Stump Grinders - Chips - Please Vote

[lxt]

They might have a bigger machine, I know.... more expensive so why so cheap??? good question!

I had the bandit track model stumper, was doing good, not making a killing just doing good, a guy locally bought 2 used peices of crap held together by shoe strings(literally) & undercut everybody by almost 1/2 99.9% of the time.

Only thing I can figure is he`s got no overhead, lives very simple life & is happy with $100 a day , He is still going at it, is hated!!!

he leaves the chips, pulls his stumper around with a station wagon, he`s one of the reasons I rent a machine now, this way I can bid a few jobs tie it into one day & if I get the jobs fine!! If not I dont have a very expensive machine sitting around doing nothing!!


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

 

[Job Corps Tree]

stump grinders- chips

we always had to backfill with the chips. Haul off the extra. ten years ago we were getting $2.75 per inch up in IL.

 

[treemandan]

It is not uncommon for a retired climber to set up a stump gig. Good for them.
However I can see how pissed one might get when they see some guy trying to make a buck with what he has and what he can afford. HMM? Sound like anyone you know?
Hell I would love to drive around in my pick up and do work for people, oh, that's what I do now. It's not as easy as that but I sure wish it was.
I just had a lady tell me she got a price for half of what I quoted. I think she made it up or some poor bastard is about to get a life lesson.
If you can net 100 a day with a little set up that's not to bad for some.

 

[lxt]

$100 a day not bad...C`mon treemandan!! just the running around to grind the stumps in gas alones gotta kill em!! not to mention taxes!!

Heres your problem Pav, some think thats ok...... they gring 7-8 stumps a day & make $100, I gaurantee their not legit!!! Throw that price per inch out the window, 36" stump...yes maam only $35!!! & I`ll do the root trace too!!

$100 gross will = $70-$75 net at best, minus a conservative $10 in gas(HA!) even with no insurance thats a whopping $65 a day......yepper good money!

People are idiots!! & if that same guy makes $150 for a 10-12hr day whoo whee.........he hit the lotto!!!


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

 

[pdqdl]

my secret formula for retirement success

We try to get $2.00/inch for the widest diameter of the stump where it meets the ground. Naturally, the root flare is bigger than the stump.

We always rake the shavings back into the hole, as that is generally what the local market expects. Sometimes we get an offer to not do the raking, especially working for another contractor, but not very often. We offer total cleanup at an additional charge, with backfill and seed/sod, but most people decline.

Sometimes we work on an hourly basis, but that is usually root chasing or a lot of little stumps. $75 per hour, but we just have a little rayco super-junior.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I bid for backfill just because I do not want the risk of someone falling in the hole in the dark.

I have come down on the price with a statement in the contract that the client will backfill and assume all risk associated with the hole and pile.

With the lowball grinders, I've found that a lot of them are doing it as a second job and do not yet understand the costs associated with running the equipment, or are sidejobing the bosses rig and do not care.

 

[treemandan]

$100 a day not bad...C`mon treemandan!! just the running around to grind the stumps in gas alones gotta kill em!! not to mention taxes!!

Heres your problem Pav, some think thats ok...... they gring 7-8 stumps a day & make $100, I gaurantee their not legit!!! Throw that price per inch out the window, 36" stump...yes maam only $35!!! & I`ll do the root trace too!!

$100 gross will = $70-$75 net at best, minus a conservative $10 in gas(HA!) even with no insurance thats a whopping $65 a day......yepper good money!

People are idiots!! & if that same guy makes $150 for a 10-12hr day whoo whee.........he hit the lotto!!!


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

That's net IXT, N-E-T.= everything else paid for , put it in your pocket. For doing some cheap stump work its not that bad. 12 hours of stump work you have a problem.
I usually ask the people what they want done with the stump mess and charge accordingly.
IXT, did you make gold on your first few jobs? Never bid a little low, never misjudged time?

 

[Dadatwins]

I will sometimes price the job both ways, a grind and go low price and a backfill and cleanup higher price. I will try to bid out at $75.00 per hour for and not get involved in inches. There will always be someone cheaper to do the job so I give up on the low ball pricers, my price is my price.

 

[juststumps]

I will sometimes price the job both ways, a grind and go low price and a backfill and cleanup higher price. I will try to bid out at $75.00 per hour for and not get involved in inches. There will always be someone cheaper to do the job so I give up on the low ball pricers, my price is my price.

i go for $100 per hour,, $100 min...no clean up... BUT, i will rake enough into the hole, to make sort of flush.(no insurance claims from a broken ankle)...blow off walks and drives.(looks better)..

other than that,, everything else is extra... clean up/removeing chips/filling with soil/ seeding/or sodding,,$50 per hour, plus material... most people are happy with the grind and go ....they can get thier lawn guy to do it for less... or do it them self..

plus , i really don't want to do that stuff !!!

 

[John464]

we always backfill the hole. Looks much nicer. Cleaner and takes all of 2 mins with a hard edged rake. Leaving a messy hole looks, well, messy.Also take a blower to get the finer packed in chips. Leaving a slightly raised circular mound. Pack it down to get the air out. How you leave a jobsite looking is your image. Keep it clean.

 

[treeman82]

Tomorrow I have 5? jobs to do with the super 50 I rented for the day. I did a few tonight. The machine will cost me $355 for just the rental for 24 hrs. Fuel is another story... all I do is grind and go... fill in the hole a little bit for liabilty reasons, but otherwise whatever mess I make is left as is (unless it obstructs traffic, or a walkway)

This afternoon...
1 ash stump (24") and a norway maple of about the same diameter: $300... in and out in a half hour. - I cut the trees down Saturday.
Next job was 5 rotten black birch stumps (18" each)... the widow of a VERY nice customer, mother of an existing GOOD customer, etc. $0.00 - 20 min in and out.
Next was 1 small black birch stump, and a chestnut oak for a good friend who gets me lots of other work. $0.00 + bottled water, and cake.
Next was 5 rotten oak stumps $100< + cake, gatorade, and dinner money. - this was the only one with clean-up.

All told time wise on these, I left the rental yard at 3:15... between driving, grinding, loading, yenta-ing with the first friend for 1/2 an hour, yenta-ing with the last customer for an hour, and then dinner at a restaurant I was home by 8:45.

Tomorrow morning...
1 ROTTEN norway maple stump (36") no clean-up - $275
1 sugar maple stump (30") - I cut the tree down a few weeks ago - $500
1 walnut stump (24") cut the tree down in the fall - $0.00 - around the corner from the sugar maple, family friend.
1 sugar maple stump (40") cut the tree down about 2 months ago - $275 - no clean-up.
1 arborvitae stump (24") cut the tree down in the fall - $150

No clean-up at any of them. Odds are I'll be done by no later than 2:00

 

[John464]

just curious why you guys rent? for what you are paying in one day you could be paying monthly payments for about that to have a machine available to you when you cut the trees down. just trying to understand this approach...

 

[treeman82]

With the Super 50, I can do all my stumps in 1 or 2 days a month during the summer. In the winter... I don't really have any stumps to do, and if any should come along I tell them that they have to wait.

 

[tomtrees58]

man we get 5 $ and inch tom trees

 

[treeman82]

Treeman82, so $1600 total for 9 stumps paid, and 7 freebie stumps for friends & family? And all of them are small to medium in size?

I don't blame you for renting if the only people wanting stumps removed are from jobs 2-6 months ago.

It's 11 stumps paid.

The first job I did today, we cut the trees down last weekend.
The second, they were cut down before my time.
The third, my friend's husband gets chainsaw fever... I was simply helping her to clean up.
The last one I did today, the trees were gone for a LONG time... longer than the people have had the house for. One turned to dust as soon as the grinder hit it.

The first one tomorrow was cut down about 2 or 3 years ago... somebody else was supposed to come grind it, but never showed up.
The next 2, they're right next to eachother. The walnut stump I did in the fall, and said I'd do it if the neighbor had me do the sugar maple. The sugar maple went down last week.
The last 2 jobs, I told the arborvitae lady that if she was willing to wait it would only be $150, but if she couldn't, it would be a LOT more. Needless to say she waited. The big sugar maple stump... I was gonna do that this summer for $500, but with all the other jobs I had lined up... I wanted to get it done so I offered them a MUCH lower price. These 2 are only 2 doors apart from eachother.

 

[lxt]

That's net IXT, N-E-T.= everything else paid for , put it in your pocket. For doing some cheap stump work its not that bad. 12 hours of stump work you have a problem.
I usually ask the people what they want done with the stump mess and charge accordingly.
IXT, did you make gold on your first few jobs? Never bid a little low, never misjudged time?

I know its NET......but that still dont justify what is stated in the rest of my post!! Cheap stump work???? I dont know whats so cheap about it, Do you own a stumper? if so you know what the costs can be!! if not, then that explains it!!

John, I rent cause im not doing a stump 4ft wide & root tracing 10 ft in every direction for $75......this is why I sold my machine....my area is polluted with lowball, dam near do it for free contractors, Hell,.. read treemandan`s posts he thinks its ok to run a stumper & Net $100 a day this is the mentality in my area also!!

Gold on a job.........I live in PA!! land of taxes...Im working a job right now I could kick myself for, friends of the family, nice people, but alot of work!! I knew better!!! but hey some times you get the bear, others you dont!! BUT I dont purposely do it!!!


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

 

[treemandan]

I rent the RG 50 because I know what it cost to maintain it. If I got out with it it cost me 350 per 8 hour day. I net a LITTLE more than 100.
For some it might be good to gring some easy stumps for a few hours for 100, especially a new start up looking for work.

I know its NET......but that still dont justify what is stated in the rest of my post!! Cheap stump work???? I dont know whats so cheap about it, Do you own a stumper? if so you know what the costs can be!! if not, then that explains it!!

John, I rent cause im not doing a stump 4ft wide & root tracing 10 ft in every direction for $75......this is why I sold my machine....my area is polluted with lowball, dam near do it for free contractors, Hell,.. read treemandan`s posts he thinks its ok to run a stumper & Net $100 a day this is the mentality in my area also!!

Gold on a job.........I live in PA!! land of taxes...Im working a job right now I could kick myself for, friends of the family, nice people, but alot of work!! I knew better!!! but hey some times you get the bear, others you dont!! BUT I dont purposely do it!!!


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

 

[treemandan]

You are never going to stop someone who wants to believe they have something even if you don't think they do. Sure they screw up your program but they can't stay in business long; or can they? Chances are they do the jobs you don't , won't or can't. Sucks for some but evrybody had to start somewhere.
I have under bid some jobs but got them done and went on, now I just overbid and when my competion comes in with really nice equipment and everybody wearing a Petzl hardhat I wonder. You have to be able to do it cheap. It sucks.

 

[John464]

John, I rent cause im not doing a stump 4ft wide & root tracing 10 ft in every direction for $75......this is why I sold my machine....my area is polluted with lowball, dam near do it for free contractors, Hell,.. read treemandan`s posts he thinks its ok to run a stumper & Net $100 a day this is the mentality in my area also!!

that is bad. If there are people doing it that cheap. I could probably get away with an entire week, per month, of steady grinding 8hrs a day for $700 bucks. Which would be less than my expenses for having my own machine, paying employee, fuel. I would definitely be looking into sub contracting all my stump work out at that price. Only problem is here unless the stump is out the same day the tree gets removed you piss people off. I could see me delaying 3 weeks to remove a stump. Ha!

Doesnt seem like it makes sense to have your own grinder or even bother to go pick up a rental.

 

[treemandan]

that is bad. If there are people doing it that cheap. I could probably get away with an entire week, per month, of steady grinding 8hrs a day for $700 bucks. Which would be less than my expenses for having my own machine, paying employee, fuel. I would definitely be looking into sub contracting all my stump work out at that price. Only problem is here unless the stump is out the same day the tree gets removed you piss people off. I could see me delaying 3 weeks to remove a stump. Ha!

Doesnt seem like it makes sense to have your own grinder or even bother to go pick up a rental.

If they can't wait the three weeks for me to take care of the stump they can kiss my regal white asss. But if they say they really need it done I get Larry with his big Carlton.
I know guys have other jobs and hit a stump a day or so to augment. Not only that the poor sob with the station wagon probably operates sort of like that AND he is most likely learning, which is something you would have done
when you started, learn that is.
Of course there are goofballs who are out of their league and don't know it but who cares, its funny but you should be nice, they have a good chance of getting really F'ed up.