The cost of getting old and living in the woods

[clayman]

So I noticed this tree in the edge of my woods, just across the road from my closest neighbor's house. It was a 16" pine and had a bad lean (near 45 degrees) toward the road. Because of where it grew (near the edge of the woods) almost all the big limbs were on the side of the direction it was leaning (toward the road). It was a bit hung up in an oak tree, which I concluded had stopped it's slow fall, at least for a while. I could see if it fell it would take out some phone lines as well as messing up my neighbors maple tree and probably part of his chain link fence, as well as block the road. It was coming up by the roots. The large amount of rain and recent winds no doubt caused the problem. I thought about putting a cable in it notching it and pulling it back up where I could fall it into the woods (which would not be easy) , but I could see no way of getting a cable high enough up to do any good without climbing it because of the multitude of limbs. I decided it was a perfect a job for a cherry picker, or a climbing job. And although I have felled a lot of trees (probably a hundred) I decided this was one I didn't want to tackle. So I put a brace under it, (4x6 oak), and called a pro. The guy came out and looked at it, decided it had to be done right away, and adjusted his schedule to get to it the next morning.

He brought a ground man, put some safety ropes on the tree (2) to stop it from falling while he was on it, and brought it down piece at a time from the top. I would guess it was fifty feet high.

He was a good careful climber. They cleared the road as the limbs were cut, and cut the main trunk into 16" rounds. The job took about three (3) hours.

That cost me $500.00. Was that a fair deal? I'm not unhappy with it I just want to know what you guys think.

 

[teacherman]

Seems fair to me. I know it is a lot of money, but if you didn't want to risk climbing it, that's what you paid him to do. Glad he didn't gouge you.

 

[porch monkey]

I'd hate to spend that kind of money just to take a tree down but it seems plenty fair to me. Not sure I'd want to do it for 500 if I was a pro.

 

[pioneerguy600]

That would be a $1,200. job here in N.S. using a certified company.
Pioneerguy600

 

[Walt41]

Think of it this way. If the company works 300 days a year, take his overhead of insurance, gas, equipment depreciation, payroll, taxes etc and figure 1/300th of it, he probably made very little. BTW $500 around here is a starting minimum for a real company.

 

[Jtheo]

That job would cost more than $500 around here. I know from experience.

 

[Gologit]

It's a fair price. And it's sure cheaper than replacing overhead lines, chainlink fence, and a maple tree. It's also cheaper than a visit to the emergency room.

You did the right thing.

 

[Erick]

It's a fair price. And it's sure cheaper than replacing overhead lines, chainlink fence, and a maple tree. It's also cheaper than a visit to the emergency room.

You did the right thing.

:agree2:

 

[7sleeper]

it's a fair price. And it's sure cheaper than replacing overhead lines, chainlink fence, and a maple tree. It's also cheaper than a visit to the emergency room.

You did the right thing.

+1

7

 

[reccutter]

sounds fair enough considering, I had a (locust)tree like this I dug some dirt around the rootball,didn't take much for tree to come down. Luckily on my property with nothing good to damage.I wouldn't have wanted to climb it.The thing didn't even look safe to cut at that angle anyway. Yeah,You probly could have had it done for $300 but no insurence,which could be a whole nother discussion.

 

[GASoline71]

More than a decent price...

When I was climbing... we were doin' trees a lot bigger than that for $500 bucks...

Gary

 

[eyolf]

I took down a pine tree last summer for a friend; for me it was joy to use all 32" of bar on my 395XP, (54" at knee level) for him it was joy to have someone help get the lightning-killed tree out of the danger zone. It would most likely have come down over the garage he was having built, given the prevailing winds in our area.

he'd had two quotes for taking it down and bucking it, but no grunt work of hauling and clean up. One was $900, one $1000. I trailered a loader tractor up and knocked her down, piled up most of the rounds for free. We saved the butt log and rough-milled it into a few fireplace mantles, fire-ring benches, etc.

He paid me a bottle of Jack, and his wife gave mine $200.

I think I got the better deal; after the work was done we had to do some quality checks on the Jack.

$500 is a good price for that work, especially if the tree guy cleaned up as he worked. And it speaks well of you as a neighbor, that you'd take care of it without complaint or goading. Good on you! I hope your neighbors appreciate that.

 

[FamilyTradition]

From a Risk Management and Risk Transference perspective I too think you did well. Good job, fair decent price, no damage, and no one is hurt. In the insurance industry we're seeing too many people taking shortcuts and risks they would not have just one to two years ago. The economic downturn is the reason. Whether it be a business/corporation or a civilian people are taking chances to save/make/keep from spending money.

An example I investigated recently was trench/excavation where the depth was approximately 22 feet. It had been sloped and benched for the first eight feet, an eight foot trench box set into the excavation, and then another six feet or so excavated inside and beneath the trench box. Changing conditions caused dirt and water to come in, but no one was killed. The proposed OSHA/VOSH Citation is $70K for a Willful Citation, and that's just starters.

I'm glad it wasn't a fatality, and it really should have been. I don't like fatalities and hate investigating them as many/most/all are avoidable. In short, I don't ever want to hear about anyone, or any AS Member, dying because of a shortcut. Life's too valuable. Thus endeth the lesson. Saw safely and everyone take care. Best, Max.

 

[johncinco]

Gonna fall on the road, or the phone/power lines....

I woulda called the county road commission, or the power company first. You just spent $500 on something they do for free.

I have 3 terrible leaners ready to come down along my road/property. I called and they are marked with blue paint for removal, when the crews get a chance they will drop them.

 

[Modifiedmark]

Gonna fall on the road, or the phone/power lines....

I woulda called the county road commission, or the power company first. You just spent $500 on something they do for free.

I have 3 terrible leaners ready to come down along my road/property. I called and they are marked with blue paint for removal, when the crews get a chance they will drop them.

Exactly!

The county highway dept and the electic company worked together to take down a probably over 150 year old 60" across Oak tree out in front of my place a few years ago.

Hated to see the grand ole tree go but almost half of one side broke off from a storm and being right beside the road it was quite a hazard.

They would have even hauled it off but I told them that would not be needed. That tree put out more wood then you can fathom.

 

[eyolf]

Maybe they'll take trees down, and maybe they will send YOU the bill.

Depends on where you are.

Here, County and State roads are good, especially if there are utility Right-of-way. Somebody gets it. Occasionally on county roads trees lay there waiting for the first firewood harvester.

Township roads are a different story, and every township is different. My township road supervisor is a good egg...he takes the easy ones down himself, free, or calls a firewood cadger, unless he's written the landowner a notice and they've ignored it too long.

Then they pay.

 

[clayman]

Gonna fall on the road, or the phone/power lines....

I woulda called the county road commission, or the power company first. You just spent $500 on something they do for free.

I have 3 terrible leaners ready to come down along my road/property. I called and they are marked with blue paint for removal, when the crews get a chance they will drop them.

Had it been electric lines the power company would have taken it down. I have had them take down two (2) for me. The phone line was a dead end line that only served two houses. I wasn't all that worried about it, and neither was the phone company. The local road department would not have touched it. I know that because I tried to get them take down an even bigger dead leaner last year. They asked if it was on the right of way and when I told them no, but it was going to fall across the road, they allowed it was my problem. Later, it did fall across the road.

My problem was more my neighbor's tree and fence, and it was aimed right at his front gate. That tree wasn't going to wait, and it was dangerous.

I'm sorry I had to do it, but I'm not sorry I did it. Had it been ten years ago, and had I felt better than I did at the time, I might have taken it down myself. At any rate that bus has left the station.