# Chipper rates



## 1I'dJak (Apr 2, 2009)

Recently looked at a 935 vermeer chipper owned by a municipality... just 285 hours on it...its got a diesel engine...couldn't really intpect it as it was tucked behind a bunch of junk....anyways what do you fellas rent out your chipper for hourly (with a guy) on this size of chipper, as it looks like i might get purely chipping jobs for other climbers or for the local ho operator...


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## tomtrees58 (Apr 2, 2009)

i have a 1230 we get $150.00 pr hrs tom trees


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## lxt (Apr 3, 2009)

$150.00 an hour??? did I hear/see that right...... wow I can rent a 12" machine down my way for $250.00 a day!!


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


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## tomtrees58 (Apr 3, 2009)

lxt said:


> $150.00 an hour??? did I hear/see that right...... wow I can rent a 12" machine down my way for $250.00 a d
> 
> get out of the woods:jawdrop: we have got that four over 10 years now there's no way you can get a chipper with a man four less then that here we get get$ 90.00 pr hrs four a groundsman a climber goes $200 + tom trees


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## Slvrmple72 (Apr 3, 2009)

Tom is right on the money! I will chip a nice pile for about 125-150/hr but if it is a jumbled mess the price goes up cause you need more hands to make it go quickly and still make money. I had an old fella thoughtfully line up his pile at a diagonal to the street, butts first, and what would have been 225-250. I chipped them for 100, throwlined out some dead hangars, and took down a limb for another 50 as well. Gotta love customers like that, spent a good half hour shooting the breeze with him too after I was all done.

If you have to rent a chipper, always deal with the same place, build a good rapport with them ( donuts and coffee go a long way! ), and take care of the equipment. They will take care of you. As for me, I love my chipper cause it is paid for!


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## Pa Tree guy (Apr 3, 2009)

$150.00 an hour??? did I hear/see that right...... wow I can rent a 12" machine down my way for $250.00 a day!!

That's a good price you got to figure your gas for the truck and chipper + the cost of an employee. Then you have to get rid of the stuff.


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## ATH (Apr 3, 2009)

Slvrmple72 said:


> ......I will chip a nice pile for about 125-150/hr but if it is a jumbled mess the price goes up cause you need more hands to make it go quickly and still make money.......



Maybe this is a dumb question: but when you are billing hourly, wouldn't the higher cost (also, ability to turn a profit) be covered in the fact that it takes longer to do the work?

I get that if you use more men, it will cost more per hour...but I don't understand why you need more hands? Why not just let 2 guys do it in 1 hour instead of having 3 guys do it in 40 minutes?


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## thejdman04 (Apr 4, 2009)

150 an hour is about right, a man and fuel for the chipper.


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## Raymond (Apr 4, 2009)

lxt said:


> $150.00 an hour??? did I hear/see that right...... wow I can rent a 12" machine down my way for $250.00 a day!!
> 
> 
> LXT..................


That's close to what I bid. If they don't want my help that's fine. I'd like to keep the chipper for my jobs anyway. 

Oh I was so hot! Couple months ago I changed the blades and she was chipping like a champ...the first job we did. Then I get a bid for chipping some dead brush for this young couple. Couple hundred dollars, well my help throws an armload in and low and behold we find these rusty metal top tube for a handle to a scoop shovel in the middle of the brush. No wood handle no shovel end just a 14 inch rusty brown tube. 

Second job on the new blades, yeah my brush piles bids went up from that day on.

They paid me and left. I throw the chewed up metal on the porch when we left, toward the front door. Funny thing is they never called.


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## lxt (Apr 4, 2009)

Guys.... maybe im not seeing the full picture here! I can rent the machine for $250 a day...... a day!

you`re telling me $150 an hour = $1200 a day, I could pay a guy $20 an hour, rent the machine fill up the equipment and still easily turn $600 profit for doing nothing!!!

NO WAY in my area!!!!!! I can barely get $100 hour for regular work let alone charge $150- for just chipping, must be nice hell if I could do that I would just do that........ $600 for sitting at home doing nothing! damn you guys must be raking it in!!


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


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## Raymond (Apr 4, 2009)

'Nother wanna be tree guy is born.
Happens on ever street corner.


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## arborworks1 (Apr 4, 2009)

lxt said:


> Guys.... maybe im not seeing the full picture here! I can rent the machine for $250 a day...... a day!
> 
> you`re telling me $150 an hour = $1200 a day, I could pay a guy $20 an hour, rent the machine fill up the equipment and still easily turn $600 profit for doing nothing!!!
> 
> ...



You need to get a better sales pitch. Preach value in your services. Set yourself apart from the lowball comp, or you will never break out of that setting. And where are you going to chip the branches. Most people want the chips hauled off.


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## lxt (Apr 6, 2009)

arborworks1 said:


> You need to get a better sales pitch. Preach value in your services. Set yourself apart from the lowball comp, or you will never break out of that setting. And where are you going to chip the branches. Most people want the chips hauled off.




I am hauling the chips away! Lol, im telling ya for me to go out with my dump & chipper......ME! chip the brush and take away the chips!!!! if I charged $150.00 Hr I`d be sitting at home! I have 2 full time guys and my self, been doing this along time!!!! at best...AT BEST! I might get $125.00 an hour, a $1000.00 day in my area is doing real good!

You might think my sales pitch should be better, LOL... I get the majority of work in my area, sometimes im cheaper...sometimes im higher, bottom line is my area doesnt dictate $150hr for chippin brush!! If you guys are making that godbless ya & by all means keep going! but here in "hazard county" things arent that great!


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


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## MonkeyMan_812 (Apr 6, 2009)

I dont charge by the hour. I work by the job. In my head I figure what its going to take to do the job and I shoot the customer a price. Sometimes I make $350 an hour or more. So what if I quote the job @ $500 and finish in two hours. Thats my business and Im the one who worked 70 hours a week for years to get that chipper that eats 12" logs. I never tell the customer an hourly rate because I can do A LOT in an hour. Plus you gotta think like the customer in some ways. If I say $150 an hour, they usually freak out and think im ripping them off. After all most customers only make $20/hour themselves. But they dont understand business expense.


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## Raymond (Apr 6, 2009)

MonkeyMan_812 said:


> I dont charge by the hour. I work by the job. In my head I figure what its going to take to do the job and I shoot the customer a price. Sometimes I make $350 an hour or more. So what if I quote the job @ $500 and finish in two hours. Thats my business and Im the one who worked 70 hours a week for years to get that chipper that eats 12" logs. I never tell the customer an hourly rate because I can do A LOT in an hour. Plus you gotta think like the customer in some ways. If I say $150 an hour, they usually freak out and think im ripping them off. After all most customers only make $20/hour themselves. But they dont understand business expense.


That's right! That's right! I've made the mistake of mentioning we get so much and hour. And then we get the job done quicker than it figures up to being and they want me to drop the price, when it's time to pay.


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## MonkeyMan_812 (Apr 6, 2009)

Raymond said:


> 'Nother wanna be tree guy is born.
> Happens on ever street corner.



I would have to agree with this statement.


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## 1I'dJak (Apr 6, 2009)

I'd rather not bid by the hour either, but with a chipper I'm anticipating some work for a excavator operator or fellow climbers that don't have chippers themselves, so generally these guys want an hourly rate so they can give their bid....by the sounds of it you guys responding have 12" chippers eh?


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## MonkeyMan_812 (Apr 6, 2009)

Sure do. Wouldnt have anything less either. I started out with a drum chipper. Now I got me a Bandit 150. Its all a guy could ever ask for. Ok well mabey not ALL a guy could ask for but its pretty sweet! Used to be what would take me 4 hours to chip with the ol' chuck n duck I can chip now in at least half the time. By the way, what kind of serious climbers dont have a chipper anyway?


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## Raymond (Apr 6, 2009)

We can stack and organize a brush pile from a 1000 dollar tree removal and chip the brush in 20 minutes. 
At a 150 bucks an hour, whats that come out to be?


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## MonkeyMan_812 (Apr 6, 2009)

A rip off for you!


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## Raymond (Apr 6, 2009)

MonkeyMan_812 said:


> A rip off for you!


 That's why I avoid brush piles, that isn't ours. 
An hour of chipping brush is a butt load of brush. 

One solid hour of chipping, to me is worth 300 or better. If someone is willing to chip brush for 150 bucks an hour. I'll sell my chipper and they can follow me around this summer.


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## 1I'dJak (Apr 6, 2009)

Well a 12" chipper is a bit much for me now...I'm going with what i can afford...maybye... like I mentioned earlier I've hopefully spotted a good deal on a ten-ish year old 935 vermeer with only 285 hours on it...just gotta figure out what to offer... as for climbers w/out chippers, there are a few forestry and ex forestry climbers (friends of mine) around here doing resi treework that don't have chippers...


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## STLfirewood (Apr 7, 2009)

Raymond said:


> One solid hour of chipping, to me is worth 300 or better. If someone is willing to chip brush for 150 bucks an hour. I'll sell my chipper and they can follow me around this summer.



How many hours a day will you guarantee? I might drive in for that. I'll bring my own chipper.

Scott


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## Raymond (Apr 7, 2009)

STLfirewood said:


> How many hours a day will you guarantee? I might drive in for that. I'll bring my own chipper.
> 
> Scott


Anymore Scott I can't guarantee anything. Just taking it one day at a time. When we get big removals or several removals, I bring in my claw buddy, gotta love the claw.

I was really kinda joking about selling it. 
I have a nice chipper I redid a few years ago. Have a grand in diamond plate all over it. Rebuilt the motor and every squire inch of the rest of it. She's a beauty I tell ya, I couldn't sell it.

Soon I'll rub'er down and post some pics.


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## Tim'sTree (Apr 7, 2009)

MonkeyMan_812 said:


> I dont charge by the hour. I work by the job. In my head I figure what its going to take to do the job and I shoot the customer a price. Sometimes I make $350 an hour or more. So what if I quote the job @ $500 and finish in two hours. Thats my business and Im the one who worked 70 hours a week for years to get that chipper that eats 12" logs. I never tell the customer an hourly rate because I can do A LOT in an hour. Plus you gotta think like the customer in some ways. If I say $150 an hour, they usually freak out and think im ripping them off. After all most customers only make $20/hour themselves. But they dont understand business expense.



:agree2: especially that customers will compare what they make an hr. vs. me charging them 4 times as much.


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## CUCV (Apr 7, 2009)

How many yards of chips do you guys figure you make per hour with a 12" chipper? Brush not logs...


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## MonkeyMan_812 (Apr 7, 2009)

CUCV said:


> How many yards of chips do you guys figure you make per hour with a 12" chipper? Brush not logs...



I can fill up my chip box in an hour or so. 12' long x 7' wide x 5' tall, you do the math. Depends on if what im chipping has a lot of wood or just small branches with leaves. Obviously wood fills it up faster than brush. It also depends on if the brush is already stacked close to the chipper or not. But the point is it dont take long to get it full.


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## 1I'dJak (Apr 8, 2009)

any advice what to offer for a 10 yr old 935 with 285 hrs on it?


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## MonkeyMan_812 (Apr 8, 2009)

who owns it? County, another tree company, or individual who does tree work? Who owns it has a lot to do with what you can get it for.


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## 1I'dJak (Apr 8, 2009)

it's owned by a municipality when times were good but wasnt' used much... they were offered 8.5 thousand for it a couple years back but figured they'd keep it....unfortunately they can't sell it directly to me so they're gonna put it to tender...up for bid that is...


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## Pa Tree guy (Apr 9, 2009)

That seems like a lot of money for a 10 year old machine. $8500.00 I bought a brand new 12" high roller for $17,000 in 07. Awsome machine 90 hp perkins with a lift cylinder.


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## familytreeman (Apr 11, 2009)

*chipper*

You can get a much better machine than that for much less!!!


Move on...


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## 1I'dJak (Apr 11, 2009)

Where? I've noticed they're definitely cheaper down stateside an Ontario, but that's a ways from me...any suggestions where to look? I've looked new... but a new 6" chipper (bandit) runs almost $25 g's and I've notices being self employed and having just recently bought a house no-one wants to loan money out...


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## highasatree (Apr 11, 2009)

I purchased a Vermeer 600 xl at this time last year for 
$14,000, and that was a new one.


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## treemandan (Apr 11, 2009)

I dunno, two guys should be able to get a lot through a chipper in an hour ( even if you have to make the piles first) so 150 per hour is about right. That is actuall time on the job not messing around, you may need a saw of course.
I never met a chip pile I was afraid of in my life.


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## jrietkerk (Apr 11, 2009)

depending on how wacked out the municipality is, it could be very lucrative. Small tenders can be thrown around pretty easily sometimes. I'm keeping my eye out for it, wherever it is, but not to buy, so good luck!


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## windthrown (Apr 28, 2009)

Geez, I can barely get $100 an hour here chipping, plus a mobilization fee. The Mexicans undercut half my bids as it is.


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