How would you bid this?

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Rangerbait

Treehouser
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Howdy!

I?m pretty early on in running my own service, and trying to get the hang of bidding accurately. This Silver Maple is a very straight-forward removal of a healthy tree. There is a fence behind it, and a small shed to the right, but the homeowner said she doesn?t care about the lawn, so bombs away! My company consists of me, my 25 year-old son, a chipper, and a dump bed. This will easily take us a solid 10 hours, but I do not have to pay for dumping of chips nor wood. Thoughts?

My grinding sub is on his way out to survey, and then provide me with a bid, so I am only requesting feedback on the removal.

Thanks! Hopefully nobody gets their panties overly wadded by my asking this question. Happy Friday!

45d2d1d89cff9cb04c9df7dd2dcb4bd1.jpg
 
What do you charge for a day? Even with a free (close) tip for all arisings I?d charge a ?1000. That?s a decent size tree.

Grinding extra.
 
If you know how long it will take you (the hardest bit), then it is a question of costing. You know your market, wages & costs so it is an accountancy question from there. Don't forget to give a little bit of a margin for mishap.

Welcome to the house ��
 
I'm efficient when I work by myself with one ground person. But I'll be surprised if that is done with brush chipped and wood cut to fireplace length rounds or gone in 10 hours. I would guess 16 hours and 3200 on that with only tearing up lawn. Stump is extra.

Pictures don't tell the whole story. What dia would you say that tree is?


Welcome to The Tree House Ranger.
 
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pete mctree said:
If you know how long it will take you (the hardest bit), then it is a question of costing. You know your market, wages & costs so it is an accountancy question from there. Don't forget to give a little bit of a margin for mishap.

Welcome to the house ��
Click to expand...

I?m new to running my own show, and new to the area, so the market is still a bit of a mystery to me. I do know that every time I have needed a service (masonry, well, pest control), this area has been as expensive if not more than where I?m from in Northern California. I pay my son $15/hr right now, with the intent of bumping him up to $20 once I get better established. I have $16k invested total right now, and paid cash for everything...but will have to get a better chipper in the near term (functional, but clapped out 6? Gravely).
 
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  • #8
Merle Nelson said:
I'm efficient when I work by myself with one ground person. But I'll be surprised if that is done with brush chipped and wood cut to fireplace length rounds or gone in 10 hours. I would guess 16 hours and 3200 on that with only tearing up lawn. Stump is extra.

Pictures don't tell the whole story. What dia would you say that tree is?


Welcome to The Tree House Ranger.
Click to expand...

It?s a solid 40 DBH...definitely a big tree.
23ace68462346f41ed26194f2ad14637.jpg


1f9f257d37f766425e3736b6455cdbc7.jpg
 
Wow, can't imagine them getting any working person or company to do it cheaper.

Looks like some rigging time in the limbs/spars back over fence. A lot of wood in that tree that won't go through a modest chipper.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #13
Thanks fellers...I really appreciate it. I feel better about asking for a little more now.
 
The first number that jumped into my head was $2200. Second was $1800. I like $2200 better.:D

That is handling a lot of wood in that tree and with the targets it looks like lots of leads have to be individually felled into the open space.
 
I would drop out the right hand main leader and then look at felling the remaining tree in 1 piece if it would not damage any targets. I would be quoting around the 2500-3000 mark depending of if I could rell it in one or if I had to drop it in small sections
 
Rangerbait said:
...I do not have to pay for dumping of chips nor wood. Thoughts?


45d2d1d89cff9cb04c9df7dd2dcb4bd1.jpg
Click to expand...

Your customer has to pay you for wood and chip disposal, even if you don't pay for it, it still takes time, risk, equipment, etc, and is a service provided, and to be compensated for.


If they want the chips and firewood rounds as they lay, charge them for dismantling unless its a flopper, chip, buck, rake, no disposal.

Looks like 70' spread, 70' height, maybe 36+ inchesd dbh, fence. Stump cut is big, likely with junk between the folds of the buttress roots, maybe a rock or two if you're unlucky.
I found my second knife inside a tree this last project. Woulda been a problem, but it was loosely in an open gap of a bark inclusion at a crotch.




What about the stuff hanging out the back. Access? Ownership? Tall grass?


You may come down on your price if they bawk, not go up.
Once the price is set too low, you may do the job for wages or less, no profit to the company that pays for more productive gear.

Calibration is important. If you think it will take 10 hours x 2, that's 20 man-hours (with two guys getting more tired as the day goes on). Note how much you're incorrect or accurate with each job.


You will get more out of 4 guys for 5 hours than 2 for 10. Seems like a 10 hour day is about the max, and you're possibly wishfully thinking that it will take what you can give it, in one day.


More likely, you will have to commute, unpack, repack gear for two days.



Can you sub wood hauling, borrow/ rent a mini-x with thumb, or tractor with a backhoe and thumb?
 
I wonder if there is a good rigging point that is nearly plumb to the chipper feed tray/ dump trailer loading area. Pull the tips back from the chipper a bit when the tips are off the ground, set the piece down, and gravity will lay it down to the chipper. A tag line can help on bigger pieces that you want to pull back while still a decent way up off the ground.

I just rigged long leaders to the my chipper in this way. It make quick work of a big, spreading maple. I climbed, and natural crotch roped while the ground man/ ground men laid butts on the tray and pushed them in when the rope was fully clear of the work area. Rope into the chpper was the biggest concern. So little dragging.

I'd rather rope wood into the dump bed than lift it up into the dump bed.

The dump bed can be off-plumb for wood if you use a tag-line/ tie the rigged piece mid-line with a running bowline on a bight.




What is the access like, BTW? Is it hard-packed ground, or problems moving all over to move truck to material, rather than material to truck? Will you spend half the day getting unstuck, or ezpz?
 
Some rigging can be more complicated than bombing stuff, but it can mean less craters to walk/ drag around, preventing a turned ankle, possibly.

Customers are impressed. Watching stuff fall out of the sky leave the guy holding the beer saying, "I could do that!".

A guy holding a beer watching mid-tied logs, swung sideways, helicoptering around, easily set down onto a landing log for easy untying, or a long leader being easily laid down right onto the feed tray leads the guy to be thinking, "Holy Shit, those guys are pro.

Its a wide open drop-zone, but a rope can be like a groundman or three (and like too many, can't drive! haha).

Could be a good skill and advertising builder for your company (Word of mouth is best... social media is the present and future, unfortunately, but its actually the way the word of mouth can spread the most, especially if you send the customer some pictures/ post on your Facebook page and ask them to "Like" and "Share", or whatever).






You have to tell them what is involved, and the price, not just the price. This will re-emphasize to you how much is involved.

I tend to through out some round numbers, like about 4 cords of doug-fir in those trees means moving 10K pounds of wood, plus 10 yards of chips is another 5k pounds of material.
 
Rangerbait said:
I?m new to running my own show, and new to the area, so the market is still a bit of a mystery to me. I do know that every time I have needed a service (masonry, well, pest control), this area has been as expensive if not more than where I?m from in Northern California. I pay my son $15/hr right now, with the intent of bumping him up to $20 once I get better established. I have $16k invested total right now, and paid cash for everything...but will have to get a better chipper in the near term (functional, but clapped out 6? Gravely).
Click to expand...

Call a couple tree services and have them bid on it! Then you will know your areas bidding range. I agree with merle, at the 3k range. Almost looks like you could flop it. Clean up takes twice the time you may think.

Hey rangerbait, show us a pic of your gravely! I love those chippers
 
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