cheap prices

[bombdude]

Just looked at some stumps this morning for a buddy of mine. He's got a large lot w/probably 100 stumps ranging 6" to over 50" (at least 7 or 8 this size).

Being a buddy, I didn't commit to a figure, but told him I'd work for $75 an hour, & get as much done as he wanted to pay for. Also told him that at that rate, it's worked out to under $20/stump in the past, which I thought was reasonable.

He said that his dirt guy had a machine, & gave him a bid of 8 bucks a stump. 8 bucks!!?? Just yesterday I did a job at $20/stump. The guy was so pleased he paid me a $25 tip. Even told me that he got another bid at $30/stump.

Good grief, 8 bucks?? What's the industry comin' to??

Sorry, had to vent

 

[Husky137]

Sounds like a quick and easy job for an excavator.

 

[lxt]

nowadays cheap is the trend, fuel & natural gas goin up everyones wanting cheap not to mention the holidays. this time of year around where I live guys are doing trees for 1/2 what they should be done for & grinding any size stump-yes any size for $40-$75.00

the landscape hacks are topping & literally stubbing(hat racks) ornamental trees, just to make a buck!! hell the other day I bid a sugar maple to reduce the limbs going to the neighbors house (more like on the house) for $325.00 the guy calls me back just to tell me he got another bid for $100.00 less, the job would easily take 3-4hrs setup to driveaway.

this is the time of year I dislike simply because of this cheap price trend, come spring people want the same cheap price rate, I dont play that game at anytime of year I know what Im worth & what I need to make, lately Ive been telling people I have a $200.00 minimum regardless of how small the job is unless Im working right beside them then It might be cheaper.

I start at $200.00 & it goes up from there, this seems to weed out the "I need a shrub trimmed" people!! To go bid, then return to do the job I figure you gotta set a price somewhere. $8 a stump WOW!!! funny how guys in the landscape biz charge $22 per versa-lok stone to set, but a stump machine can only get so much Uhh?

LXT.............

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

seems to me prices are falling faster than the leaves this year

 

[treesquirrel]

8-10 bucks per stump is not unusual around here if the job is 20 stumps or more and the average size is small to medium (6-15 inchers). Large stumps will always cost more but if part of the package I have found the stumpers who really know how to run their machines end up making 60-100 bucks per hour or more even at the 8-10 dollar price.

I'd never price a small job this way. It would have to be a buncha stumps.

But I agree that prices are falling like leaves.

With the current work crunch around here some tree companies are bidding 1200 dollar jobs at 800 or even less. Hard to get new work lined up with people out there working for free.

 

[intheelements]

8-10 bucks per stump is not unusual around here if the job is 20 stumps or more and the average size is small to medium (6-15 inchers). Large stumps will always cost more but if part of the package I have found the stumpers who really know how to run their machines end up making 60-100 bucks per hour or more even at the 8-10 dollar price.

I'd never price a small job this way. It would have to be a buncha stumps.

But I agree that prices are falling like leaves.

With the current work crunch around here some tree companies are bidding 1200 dollar jobs at 800 or even less. Hard to get new work lined up with people out there working for free.

No rudeness intended, but i'v been running a stump grinding business for three years now and there is no way that anyone is making 60 to 100 dollars an hour at 8 to 10 dollars per stump if they are grinding the stumps correctly. Also when all of the factors are figured in gas, travel time, truck, insurance, maintenance, maintenance time etc, at 8 dollars per stump they would be out of business pretty quick

 

[treesquirrel]

No rudeness intended, but i'v been running a stump grinding business for three years now and there is no way that anyone is making 60 to 100 dollars an hour at 8 to 10 dollars per stump if they are grinding the stumps correctly. Also when all of the factors are figured in gas, travel time, truck, insurance, maintenance, maintenance time etc, at 8 dollars per stump they would be out of business pretty quick

I agree, this pricing baffles me also. I am merely passing on what I have observed here. Don't forget the cost of living factors when comparing Mass and Ga. I'm sure they are not the same.

Two weeks ago I had a gentleman grind 28 pine stumps from 10-16 diameter for that exact figure. He was in and out in a day. Ground them to 6 inches below grade. Rayco 60 horse grinder that chewed up a full stump in less than 5 minutes with this guy running it.

I amalso trying to figure how some of the businesses around here are making money charging 150 bucks for take downs per tree with clean up that should be costing 3-400 bucks if quoted based on risk, etc...

 

[bombdude]

The guy he got the cheap bid from was a dirt guy first, & happened to have a machine. It also happened that his machine was broke down at the time he did the dirt work, so he didn't do the job at that time.

The customer hears about me during the mean time, & calls me.

I gave him the pitch about the beer money grinders, which it sounds like this guy may fall into that caegory, but a cheap price seemed to be his main priority. Oh, well.

 

[STLfirewood]

I do tree work on the side from my main job. I am insured I have a nice 12inch chipper and a 1-ton truck with box to catch the chips and a JD 260 skid steer. I have a free place to dump. A lot of people tell me my price is to cheap. But I have no payents on any equipment. So my overhead right now is really just fuel and some upkeep. I know that one day I will have to replace the chipper and truck so that should be figured in. When someone tell me that I'm to cheap I simply tell them that it's not my fault that they have new equipment, a bunch of employees, and payments on their stuff. I usually bid jobs so myself and my helper(retired dad) clear $350-500 a day depending on the amount of work. Some days we get quite a bit more (insurance jobs taking trees off house) and some days it's a little less. We do great clean up and I always make sure the customer is happy. 90% of our work comes from referals.

Scott

 

[FARMBOSS]

re

I've seen people go so cheap in the winter to where they are making less than they would to get a job for a bigger outfit, I've gotten over it by now, I'm not hurtin for tree work, so I'd rather walk away from a job laughing than trying to compete to lose money, they'll learn

 

[bombdude]

When someone tell me that I'm to cheap I simply tell them that it's not my fault that they have new equipment, a bunch of employees, and payments on their stuff. I usually bid jobs so myself and my helper(retired dad) clear $350-500 a day depending on the amount of work.

Scott

Not everyone is fortunate enough to be in your situation, but I look at the health of the industry itself. I don't claim to be the cheapest, but I do wanna be competitive. I know a guy that has underbid most grinders around here at $15/stump b/c he has an old clunker grinder that costs him nothing to own. Looks like he's gotta adjust with this new guy bidding $8.

Guys like that keep the industry from progressing w/the ever rising costs of doing business. I don't know any millionaire stump grinders out there, but nobody's runnin' a charity service either.

Let's keep the industry healthy while providing good service at fair (not grossly cheap) prices.

BTW, I'd be happy to clear $350-500/day after expenses. Definitely not "cheap" to me.

 

[STLfirewood]

BTW, I'd be happy to clear $350-500/day after expenses. Definitely not "cheap" to me.

That is what I kind of meant. I don't think I am working to cheap. I can definatley work cheaper then the guy who has payroll and big truck payments to make. I provide what I think is great service for people. I have never had a customer complain about a job I have done. I try and stay away from trimming. I know I'm not good at it. I won't top a tree and I will tell them that. When I tell them that I don't have the skills to do what they want almost all thank me for being honest. I refer them to a person that does. If they need tree work again they still call me because I was honest about my skills. A lot of the people I work for have a ton of money. I had one person tell me they were very happy that I didn't try to stick it to them because of where they lived. I had a woman call me today and tell me she had a couple branches down by her house. I drove by and looked real quick. There were six branches down. Biggest was 4 inches and about 15ft. I told her I would have my truck out on friday and I would grab them. That it would be $75. She said really that's cheap. I'll send you a $125. If I'm there more then 10 minutes something is wrong. I have done work for her the last few years. She doesn't even get back up bids. She takes what I tell her and is happy. I have 4-5 referals from her. I don't think I work to cheap I just think I have low overhead.

Scott

 

[tree md]

I'm a small service with low overhead as well. $350-$500 doesn't sound too bad if your grinding stumps, doing light tree work and mostly clean up. We have like a work release rehab program for guys who get into trouble with the law around here. They are a faith based private organization that rehabs these guys and hires them out to local businesses and individuals. Kind of like a labor pool. They also have a moving business and a tree service. They charge $750 a day for a 5 man tree crew. They are pretty much hacks that spike everything they climb and use inexperienced hands under an apprenticeship type program.

We make an average of probably $1000 a day for a 3 to 4 man crew, depending on how many I need for the day. I advertise a quality service and employ only English speaking workers. We've got Discount Tree Service, Affordable Tree Service and Bob's Tree Service (who offers 30% off before he even shows up at your door according to his ads and signs) around here. It kind of irks me a little to see guys out working off a ladder, not even owning a stitch of climbing gear, and no insurance out doing jobs for peanuts but what are you going to do. I often have to remind myself that I am not targeting the "discount" market. I guess I'm not doing too bad, I'm still booked two weeks out and that's better than I usually do during the Holidays. I say let Discount and Affordable Tree get bogged down in the "discount" market. I'm trying to set my sights a little higher than that.

 

[lxt]

tree md, funny the names of the companies you mention are almost identical to some in my area, affordable brothers tree serv., bills tree serv, frenchys tree serv., etc... all these guys have ads saying we are the cheapest, will match or beat anyones price, or the all famous gauranteed lowest pricing!!

Like you say many have lil to no exp. doing tree work, their work is awfull and they are non-insured, hard to compete unless you fight fire with fire!! I think ill probably move on to another career before lowering myself to that level!!

LXT.........

 

[extremewoodwork]

What kills me are the guys that advertise to be certified arborist with no cert # and are licenced and insured. I have never heard of a license to take down trees and car insurance doesnt count for ins. These are the same guys that do dirt cheap work, they get a saw and a truck and then they are a tree company. If they 1/3 the cost of other quotes then I say kick them off your lawn. These are the guys who are making it hard for the real tree companies to make a living because they claim to be able to do the same thing for cheaper.

 

[bombdude]

I agree totally, xtreme. All I do is grind stumps. I don't climb or do any tree work. In La., there is no reqiurement to be licensed just to do stumps. However, I am fully insured, & I operate as a legit business.


But I'd bet that the $8/stump guy has never even thought about being insured. However, people jump on the lower price, & never think that they'll have issues down the road. It's the Wal-Mart mentality, I guess.

 

[mattfr12]

hah 8 dollars a stump i wouldnt even start my machine for less than 50$

 

[treesquirrel]

It's the Wal-Mart mentality, I guess.

It is indeed sir, it is indeed.

 

[BC WetCoast]

hah 8 dollars a stump i wouldnt even start my machine for less than 50$

We should sub out all our stumps to these $8/stump guys.

I did two today (10" maple and 16" cherry) in the courtyard of an office building downtown. Just under 4 hours to do the job. That's about 3/4 hour to grind and the rest finding a parking spot, setting up a safe work site (cones, signs, plywood), hauling the mulch and cleanup. Now I find out, someone else would have done this for $16.

 

[treepres1]

stump grinder

we have a 100 dollar min. to send a grinder out within a 15-mile area and the stump has to be 26 inches or less if theres more stumps its 35dollars a foot:greenchainsaw: