Bid advice, 28 Doug-fir removal in parking lot, 100' and under.

[SeanKroll]

https://www.google.com/maps/place/1...01c9b9c11973a!8m2!3d47.0226956!4d-122.8778167




So these trees are not high quality trees, but some could go to the local log buyer at the Port of Olympia, a few miles away, via self-loader. I think the 7th Day Adventists/ Transformational Life Center can probably have the congregation take firewood, and some chips if desired. Easy access to give away free firewood.

Trees are pretty much around 24" dbh on the larger end, and 100' tall. Mostly pretty neutrally leaning. A couple leaning toward the parking lot, so a couple growing away toward the houses. A couple smaller trees, and several with co-dominant tops, sweeps, doglegs, etc. Green, healthy trees, pretty much.

The trees are in a row East to West, so the branches orient north and south, except the end tree that leans east, with a full crown about 5/8 around, as its nestled next to another.

My thought is that if I fell them perpendicular to the line, I'll be driving stiff branches into asphalt, and possibly cratering the asphalt. Not a lot of crown per tree.

If I fell them diagonally toward the NW or NE, they won't land on these stiff branches. I consider bundling up large piles of branches that can be moved around as crash-pads for the trunks. If they are tied up, they should be easy to reset by machine. I've done this before.

I'll consider renting a mini-excavator with a thumb, and using a grapple truck for disposal/ part disposal.
https://lewrentswest.com/equipment.asp?action=category&category=84&key=E42BOBCAT

 

[stig]

This right after Burnham resurrected his " walk away from" thread.

Since trying to get the idea of a situation from pictures obviously doesn't work, I'll just say 20 grand without even seeing the pictures.

Now it'll be fun to see how that comes out.

Kinda like the monkey that beat all the financial geniusses on investing.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I don't think those trees are large enough for the limbs to damage the asphalt. I've thrown a million pines just like those across stuff like that with no problems.

 

[rbtree]

I agree with MB, Sean. Fall em... might have no damage, but, if so, it would be minor and easily patched.

Some crash pads good, too. Tires work well.

 

[Raj]

Up here there is a big difference in thickness and quality of paving for driveways and parking lots. I carry a ground probe. Often phone and cable are only inches below the surface.

 

[SeanKroll]

maybe dropping one onto the next, onto the next, onto the next, trunks parellel, then limbing and bucking.

They're not dead straight. A few have dog-legs and sweeps. they could be padded.


I did put a 'speed dip' one time, in a park road. Acceptable impact. Couple inches deep. And I cut it with a 20" bar on a Husky 246xp.


It was about max capacity for that bar.




How would you phrase the contract for impact? Any divots and scuffs will be patched as necessary by the contractor. ??? Don't specify more than that?







In the row of trees in the first picture, the 6th tree from the left (of whole trunks showing) has backlean, but not a significant amount. It will pull and wedge over.

I was thinking about 20K-25K, and 50% of timber value. Chips as much as they want left, if any. Firewood rounds cut out of non-timber logs. Thoughts?

Might be a high price in this area.

I am not short on work. Would be nice to be able to set up with a more lengthy project around January, though. Its not a very physically challenging projects as residential logging goes, as they should be easy to pull over, to machine access on flat ground.

 

[Mick!]

20k!!!!!!!!!

That’s a couple of days work with a grab lorry.

 

[SeanKroll]

Risk to homes and parking lot.

Grapple truck is $400 per load, maybe 5 loads.

Groundman is about $30+/ hour, all said and done.

Log hauling will come out of log revenue.



What would you guess for a bid, from pictures, Mick?



My guess is half firewood, half logs.

 

[MasterBlaster]

$30 per for a groundie?

Sign me up!

 

[ruel]

Sounds like a good price. I bet someone i else is cheaper, but who cares.

 

[SeanKroll]

$20/ hour (hopefully. That's what I pay my guy now), plus $4.50/ hour for WC. SS at 7.5% = ~$1.50, Unemployment Insurance, Accounting/ taxes/ payroll $.xx, A couple other small payroll taxes, I think.

Maybe $30/ hour, out the door.

 

[dstimber]

$30 per for a groundie?

Sign me up!

Me to!!

 

[SimplyArbor]

I?d put about $9500 on it. 2g for loader, 3 days @ $2000/day with 3 man crew and 16hrs stump grinding.

 

[SeanKroll]

This is a job that I could do pretty much myself, with machinery, if I find myself short-handed one way or another.
When bidding, I always ask myself, "how stuck would I be on this job without an employee?".


A 10K mini-x with a thumb on pavement should handle this size wood pretty well, I think. With mindful limbing, I could probably bulldoze limbs pretty well with the boom and blade.
I can use the bucket on the mini to "rake" the parking lot, as I haven't bought the BMG rake, yet. I'd definitely buy/ rent a dump trailer, and consider the BMG rake for the job.

 

[SeanKroll]

I?d put about $9500 on it. 2g for loader, 3 days @ $2000/day with 3 man crew and 16hrs stump grinding.

Thanks, Ian.

What do you mean for the loader?


How would you factor timber value recovered?



No grinding.

 

[dstimber]

How much time do you think you'll have in this job Sean?

 

[squisher]

I?d put about $9500 on it. 2g for loader, 3 days @ $2000/day with 3 man crew and 16hrs stump grinding.

That's a good price. I was thinking ten.

Sean will you see any wood value out of those stems in your market? I never tried to factor in any 'dealings' on wood value. As in if they see value in the logs tell me where to leave them. If the bid is remove everything? I'll be seeing any eventual value from the logs.

 

[SeanKroll]

So hard to say, Denver.

Seems like averaging 5 trees a day, with two guys Could be right. You're always freshest on the first day. Preferably, two employees and myself.

Its the windy season, so that's always an X factor.

Mitigating impact is tough. If it doesn't need padding, you only find out after its down with no padding. If it did need padding, you definitely find out after its down with no padding.

Some of the limbs are probably 4" diameter. Sometimes they break at the collar. Sometimes they don't. Falling at an angle to the branches will help side-load the branches, but that means less cushioning impact for the trunk.



I've never bid a falling/ logging job like this, into a parking lot. Few jobs have resulted in selling mill logs.

 

[SeanKroll]

Squish. There's some decent mill logs there, and a short haul. Better then dealing with craploads of firewood.

My friend with the kboom/ grapple hauling truck is getting very retired. I don't want to haul wood.



I like your approach of leave it where they want it, or haul it all.

 

[Bodean]

Stand alone... How much for each tree? Now multiply it and throw in an economy of scale for the 28...

What's it worth? $500/tree...

and i agree, dump them!!!!

 

[sawman]

Sean your chipper will handle these limbs right?
Tell em $500 a tree with a group discount $12,500
And go buy yourself a dump trailer with the earning

 

[SeanKroll]

Thanks for the input, everyone.


Its hard for me know know market value on this type of job. Its not a push with an excavator job, which would open it up to more contractors.
Its hard for me know know the market value on most jobs. That's not my strong suit.

 

[sawman]

Good luck either way bro.

 

[SkwerI]

Sean your chipper will handle these limbs right?
Tell em $500 a tree with a group discount $12,500
And go buy yourself a dump trailer with the earning

I agree with this line of thinking. The nice jobs that allow you to bust ass and get ahead financially are few and far between. This job is plenty big enough to put a nice chunk in your pocket and still give the client a fair price. Jobs like this are the ones that allow you to reinvest and purchase a money making piece of equipment without going out of pocket.

And no matter what, a good dump trailer will pay for itself faster than almost anything you can buy. They hold their value for years so you can use it for 5 years and sell it for almost what you paid for it.

 

[SeanKroll]

I fully agree on the dump trailer. It would give me a back-up chip box in the event of chip truck issues. I like to have a plan B for everything. At present, I have non-dumping back-up chip boxes.


$12-14K is much more realistic if its likely to be able to dump trees. Machine-handling a half dozen large bundles of crash pad limbs shouldn't really be that cumbersome on pavement.

Not sure I need a mini-x, but it sure would speed things up. Might actually machine-feed the chipper much better. Never tried it.