whadja do today?

[jefflovstrom]

I cannot seem to post pics without a hassle here. I will try one.

 

[jefflovstrom]

No worky- this is why I post on Treehouse because it is hassle free.I dont feel like taking time to re-size- so, I guess I will not post pics or vids here until Darin lets us do what Butch lets us do.
By the way, we do alot.
Jeff

 

[oldirty]

in that 3rd pic the bar on the left is a wiper arm with no wiper. and that other thing could be a leaf on the window? no idea but nothing was getting bombed out. i wonder what that thing is. lol.

i was in the big seat today TV. thats the altec i'm sitting in and from where i took the pics.

and you are right jeff. it would be cool if the pics just came up in the thread without having to figure out how to do it yourself. if thats the worst thing about AS though then no big deal.

jomoco. i absolutely love having that unbroken link of communication with the crane op. really makes it easy on us. i highly recommend it to any crane op and climber.

 

[treevet]

You're prob right ....that top looks too healthy for a nasty stub like that to have fallen off it.

If it did OD had better be wearing the ole brain bucket.

 

[treevet]

Got a call from a regular this afternoon and a giant oak uprooted (just was climbing around in it last year). No breeze, little snow, little reason for it to go over except it was/is huge, had a lot of dead wood (and dead roots) and poof it is belly up. Could have easily have gone over with a climber in it.

It was real polite and didn't take any primary wires down and fell for the most part on the side of the road. I will post a pict later as I got a new camera and don't feel like getting into it now.

The huge uprooted stump is a huge pita to get rid of around here. Used to have to pay 300.00$ for a big stump at the dump but now they won't even take them.

Had a brain storm a few minutes ago......How about I crane it into the truck and take somewhere and put it on the ground and grind it with the stump grinder there (where I don't have to clean up the giant mess. Anybody ever done this?

Turned out I didn't get this job from a regular client. I bid 2100.00 and since the guy was moving I guess he felt like getting a 2nd bid since our relationship is over.

He told me DAVEY TREE bid half of what I bid. I told him that was a comical price and since I live a few streets from it will be enjoyable to watch them lose their ass on the job. The guy wasn't a jerk about it just said money was a factor here. Man, no room for me to say hey I will come down some either so time to say thanks for calling and best of luck with your move.

I looked at this bid as 1. Job HAD to have a crane.....2. Huge uprooted 9'dia stump that who knows if the bottom roots on this healthy tree are still attached (and real thick and underground)....and 3. It HAD to be done by Sunday open house for selling it.

These things add up to me as "premium price". Also 4. the involvement with 4 foot dia by 50 feet solid oak pieces and the dirt filled root ball.

DAVEY TREE salesman did not see the obvious. Prob a desk jockey.

They were at the job at 8 oclock today with 4 men at least, a forestry unit chip truck with bucket, chipper, huge knuckle boom crane truck, pickup on a very tight street. By noon the truck was completely full of the top of the tree and the huge stem was still there as was the root ball at 4 oclock when they left.

They have an hour traveling time in highway traffic each way to their lot in Milford. That is 10 hours times 4 men or 40 man hours and they have most of the day tomorrow (if they are lucky and the root ball pulls out easily) not to mention all the huge boulders of stem to deal with (no lumber quality here and too big to get on a splitter) when they get back to their lot.

Hate to lose a job when it is your cultivated client, but if you do....makes you feel a little better when they take a major azz whipping on the job.

Cheers Davey. Who knows what they are doing....the small established guy....or the big box national company? There are only so many nice jobs around in the winter and they just totally ruined this one.

 

[jefflovstrom]

So, that is what makes you feel better?
Jeff

 

[treevet]

yup

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I've seen the same thing, monster red oak that they bid super low. I think they bid some jobs to keep the crews working. I do not remember the figures, but we could not figure out how they calculated the cost. They were over half what we figured, and would need to haul several loads of big wood out. The stump was +5ft wide.

 

[treevet]

When I worked for Bartlett eons ago there were just bad salesmen. Then never did a stitch of treework before but maybe had a hort degree. One huge syc we removed he had 8 hours with 3 men on it and it took a full week to do.

 

[outofmytree]

We get the same thing here from time to time Dave. If companies have multiple crews and little work or have just lost a major contract they will underbid everyone. Sometimes taking enough just to cover costs.

I get what you mean about seeing them blow their budget making you happy. I am the same way. Losing work to manic underbidding is part of the game and so is manic underbidders losing money on the job.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

When I worked for Bartlett eons ago there were just bad salesmen. Then never did a stitch of treework before but maybe had a hort degree. One huge syc we removed he had 8 hours with 3 men on it and it took a full week to do.

What was your worst miss-bid?

 

[outofmytree]

I have had my prices cut in half by reputable businesses in the last 18 months. A tricky Euc dismantle over a house with small drop zone I bid at $3600 was done for $1850. I missed seeing the work done but the jobsite looked ok to me afterwards. They will have made nothing but wages from that one.

 

[treevet]

What was your worst miss-bid?

My worst bids tend to be over bids. The job I mentioned wasn't one of them.

 

[treevet]

I have had my prices cut in half by reputable businesses in the last 18 months. A tricky Euc dismantle over a house with small drop zone I bid at $3600 was done for $1850. I missed seeing the work done but the jobsite looked ok to me afterwards. They will have made nothing but wages from that one.

It is reasonable to think that sometimes that may be an attempt to run another guy out of their bidding turf. But it could backfire and cause the demise of their own entity when they get pigeonholed into being the cheap guy and cannot get a job at a decent price after that.

 

[Rftreeman]

Been pushing snow all day.........

 

[treevet]

You making a decent buck on that?

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

My worst bids tend to be over bids. The job I mentioned wasn't one of them.

I read it as the salesfag did massive low-ball. I think everyone
screws the pooch once and a while, mine tend to be willows in the backyard. I've been giving a "no greater than" for the past several years. I bid it high to cover contingencies, and bill it hourly.

Luckily the boiler guys like willow, so there are people who will actually pay a small fuel charge on a tip.

 

[Blakesmaster]

Luckily the boiler guys like willow, so there are people who will actually pay a small fuel charge on a tip.

Really? I can't seem to find ANYONE around here to take it. My old man will as a favor but we haul it and cut it up for him. Usually we either cut it small enough to chip the whole thing or haul it to the dump.

 

[jefflovstrom]

I read it as the salesfag did massive low-ball. I think everyone
screws the pooch once and a while, mine tend to be willows in the backyard. I've been giving a "no greater than" for the past several years. I bid it high to cover contingencies, and bill it hourly.

Luckily the boiler guys like willow, so there are people who will actually pay a small fuel charge on a tip.

Why would you think "everyone screws the pooch once and a while"? I think it boils down to bidding and knowing the market, I will take a small loss to get a better gain. It is different when you can put 3 crews out and balance the money per man hour and bid some high and some low to get it becuase you know you got it.
Jeff

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Really? I can't seem to find ANYONE around here to take it. My old man will as a favor but we haul it and cut it up for him. Usually we either cut it small enough to chip the whole thing or haul it to the dump.

The last year or so the boiler community has hot a critical mass where the supply of bulk wood is not as high as the demand. Some of the people are telling me they like how the softer, more porous wood charcoal better then the "true" hardwoods. Maybe it is that these species steam out faster where the others smolder longer? Most of these boiler guys want to use a loader to push big chunks that won't air dry.