Ever come across this guy?

[cnice_37]

This is why I hate wood scrounging.

Last weekend took down 2 trees at a neighbor's place. After doing the first tree, another neighbor drives down the road after hearing some saws running. Turns out he's got "years and years worth" of dead standing oaks.

I talked to this guy 2 years earlier, about a dead oak he had right next to a powerline. I told him I'll take that, no cost to you, you just need to clear the brush that I leave in a pile. 2 phone calls later from this guy - he needs it done now and he doesn't want any clean up. No thanks.

So after reminding him who I was we schedule for me to pay him a visit on 4PM Friday to see what he's got. Show up at 3:50 on Friday, and "now's not a good time for me." What? OK, well just point me in the direction and I'll let you know.

He walks out there and shows me this one tree he is really concerned with. Perched right over a shed and a deck, and I say call an arborist for that one. He agrees. So I ask about the other standing dead Oaks, not in danger of hitting anything.

"Oh, I'm going to see if I can get a deal for those."

[Me]"A deal?"

"Yeah, maybe the arborist will want to take those for firewood and I can get a better price on the one tree."

[Me]"Yeah good luck with that."

I'm pretty sure he got the message when I just walked away laughing at him.

Waste my time, wants something for nothing, done immediately, like a professional, and then can't even give me the standing dead oak after all that.

Jackass.

 

[John R]

Don't be too hard on the guy, it is his wood.

 

[mga]

any arborist he calls most likely is up to their wazoo in firewood anyways. besides, what's the value of a standing dead tree in firewood worth? it has to be dropped, cut, hauled, split, stacked etc etc. a standing tree isn't the same worth as a sitting face cord.

he'll get laughed at by most of them. everyone thinks their trees are worth a million bucks. i wish home owners would visit forums like this and get a freakin education:


you're tree is more work than it is worth!!


(ya know, that's strange..."firewood" appears twice, yet when i go to "edit" it only appears once)

 

[jimbojango]

hmm.. arborists are in business to make money, not firewood He'll have good luck with that #### lol

 

[cnice_37]

Don't be too hard on the guy, it is his wood.

I don't know - someone promises you "years of firewood" and when you tell them one tree (out of maybe 8) is a job for a pro they no longer want your free work.

He doesn't burn wood, he is just looking for free tree work.

 

[Locust Cutter]

hmm.. arborists are in business to make money, not firewood He'll have good luck with that #### lol

Reasons that I don't take on too' many "extra" projects anymore,... Now I'd give Jimbojango a hand if he wanted, seeing as how he seems to be a stand up guy, but,... There are too'many that I get that little feeling like there not on the level, which I've learned to listen to now,...

 

[Dalmatian90]

what's the value of a standing dead tree in firewood worth?

In Connecticut, in the woods, $30/cord.

Now start subtracting for having to deal with not damaging lawns, dealing with brush, etc.

 

[jimbojango]

I don't cut them hanging over houses locust i cut them where i don't have to use wedges or anything else just let them fall where they fall. The only "wedge" i use is a 4430 john deere with a loader if it won't fall quite where i want it... just a little push from a buddy while i cut them down

I don't see WHY people think tree's are worth anything. They aren't or at least not around here. its the labor attatched that makes them worth the $$'s

 

[Locust Cutter]

I don't cut them hanging over houses locust i cut them where i don't have to use wedges or anything else just let them fall where they fall. The only "wedge" i use is a 4430 john deere with a loader if it won't fall quite where i want it... just a little push from a buddy while i cut them down

I don't see WHY people think tree's are worth anything. They aren't or at least not around here. its the labor attatched that makes them worth the $$'s

And then some. If I ever tried to do wood as an actual business, I'd have to have more/better equipment or a much better place to cut or both, to make it financially worthwhile,... I've worked way too' hard to make any profit on some of the trees I've taken from a friend's ranch while trying not to rut-up or otherwise cause damage to the place. Not that I don't agree with his wishes or philosophies, but if I assigned a paycheck to my "labor", I'd be in the hole right now. And I agree with you Jim, I've only taken trees in precarious positions in order to help a destitute friend in need (keep the city off of their back) or when I've had to on my own land, or for Tornado cleanup. Otherwise it isn't worth it, especially not being privately insured/bonded as a business.

 

[jimbojango]

what i can't figure out is why people think a tree is worth anything. The only reason commercial logging pays for tree's is because they have to have the volume to stay in business. I'd just as soon have a commercial logger come in and flush cut my pastures and tree rows to the ground, but the tree's suck and aren't worth ANYTHING. a dozer would cost a fortune as well. So i'll just cut forever

In town i don't see that paying 500 bucks to get a tree taken out because you didn't take care of it and let it grow over the house is a problem. Thats really not a lot of money in the grand scheme of things and you KNOW the tree is dying a year or 2 before it does and you have another year or so to get it out without any problems. Just seems stupid that people are that cheap. "I'll let you have this ELM wood" ... yeah bull#### lol

 

[Locust Cutter]

what i can't figure out is why people think a tree is worth anything. The only reason commercial logging pays for tree's is because they have to have the volume to stay in business. I'd just as soon have a commercial logger come in and flush cut my pastures and tree rows to the ground, but the tree's suck and aren't worth ANYTHING. a dozer would cost a fortune as well. So i'll just cut forever

In town i don't see that paying 500 bucks to get a tree taken out because you didn't take care of it and let it grow over the house is a problem. Thats really not a lot of money in the grand scheme of things and you KNOW the tree is dying a year or 2 before it does and you have another year or so to get it out without any problems. Just seems stupid that people are that cheap. "I'll let you have this ELM wood" ... yeah bull#### lol

Repped (when it lets me again). I'll have to call you when I get back home and drive down to meet you some time. I bet I'd have a blast being around you and picking your brain, or cleaning pasture (as I suspect you have a few years on me and I could no doubt learn a few thing from you).
Thread Hijack over,...
-Bryan

 

[jrr344]

What kind of person would want some random guy to come to his house and cut down a tree for free that could possibly destroy his house and shed? You get what you pay for when you do that kind of stuff.

 

[jimbojango]

What kind of person would want some random guy to come to his house and cut down a tree for free that could possibly destroy his house and shed? You get what you pay for when you do that kind of stuff.

Agreed

 

[wvlogger]

I get this all the time with junk cars. People think what they have is gold. Take this for instance. I call a guy up about a totaled 01 ford Taurus. Guy is supposedly selling it for parts. I offer him 200 bucks for the whole car i do all the work haul it away, every thing. I responds back by saying "no you can still drive it down the road and get it legal". At this point i have been on the phone for at least 10 minutes talking to this guy. I tell him do you understand what totaled means. When something is totaled it is no longer usable. Well i ended up with a 98 Dodge neon after another person gave me the run around. will going to get the Neon I just happen to drive pass this guys lot. The car is a total pretzel. no way you can drive it. Long story short, Do not trust people. and most of the time the general public is nothing but a bunch of fools. Sorry for the total thread hijack.

 

[HOGBEAR]

Thats about right a man up the road from me wanted to know if I wanted to take down some pecan trees that he needed thinned all I had to do was to take them down and take away the good wood and he would do the rest. Yeah right I show up and plans changed. I take down the trees load the scrap stuff by hand when there was a perfectly good loader there then he wanted half the wood, I just walked away.

 

[Wind Walker]

They are all over...

A month or so ago when I was in the shop picking up my new saw a guy walked in and asked me if I cut trees down? I said yeah, I heat with wood and sell a few cords and have fell a good number of trees. Turned out he had a small tree, of unknown species (but it was good firewood) he wanted removed and was looking for someone to do this in exchange for the wood. I said yeah I can do that for ya. I ask, Is there any buildings around? Well yes it's next to a fence and the house. Oh, sounds like it needs to be climbed, topped and chuncked. Oh no, there is room to just drop it. Oh, how far between the house and the fence? 8' feet he says. I asked how tall is this small tree? Well it's taller than the house. Is it a two story house? Why yes it is. I said that sounds way beyond my ability you need to have a tree guy come and take care of that. He said but that will cost alot of money, you can have the wood and I'll clean up the branches. I laughed and said "No thanks".


It's easy to get suckered in when your a wood scrounger. The key is to know when to walk away.

I like to play with the standing dead wood in the wide open woodlots. I even started taking cones out with me and try to drop them on the cones just for practice. I'm never in much of a hurry and it's more like a study session for me. Sometimes it's perfect, others it's no so perfect. I have alot to learn before I start messing around in tight spaces for sure...


Mike

 

[TMFARM 2009]

since the thread has already been hijacked , check this one out....
craigslist.
FREE ASH & WALNUT TREES (RICHMOND AREA)

Date: 2011-01-15, 11:05AM EST
Reply to: [email protected] [Errors when replying to ads?]

WANTED ASH,WALNUT TREES REMOVED CLOSE TO FENCE AND HOUSE. THEY ARE SMALL TREES AND COULD BE REMOVED EASELY WITH CARE. I WILL NOT PAY TO HAVE THEM REMOVED LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO REMOVE FOR THE FIREWOOD.I WILL REMOVE THE BRUSH THOUGH.. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN GETTING FREE FIREWOOD CALL ME AT 765-960-7203 OR TEXT LEAVE MESSAGE ASAP.



Location: RICHMOND AREA
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
PostingID: 2161771561

 

[freemind]

Yes, many landowners/homeowners belive thier trees are GOLD. Even people around here that have some trees logged, think their tops are super valueable.

Commonly people ask 20-40 a LOAD you cut. Wood sells from 50-65 dollars a pick up load. I don't belive I will be cutting/splitting/stacking/loading/hauling firewood for 30 dollars a load. I would make alot more money flipping burgers. Likely bleed and swaet a lot less too.

 

[rancher2]

This thread is exactly how I met the best wood cutting buddy I could ever met. I was at a gas station 25 years ago getting gas and had some saws in the back and a wood splitter in tow. A guy came up and started looking at my wood splitter and we got to talking and he was having the same problem with finding places to cut wood and people wanted trees cut and brush cleaned up for free or him pay them for there great trees that were worth gold. I told him I have more wood to cut on my farms then he will get cut in a life time and I have tractors and loaders and a dozer to deal with the brush. It was a great 20 years cutting wood with him. Five years ago they moved. I still miss the fun we had. I still am cutting wood.

 

[jimbojango]

This thread is exactly how I met the best wood cutting buddy I could ever met. I was at a gas station 25 years ago getting gas and had some saws in the back and a wood splitter in tow. A guy came up and started looking at my wood splitter and we got to talking and he was having the same problem with finding places to cut wood and people wanted trees cut and brush cleaned up for free or him pay them for there great trees that were worth gold. I told him I have more wood to cut on my farms then he will get cut in a life time and I have tractors and loaders and a dozer to deal with the brush. It was a great 20 years cutting wood with him. Five years ago they moved. I still miss the fun we had. I still am cutting wood.

see, someone who gets it! tree's are useless pieces of standing junk, you just want rid of them lol To bad your buddy moved, but you're doing it the right way cutting the wood and pushing the brush. I'd die if i had to stack brush and burn it. It winds up in my creek and washes down to the water gap THEN there is one big fire in the spring