Here is an example tree to look at. I know it's hard to bid by images or video but I'm adding some good thoughts to keep in mind when you do a bid. How much would YOU charge?
Ive watched this particular video a few times and am watching it again having just finished taking down a huge spreading 65' tall, 47" dbh Horse Chestnut with at least 3 different fungi that i could see as well as other problems brought on (probably) by its west side root system being severed to install a block paved drive some years ago, this hasnt happened over night, its been steadily declining over the years producing less and less fruit according to the owner. I had a greenhorn groundie with a background in forest/lumber/firewood game who hadnt ever seen any of the gear i'd brought.....wtf.......RCW3002 bollard and winch, what a great tool by the way (in the right hands that is)......he managed to drop a few decent sized pieces cos he had too many wraps on the bollard and wasnt too good at keeping tension as he unwrapped .My block paving skills were needed here and needless to say that has caused me to revise my plans for lowering bigger timber and use a second smaller floating bollard in the tree with me so i can be the brakes while the groundie takes off a wrap......anyway.....you're absolutely right in that you can make as much if not more doing smaller jobs that take the same overall length of time and dont bust you up anywhere like a large tree removal does, its knackering, day after day....I have defo underbid that one, its not the first time i can tell you and theres too many guys doing tree work around here with varying levels of equipment so prices and times are vastly different.....barely 8 hrs of daylight available, 1 hr to unload and set up all the gear, 6 hrs climb time and then stopping when its too dark to safely see in the tree, derigging in the fading light, its pants in the winter and these big jobs drag on for days more than the climb time you bid for.........ive run over my bigshot in the dark, bust a hydraulic motor shaft seal on one feed roller so I'm out of pocket on this job big time........the bigger the tree, the bigger the problems and the more of everything it takes to get it done safely.........might just go delivery van driving for Jeff Bezos.....he seems to be doing ok......
Good lean, few obstacles, cinematic location so good for video making, no fences or houses to worry about, open access, and the wood will make me some money back as firewood: $800 in downstate Illinois.
Do you have any contacts in the logging or slabbing end of things? If the tree hasn't decayed in the middle yet it would make beautiful table tops. Drop it across the road and plan on cleaning up the small stuff. Sell the saw logs. Plan on some landscaping afterward.
We had two great ash trees taken down due to being killed by the emerald ash borer. The larger one had 2 saw logs with a butt diameter of 50 inches. I had those two logs slabbed. The smaller tree had a crotch down low but was still huge. The tree company didn't have any equipment large enough to move it so I told them to leave it and I spent 3 days sawing and splitting by hand.
It was snowing in orange county NY yesterday and like 40+ degrees. Anyway @7:06. While you show the lean of the tree down towards the roadway it looks like a nice little field between a few tree. If you could get a rope somewhere up the tree I'd looking into dropping it that way. Maybe set a wheel redirect so you could pull from where you drove the truck up. Thank you for your knowledge and peaceful thinking of this line of work I also bid a tree job today $1650. Simply put ... 50' poplar in the most beautiful landscaped backyard with no access I'm hoping a speed line setup and little pieces would work out. No room for even a hand truck/ dolly. Manpower and brains only. STAY SAFE
You mentioned jacking the tree? Do you not use a line launcher like a big shot to set a rope? Way faster, way more control, especially being a dead tree with who knows what kind of hinge wood.
I've never commented but have been watching for a while now. That tree is definitely $3,000-$4,500 hauled away. Not sure everyone here understands how big 40 inches is lol. We don't have Fir trees like that down here in GA. Maybe some tall pines and bald cypress but no softwoods of that caliber. Love the videos!!!
I do appreciate your comment. I understand that the bids are going to be all over the map on this. You are right, 40" is big and the pieces are heavy. My concern is losing a piece and having it take off.
I understand how big 40" is. Its 40". Different parts of the country can charge differently i live in a rural area. I can get way more if i drive towards the city which i dont do
@@micdivaI understand people do work alot cheaper out in the woods, but to haul away 30 plus thousand pounds of log and another few thousand in chips for $1,300? It's interesting to see what other people value their work, equipment and skill at.
@@shooktrees8567 well the problem with your comment is i can bid 5k for that job or even 25 to 3 k like you say but if people around me do it lower i wont get any work. So in the end i can value myself right out of business
@@micdiva that's a bummer its like that in your area. I'm lucky i live North of Atlanta, Ga. where the average day for a tree company with all of the bucket trucks, chippers and bobcats go for $2,500-$4,500 per day. I only have 2 employees and a 12" chipper and chipper truck and small john deere tractor. I price a full day of work between $1,000- $2,000 per day depending on the scope of work. I've never worked a fir at all but i figured this tree would take us atleast 2-3 days without a log truck picking up all that wood. The branching out seems simple and a half a day but dang thats alot of wood! Could you get this completely done in one day? Maybe I need to step up my work thats. I am interested in this subject nation wide. I've struggled under bidding jobs for my first 2 years as an LLC and seem to have finally found the price point for my area.
Where could I find compiled information about how different trees react when dying? You mention that it's important to know that a certain species rots quickly; maybe another becomes brittle, or one stays strong for long time. That information is not in any tree book I've found. Do you know of someone who has collected that kind of info valuable to arborists and has made it available?
I love the time that you take to explain All the small things and the Passion that you have With your skill and knowledge You Have Would it be possibleTo make a videoAbout different species and their dangersDead-and-alive I think that would be so helpful for a lot of people God-bless Be safe keep up the great work👍👌🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🥰
I could Robert but my area of species is so different from other areas of types of trees. I talk about individual trees and unique problems but a compilation would be tough.
De-Rigged a couple of trees for a Logging Outfit on April 1st in 4 inches of snow ! of course here in the Great Northwest it can (and has) snowed in May (up high)...
Furthermore I also wanted to take the time to say thank you for understanding of arboriculture and I have greatly appreciated your videos throughout my learning process as the climbing path was easy for me as I had been climbing for 20+ years. However the the other side of being an arborist is caring for the trees and this is is what over they’re I have gained more than anything with seeing all too much of other people in the industry making horrible pruning decisions that destroy the tree or creates it to have a decline due to improper behavior when pruning
Another very instructive walk in the woods. Very enjoyable. If I may I would like to make an observation here. Apparently the terminology in the American northwest, and along near the coast, is to speak of "firs", including the Douglas fir. However they are not all from the same family. Blair changed it a few times as he spoke, clarifying things. But I wish to point out that the Douglas fir is mis-named in English. It is not a fir. In addition it has a Latin name that calls it a false hemlock. But its' not a hemlock either. "Pseudotsuga menziesii". If this tree were a fir the name would always begin with Abies. In forestry we have an immediate distinction. To speak of a tree from the Abies... group we say "true fir." This eliminates any thoughts of the two North American Pseudotsuga varities. There are at least nine varieties of Abies (true fir) in North America. Abies concolor (white fir); Abies magnifica (red fir), etc.
Am glad you said bidding is hard. I have always thought so. Thanks also for the signs and suggestions. One place I was, it wasn't the snakes. It was the skeeters! They were very serious about their work. I was too low to donate the next time the Bloodmobile came around! Sometimes people ask me how much to prune a tree? And we were in the market. I say I must see the tree. Fortunately most of them catch themselves at that point. Of course they say. So then we talk about when I should come over. Since I keep records I nearly always charge what I did before for the same thing. That makes it easy for once. And it makes us look good. Not gouging.
I like the beginning of the video, but what’s the scope of work? Bid 1500 for drop and leave in big section and 4000 completely off site 750 stump grinding and mulch removal
What would you do if you had someone that wanted about 20 dead cottonwoods down? I've successfully bid a single Black Poplar next to a pool for 2500 that is alive that ill have to climb a lot with (waiting for leaves to fall off and pool to be winterized and covered so nothing gums up the pool filter) but I've never bid for more that 2 trees on a property before. And when i think of dropping lower because of more trees I still come up with a huge number and don't want to scare business away. Im just starting out doing all this.
Big number jobs are always scary because you either have a big crew with different climbers (and skill level), or you burn out taking a lot longer. I did a job once doing 20 giant Eucs. I was so glad when that was over. Total burn out. Best to know your ability and build as you go before you accept a job that is too much. Stay safe.
If you are interested in the redwood planting at the end of this video, I am posting a really old video from 8 years ago showing the same trees. Interesting to see the changes. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-LPa3X4lnGis.html
Yes, seems like they do. I have just found it interesting that regions have an inclination to remove certain species over others. Seems like one areas “trash tree” is a retention tree in other areas. Just interesting...thank for all the cool videos.
$2500 minimum, maybe 3k depends how far from home base it was, but if I see a bee during the bid, it goes up $200. Metal in the tree or dog poo on the ground is another automatic “up charge” I’ll consider. Where your at I’m guessing that’s a 5-6 thousand dollar tree tho.
I like your thinking! I charge a dogshit supplement - in people's gardens, if they have a dog, I say I'll do it for x amount if you make sure there's absolutely no shit, but if I find any, I'll add £100. Bess I;m not too bothered with unless they're nesting in the tree itself! As for metal - never trust an owner who assures you there's no metal, especially if the tree is on a property boundary. I just assume there is and add the price of a chain to the quote.
Jona llaway I don’t even ask the customer about metal, I just wave what I can reach from the ground with a cheep metal detector. I don’t mention the dog poo either, if it is there during the bid they pay extra and don’t know any different because I don’t give them any options as to with or without poo.
You really didnt give enough info to price it. Wood staying no clean up? Can you get a cucket truck in there for the lower sections? If i was to bid that tree for a clean up job amd just seeing what it is off the video id be in the $1300.00 range. I price higher the more dead it gets
You are right. Bidding from photos or even a video is not a good way to even come close. This video is really about opening up a discusion about what you need to think about on a bid. Asking for bids is really about engaging with a group of like minded tree workers. Thanks for being a part of this community.
Hard to say on felling that dead fir. Is the job to just fell it and leave it where it lands? Or shift it all somewhere else (in which case where!). If thee job is only to get it down, sned it, stack the brash and let someone else take care of processing, I'd guesstimate £2000. That's not looking at what anyone else has said, and I'm clicking 'Comment' now....
Here in the Midwest that is a tall tree. We deal mostly with hardwoods, not so many softwoods. I would bid $2000-$2500, not including stump grinding. I would climb and drop all limbs and chunk in either 3 foot or 6 foot sections, possibly 9 foot, depending on strength of the tree. After getting half down, I would then drop the rest. Chip the limbs, haul the logs.
I'm in Oregon,...I dont do removals but I do a lot of trees like this $100 to knock it down and an extra $100 to limb and buck it up stack the limbs and toss a gallon of desiel on it and leave the rounds right there were it fell so later on the land owner can split, haul to thew wood shed and or just burn / clean it up in his own spare time.
$2600. I can do well where I live in Michigan. I'd climb it myself and chunk down 10-15 foot sections of the stem. My rookie bid. Sad part is we don't have trees that big around here. Maybe a 100 foot Oak or Cottonwood but no big Doug Firs.
3k if it's still climb-able. Got roads, house near by. People/car traffic can slow things down, steep slope with lean towards down hillside. Harder for groundmen to move on the slope and loose soil Might rig the larger wood. can we use skidsteer? The place looks like park, heavy equipment can make a mess. Chipper, haul or leave. Wood haul or leave may bump the bid up or down $200 to $300. Bee's could be a problem, might bid another $200. 5-6 hrs. 3 man crew.
Your probably right on full day. It's definitely hard to bid a video, my hope was to either give or get some constructive feedback, which you have given. Speed line could solve the issue of the steep slope for the ground guys. I appreciate you taking the time to go over these topics. Since Biding isn't an exact science, it's been helpful to go over what ofter tree guys look for and think about when biding.
There are quite a few variables you didn't specify, so I'll just scope the job. Assumptions: Limbs chipped, wood blocked and left on site. Day one - one climber, one chipper, ground crew of 2. Day 2 - crew of 2 on cleanup. Multiply by your cost of labor and operation.
What did they ask for? Chip branches? Can chip stay? Leave log for for wildlife habitat? A couple of winch lines and a jack, and you drop it? So many variables!
With a couple of ground guys flagging I would hope that the tree could be falled straight across the road in the favor of its lean on an early Saturday morning when traffic is low. I don’t know if that’s an option. If it was possible it would be 1000 to fall it, rig it off the road, limb it and buck it for a log truck. I think to piece it down it would be about 2400. I would not be as concerned about punk in a Doug, at least in Oregon they hold up pretty good till they loose all their needle, then I look for woodpecker holes and the most obvious dangerous condition is fungus growth on the bark, that always means rot and I would never spur up one that bad.
as you asked i have a wild card. starting at 3,000 cut n leave and going up to 7,000 for full clean up and remove all debris, great tips and thought process too many folks look n miss a lot of what around bees oh boy that was tough i see be keepers like once every two weeks ..
3000. I would cut in the middle. lay it down the hill. Another notch at the base. lay it down hill. cut into 24 inch rounds. chip branches and leave chips and put an add on Craigs List for free firewood in "farm and Garden" section. Here in California, that wood will be gone before the end of the next day. Saws I would use. Husky 395xp for the 40 inch rounds, , Stihl ht 131 pole saw for limbing and my echo 2511t also for limbing. stump grinding included. total time working 2 man team 12 - 14 hours
I can't price your job but I wanted to tell you about 2 bids I just got for the same job. One was 4500, the other was 1700. The companies looked similar to me, both Amish if that means anything. I'm positive the lower price guy isn't fly by night. What gives? First guy just didn't want the job? Neither guy mentioned any particular hazzard, and none that I know of.
feez357 we see the same thing out here. Greed is a factor as well as ignorance. Many bidders for companies don’t really understand and bid can be envisioned as hard or easy.
Hi Blair, Since you replied I thought I would follow up. The 1700 dollar guys were here and did exactly what I expected. SE PA, three guys, one giant chipper, one $80,000 truck, two saws, only one guy REALLY knew what he was doing - exactly FOUR hours - $1700. I do know a little about how things work and these guys were working hard! I know you know about different economies in the USA but what do you think about the price? I'm thrilled!
Neil D That is a possibility. The tree was by no means dead but a Norway Maple in PA old and big and brittle. I told them both it was brittle. The guy who did it, roped off a very close healthier tree.
I would not typically do a bid without touching the tree and that is so that I can judge the value for the wood I am hauling off as my second business is a custom designed hand carved timber made furnishings and products as well as rustic looking projects and restoration projects including older cabins and barns in the Rocky mountains so that being said the climate is obviously not moisture based where I am familiar with and would be concerned for the consideration of rot inside the tree standing dead for a few years while the leaning is not too much of a concern for me as in a still shit I looked up the tree and there is at least two times when the tree had made corrective effects to maintain vertical life over the length of years the tree was alive, that being said the soft ground could create more lean towards ground but realistically I knowing tree was dead would inspect it and would anchor in a second tree with a single or double redirect and then a floating anchor once in the tree to remove while yes that I time consuming keep it in mind that I use the fallen timber to make furniture and products over the winter months which have bigger gains then my bigger enjoyment which is the climbing side and arborist/forester work. That tree based on what I saw and what Glen had said would be around $2500-$3,000 for me to remove which I am guessing would take me and a groundie 6 hours maybe 7 to have down loaded on trailer and cleanup done however if looking like that wasn’t going to be the case and needed to bring in some temp help to drag brush and allowing my groundie then to focus on my work in tree and cuts and limping on ground, I would snag a guy or two from day ready labor for realistically a cheap rate to drag brush and help load the longer lengths of timber for 3 hours each and to start blind removal of that tree would cost the owner $2500-$3500 less a crane was needed then price jumps to 4500-6000 for removal of tree and stump as well as clean up leaving only sawdust fines spread out
I'm not in the business, and not even in your country, so wouldn't have a clue about what to bid. But from watching your videos, and listening to what you said in this one, I would not want to climb that tree, because it is a pine which has been dead for quite a while as evidenced by the lack of pine needles on the tree. Bringing any heavy machinery into the area, with all of that soft soil, would be difficult, and maybe using it would be close to impossible. Add to that the steep slope down onto a road, which makes felling the tree dangerous, and the nuisance factor of mosquitoes, plus the presence of rattlesnakes and mountain lions. These factors would indicate that it's going to be a slow, tricky and dangerous job, involving 3 or 4 men, lugging branches and logs by hand. My gut feeling would be to walk away from it, and to let someone else tackle the tree.
I’d probably look at stopping traffic and fell the tree with its lean onto the road then clean the road first. If I could leave all trunkwood firewood rounds (not stacked) and take away debris I’d think maaaaaybe $900-$1000? If I had to take trunk wood as well, probably use or find someone for firewood but look at maybe $1500? (Didn’t look at other comments and hard to tell from video haha)
@@arboristBlairGlenn I must have misunderstood a previous video, sorry about that. Thanks for the video, im not in the industry but I would have to quote but a guess would be 2k
Not US based, but I would say it's a 4hr job with a 3 man/person team plus a chip truck and a lumber truck. I would probably double winch from an anchor around 40ft up and straight drop in 1 piece up the embankment. 1hr to set the Winches. 1.5hrs to clean, chip and ring/cord (Depends on if the lumber is worth saving). 1 hr to load the timber either way, and 30 mins to blow clean the site. Obviously travel time would be factored in a quote as well, and grinding is an extra.
There are a lot of factors to consider as you said driving us to the tree. Even after i go look at tree and make notes and pictures and doing a lot of walking around the tree and the drop zone. I like to really think about everything i saw for the job before giving a bid and that could be the next day. So for your video play i will say 1600 notch drop clean up . 125 for the stump.
You are much lower than pricing in our highly affluent area. Part of the reason for this inquiry was to get an idea of the differences across the country (as well as other parts of the world).
Nahdooo27 I know, but that is also part of the discussion purpose. What one person sees is very different from another. Thus, the wild disparity in bids.
Thanks Blair! I am in the industry and would love to learn more about insect pests. Any recommendations on books or other resources? Maybe you could make a video about some of the experiences you've had
@@sbercik such a huge topic. I try to keep the videos different but I do have quite a few on insect problems. If you keep looking back to the collection, I’m sure you will find a lot of good stuff to learn from or at least relate to.
I’d say 4000 for dropping and cleaning up hauling everything away. 2000 to just drop it and that’s it. I’m brand new to this and could use any kind of tips or advice so Glenn what do you say to that bid
Bidding is hard. I know the bids form seeing this video are going to be all over the map. The real purpose is to open a discussion about the process and what you need to think about when making a bid. Especially on a big removal. This tree is really just an average size Douglas Fir in our area but huge for some parts of the country.
Wow, that's some great cash. Where I work (downstate Illinois) that kind of $$ would be for a 3 day job. I'd typically take care of a tree like this in under a day working alone.
The weight limb distribution looks about even.....i still would decline .....i wouldnt climb it and felling it is too dangerous...dead trees collapse. Im sure you were successful but I couldnt bid it. Ill keep watching your videos.
If possible, if the road isn’t that busy, I’d block the road and fell it across the road Clean up with my crew would be about two to three hours, cut into about 10ft lengths Probly be about $1500
Wow, such a multi faceted tree/site, condition of tree and site that are less than desirable. Plywood for mini skid for brush and wood, rigging, chipping, moving and hauling wood and chips plus clean up solid 2150 unless i could get my truck to it to speed it up. Then 1800.
This is the greatest video. It makes me feel like I'm on a job with a good friend and trustworthy arborist. 2 guys for a day. Limbed and bucked and left in place....$800. In Vermont
For me with a 3 man crew $1400ish, paying cash $1200. That would include chipping dead branches (which are a pain in the a$$ to do), rigging stem pieces down in 2-6 foot pieces because of soft ground and condition of tree. That's contingent on figuring not taking wood since it's a park & having somewhere in the area to dump pieces or let them lay. I live in Pittsburgh btw.
Thanks, you might enjoy some of these other exciting jobs too! Check them out on this playlist. ru-vid.com/group/PLdq3KQ_xcH4B7yGHc9wcKxThfLRslgT9Q Arborist Blair Glenn
This is a job I would tackle by myself. I'm a logger/timber faller/arborist by trade in northern california. So long as there was nothing to hinder an otherwise routine tree job I would charge 650 dollars to fall and clean. If I had to haul it off the job I would add onothere 250 so 900 dollars. 250 dollars to show up + 450 for 4 hours to fall, buck and clean up slash, which is ample time. I would prefer to haul it on a side note because I would cut it into firewood and make an additional 300.
Really good to know your limitations or what you want to do. Truth be known, you can make as much money (or more), just doing general pruning work rather than big removals. Less clean up, less dump fees, easier on equipment, easier on workers.
Ok, so after watching the video again, and trying to get a handle on what's going on, I'm thinking, 1 climber, 2 ground guys, a skid steer to load wood, along with a dump trailer, and obviously a chipper and truck if it's a complete cleanup. I'd figure a day and a half for this tree, although we don't have that type tree in Ohio, we've done some pretty good sized Oaks that are kind of comparable, trunk wise, obviously the canopy is totally different. But in my area, I'd price it around $3,800.00 sight unseen, which under true circumstances, I would never do lol
In Germany you would charge about 1500 dollars or sth. You will definitely not get the job if you want more from the customer. So many ppl doing dangerous tree job for small money ... :((
Michael Sukut so you will do four man hours, send a chipper and grind a stump for a grand? Wow I must be doing it the hard way because I don’t do anything that cheap unless its a simple felling. Its definitely a flat $200 to bring out the stumper. I’d probably send 3 guys and plan on it taking 4-5 hours. Bidding in person is difficult and on camera it’s very hard to say what it would actually take, plus Blair is in such high end neighborhoods, has a great reputation and provides absolutely top quality service using cream of the crop tree men. I don’t think many of us bid, or can perform in his league, were certainly not used to his local economy. A coffee is probably $15 in the valley.
@@jaxturner7288 yea 2 guys 1 trailer and a bobcat no chipper keep the wood i have no overhead so lets say even half a day and still good but it is a video the hill might be more of a problem than i imagine there might be sprinklers we didnt see or gas lines its hard to put a good solid bid together what would you go at it for? Jax Turner
Michael Sukut what state are you in? I put my bid in earlier I think I said $2500 +. But for him, in his area I’m sure it’s 3K plus. Even 5 grand wouldn’t surprise me.
