Paying job i looked at today. Worked for the guy once before. Recent 36" DBH white oak blowover. All i have to do is limb it, cut to fireplace length and leave in place. No clean up or moving rounds. Sounds simple enough, but tree fell into a tangle of prickers and overgrowth plus its into a small ravine and some of the large limbs are high up. Some smaller collateral damaged trees too. Sort of a wooded overgrown drainage area between properties thats collected lots of trash and junk. Gonna have to hack my way in with clippers and loppers. He said to buck the trunk as far as i can. Clothesline pulley visible and i may stop above that for fear of hitting metal. Most of the trunk is high enough off the ground so i can push a log or block under it up to complete the cuts. No rolling with cant hook. Something i would normally do for the "fun" of it free of charge for friends/neighbors and free wood, but a logistically challenging job thats within my experience level. Have to quote and was curious what the FHC thinks? Random pics that dont show the downhill very well.
Gotta be careful cutting that stuff. There are lots of forces acting on that wood and potentially lots of tensions that will get released when you start cutting and sudden movements that could get you hurt if not careful. And you don’t exactly have easy escape routes down in that mess. Go slow and think it through.
I’d estimate how long you think the job will take you and multiply it by what you need to make per hour. This is how I do all my tree job estimates. Appears to be a one man job. I think JimBear is pretty right on price wise. Probably closer to the $500 end. Seems like cutting it up may be the easier part of the deal. He’s gonna pull it all out of there? Does he just not have a chainsaw, or why does he want that part done?
It is that simple. The more you use this method the better you'll get at knowing exactly what you can or can't get done in a days' time.
The Iowa State Extension Service (Custom Hire ) lists chainsawing at around $65 hour, then you have your travel & it looks like a PIA to get at. I would imagine in your neck of the woods the cost would be higher.
I was thinking about 3-400 before I read responses. Then I thought of hitting dirt and stones a couple times and dinging up some chains, and the time it takes to sharpen (if you don’t have a grinder). So I’d probably be somewhere in that range, of course that’s from seeing it from my couch.
Probably about 800.00. You described the scope of work to be completed pretty well. Any residential I figure three loops of chain. I didn't use to and lost pretty badly. You might as well come out ahead. I have a 300.00 minimum. If it isn't worth that, then it is a home owner job, or I do it for free for the elderly if I feel they are poor.
Wow...I see hell... Ankle twist and knee hazards and just a pain trying to fight all that undergrowth... ... Cause without moving the top wood... that top wood becomes your next problem when cutting bottom wood. I'd be extracting some of that to get it out of my way. I'd be at least at a $1200 to $1000 dollars. Now if was going to keep said wood, I'd subtract a bit. But still a rough cutting location...
Run ! Prickers , metal , dirt , rocks , buried in the ground , down a ravine , high branches just to name a few.
Sweet. All those prickers would help me from falling over on my own accord. Love it. Is the idea that the homeowner wants to remove the wood for burning or just get it to lay flat? Personally I’d do undercuts on the trunk moving in, deal with the branches as best you can then move back out finishing the trunk cuts. Bring a good supply of wedges.
curious how this turns out. I know if Step sons elm was a paying job I would have lost my ash from how I would have bid it. And I just put the bug in the ear of a guy that rents a place that I’d be interested in tackling a dead elm for his landlord. Sits in between and over 2 houses and is gonna need $300+ of dirt work just to get the bucket truck to it. I’m thinking it’s around a $7000 tree if I have to clean up and remove everything, but it sounds like the renter wants the firewood sized stuff
Whatever you do, don’t underestimate the value of your time, equipment/gas usage and physical labour. Plus, there’s at least one piece of metal there. I’d go with JimBear’s advice on hourly wage…but figure if it’s cash rate, a bit lower. Trick is you have to estimate the hours correctly You could also upsell perhaps. If they want to keep the wood, offer to split & stack for an extra $$?
Not a issue with quoting, just curious what you guys would want. His ex wife and daughter live there based on what he told me. Mentioned about them using the wood and her BF processing it??? Ill cut it up as though i were taking the wood.
The older ive gotten ive learned to slow down and take my time and reevaluate. Working in hazardous conditions is kinda the norm for me with work.
Sounds like you’ll probably end up with the wood anyways. I’d probably quote em a few hundred bucks and be out of there in no more than a few hours. Like you said, no clean up and you’re leaving the wood where it lies!
