# Cutter prices



## STLfirewood (Apr 5, 2009)

What's the standard on paying a faller. Do you pay them by the board ft or by the day. This would be for a guy that is a good cutter but not an everyday pro. Is there a standard for pay? Thanks Scott


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## Burvol (Apr 5, 2009)

STLfirewood said:


> What's the standard on paying a faller. Do you pay them by the board ft or by the day. This would be for a guy that is a good cutter but not an everyday pro. Is there a standard for pay? Thanks Scott



If you pack your own insurance, around here the going rate for a good faller is 45-50 hour, down into California I heard it's like 55-75 Hr, depending on the wood. Not sure though. My buddy charges 65 and hour down there, but he's kind of a living legend in our circle of cutters, damn good.
Most contract jobs I cut I charge 45 an hour. That's about all you get from guys in a 100 mile radius of me. Haul serious ass and you can demand 50. It doesn't pay like bushlers made in the 80's. After you feed a couple of saws, insurance, drive over an hour to work each way, plus all your other tools, it's not as much as you think. But...I can't help but stay in it. Only job I am comfortable at. 

I did my best Gypo cutting for pieces my Dad logged. It paid real good. It's nice to stuff some coin in *your* britches once in a while.


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## spencerhenry (Apr 5, 2009)

it is the same around here, as a legitimate subcontractor, i get at least $40, but usually more like $45 to $50. but most times i work piece rate, usually we are not cutting good timber so bdft doest work. i get $5 per tree, thats felled and limbed. being as i own the skidder and have skid alot of timber, i know where to put the trees if i were skidding it. just any old knuckle head dropping trees where ever can make life for the skidder operator a real pain.


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## Burvol (Apr 5, 2009)

spencerhenry said:


> it is the same around here, as a legitimate subcontractor, i get at least $40, but usually more like $45 to $50. but most times i work piece rate, usually we are not cutting good timber so bdft doest work. i get $5 per tree, thats felled and limbed. being as i own the skidder and have skid alot of timber, i know where to put the trees if i were skidding it. just any old knuckle head dropping trees where ever can make life for the skidder operator a real pain.



Is that the big bug kill area?


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## Cletuspsc (Apr 5, 2009)

Around my area most choppers either go by the day or by the thousand. I personally like getting paid per thousand and look to get about $35/m. Most guys just startin will get 150 bucks a day. I never liked day wage because it dosent give you any motivation. around here a good chopper should beable to flop, top and lop 10,000 ft a day with out being un safe or gettin worn out.


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## Burvol (Apr 5, 2009)

Cletuspsc said:


> Around my area most choppers either go by the day or by the thousand. I personally like getting paid per thousand and look to get about $35/m. Most guys just startin will get 150 bucks a day. I never liked day wage because it dosent give you any motivation. around here a good chopper should beable to flop, top and lop 10,000 ft a day with out being un safe or gettin worn out.



10 mbf is two nice loads. 150 a day and you should just mow grass or something. Even green, that seems cheap.

Even if your getting hourly or day wages, it's the honor and satifaction of laying the mother down. It feels good to lay a nice stand down, just kowing in your own heart and mind that you did great that day. Trust me, a reputation is built and it doesn't take long to get noticed. You'll be surprised one day when you open your paycheck


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## HS Climber (Apr 5, 2009)

I know alot of guys around here get paid by the load. I think $50 a load.


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## Burvol (Apr 5, 2009)

HS Climber said:


> I know alot of guys around here get paid by the load. I think $50 a load.



Probably Tree Trippin'.


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## Jacob J. (Apr 5, 2009)

Yeah $50 a load is only for straight falling jobs. Young guys starting out here make about $180/day and go up from there. The last straight falling job I did I averaged $335/day. The last full manufacture job I did I averaged $355. Like Burvol said, if you haul ass and are known to be a productive cutter, you can get more.

The helicopter shows are where the best money is. My cousin ran a side for Columbia for a while and he was averaging $450.


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## Meadow Beaver (Apr 5, 2009)

I heard guys who cut on wildland complexes make a lot of money.


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## Jacob J. (Apr 5, 2009)

Some do, it depends mostly on which geographical region you're working in and what agency has hired you. Guys working in Region 5 (California) were making good money last year on Calfire and Forest Service assignments. Guys working in Region 6 (Oregon and Washington) on federal fires were making the national average. Oregon Department of Forestry hires fallers under similar guidelines to what U.S. Forest Service and B.L.M. do. Getting hired these days though is becoming a complicated process and the cutter's associations (North Zone Fallers, Northwest Timber Fallers, Western Fallers Association) are snapping up all of the work.


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## redprospector (Apr 5, 2009)

Down here it dosen't pay as well as other places. When I hire cutters I like to pay piece work, or by the count. When I'm falling for others I like to do the same. That way you get paid for what you do, and if someone can't keep up..............Well, they get paid for what they do too.

I really hate "day pay".

Andy


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## sILlogger (Apr 5, 2009)

around here cutting you are lucky to get $20-25/hr with your own saws and gear. 

and i'm doing good at getting paid $25/mbdft. 

what type of insurance are you talking in the pnw? health or liability?


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## Jacob J. (Apr 5, 2009)

redprospector said:


> Down here it dosen't pay as well as other places. When I hire cutters I like to pay piece work, or by the count. When I'm falling for others I like to do the same. That way you get paid for what you do, and if someone can't keep up..............Well, they get paid for what they do too.
> 
> I really hate "day pay".
> 
> Andy



We hired three day-wagers on the last job I was on to fill in for two of the other sub-contractors who were going to be out of the game for a few days. The day wage guys were a waste of time. They cut two days and we ran them off. Me and my guy worked seven days a week for four weeks to finish the job. I'll never hire a day wage tramp again.



sILlogger said:


> around here cutting you are lucky to get $20-25/hr with your own saws and gear.
> 
> and i'm doing good at getting paid $25/mbdft.
> 
> what type of insurance are you talking in the pnw? health or liability?



Liability (logger's Broadform), OSHA account, SAIF if you have any employees.


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## spencerhenry (Apr 5, 2009)

to be a legitimate subcontractor you need to supply your own tools, and carry liability insurance. if you are working as a subcontractor you have the right to NOT carry workers comp on yourself, but unless you can afford to pay for your own health care you should have health insurance. but i know of no law that requires it, i require anyone working for me to be a legal contractor, and to carry their own health insurance. as legal subcontractor you have higher taxes than an employee.


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## sILlogger (Apr 5, 2009)

ok..i carry a $1,000,000 liability policy in the event that i tear something up or get someone killed. just wondered if that was comparable to what you gues were talking


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## 1I'dJak (Apr 5, 2009)

here in bc its mostly dayrate...there used to be more piecework but that was scaled back due to safety concerns as well as reducing the day to 6.5 hrs.... wages are between 450-650 day...however these guys are cutting in some steep-ass settings as mostly machines mow down the second growth in the flats....most fallers are contractors, so they gotta carry workman's comp... however there are some union fallers still left...not too many though..


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## redprospector (Apr 5, 2009)

spencerhenry said:


> to be a legitimate subcontractor you need to supply your own tools, and carry liability insurance. if you are working as a subcontractor you have the right to NOT carry workers comp on yourself, but unless you can afford to pay for your own health care you should have health insurance. but i know of no law that requires it, i require anyone working for me to be a legal contractor, and to carry their own health insurance. as legal subcontractor you have higher taxes than an employee.



In New Mexico it wouldn't do you any good to carry workman's comp on yourself if you're a contractor/sub contractor. They won't pay a claim on the owner of the company. Need to carry good health insurance.
If you have over three employee's you have to carry workman's comp on them. If you have less than 3 employee's you don't have to carry workman's comp on them, but I think that your flirting with the undertaker if you don't have something to help protect you if someone get's hurt.

Andy


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## Tree Sling'r (Apr 5, 2009)

$450 a week unemployment down here.


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## Jacob J. (Apr 5, 2009)

sILlogger said:


> ok..i carry a $1,000,000 liability policy in the event that i tear something up or get someone killed. just wondered if that was comparable to what you gues were talking



Broadform here is $1mil. You don't have to carry comp in Oregon if it's just you or just you and one employee, as long as you make them an officer of the company. OSHA still charges you the processing fee because you're required to have an account with them even if you don't use it.


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## Gologit (Apr 6, 2009)

Tree Sling'r said:


> $450 a week unemployment down here.



$475 now. We got a raise!! :censored:


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## slowp (Apr 6, 2009)

Tree Sling'r said:


> $450 a week unemployment down here.




Move here. I think it is $520 a week.


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## sILlogger (Apr 6, 2009)

hell we don't get unemployment!!!


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## treejunkie13 (Apr 6, 2009)

no unemployment here either!

$100 a tri axle load avg. 3200-4400 bf

It's got to be something u like to do... like Burvol said by the time u pay for all the essentials it's not much money left.

and right now it's anybody's guess when there will be work again!


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## redprospector (Apr 6, 2009)

No unemployment here if you're a contractor. If you do piece work or cut by the thousand they consider you a contractor.
The last guy I know of that got to draw unemployment here got 300 a week.

Andy


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## Tree Sling'r (Apr 6, 2009)

redprospector said:


> No unemployment here if you're a contractor. If you do piece work or cut by the thousand they consider you a contractor.
> The last guy I know of that got to draw unemployment here got 300 a week.
> 
> Andy



I work for myself as an employee (s-corp) and then the fire pay is on the books no with NZ Fallers.


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