How much wood can be dropped on concrete without breaking it?

[tree md]

Rope, I've had to reduce the prices by about a third. It took me a little while to catch on too. After I heard a couple of prices on bids I lost I started lowering my prices but I refuse to shoot myself in the foot.

Had one guy who has a large service bid $1100 to remove 2 medium sized trees and pick them over the house with a crane. We were on the property at the same time. After the guy left the HO told me the bid. I said that I didn't even want to try to compete with that.

Had another guy that was estimating a bid at the same time I was. Was a storm damage job. HO said his agent said the insurance company would cover all the work. 3 trees on the house on one side and 2 on the other. A large Hackberry and a large Oak included in the trees on the house. Nothing around to get a rope in and get on the trees. He also wanted around 20 trees on the property pruned that had sustained damage. I bid $5600. The other guy bid $1900. This joker didn't even own a tree service. He did line location or something like that for the oil industry and did tree work on the side. I laughed and walked away.

 

[fishercat]

i hear you.

Rope, I've had to reduce the prices by about a third. It took me a little while to catch on too. After I heard a couple of prices on bids I lost I started lowering my prices but I refuse to shoot myself in the foot.

Had one guy who has a large service bid $1100 to remove 2 medium sized trees and pick them over the house with a crane. We were on the property at the same time. After the guy left the HO told me the bid. I said that I didn't even want to try to compete with that.


Had another guy that was estimating a bid at the same time I was. Was a storm damage job. HO said his agent said the insurance company would cover all the work. 3 trees on the house on one side and 2 on the other. A large Hackberry and a large Oak included in the trees on the house. Nothing around to get a rope in and get on the trees. He also wanted around 20 trees on the property pruned that had sustained damage. I bid $5600. The other guy bid $1900. This joker didn't even own a tree service. He did line location or something like that for the oil industry and did tree work on the side. I laughed and walked away.

Its gotten out of control here.I host lost out on a large oak that broke of into a neighbors yard.pticed it at 1800 with the crane.another Guy got it for a grand with a Crane.not even worth driving the Crane over and setting it up for that.hopefully he gets popped for 1800 on the way home by the DMV.

 

[jefflovstrom]

I think it is easier for a large company to lower their prices to keep guys working and absorb some temporary lower man hour profit. A larger company has working capital and can withstand the economy ups and downs.
Jeff

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

I bid $5600. The other guy bid $1900. This joker didn't even own a tree service. He did line location or something like that for the oil industry and did tree work on the side. I laughed and walked away.

The problem is that your business has what's known as a "low barrier to entry".

That's a fancy way of saying that any jackass with a chainsaw can call himself a tree service, whether he knows anything or not, whether he's insured or not.


Makes it really tough on you guys.


I had a similar experience (on a much smaller scale) back years ago when cellphones were new. I was installing them as a business. Then HIGH SCHOOL kids got into the act and drove me out of business. They'd charge 25 bucks for a job that I'd bill at $150. No insurance, no skills, just slap them in take the money and run. One dealer I worked for was constantly calling me to do repair work on sloppy installations, but he never did figure out that he was actually paying MORE by going with the hack jobs.

You'd think shelling out for a Cadillac that was burned to the ground would have convinced him, but nope, the "right now today" price was all he looked at. The fact that I carried insurance meant nothing.


You guys are fighting the same battle against every yo-yo with a lawnmower, some ropes, and a chainsaw.

I feel for you. It's a tough battle.

 

[treeclimber101]

I think it is easier for a large company to lower their prices to keep guys working and absorb some temporary lower man hour profit. A larger company has working capital and can withstand the economy ups and downs.
Jeff

Exactly and I think they've been pretty timid in that around here, large companies around could squash a lot of guys by cutting there prices but the long term is equally damaging , it takes a long time for prices to climb back , firewood for instance was 125.00 average here for more than 20 years ...

 

[tree md]

Exactly and I think they've been pretty timid in that around here, large companies around could squash a lot of guys by cutting there prices but the long term is equally damaging , it takes a long time for prices to climb back , firewood for instance was 125.00 average here for more than 20 years ...

LOL, They would be cutting their own throats. I been in business since 94. I've seen all kinds of ups and downs. My equipment is paid for. Very low overhead. I have a good name and clientele where I live. If I had to I could survive on what I kill and often do. I fed me and my groundy on deer meat I put in the freezer all last Winter. Can't starve me out and I'm not going anywhere.

 

[treeclimber101]

LOL, They would be cutting their own throats. I been in business since 94. I've seen all kinds of ups and downs. My equipment is paid for. Very low overhead. I have a good name and clientele where I live. If I had to I could survive on what I kill and often do. I fed me and my groundy on deer meat I put in the freezer all last Winter. Can't starve me out and I'm not going anywhere.

Not really talking to anyone in particular , but its the truth they could work for free for a long time but they might be doing it all in vein ..

 

[tree md]

Yeah, I'm not talking to anyone in particular either, just thinking out loud really.

I agree, I believe it is going to take a long time for prices to rebound. Can't really be helped though, people across the board are making less money now. I was talking to a client last week who is the finance director for a large car dealership here. He told me that he has had to take a 50% pay cut in the past two years. Times are just hard right now. Lot's of people still out of work here or working lesser jobs just to make a living.

 

[treeclimber101]

Yeah, I'm not talking to anyone in particular either, just thinking out loud really.

I agree, I believe it is going to take a long time for prices to rebound. Can't really be helped though, people across the board are making less money now. I was talking to a client last week who is the finance director for a large car dealership here. He told me that he has had to take a 50% pay cut in the past two years. Times are just hard right now. Lot's of people still out of work here or working lesser jobs just to make a living.

Instead of taking a 50% loss which sounds super depressing I just tell people I have to work twice as hard to make the money I am used to

 

[jefflovstrom]

It is what it is, deal with it or get out of it. It all works out.
Jeff

 

[treevet]

Not really talking to anyone in particular , but its the truth they could work for free for a long time but they might be doing it all in vein ..

you KNOW who is gonna take the beatin?

The grunt groundy and climber.

The salesman with fixed percentage and management are the last to get slammed

either decrease pay, hire entry at lower than existing labor and boot some or just eliminate positions and push the remaining labor harder.

Bartlett was great at that. Salesman always saying he is gonna go to bat for the grunt and when he gets tired of hearing that....bybye

 

[jefflovstrom]

you KNOW who is gonna take the beatin?

The grunt groundy and climber.

The salesman with fixed percentage and management are the last to get slammed

either decrease pay, hire entry at lower than existing labor and boot some or just eliminate positions and push the remaining labor harder.

Bartlett was great at that. Salesman always saying he is gonna go to bat for the grunt and when he gets tired of hearing that....bybye

So you are a pessimistic.
Jeff

 

[treevet]

So you are a pessimistic.
Jeff

u are using an adjective where you need a noun

 

[jefflovstrom]

You spelled 'vain' wrong!
Jeff

 

[jefflovstrom]

My bad, it was 101. Sorry, pessimist.
Jeff

 

[treeclimber101]

You spelled 'vain' wrong!
Jeff

Thamks

 

[treevet]

My bad, it was 101. Sorry, pessimist.
Jeff

gimme 20 pushups

 

[jefflovstrom]

I did 30 to humble myself.
Jeff

 

[treevet]

I did 30 to humble myself.
Jeff

don't squash the tortoise

 

[jefflovstrom]

don't squash the tortoise

You are like one of the funniest dudes I ever read! Quick whit.
Jeff