what would you charge?

[haveheartley]

Ill admit I'm a greenhorn

6 big trees maples oaks 75 ' max

Pruning to encourage new growth

remove alot of dead limbs

help

 

[toddstreeservic]

$100 per hour climbing/pruning $75 cleanup and chipping plus mileage.

 

[ddhlakebound]

Ill admit I'm a greenhorn

6 big trees maples oaks 75 ' max

Pruning to encourage new growth

remove alot of dead limbs

help

"Encouraging new growth" is NOT a reason for pruning.

If these trees have never been topped, hacked, or mangled before, they'd probably be better served by only removing dead, dying, diseased and damaged limbs, and if possible, not cutting them back to the main trunk if there are good laterals available (for damaged limbs)

If you do the job, be careful of dropping limbs or blocks on top of good healthy limbs, or they'll be damaged too....

As far as what to charge...

Figure out how much you need to make per hour for your time. Figure out how long the job will take you to complete. Figure out what your expenses for the job will be. Figure out how much profit you need to make to be able to stay afloat and grow.

Add it all up, and you have your bid/estimate.

This isn't a good business to by on your own while you're still green. Before you worry about how much to bid the job for, how do you intend on completing the job? Do you already know where each cut will be, and how you'll be getting there to make it?

Since they're not removals, you're not planning on wearing spikes/gaffs are you?

 

[memetic]

$100 per hour climbing/pruning $75 cleanup and chipping plus mileage.

What if you have 3 guys on cleanup and chipping? Is that $225 an hour? Just asking.

 

[JeffL]

What if you have 3 guys on cleanup and chipping? Is that $225 an hour? Just asking.

Why wouldnt it be? Man hours are man hours are man hours.

 

[tree md]

$4200... $3000 if your hungry...

 

[haveheartley]

Since they're not removals, you're not planning on wearing spikes/gaffs are you?[/QUOTE]



No I know enough not to damage the tree with spikes and was planing on climbing up w/ saddle and line (btw any advice on a set up?)

Thanks for the advice man

* also Im not totally green i have worked on two crews before mostly feeding chipper, little climbing but no experience bidding and such

 

[SAW]

$4200... $3000 if your hungry...

How did you go about figuring that estimate?

 

[toddstreeservic]

What if you have 3 guys on cleanup and chipping? Is that $225 an hour? Just asking.

A job like that I would do alone.

 

[memetic]

Why wouldnt it be? Man hours are man hours are man hours.

Just checking that's all. I've been doing it by man hours (number of men) times hourly rate. Wasn't sure what toddstreeservic was getting at.

We just did a huge quote where I was trying to figure in man hours (total number of men and hours) vs man hours (how fast we could do the job regardless of number). A lot of guys here are willing to do the work (groundwork) for 10-12 an hour. Is there a percentage that businesses use for profit?

Now that we are starting to get bigger jobs that require more men, I have been thinking of changing estimates/billing. If I know I have two guys who are as good as four, should I charge a little bit less, or charge as four?

We can still make a decent profit without counting number of men. A lot of the guys we use are very quick. Plus, me and my partner (who rake in the bigger bucks) work even faster. I'm still trying to figure this out myself. I don't want to lowball, but I also don't want to "rip" customers off. We just want to provide good tree service for a good price.

I was actually thinking of posting my own thread on this today. Don't want to hijack either.

 

[Swamp Yankee]

Haven't done this type work in years, however I always used a nuisance factor in my quotes.

The size of the nuisance factor was based upon how big a pain, how much whining and just how much BS I was going to have to put up with. A lot of my customers were great and understood there will be noise, ruts, and sawdust and there's only so much you can do to minimize that. Others received a surcharge because I knew they were going to drive me up a wall, so extra compensation was required for putting up with it.

Good Luck and Take Care

 

[ddhlakebound]

No I know enough not to damage the tree with spikes and was planing on climbing up w/ saddle and line (btw any advice on a set up?)

Thanks for the advice man

* also Im not totally green i have worked on two crews before mostly feeding chipper, little climbing but no experience bidding and such

Good, glad to hear you're going spikeless.

No disrespect, but "not totally green" may be even more dangerous than knowing that you don't know anything.

I had been climbing for almost a year solid, many trees every day before I went out on my own. And I caught alot of hell here because I was still green. Really, only a year isn't enough. It takes a long time to learn everything you need to know to (hopefully) keep yourself safe working aloft. Going solo without enough training and no mentor is a recipe for death or disaster.

Are you sure this is what you want to do? Why?

Have you read in the "Injuries and Fatalities" section?

Still sure?

 

[tree md]

How did you go about figuring that estimate?

That was pretty much a joke but a half truth. It is what I get on average for the trees he has described. Of course it is absolutely impossible to estimate trees sight unseen. He sounds like he is serious about making this a career so the point I am trying to get across is to not sell himself short.

I would advise you to work a little while for someone else and learn the business but I see nothing wrong in making a little money on your own. Thats how I started out. Best of luck.

 

[ClimbinArbor]

Good, glad to hear you're going spikeless.

No disrespect, but "not totally green" may be even more dangerous than knowing that you don't know anything.

I had been climbing for almost a year solid, many trees every day before I went out on my own. And I caught alot of hell here because I was still green. Really, only a year isn't enough. It takes a long time to learn everything you need to know to (hopefully) keep yourself safe working aloft. Going solo without enough training and no mentor is a recipe for death or disaster.

Are you sure this is what you want to do? Why?

Have you read in the "Injuries and Fatalities" section?

Still sure?

+1 well said.

i too started out on my own after only one year.... i had been cutting firewood since i was still in spiderman undies, but that doesnt help a great deal with climbing....



haveheartley,

ive read all 5 of your posts and as many others have said, you are not green, you are still yellow and blue....... it might not seem like a great idea to you now, but later you will realize, you need more training....

I would give my left pecan to climb alongside a great climber for a year, you should look at doing something similar.