find them for a steal. Found a hydraulic breaker at an auction for $160. Bought a nice grapple and a set of tracks off e-bay. Bought a set of forks and a snow plow for. I'm going to an auction in a couple weeks that has a air compressor with a jack hammer hopefully I can get a deal on that. I have been looking for an auger also. I figure if I have a ton of attachments then I can always do some type of work.

I have added chainsaws and climbing gear to my stash also. I have a nice climbing set up. I don't climb but it's easier to fond a climber if you have gear. A lot of them around here use their bosses gear. So when they do side work they have nothing. the climber I use now i pay $25 an hour cash with a 4 hour min. He's not the fastest but he is good and the main thing is that he's safe. I don't trust the auto industry so I need something going in case of layoffs.

 

[ATH]

You might do well to keep your eyes open for a grinder to put on the skid steer as well. If you are looking to support other tree care operations, I'd have to think that stump grinding is a great addition to services.