Advice On Maple Tree Bids??

[chipmaker29]

Hey Everybody!

I have a question that I need to have answered or some advice given please from you all that have more experience.

Where we live & operate our business, the most popular tree around here that we get calls on are old yard maples. there are so many of them around here and we have been taking quite a few out lately. Question is how do you guys bid these trees? i wanna get a better idea on how to bid these trees because really they are ALOT of work! They have so many limbs which in turn makes for a huge cleanup job!

Ok so scenario is like the one we just took out yesterday....Probably 45-50 ft tall, boxed in on 2 sides by powerlines and the other by HO's house. only one side of tree open really. very few limbs could be cut and dropped. most had to be pieced out then let down on the only clear side. many, many limbs! and tree had been topped out several years ago and each main limb left had tons of new growth. i got tree out fairly quickly but omg! cleanup is a nightmare! so much brush to chip and leaves to cleanup, etc.

my question is if you guys were to take out this sort of tree where it is sitting, what would you guys bid a tree like this for? i know it is harder to say w/o pictures but given my description of the job, can you guys shoot me a ball park estimate on what you all would charge for complete removal of a maple such as this, including grinding out the stump.

any input or advice would really be appreciated!!

thanks guys!

 

[TDunk]

Figure about how long it will take you (say 5 Hrs) times $100-$150 an hour (or what ever your rate is) and you have your base price. Add in a fudge factor of 10-20 percent and you have your price. Sugar maples are deceiving, they look easy, but once you start cutting on them they seem to take for ever. I usually over bid them and when the job is done i'm just right.

 

[capetrees]

:agree2:

Based on what you have taken down in the past, keep in mind the time it has taken to take those down. If the owners ask why so much, tell them to stick around and see how much material comes down from that tree and then how it gets moved out of the tight areas, BY HAND!!

 

[chipmaker29]

Figure about how long it will take you (say 5 Hrs) times $100-$150 an hour (or what ever your rate is) and you have your base price. Add in a fudge factor of 10-20 percent and you have your price. Sugar maples are deceiving, they look easy, but once you start cutting on them they seem to take for ever. I usually over bid them and when the job is done i'm just right.

thanks alot for your response. i figured i might get a little more advice but sometimes it is hard to come by here...

anyway...i understand what u r saying. they are deceiving. when u say 5 hrs approx. that amount of time for how big of a crew and what all equipment would u use on a tree such as this? any tips for taking out this particular type of tree?

thanks again to both of u for responding!

 

[TDunk]

With out pics. it really hard to say what equipment i would use and how to do it. If i could get my bucket truck there, that would be the ticket. I did a Norway Maple here a while ago, about the same situation. Main wires on road side, house wires on left side, and house on the back. Had a small DZ and the bucket truck was in there too. Charged her $950 with the stump, done and gone in 5.5 hrs. (left the bigger wood for her neighbor) Had me in the bucket and two good ground guys. That's about average if i don't have to monkey with the wood.

 

[treeseer]

Where we live & operate our business, the most popular tree around here that we get calls on are old yard maples....

any input or advice would really be appreciated!!

Sell tree value and tree care instead of tree removal.

Learn to prune so client goals can be met and the liabilities removed without removing the asset.

Less cleanup too!

iow be an arborist--pays very well, and you can earn more money from the tree over time than the one-time shot from cutting it down.

 

[chipmaker29]

With out pics. it really hard to say what equipment i would use and how to do it. If i could get my bucket truck there, that would be the ticket. I did a Norway Maple here a while ago, about the same situation. Main wires on road side, house wires on left side, and house on the back. Had a small DZ and the bucket truck was in there too. Charged her $950 with the stump, done and gone in 5.5 hrs. (left the bigger wood for her neighbor) Had me in the bucket and two good ground guys. That's about average if i don't have to monkey with the wood.

Hey thanks once again for your response! We used our truck w/ me in the bucket and dad on the ground but it did take longer than 5.5 hrs. That is our fault and i realize that but it is just he & i now and our business is growing and we are staying pretty busy but it is a killer with just the 2 of us. no matter cuz we are gonna keep at it. the more we do the more we learn.

it also helps to speak with those more experienced

 

[chipmaker29]

Sell tree value and tree care instead of tree removal.

Learn to prune so client goals can be met and the liabilities removed without removing the asset.

Less cleanup too!

iow be an arborist--pays very well, and you can earn more money from the tree over time than the one-time shot from cutting it down.

i understand what you are saying and i agree totally with you. there is more money in trimming and maintaining than complete extractions and we realize that. i would much rather trim and have repeat business from the HO. Although in this situation the HO had just bought the house and had a very small back yard and they did not want the tree there. they were not interested in keeping it at all, so of course we did the job they wanted done and they were very pleased when job was finished.

thanks alot for your input and i totally agree with your outlook...