DDM
Addicted to ArboristSite
How do the rest of you estimate removing and cleaning up already Dropped trees? Storm trees for instance. Theres minimal risk you dont have to hang your life on the line. So? do you drop hourly rate a bit? 
Estimating Downed Trees
- Thread starter DDM
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Well, i can think of plenty of ways to get hurt disarming limbs sticking up into the air, and spring poles below loaded and ready to fly!
Some downed trees to me, have seemed like they took longer to disarm and move then if we had dismantled them orderly and evacuated each piece.
Might drop a lil, but can the 'dimmest' guy you had working for you in the last year do it with 1 saw? Well, there might be s-killed activity then.......
Some downed trees to me, have seemed like they took longer to disarm and move then if we had dismantled them orderly and evacuated each piece.
Might drop a lil, but can the 'dimmest' guy you had working for you in the last year do it with 1 saw? Well, there might be s-killed activity then.......
o0_TreeMan_0o
ArboristSite Operative
I bid trees that are already down, storm or someone else took down, MUCH higher than if i took it down myself. It is a lot safer, faster and easy to drag the limbs and blocks to the chipper as they come down one or 2 at the time than to dig thru a tangled mess. Not to mention the crane or rigging involved if the tree landed on a house. The take down is the easy part. The cleanup is the hard part. 
I bid the same or higher. If they hit a structure or fence, encourage the possibility of an insurance claim. The worst injury I have had was in processing a large uprooted oak that decided to stand up again after removing a large portion of the crown. Where are you supposed to tie in to?? I just got flung and I unfortunately was more concerned about my 020 hitting the ground than myself and consequently landed rough on a pile of chunks. Lots of cuts and bruises. I think the bruised ego took the longest to heal. Yeah, charge more. What is the worst they can say, NO?
treeclimber165
Member A.K.A Skwerl
Another point to keep in mind is that there is ALWAYS more tree on the ground than you think there is! If I think it's a truckload of chips, it turns out to be 1 1/2 loads. So much for pricing lower cause it's on the ground!
So much for pricing lower cause it's on the ground!
DDM
Addicted to ArboristSite
I understood & learned from these different point of views and I'll keep them in mind next time i get a tree on the ground call.
John Paul Sanborn
Above average climber
Up here storm work can eat you alive, every yahoo with a utility trailor wants in on it.
I've done it time and materials at a rate comensurate with the urgancy of the job. Time pressures are eating up your day, the highest bidder gets the work.
"ok Mrs Smith, we have some guys a few miles form you, they can get to you next to take the log off your house. Cost will be $150/ man hour for the 3 man crew to do it right a way.... Yes ma'am, I know....they are working very hard and everyone wants us there now. We prioritze the work by risk and severity... if you can wait till the emergancy work is done we will be back down to the normal rates..."
I've done it time and materials at a rate comensurate with the urgancy of the job. Time pressures are eating up your day, the highest bidder gets the work.
"ok Mrs Smith, we have some guys a few miles form you, they can get to you next to take the log off your house. Cost will be $150/ man hour for the 3 man crew to do it right a way.... Yes ma'am, I know....they are working very hard and everyone wants us there now. We prioritze the work by risk and severity... if you can wait till the emergancy work is done we will be back down to the normal rates..."
