how to charge for hours worked?

2 weeks work for 31 k, righteous bucks, no doubt. If a lot of your jobs involve limited clean up, thats a big plus for the solo guy, clean up is the bear, cutting is the cake.

I don't have any photos that are more interesting than the badger.
 
cory said:
2 weeks work for 31 k, righteous bucks, no doubt. If a lot of your jobs involve limited clean up, thats a big plus for the solo guy, clean up is the bear, cutting is the cake.

I don't have any photos that are more interesting than the badger.
Click to expand...
Logging 200 hrs a year with a saw...hell yeah. But I have to admit 200 hrs a year doing my arb work biz calls for some spinning of tires and not getting anything done. Piecework pay get's you the big bucks to fill in the leaner days.
Was just saying and telling other arb readers here don't set your sights for under $200 hr if you plan on running your own biz, especially if your skilled enough and working alone.
 
I gotta move to the wilderness...... A few more years and I'm heading for the White Mtns of NH. It isn't wilderness but its good enough for me.
 
Nothing like it, best of everything fishing hunting, boating, camping...... and good paying customers thanks to the local nickel mine.
 
I don't care if my wife out earns me someday. I hope she does. She's a hard worker and made a lot of sacrifices for my career. She deserves to feel proud and accomplished.
 
Then again, it takes very little money to keep me content. My goals don't involve expensive cars and luxurious properties. A hunting trip each year, and enough to make sure my daughters don't miss out on life is enough to keep me content.
 
Yup different times different era. What got me into logging at 16 was I was fresh off the farm running equipment and saws since I was 10 years of age.
Plus being full grown by 14 helped too, my older brother already had a faller job there starting about 5 years earlier and as he was a high producer that got my foot in the door. My BIL was a foremen.
Big unionized forestry company with it's own pulp and paper mill, sawmill 11 acres under one roof and 6 full logging camps.
I had a great start.
 
Alright,

Started at my grandfather's farm after school once in a while I think 13 or 14 years old, against how my grandmother and mother felt grampa wanted to give me a heading. As I aged he worked me more and more, eventually it led to the wood, so ironic considering my current state leaves much to be desired, guess we all fall down to learn how to get back up. Even after he passed in 98 I am still scared to death of him, his start at a child was a rough one and he carried the scars to the end.

Things change too fast now, must be the age thing. Sounds like you are up there pretty good. Good to hear of that.
 
Every market is different. Learn your service area. Track all costs from the get-go, if you can afford the time and energy.

You charge the customer more by having a legit, worker's comp covered crew. Buy a mini and grapple if it fits your market. No Comp.

As was mentioned in another thread, a honda winch can make a good groundie, if your organized and use your head.


Start thinking of all the factors at the bid. Its sooo much easier to drag on and clean pavement than grass. Long grass sucks. Is it uphill or downhill? Stuff rolls downhill on its own, if you put wheels under it right. Bottlenecks? Utilities? Driveway access? drag distance?


Its hard to say what to charge per hour, as production can vary sooo much. One person will put a tree on the ground in an hour, another in 2, another in 3. Still worth the same money if within the parameters of impact and disposal. Actually, its worth more to cause less disturbance. If a guy can knock out a removal and clean-up in a day, that's much better than three days of noise, etc,etc.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #44
I'll have to look up the honda winch groundie thread, sounds useful.
I've been drooling over mini's, I'm torn between that or a chipper, but leaning toward the chipper as a brush pile at my house for a week or 2 at a time would not make for a happy wife. I figured the mini would make bringing the brush home easy, then rent a chipper for 1 day every other week or so (my tree work is pretty light) to chip it for mulch, which does make for a happy wife. But either way a real size truck must happen first, and business seems to be picking up this year, so that should be coming pretty darn soon.
 
No thread about the Honda winch. A winch compared to a mini is like a wraptor compared to a bucket truck. Not a replacement, but does a great job, is portable, and relatively cheap.

Brush should go right to a dump site, largely.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #46
I wasn't comparing the winch to the mini, just another useful tool I had not considered.
I found a thread on winches with a few videos from Reg, its genius for certain situations.

In my mowing and tree work I have yet to need to use a dump, so I'm leaning to the chipper route, Most of my work is pretty rural and can throw brush in the woods or chip into the woods. The overall super usefulness of the mini is really hard to ignore though, especially with the range of attachments.
 
woodslinger said:
I'll have to look up the honda winch groundie thread, sounds useful.
I've been drooling over mini's, I'm torn between that or a chipper, but leaning toward the chipper as a brush pile at my house for a week or 2 at a time would not make for a happy wife. I figured the mini would make bringing the brush home easy, then rent a chipper for 1 day every other week or so (my tree work is pretty light) to chip it for mulch, which does make for a happy wife. But either way a real size truck must happen first, and business seems to be picking up this year, so that should be coming pretty darn soon.
Click to expand...

Brush pile at your house, you say? This is my last burn, 50 yards from my front door....:D


 
Do those big chunks burn up too or are they too fat and gnarly?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #50
Wow, that wouldn't fly here, we don't have that kind of room.

I had never seen a watermelon tree before, is that native?
 
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