Ok guys i am looking for a little input here... I am just getting ready to pull the trigger on some equipment and am looking at some advice or references to look at from you guys with the experience bidding. As a rule of thumb or is there a rule of thumb what do you bid or charge per inch of stump grinding, and how do you bid your take downs trim jobs. Just wanting to do some research on this before hand. I just don't have much experience in bidding these things Thanks in Advance
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shooterschafer
ArboristSite Member
I usually calculate how long a job will take me, I figure anywhere between $50 - $100 per hr. sometimes I make out better, sometimes not so good. It also depends on how busy I am and if I really want the job. Now stump grinding I have a $75 min and figure $75 hr, it also depends if its hardwood. I try my hardest to talk the HO into keeping the chips for mulch, its cheaper for them and they get somthing of use out of it. Best way to learn is through trial and error, there have been a few jobs I should have bid more on but I get good word of mouth advertising by working a little cheaper while still doing a good job. Watch out for ad ons though, it never fails for a HO to want to add on this and that, and that usually adds up!
First, learn to read. You post that question here in this forum and you won't like the answer's. I have a few but need to think them out before I type so I don't get banned.
Jeff
Jeff
Yeah i suppose sorry just was going to ask some of you experienced guys how you do your bidding sorry if i offended you. Figured this would be a spot to get some response from guys who don't troll the other forums
ddhlakebound
Addicted to ArboristSite
It works best if you can bid it high enough to make good money, but not so high as to not get the job.
I understand wanting to be the boss. You just gotta know something before you can make that happen effectively.
I understand wanting to be the boss. You just gotta know something before you can make that happen effectively.
I like to bid my stump grinding at 1.50 an inch and removals at 7.50 and inch and I offer a 25% discount if you do the stumps with the removal I find this is the best way to avoid paying to much comes tax time
No problem, It is just in this forum, I might hurt your feeling's and get banned!
If you post this in the 101 forum, I will be very nice.
Jeff :msp_wink:
treeguy347
ArboristSite Operative
Tree removal at 7.50 per inch? The going rate for grinding around here is $2 per inch if the grindings are left and $3 per inch if they're cleaned up.
Always do better quality work than the rest of the guys at a fair price and the referrals will come with time. Best of luck!
Hear ya, Sometime's you gotta wear the 'man-suit' to bed and call them 'pajama's!'.
Jeff :msp_thumbsup:
What is with this 'inch' crap!? I do man hour's. BTW, you are the oldest troll ever.
Jeff
Good to see you are still around.
Jeff
http://www.arboristsite.com/arboricultural-injuries-fatalities/36302-3.htm#post479014
Jeff
TimberJack_7
ArboristSite Operative
Go out there and underbid some jobs a few times, lose your a... butt, a couple of times on some jobs and you will learn pretty quick what a good rate is. Every tree guy has done that, it is a great teacher and you will do it at some point. We can tell you how to run a perfect tree business but until you lose some blood and money on some jobs, you must find your own way grasshopper. You must learn THE WAY if you ever want to be a mayamoto musashi in the tree world....
First thing you need to figure out is your operating cost per hour. How much per hour do you need to charge for your crew and equipment just to break even. If you can't figure this out (including things like depreciation of equipment), then get your accountant to help you. Then factor in a percentage for profit and risk and you will get a target $/crew hour.
When you look at the job, you decide how many hours it will take (including travel and dump time) and that's your number. You can include a PITA (pain in the a$$) premium for certain customers, or a 'pretty girl' discount.
When I look at a job, I don't worry about what equipment configuration, the equipment is all factored into the man hour rate. I try and not make it too complicated.
When you look at the job, you decide how many hours it will take (including travel and dump time) and that's your number. You can include a PITA (pain in the a$$) premium for certain customers, or a 'pretty girl' discount.
When I look at a job, I don't worry about what equipment configuration, the equipment is all factored into the man hour rate. I try and not make it too complicated.
Jeff
VA-Sawyer
Addicted to ArboristSite
A couple of times a month, somebody starts a thread about wanting to start a tree business. They think a couple of saws and some climbing gear is all it takes to get started. According to Dept of Labor stats, some 3 out of 4 businesses fail in the first 4 years. This is for all businesses, which includes simple to price types like barber shops or hot dog stands, all the way up to big construction outfits.
This indicates that most folks don't have the required management skills to run even a simple business. Now, take something like treework, aircraft maintenance or, heart surgery and the required skillset goes up. True, you can hire an expert to do all the 'technical stuff' but, how can you really know how 'expert' they are if you don't know it yourself. Real experts are expensive! How can your business afford to pay you and the expert for doing the work of one person and still compete ?
You can 'learn from your mistakes', but I think that would be even more expensive than hiring the expert. It can also be fatal, not just from a business point of view, but in fact as well.
The simple truth is, if you are asking questions like "How much should I charge?", or " Which climbing line should I use?" or even better yet, " How would you do this job?" ( simple, straight forward, every day type of tree ), then you really are not yet ready to run your own company. If you think I am being harsh, let me ask you this....... If you had surgery scheduled tomorrow, what would you think, if your surgeon was on WWW.SURGEONSCHAT.COM right now asking how much he/she should charge?, what size scalpel he/she should start with?, and should he/she start the cut at the top or from the bottom ?
Would you feel that your surgeon was ready to operate on you?
It takes a lot more than chainsaws and climbing gear to BE a tree business.
Rick
This indicates that most folks don't have the required management skills to run even a simple business. Now, take something like treework, aircraft maintenance or, heart surgery and the required skillset goes up. True, you can hire an expert to do all the 'technical stuff' but, how can you really know how 'expert' they are if you don't know it yourself. Real experts are expensive! How can your business afford to pay you and the expert for doing the work of one person and still compete ?
You can 'learn from your mistakes', but I think that would be even more expensive than hiring the expert. It can also be fatal, not just from a business point of view, but in fact as well.
The simple truth is, if you are asking questions like "How much should I charge?", or " Which climbing line should I use?" or even better yet, " How would you do this job?" ( simple, straight forward, every day type of tree ), then you really are not yet ready to run your own company. If you think I am being harsh, let me ask you this....... If you had surgery scheduled tomorrow, what would you think, if your surgeon was on WWW.SURGEONSCHAT.COM right now asking how much he/she should charge?, what size scalpel he/she should start with?, and should he/she start the cut at the top or from the bottom ?
Would you feel that your surgeon was ready to operate on you?
It takes a lot more than chainsaws and climbing gear to BE a tree business.
Rick
As I agree I would be a little concerned if a surgeon was asking what size scalpel i would not be concerned if they were asking how much to charge, i forget some of you were just up an running over night apparently and never had any questions how to bid something....right... anyways im not asking how or what size saw i need for jobs or how to make simple drops. I understand the critical aspect of the job and how it can kill you in the blink of an eye as i am part of a technical rescue team and deal plenty in hazardous situations. I have been cutting trees for a while have just decided to do it for profit and am curious how or what most of you do as a rule of thumb understanding every job is a little different and warrant different costs but for simple trims and what not what your charging. If its by the hour whats a range and do you guys add any fee or charge a higher hourly if say the customer doesn't want your truck in there yard and you have to rope the whole thing. Thanks for those of you that have given some valuable input. And hopefully i am not being to harsh nor did i offend anybody by this. As I said before i have roped a fair number of trees and am always learning but was just wanting to get a feel for how you guys do your bidding process..Thanks again for the input
VA-Sawyer
Addicted to ArboristSite
No offence taken. I didn't start overnight. I worked as a groundie for 4 different tree companies starting in about '04 and finally going out fully on my own around '09. I asked a lot of questions and kept my eyes open. I've owned two other non tree businesses before this. I started an Aerial Photography business in Jan 2001. It started out well for the first 9 months. We hung in there for almost a year after 9/11, but the local citizens were not happy about low flying planes circling close to their homes. It just wasn't worth the headaches. Talk about having bad timing!
I have a man/hour rate I use for basic treework. I add a fee if the Bobcat is needed and will add some if it is higher than normal risk. Things like "Can't drive in yard" or " everything must be lowered on a rope" take care of themselves through the extra time required to comply.
Rick
I have a man/hour rate I use for basic treework. I add a fee if the Bobcat is needed and will add some if it is higher than normal risk. Things like "Can't drive in yard" or " everything must be lowered on a rope" take care of themselves through the extra time required to comply.
Rick
That's kind of funny. My tree bids get cheaper when I can use my bobcat. I figure the wood will be almost flying into the trucks.
VA-Sawyer
Addicted to ArboristSite
Hauling the bobcat means an extra person and truck required. For me, it also often means that they want me to mill their logs into lumber, so I need it to run from the tree over to where the logs will be stacked. It also often means an extra truck trip back for the bobcat when I finish milling. A lot of our jobs want the firewood left on site, so no need to deal with hauling the big wood.
Rick
Rick
