# What would you charge to drop this tree?



## JimR (Feb 22, 2005)

I recently dropped this tree. It is a white ash with a 4 foot diameter base. My wife asked me what it would have cost to have someone come in to drop and remove it. I figure the best way to find that out is to ask the pro's. The tree stands 20 feet in front of the house. There are overhead power lines in front of the house where I took this picture from. The tree needed to be limbed and dropped in sections. I'm looking at maybe doing some more jobs like this in the future and could use some price advice. TIA JimR.


----------



## Lumberjack (Feb 22, 2005)

Too many variables, need more pics.


----------



## Old Monkey (Feb 22, 2005)

Pricing is area by area, state by state... In California I'd have charged between $1,800 and $2,000. In Idaho maybe half that amount.


----------



## TreeJunkie (Feb 23, 2005)

just from what you've shown. In my area; i would charge, $1100 + 150 haul and dump fee.= 1250 total to ground level. Approx 200 to grind the stump, not including hauling off the mulch.


----------



## JimR (Feb 23, 2005)

Lumberjack said:


> Too many variables, need more pics.



I don't have any other shots except when the tree was down. It stood about 50 feet tall.


----------



## Molecule (Feb 25, 2005)

How would you drop that tree ...


----------



## JimR (Feb 25, 2005)

Molecule said:


> How would you drop that tree ...



I went up it and dropped all the limbs. Then took the two larger sections down in two pieces. The remaining trunk was dropped using my tractor to push it over once it was nearly cut through.


----------



## RichO (Feb 25, 2005)

Need more pictures. And yes pricing is state by state, city by city.


----------



## JimR (Feb 25, 2005)

This is the only other picture that I have of the tree before I took it down. It is the tree on the far left in front of the main part of the house.


----------



## Stumper (Feb 26, 2005)

Mario thinks we shouldn't tell you. Given the nature of your whole post-looking to learn how to price and justifying your work to your spouse-I'm inclined to agree with him but I'm going to play along. In this area-perhaps $800-$1000.The pictures aren't really adequate to judge with certainty.


----------



## JimR (Feb 26, 2005)

Thanks for the info. I don't see what is so difficult to judge a price from a picture. To me a tree is a tree as long as you don't need special equipment to take it down. I've been dropping trees since I was 16 for firewood. I never did one for money. My question was to put a price on my work in case I wanted to do this for someone else in the future. I am presently un-employed and looking for ways to make some money part-time while I rebuild that farmhouse in the picture. The only difficult part of this whole job was to pull two branches to the side using my tractor. My daughter was the driver. I didn't ask this question to justify anything to the wife about taking this tree down. This was for my own information should I decide to do something like this again. I figured that if I am going to do this I should at least charge a fair price for the job. I thank you all for the info and will try to charge accordingly.


----------



## eyeinstine (Feb 26, 2005)

Sooooo, is this going to be a official business with insurance and such??? I think some replys were a little 'testy' because it appears you where asking for pricing, to become a fly by nighter tree cutter.. the Pro's here dont like that, and i dont blame them one bit.. It it is a 1000$ removal, and you do it on the fly, you get to pocket 950 bucks.. You'll lose 50 bucks at most in gas.. If they do it, the have to pay taxes, insurance, employee(s), and they mighnt profit 250$ in the clear.. So i hope you understand, that to them (and myself, and i'm not a tree guy); that it is a bit ballsy to ask for pricing so you can go charge someone else..

that said, i do understand wanting to make some spare bucks, we all have to at times.. I just dont think it is wise to pick the brains of the pro's in open forum..

Good luck, and work safe.. tree work has killed alot of people when not taken seriously.

Ron


----------



## Stumper (Feb 26, 2005)

JimR said:


> Thanks for the info. I don't see what is so difficult to judge a price from a picture. To me a tree is a tree as long as you don't need special equipment to take it down.



Because photos are a 2 dimensional representation of a three dimensional setting. Because focal length distorts perception. Because the primary photo you had did not even show the entire tree.



> I am presently un-employed and looking for ways to make some money part-time while I rebuild that farmhouse in the picture. The only difficult part of this whole job was to pull two branches to the side using my tractor. My daughter was the driver
> 
> 
> > Presumably this worked out okay but it will make a knowledgable rigger cringe. The potential forces you are working with make disaster easy to achieve. I'm sure you would not knowingly endanger your daughter.
> ...


----------



## Dadatwins (Feb 26, 2005)

Stumper said:


> I respectfully submit that neither photography nor arboriculture are areas which you should look in.



Ditto that, You know Stumper, take respectfully out of that comment and it sounds like RJS back from the abyss.


----------



## Stumper (Feb 26, 2005)

Dada, You flatter me.


----------



## Ekka (Feb 26, 2005)

Yeah I would say it was about a $1000 to $1500 Aus

I'll also say that for a novice/backyarder I'm surprised you actually did it. How did you climb the tree?


----------



## geofore (Feb 26, 2005)

*unemployed*

If you have been taking trees down since you were 16, did you climb most of them? You're 51 now and definitely have the balls to climb. Do you take down/climb trees every year for firewood? I ask because we don't know what you have for climbing equipment. Not many folks here would let you in with a tractor and your daughter. If you don't have the PPE, ins., and equipment to climb that number drops again. That tree was in reasonable shape, are you going to pass on bad ones? Will you know a bad one when you see it? The statement that scares me is that you think a tree's a tree. They're not the same, and they don't come apart the same. Looks like a rural area, have you talked to your ins. guy about ins.? The insurance guy is going to ask how long you've been doing tree work and if you say a tree's a tree Your premium just doubled.


----------



## JimR (Feb 28, 2005)

eyeinstine said:


> Sooooo, is this going to be a official business with insurance and such??? I think some replys were a little 'testy' because it appears you where asking for pricing, to become a fly by nighter tree cutter.. the Pro's here dont like that, and i dont blame them one bit.. It it is a 1000$ removal, and you do it on the fly, you get to pocket 950 bucks.. You'll lose 50 bucks at most in gas.. If they do it, the have to pay taxes, insurance, employee(s), and they mighnt profit 250$ in the clear.. So i hope you understand, that to them (and myself, and i'm not a tree guy); that it is a bit ballsy to ask for pricing so you can go charge someone else..
> 
> that said, i do understand wanting to make some spare bucks, we all have to at times.. I just dont think it is wise to pick the brains of the pro's in open forum..
> 
> ...




Yes, it would be an official business. Thanks for the input and I do understand why some folks like the ones posting below your reply are the way they are. If I wanted to be an Arborist, I'm sure I could be one. I spent 9 years working as a mechanic and 20 years as a machinist on manual and CNC equipment. I worked for 2.5 years as a sales rep for a major gun distributor. I was the general contractor on a $100,000.00 garage/house addition on my house and did all the finish carpentry work, wiring and laying down 1000 board feet of 5" t&g red oak. I also make custom rifle bolt handles for gun collectors and shooters. I am A+ certified in computers and have taken Microsoft's MCSE course. But that market crashed and has not regained momentum around here. So for those folks who feel that I should find another line of work. Geez, I don't know what else I can do.  Here are a few pictures of my latest project that I did. We lost a 36'x24' section of this 1840's 36'x60' barn. I lfted this barn 9 inches in the center and pulled it over 13 inches in the middle using jacks. I hired a qualified guy to rebuild my barn while I worked. Unfortunately a year passed and very little was getting done. So I quit my real job to get the job done. Qualified, yes, I'm qualified to do a lot of things and to get the job done. Tell me again what I shouldn't do. By the way, 38 new floor joists in that barn are from white Ash trees off of my 45 acres of land that were hewn by me to fit the floors.


----------



## JimR (Feb 28, 2005)

geofore said:


> If you have been taking trees down since you were 16, did you climb most of them? You're 51 now and definitely have the balls to climb. Do you take down/climb trees every year for firewood? I ask because we don't know what you have for climbing equipment. Not many folks here would let you in with a tractor and your daughter. If you don't have the PPE, ins., and equipment to climb that number drops again. That tree was in reasonable shape, are you going to pass on bad ones? Will you know a bad one when you see it? The statement that scares me is that you think a tree's a tree. They're not the same, and they don't come apart the same. Looks like a rural area, have you talked to your ins. guy about ins.? The insurance guy is going to ask how long you've been doing tree work and if you say a tree's a tree Your premium just doubled.



Yes, I have been cutting trees for firewood. I have climbed two years ago using spikes. Climbing with a rope is my next step. I'm 52 years old and have plenty of balls to do almost anything. I also ride and work on motorcycles for friends. I have used ladders to get up 30+ feet to attach cables when needed to pull a tree where I wanted it to go. I only pull them down when there is no other option. I did just get Jepson's book and read half of it yesterday while burning a brush pile. It is a very good book with a lot on info on gear, knots and tecniques. I do not have any climbing equipment except for two sets of spikes and belts. Your right, I never should have said a tree is a tree. Not every tree is the same. There could be serious consequences involved in taking down a bad tree without the proper knowledge. That tree I took down was in real bad condition. I used a 100', 1" rope attached to my tractor to make two branches drop where I wanted them to drop. We were losing branches off of it continously. I see what you mean about the insurance and why the premiums would be so high. No experience means higher prices. I do live in a very rural area.


----------



## Ekka (Mar 1, 2005)

Hey JimR,

Don't be so defensive, I know where you're coming from.

Tell the knockers to get stuffed, good on ya, some people forget where they came from. 

Some of my best fun days were when I didn't have all the reponsibility of running a full blow tree business with its stinking overheads. Just go out and knock over a couple of jobs for the week ... easy, the money you make is yours not the change after everyone else gets in.

You're obviously an intelligent person, bit like the pretender hey, can do anything you put your mind to. Hows your health? Be wary of that one, don't go too hard if your body can't take it.

You did that tree yourself and saved $1000 ... good on you, next thing you know some jerks gonna make a law that you can't do your own gardening.

Have fun, and climb a few trees, it's free.


----------



## JimR (Mar 1, 2005)

Hey Ekka,

My intentions are to climb a few trees just for the fun of it. First I need to buy the gear. I may be a little defensive, but I won't knock the nay-sayers. I know where I came from and what I've done to get where I am today. I do have that other big tree to drop on the farm and that is going to be my learning tree. I am really looking forward to sitting way up top in it knowing that I climbed it all on my own. I'm in pretty good physical condition now since the barn completion. I worked on that project for almost 3 months 7 days a week. I also dropped 20 pounds and can't keep my pants up anymore. Suspenders may be in order someday. It won't be because I have a fat gut that my pants can't go around. I'll post a picture from up high once I get my gear and learn how to use it.


----------



## woodshop (Mar 1, 2005)

Like most others here, I think you were risking life, limb and possibly your house taking down a tree like that yourself, but like Stumper said, without better pics from different perspectives, hard to say. Looks like you dodged a bullet this time.

That said, I have to admire your barn rebuilding skills. I love to see old barns that have seen much better days, that most people would knock down, be rebuilt. Old barns are slowly disappearing here in PA. The Amish still build them.


----------



## newb (Mar 1, 2005)

Wow, Thats scary. You want us to price with a pic, and you cant understand why its not possible. How did you climb the tree, ladder? What did you use to rig it down, luck? You said you cut half way through and pushed it down with a tractor. And your thinking of doing this on the side. Count your lucky stars it went good and remember, even a broken clock is right twice a day!!


----------



## Molecule (Mar 1, 2005)

Ekka said:


> Don't be so defensive, I know where you're coming from. [ ... ] next thing you know some jerks gonna make a law that you can't do your own gardening. Have fun, and climb a few trees, it's free.


Ekka ... you'll like this one ... as reported by Dan Lutz, an American farmer in West Virginia, in a recent issue of the most feared and free newspaper in the United States ...


> The Paul Bremer Administration [in Iraq] issued "[Executive] Order No.81," to bring Iraqi law into compliance with the protected practices of Monsanto, Cargill and other multinationals. Under Order No. 81 (titled *Patent, Industrial Design, Undisclosed Information, Integrated Circuits and Plant Variety Law*), it is mandated :
> 1) Iraqis will dispose of and destroy all existing stocks of seeds held.
> 2) Cease planting from these seedstocks, and sowing these seeds.
> 3) Purchase crop seeds from the genetically engineered strains sold by the multinationals.
> [ ... ]


West Virginia Family Farmer Lutz continues ... "We face the prospect of paying a license fee [to Monsanto] to plant a backyard garden. [Thru user and inspection fees levied on the home gardener and small farmer, and tax relief to cover the debt frauds of the multinationals, this privitized tax] might be paid to Monsanto-Cargill, depending on what seed the producer farmer/family gardener plants. The grower must keep a record of the harvest—that is, what was grown, when it was harvested—and the crop volume and how disposed of. You will be taxed [on your own food production] as income on your IRS 1040 Farm Income Line. [And] what happens to the producer who inadvertently or deliberately transports these seeds anywhere without authorization? Monsanto maintains a police and litigation force for enforcement against farmers."
Way to go Paul Bremmer ... 500 Billion for Iraqi "freedom," not a dime for the American Family Farmer.


----------



## JimR (Mar 1, 2005)

newb said:


> Wow, Thats scary. You want us to price with a pic, and you cant understand why its not possible. How did you climb the tree, ladder? What did you use to rig it down, luck? You said you cut half way through and pushed it down with a tractor. And your thinking of doing this on the side. Count your lucky stars it went good and remember, even a broken clock is right twice a day!!



I used a ladder on this tree. I said I cut the limbs off and dropped the other two sections in two pieces. I then cut through the tree and pushed it over with my tractor. That was the remaiing 8 feet of the trunk. Most of the limbs on the tree fell exactly where they should have gone. Two needed to be pursuaded by my tractor using a 1" 100,000 lb test rope.


----------



## JimR (Mar 1, 2005)

woodshop said:


> Like most others here, I think you were risking life, limb and possibly your house taking down a tree like that yourself, but like Stumper said, without better pics from different perspectives, hard to say. Looks like you dodged a bullet this time.
> 
> That said, I have to admire your barn rebuilding skills. I love to see old barns that have seen much better days, that most people would knock down, be rebuilt. Old barns are slowly disappearing here in PA. The Amish still build them.



This was not the biggest tree that I have dropped. Risky, maybe if your squeamish. I find that riding my motorcycle in rush hour traffic is more dangerous than being up in that tree. I have no control over idiot drivers in vehicles. In that tree I felt in control.

Thanks for the compliments on my barn work. I couldn't see taking it down either. The cost to replace it would have been out of this world.


----------



## Ekka (Mar 2, 2005)

Hey JimR

When I climbed my first big tree. (the guys on here will hate this)

I got a ripper of a shot in nice and high, pulled my lifeline through, bounce tested it and here we go. Had 2 beers before the ascent for clinical reasons. 

I had hooked on the back of my harness another throw line tied to 2 more beers in the esky below. I climbed to the top of this big gum, got comfortable and then pulled up those beers and just chilled out. It was great, you could see for miles, no-one knew you were up there, people walking dogs in the park below etc. Then I stuck on the figure 8 and did an abseil descent, fantastic.

It's all about the high point mate, learn to trunk walk and it's a blast. Go out on limbs, take a swing, no worries.

Common sense is what's required, look for defects on your ascent.

You might choose to pull up a coffee, but it's always hot here so I use beer. (not on the job though)


----------



## JimR (Mar 2, 2005)

Ekka said:


> Hey JimR
> 
> When I climbed my first big tree. (the guys on here will hate this)
> 
> ...



That's funny. I've had quite a few beers up on the roof before, never in a tree. Coffee is not for me. I don't need it. I'm strung out enough without it. You gotta love the view from being up high. I remember climbing a Maple tree in my mother's yard when I was about 10 years old. I climbed that tree all the way to the swinging branches at the top. You could see everywhere from up there. It was breezy and the tree top was just swaying in the wind. I also remember having one hell of a time getting down. I jumped to quite a few branches because that was how I got up to the top. After that I used a rope to climb that tree to the top at the hard spots. Of course when you are a kid you have no fear whatsoever.
You should see the view from the top of the barn roof. I've been up there admiring the countryside in the fall. We have a hatch on the south side of the roof for roof access. Those roof days all almost over. The other side of the barn roof gets done this spring. That should be the last time in my life that I should need to go up there for repairs. I can't wait to learn to climb. Right now money is tight as I am trying to keep expenses down on tools and equipment while I work on the old farmhouse. The farmhouse is where my daughter will be moving in hopefully this year once I update the place. It needs a complete rewire, replaster, insulation job. My daughter and I have already started tearing the walls down to insulate the place. I also need to convert the heat over to a closed forced hot water system. It has steam heat now. That will not work well with a tight house. Steam makes too much moisture buildup inside the house in the winter. I was also considering making a tree house up in the other Ash tree that I want to remove. I could use this as a climbing tree. I need to talk with my daughter about that one. She likes climbing trees too. Before she went off to college she was always goofing off up in our trees or the trees at the farm. She is a very strong tough little 5' peanut.


----------



## JonnyHart (Mar 3, 2005)

Ekka said:


> Hey JimR
> 
> When I climbed my first big tree. (the guys on here will hate this)
> 
> ...


I'm not sure that's a very good idea. Then again, it's always fun peeing out of the top of a tree. Ya don't buy beer, ya rent it.


----------

