Stump Grinding prices??
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ddhlakebound
Addicted to ArboristSite
If you don't know how much to charge for the job, you should probably do it for free....
I mean, you'll get loads of experience, which you obviously need, and the next time you bid, you'll have an idea of what your equipment will do, and how much you need to make.
Sorry for the somewhat snide reply, but AS has been flooded lately with people who recently cashed in a trust fund and want to get in the tree business, or inherited all their uncles gear when he passed. They heard him talking about treework all the time, so they're qualified too....
I mean, you'll get loads of experience, which you obviously need, and the next time you bid, you'll have an idea of what your equipment will do, and how much you need to make.
Sorry for the somewhat snide reply, but AS has been flooded lately with people who recently cashed in a trust fund and want to get in the tree business, or inherited all their uncles gear when he passed. They heard him talking about treework all the time, so they're qualified too....
No worry about the sni remarks, been doing it for a while, but always go by the stump, and not the inch. The bid I am doing is wanted by the inch, so that's why I ask. And no, I didn't inherit anything at all, just 2 college degrees in forestry, 8 years in the forest industry, and some studying on my own, with no onebody's help.
ddhlakebound
Addicted to ArboristSite
If you know what your cost for the stump is, measure and divide. There's your price per inch.
gr8scott72
Addicted to ArboristSite
Well, with all that experience, what do your jobs typically come out to on a per-inch basis?
STLfirewood
Addicted to ArboristSite
Around here it is $3 an inch. But if the job is big some disount can be given depending on how many inches. To bad I can't go to the Bunny Ranch and pay by the inch. 
Scott
Scott
coolbrze
ArboristSite Operative
Most small guys charge $5.50 here. I average way above that though. I go by the stump not by inch. A 15" hard locust will take a lot longer than a 36" rotten pine...
mckeetree
Addicted to ArboristSite
If I ever get on here and start asking what to charge, what to say ,how to act, where to put my ad, etc. etc. etc. I hope one of you stops by here and has me put away somewhere.
ropensaddle
Feel Lucky
tomtrees58
Addicted to ArboristSite
$ 5 and inch here on L I tom trees
Slvrmple72
Addicted to ArboristSite
Around here it is $3 an inch. But if the job is big some disount can be given depending on how many inches. To bad I can't go to the Bunny Ranch and pay by the inch.
Scott
They may cut you a check!
mckeetree
Addicted to ArboristSite
3-4 dollars per sq. inch. i dont know what the big deal is in helping others out with questions
Well the site is called arboristsite not arborstarters. Why don't you start a site for guys starting out brand new that can't figure out what to charge. Or for ones that claim to have been in it for a long time and don't know what to charge. Or what to pay their help. Or if they need help. Or what time they need to get up in the morning. Or even if they should tell their boss to stick it and start their own little deal.
ddhlakebound
Addicted to ArboristSite
3-4 dollars per sq. inch. i dont know what the big deal is in helping others out with questions
hmmm.....
so you're claiming that you charge between 235 and 314 dollars for a ten inch diameter stump?
after all, a ten inch diameter stump has 78.5 square inches of wood, and you charge 3-4 dollars per square inch....
I don't mind a bit helping people who ask intelligent questions. But when someone doesn't even have the experience to know how much to charge, blindly asks "how much do you charge".....well that's open season....here's why.
What I charge or what anybody else here charges is totally irrevelant to what this guy needs to charge to be able to get work, and be profitable.
Only he knows how long a job will take with his crew and equipment. Only he knows what his daily/weekly/monthly expenses are. Only he knows....on and on and on.
So asking us what we charge is simply a misguided attempt to correct his problem. (Not knowing how to calculate his bid based on labor, expenses, and profit.)
BTW....when I first got my stump grinder, the first job I did was for free, so I could get a little experience with the machine, and get an idea of what I needed to charge to make money with it.
And if I tried to charge $3-4/ square inch, I'd never have to grind a single stump.
OilHead
ArboristSite Guru
$ 150.00 minimum charge & thats a competive price others charge much more .
Curbside
ArboristSite Operative
Charging by the inch is a sure way to get burned on very large and very small jobs. If someone phones you up and says what's it cost per inch for a stump and you say 3.00 an inch and he says oh good I got a 3 inch stump come and do it. Of course you quantify that with a minimum charge. Like wise if you have a 80" stump charging 3.00 an inch will end up ripping yourself off as the larger the stump the more surface area of wood you have to grind.
As far as the question goes on this thread impossible to say what I would charge per inch for this quote without seeing the job. I would expect to see the job and find out how many stumps their are. I would want a measurement on each stump because that can end up being very subjective and if you have 2000 stumps and your customers measurement is one inch different than yours on each stump that can add up to a fair amount of money. So once the questions are answered as to the size of stumps and is the job to be done in one day or is it fragmented, is it all in one area, what machine are you going to use, who else might be bidding on it and what machines they might be using, what the terrain and ground conditions are like? Come up with your price and then divide it by the inches that the customer claims the job is.
Large stump jobs can get pretty low per inch because if you have a large self propelled machine its not impossible to do a 1000 10" stumps in a day.
As far as the question goes on this thread impossible to say what I would charge per inch for this quote without seeing the job. I would expect to see the job and find out how many stumps their are. I would want a measurement on each stump because that can end up being very subjective and if you have 2000 stumps and your customers measurement is one inch different than yours on each stump that can add up to a fair amount of money. So once the questions are answered as to the size of stumps and is the job to be done in one day or is it fragmented, is it all in one area, what machine are you going to use, who else might be bidding on it and what machines they might be using, what the terrain and ground conditions are like? Come up with your price and then divide it by the inches that the customer claims the job is.
Large stump jobs can get pretty low per inch because if you have a large self propelled machine its not impossible to do a 1000 10" stumps in a day.
rbtree
Addicted to ArboristSite
Interesting how so many of you have trouble comprehending what is involved in stump grinding. Set prices per inch don't work.
The variables need to be accounted for. They are: depth to grind..which should be specificed. Is there a mound that will need grinding? Surface roots? Or all roots above a certain level?
And, as far as charging per inch, the reason that is a formula for trouble is shownthis example:
A 10 inch stump has 78.56" squared, a 20 inch stump 314.14. Twice the diameter, 4 times the area....And, don't forget the depth variable.
My sub has a Rayco RG50, a sweet machine, fast, but expensive, with a lot of maintenance needs. The most recent job he did for us was a couple of 18-20 inch stumps, a 30 inch pine, and a 36-38 inch fir (with an embedded steel fence post that took some extra time to maneuver around and free up) He charged $625, which is about $6 per inch, i reckon. I think he was there only 2-2.5 hours. With that machine, and in our area, he is able to make great hourly income. Perfectly warranted, methinx.
I have an Alpine Magnum, which will grind on any hill, or tight spot--88 pound Husqvarna 3120 powered. I have to do a lot of digging to save the fragile, easily dulled teeth, but once it gets to grinding, it's is quite fast, as long as the teeth are in good condition. I try to get $150-200 per hour for using it.
The variables need to be accounted for. They are: depth to grind..which should be specificed. Is there a mound that will need grinding? Surface roots? Or all roots above a certain level?
And, as far as charging per inch, the reason that is a formula for trouble is shownthis example:
A 10 inch stump has 78.56" squared, a 20 inch stump 314.14. Twice the diameter, 4 times the area....And, don't forget the depth variable.
My sub has a Rayco RG50, a sweet machine, fast, but expensive, with a lot of maintenance needs. The most recent job he did for us was a couple of 18-20 inch stumps, a 30 inch pine, and a 36-38 inch fir (with an embedded steel fence post that took some extra time to maneuver around and free up) He charged $625, which is about $6 per inch, i reckon. I think he was there only 2-2.5 hours. With that machine, and in our area, he is able to make great hourly income. Perfectly warranted, methinx.
I have an Alpine Magnum, which will grind on any hill, or tight spot--88 pound Husqvarna 3120 powered. I have to do a lot of digging to save the fragile, easily dulled teeth, but once it gets to grinding, it's is quite fast, as long as the teeth are in good condition. I try to get $150-200 per hour for using it.
cantcutter
ArboristSite Operative
Around here I have been quoted 3.00 and inch. I have four stumps in my yard to be ground one is 50", one 32" and the other two are old bedford pear stumps in the 8" range. I had a guy come out and quote me $120.00 to do all four so I don't know how they calculate an inch, but its alot cheaper than 3.00 an inch.
Curbside
ArboristSite Operative
Well I wouldn't want to be operating a stump grinding business in your area a guy would go broke for that kind of price. Seattle sounds more reasonably priced for stump grinding.
gr8scott72
Addicted to ArboristSite
Prices around here are as low as $1 an inch. Katrina really drove the prices down.
The only good thing is there are NO rocks here at all. I've only broken 5 teeth in over 60 hours of grinding.
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