This business is weird....

[sgreanbeans]

Its just like Asplaud doing work for penndot. I am sure they bid it so so low to get it, but they make it up by screwing off alot. They must spend like 3 hrs a day screwing off. I think I could get more road clearance done per day by myself then they can with 4 guys.

Oh forsure! That can be a cushy gig tho, working at the Big O. They where on my street this year, 4 trucks. One truck worked the others slept all day!
My first padawan is the Asst GF for them here. Got him on when I was called back to play jarhead. When I came home and started back up, he told me he was staying there. "I know you, your going to work me to death!" "I'm going to stay here and continue to stare at the crack in my windshield"
I would so love to get paid to sleep, I think that would be a pretty decent deal, PPE 1.Slippers 2.Jammies 3.Binkie

 

[Blakesmaster]

Dude i absolutely love the big shot i don't know how i lived with out it that thing saves me money on employees waiting for me to hit a TIP or having to climb higher to my TIP everyday i would assume 20min it shaves off a day. i am not the best at throwing a bag. but i could kill a squirrel at 60 feet with the big shot.

rarely ever takes me more than 2 shots anymore. now all i need is a raptor and ill be moving.

Just go buy one Matt. All it takes is one ride and you never want to go back. No joke, anything but a wraptor is pretty stone age. I'm serious. Come on up here and you can ride mine if you don't believe me.

 

[tree md]

You're sailing softly through the sun
In a broken stone age dawn you fly, so high, I get a

Strange magic...

 

[ddhlakebound]

Got a call about midday with the go ahead to remove a 50' tall, 50' wide ailanthus, over 2 houses and totally hollow with a 2'x3' cats face on the main stem, and a 65' dying pine, if I'd do it for $100 less than the original bid for the two. I've been slow and broke, so sure, knock off a hundy. He want's to start monday or wednesday.....great with me, the sooner the better.

I told him I'd have to check with my bucket man to make sure monday would work, and get the contract drawn up and signed. Called him back a bit ago to let him know monday would work out fine. And he starts backing up.

"I talked again with my brother who writes the checks, and he wants me to get some more bids"

Huh? You said earlier that you'd talked with him and we were good to go @ $2k.

"Yeah, but he said he wants me to get more bids, I'm sorry.....I'll call you back by saturday at the latest"

My gut feeling is that I'm dodging a bullet......hearing the "contract" word scared them, which probably means they were gonna try to pay late or not at all. I really doubt I'll hear back from them at all, and if I do, they can forget about the hundy discount.

 

[jefflovstrom]

Tree of Heaven, wow, that is a big one. They don't last that long out here. Maybe you did dodge that bullet.
Jeff

 

[beastmaster]

Be thankfull. The tree of (hell)heaven are miserable and dangerous when in perfect shape, I never seen one that big either. Very brittle tree, that will barber chair in a second.

 

[treeman75]

ghetto palm

 

[Iustinian]

Stink tree. Yet another gift from asia -- along with EAB, Asiatic Ladybeetle, and Brown Marmorated Stinkbug. Didn't kudzu come from there as well?

 

[Nailsbeats]

I'll bump this up with an update.

Drumroll please.................I did not get the job! Isn't that great!

Guy says he has a 36" bar and for the price I'm giving him he could rent a bucket truck or a spider lift. Say's he'll probably end up doing most of it himself.

Have at er' guy

I'm sure he'll be just fine over that 7200v and the big wood over the house, not to mention the 2 service drops with phone and cable to boot......

 

[Blakesmaster]

I'll bump this up with an update.

Drumroll please.................I did not get the job! Isn't that great!

Guy says he has a 36" bar and for the price I'm giving him he could rent a bucket truck or a spider lift. Say's he'll probably end up doing most of it himself.

Have at er' guy

I'm sure he'll be just fine over that 7200v and the big wood over the house, not to mention the 2 service drops with phone and cable to boot......

I'd offer to pay him to see the show. lol

 

[Nailsbeats]

I'd offer to pay him to see the show. lol

It's gonna be a good one for sure. Dodged a bullet on that job, you know the kind.

 

[tree md]

Had one back out on me on a large removal today. Well, large for around here. Sweet Gum all over an outdoor gazebo. Tight drop zone. Could bomb a bunch of stuff but no room to drop anything big. Really brushy and one whole side and the top would have to be lowered. Maybe 65' and about 30" DBH. Huge stump to grind. I priced it for complete removal and grind stump for $1250. Had great access. I could back right up to it. We were all good to go when I bid it last week... Told me to call Friday and schedule as their income tax return was supposed to come in this week... They said they had car trouble when I called and was not going to be able to do it now... I asked if he wanted to do it at a later date and he said they were probably just going to have to burn it down... Meaning more than likely somebody came in and low balled it. Ah well, I can go broke sitting at home. I might could have gone down a little but I am tired of that crap. I know what the work is worth. Let someone else kill themselves for peanuts. I'll set at home and not worry about the aggravation. It's not like I don't have other work lined up but it kind of sucks. Everything else I have is nickle and dime stuff right now. Not that this was a huge job but it was a decent days work.

 

[mckeetree]

Had one back out on me on a large removal today. Well, large for around here. Sweet Gum all over an outdoor gazebo. Tight drop zone. Could bomb a bunch of stuff but no room to drop anything big. Really brushy and one whole side and the top would have to be lowered. Maybe 65' and about 30" DBH. Huge stump to grind. I priced it for complete removal and grind stump for $1250. Had great access. I could back right up to it. We were all good to go when I bid it last week... Told me to call Friday and schedule as their income tax return was supposed to come in this week... They said they had car trouble when I called and was not going to be able to do it now... I asked if he wanted to do it at a later date and he said they were probably just going to have to burn it down... Meaning more than likely somebody came in and low balled it. Ah well, I can go broke sitting at home. I might could have gone down a little but I am tired of that crap. I know what the work is worth. Let someone else kill themselves for peanuts. I'll set at home and not worry about the aggravation. It's not like I don't have other work lined up but it kind of sucks. Everything else I have is nickle and dime stuff right now. Not that this was a huge job but it was a decent days work.

We get around $2,100.00 for a job like that and won't come down on the price. The day we have to do jobs for nothing just to be able to say we are in the tree service business is the day I leave this deal. After all these years I have NO problem walking away from this business.

 

[tree md]

We get around $2,100.00 for a job like that and won't come down on the price. The day we have to do jobs for nothing just to be able to say we are in the tree service business is the day I leave this deal. After all these years I have NO problem walking away from this business.

Well, it is what it is. The market is in the crapper around here. That tree is not worth $2100 in any market I have ever worked in. Sure, if it was over the house and everything needed to be rigged/blocked down but 2/3's of this one was flat dropping limbs, hang the top, throw the pole. Our economy is a little better this year but with American Airlines just laying off 2100 here, that just seems to have put a damper on things. Probably be a lot of removals to do over the Summer due to the drought last year. I do have a large removal to do tomorrow, along with multiple smaller trees, grind stumps. The guy is widening his driveway. I have HOA work to do later in the month and few small prunes. 3 very small removals. Everything seems small to me after working in Alabama all Summer. Most trees out in this part of the country just don't add up to ####. They are elementary. Probably why every Tom, #### and Harry is out there doing it. I suppose I could get me a bucket and go through the neighborhoods topping everything I see... Those guys seem to be doing pretty well here.

 

[sgreanbeans]

I suppose I could get me a bucket and go through the neighborhoods topping everything I see... Those guys seem to be doing pretty well here.

Yep, just make sure you go door to door and tell'em why their tree needs a height reduction because...........its growing, lol

 

[mckeetree]

That tree is not worth $2100 in any market I have ever worked in.

"Tight drop zone. Could bomb a bunch of stuff but no room to drop anything big. Really brushy and one whole side and the top would have to be lowered. Maybe 65' and about 30" DBH. Huge stump to grind."


Let's see...tight drop zone, check. No room to drop anything big, check. Really brushy, check. Top would have to be lowered, check. Sixty five feet tall, check. 30" DBH, check. Huge stump to grind, check. Hmmmmm. That tree is worth $2,100.00 in EVERY market I have EVER worked in and I'm going to get that sort of price for a tree like that or I'm not going to do it. I'm still getting it because I'm still in business after all this time. Like I said...the day I can't get $2,100.00 for that tree because of whatever, too many hacks or Mexicans or economy or whatever, is the day the tree business is in my rear view mirror.

 

[tree md]

Well it was obviously not worth $1250 in this market...

You seem intent on getting into a pissing match with me... Be careful what you wish for.

 

[mckeetree]

Well it was obviously not worth $1250 in this market...

You seem intent on getting into a pissing match with me... Be careful what you wish for.

No, no. I don't want in a pissing match with you. I don't have anything against you. Granted I can hold my own pretty good in a pissing match. I was just stating what I am willing to work for and what the markets I have ever been in would have to support. I'm just not dropping my standard of living to what it would be to do that kind of a job for that money. This business just isn't enough fun to do that. I would do something else.

 

[jefflovstrom]

Market's vary by region.
Be glad for what you can get.
Jeff :msp_smile:

 

[tree md]

Sounds like you got the right Idea McKee. I don't have anything against you either. Sounds like you're doing something right to hold your own in a tough market. Best of luck to you.