What would you quote this job at? (2 "removals")

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Plasmech

Addicted to ArboristSite
Joined
Dec 13, 2008
Messages
1,164
Reaction score
82
Location
Aston, PA (19014)
I have a potential customer who wants two trees removed. (I have not been able to ID them yet). DBH is 14". Height is 40'. One will be felled into open field. The other will be climbed and mostly bombed. No chipping, no big wood removal, no busking. The customer wants to take it from there. I leave with two flush-cuts and he's happy. What do you think?

FYI I will have a pro with me since I am still green, but for the sake of this post let's assume it's a climber and a groundie.
 
I have a potential customer who wants two trees removed. (I have not been able to ID them yet). DBH is 14". Height is 40'. One will be felled into open field. The other will be climbed and mostly bombed. No chipping, no big wood removal, no busking. The customer wants to take it from there. I leave with two flush-cuts and he's happy. What do you think?

FYI I will have a pro with me since I am still green, but for the sake of this post let's assume it's a climber and a groundie.

Pictures?:cheers:
 
200 -400 bucks sounds right. to me..roughly 4 hours start to finish? plus include ur time for biddin the job and what u think the customer will pay... plus u can fit it all in the trunk no need for big equipment... but id still need to see the job...
 
2 tree removal

We would do this job in less than 1/2 hour with the bucket truck but they would have to pay 1 hour. $135.00 + tax Later Chuck
 
I bill $125 an hour without a bucket. I'd prolly bill that one at 2 hours but there are a lot of variables. Plus I'd have to see it as well.

EDIT: Just noticed no cleanup on this one. Sounds like a simple chop and drop. If I could get out of there in less than an hour I'd at least want to make a hundo on it myself.
 
Last edited:
I did a tree about that size this summer but it included climbing taking the top out dropping, chipping and removal all done and cleaned up in under 2 hours charge $400 for the job. Doing a tree this week or next a 50 foot black birch with 24" DBH over a pool and ornimental trees but its just a drop and leave but it includes everything to be rigged out of the top 2/3rds of the tree charging $500 for that. If the one climb is and easy climb low risk to property damage then I would say Irish93stang isnt too far off a fair price at around $200-400.
 
Last edited:
Wow, I need to move to the land where I can get $400 for a couple of chop and drops on 14" 40' trees with no cleanup!!! ;)
 
Wow, I need to move to the land where I can get $400 for a couple of chop and drops on 14" 40' trees with no cleanup!!! ;)

well I meant to say around $200-400 range but I cut and paste something and screwed it up but in all honesty every time you climb you risk your life or serious injury so I dont go up a tree for anyting thats not worth my time or money. Reward has to equal the risk. Nothing worse then bidding a job low then something happens, bend a bar, crush a saw, drop your 200t, slip up and get hurt. Yeah these things shouldnt happen especially on a small job but you just never know. Next thing you have a have a job that the pay doesnt cover the damaged equipment or lost time to injury. Ct. is an expensive place to live and things just run more up here like fuel, insurence and just about everything else so you got to get the money. I have never had a HO complain about my prices.
 
well I meant to say around $200-400 range but I cut and paste something and screwed it up but in all honesty every time you climb you risk your life or serious injury so I dont go up a tree for anyting thats not worth my time or money. Reward has to equal the risk. Nothing worse then bidding a job low then something happens, bend a bar, crush a saw, drop your 200t, slip up and get hurt. Yeah these things shouldnt happen especially on a small job but you just never know. Next thing you have a have a job that the pay doesnt cover the damaged equipment or lost time to injury. Ct. is an expensive place to live and things just run more up here like fuel, insurence and just about everything else so you got to get the money. I have never had a HO complain about my prices.

Was just pulling ur chain big guy. :)

I know prices are higher up there. If you can get it more power to ya!

I have a $100 minimum for just showing up and breaking out a saw.

If there is nothing in the way and no liability and all I had to do was put it on the ground I would probably charge $125-150 for that job and take a pickup and one man.

Like I said, lots of variables to consider. If there is any risk of liability to property the price would dramatically increase.
 
SOM, I did a job last month with 1 removal of a small hardwood, About a foot in diameter and 40' as well as prune 2 large limbs out from over the house on a large Pecan and take maybe 6 limbs out of a Pine over the house in the front. $2250 for the whole job but I had a deck encompassing the entire back yard and a postage stamp drop zone. I had to lower every piece of wood. On the removal I had to lower every piece out of a large neighboring hardwood, tip tie and butt hitch every piece with a tag line to keep them from swinging into the house. Job was a referral and the insurance Co. was requiring the work be done before they would renew the policy.

Also did two Cottonweeds a couple of months back for $600. They were like 18 inches DBH but brushy as heck. Had to haul the brush and leave the wood. Stumps also had to be ground. I hit the lady for $700 and she balked so I dropped the price to $600. Plenty of room to drop them but I climbed them to minimize ground damage. The lady had a nice yard. Plus is saved time from having to buck them on the ground under tension. Total time on the job was 2 hours.
 
OK here are the pics:

In this photo, the second in from the left must be climbed and bombed:

4324387364_3039699e88_o.jpg


Here's a good view of the same tree:

4323650283_9a6a46ab8a_o.jpg


rot at bottom:

4324387102_0f917e69de_o.jpg


The one in the middle is a simple felling operation:

4323650567_244d66f6bf_o.jpg
 
Umm plas... Those trees look larger than what you described. I would maybe try them at $400 and settle for around $300 if they wanted to negotiate. Stress the fact that there is some liability envolved. Is it just putting them on the ground or do you have to cut and stack?
 
One hour (tops) is all you should need to do that job. No equipment needed, just cut and run? Friend price? $150 Fair price? $250
 
Umm plas... Those trees look larger than what you described. I would maybe try them at $400 and settle for around $300 if they wanted to negotiate. Stress the fact that there is some liability envolved. Is it just putting them on the ground or do you have to cut and stack?

Yea they are more like 50 foot tall huh? Or maybe 55.
 
Was just pulling ur chain big guy. :)

I know prices are higher up there. If you can get it more power to ya!

I have a $100 minimum for just showing up and breaking out a saw.

If there is nothing in the way and no liability and all I had to do was put it on the ground I would probably charge $125-150 for that job and take a pickup and one man.

Like I said, lots of variables to consider. If there is any risk of liability to property the price would dramatically increase.

Well this is Ct so you cant prune with out Arborist License so of course I dont prune with that in mind when I am doing a removal I dont climb and cut anything for under $250. But I also have done trees the same size for as much as $1700 (co dom maple one have totally dead and over a house). I guess my point is that the risk in this job isnt worth doing for beer money but the problem is there are guys out there that will do it for the beer never mind the money so its a delicate balance.
 
Hard to tell from the pic but the larger one looks to be approaching 60'. Looks like a simple enough job but there is still some liability there. Be sure to CYA and mention the fact that there will be a little ground damage in case he wants to complain and try to renegotiate. Can you just put it on the ground and leave or do you have to cut it up and stack it?
 
Well this is Ct so you cant prune with out Arborist License so of course I dont prune with that in mind when I am doing a removal I dont climb and cut anything for under $250. But I also have done trees the same size for as much as $1700 (co dom maple one have totally dead and over a house). I guess my point is that the risk in this job isnt worth doing for beer money but the problem is there are guys out there that will do it for the beer never mind the money so its a delicate balance.

Problem here is the bottom has fallen out as far as prices go. It's cut throat around here now. You have to adapt and adjust to survive. Guys are working for about 1/3 less now than they were a year or so back. Plus no one has any money.

I am in two yellowpage books and usually have to bid against the same guys. I went to bid a crane job back last Fall and one of my competitors showed up at the same time as me. I bid $2200 for two medium hardwoods (which was a low bid for me) and my competitor told the guy he would do it for $1100 with a crane. I told the guy he could have it.
 
2 2 drop

Yeah they are a bit bigger than fisrt described but right close to the drive. THis is a trim truck dream . I have a XT55 and we could easy get all 4 trees in pic on the ground in 1 hour. I climb also but the trim truck is hard to beat when there is easy access. Later Chuck
 
Problem here is the bottom has fallen out as far as prices go. It's cut throat around here now. You have to adapt and adjust to survive. Guys are working for about 1/3 less now than they were a year or so back. Plus no one has any money.

I am in two yellowpage books and usually have to bid against the same guys. I went to bid a crane job back last Fall and one of my competitors showed up at the same time as me. I bid $2200 for two medium hardwoods (which was a low bid for me) and my competitor told the guy he would do it for $1100 with a crane. I told the guy he could have it.

I hear ya man to me there is just too cheap.
 
Last edited:
Hey Plas man you have a good training opportunity there take it. Bit the job as you would for what you mentioned but it may be worth it for the experience to do the middle tree first and set up some rigging off the other. Im sure you could find a strong crotch up there give you a chance to somewhat safely get some experience on the rigging end. By the way wheres his septic or sewer lines?
 

Latest posts

Back
Top