# Cost of tree work



## Ed_GT5000 (Sep 30, 2003)

I have a large dead pine tree in my yard. It is huge, so big that if I put arms around it I could not touch my hands. It is about 60' feet tall.

I have desided that I will have this tree taken out by a pro and the wood hauled away.

It looks like they may be able to drop the tree and not have to use a cheeri picker to take it down.

I will start calling for estimates on this work next week.

My question is: What can I expect to pay for a job like this?

It is the big tree next to the garage.

<img src =http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=6d096fa9-3942-15fe-1867-2516e1671425&size=>


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## Ed_GT5000 (Sep 30, 2003)

<img src=http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/Link...6e1671425&size=>


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## jodyand (Sep 16, 2003)

Ed i fixed your first picture but i cant fix the last one and again Happy Birthday:bd: 
Jody


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## guest (Sep 16, 2003)

happy birthday Ed...

I cant get a good view of the tree... got a better pic? 
I'd either go to the local store (if you have one) and ask around or try to get a referral from someone whose done work for you...

Ive found great tree/excavating/welding guys that way...

you could also consider finding someone local who sells firewood and ask if they want the wood.. it will probably cost your more to get the brush and tree hauled away than to 'drop it'

If its possible, i always get a tree guy to drop the tree, then i run to the local firewood guy and he comes and hauls away the good wood...

a little bonfire or a chipper can get rid of the rest.. and if you chip it, you can use it as cheap mulch 



sj

PS where did you see his birthday jody? i thought it used to show on the front page somewhere.. maybe im going blind..


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## Ed_GT5000 (Sep 30, 2003)

thanx for the pic fix.

I do use firewood, However everyone around here says pine is full of creosote and therefore has no value as firewood.

I don't have the time to mess with this project. I just want it done. 

I have a few mature maples I will use for firewood.


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

Depending on how long it has been dead and just hjow sound the dead wood still is. I had some pine trees that were dead and were unclimable. I got estimates from several companies to just get them on the ground, I would cut up and dispose of the wood. Also had a price on remvoing a huge oak by my barn. They wanted 1,500 to cut and drop my oak as 90% of it was over my barn, and they wanted 750 per pine plus crane rental and trasnport charges. I have used a chain saw most of my life but these were hazzard trees (the pines were the oak was not) and I was leary. I enrolled in a arborist school of 6 weeks duration and also took a tree climbing course of 2 weeks. Got finished with them,. came back and had both pines on the ground safely and just trimed back the oak. That was over 10 years ago. I placed lines in good pine trees and made a suspension lne that went by the dead pines, went out on the suspension line, and worked the pines to the ground while hanging from the suspension line. I used proper rigging and ropes and gear, and even after buying all my gear and supplies, and the cost of the courses, I still saved close to 500 in my pocket that other wise would have been up a hogs butt and that was not counting what a crane rental would have been which is somewhere in the area of 200 per hour with a min of 4 hours. I learned the proper way, and also made a fair amount of money on the side doing removals etc. Its amazing what some folks charge for jobs like your pine. Some may be brazen enough to monkey their way up and taike it down piece by piece others may just amble under it and drop it all in once piece and another may hire a crane, fully sure of themselves that they will be home for supper that night after work unlike the others. Whoever you get, make sure they are bonded or insured and ask for references. They won't have any reservations on providing you what you ask of them if they have integrity and do a good job. Accidents do happen, so a bond or insurance is a must on their part. 

If you see a Asplundt or Davey Tree Service truck in your area, stop and ask if any of them do work on the side. Lots of times its not unusual for the same crew to use the company equipment and do side jobs. Their company insurance probably would not cover damages though.


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## Ingersoll444 (Sep 17, 2003)

GREAT idea Chipmaker!! So not only did you save money THAT time, you saved a TON in the future.


I just payed $800 to have three trees removed in my yard. I normaly do it myself, but two were RIGHT on the road, and another was a big oak that the top half was taking down by the tornado we had this summer. Top was down, but still attached. Kinda like a big A frame. NOWAY I was taking THAT down.


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## Ingersoll444 (Sep 17, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Ingersoll444 _
> *GREAT idea Chipmaker!! So not only did you save money THAT time, you saved a TON in the future.
> 
> 
> I just payed $800 to have three trees removed in my yard. I normaly do it myself, but two were RIGHT on the road, and another was a big oak that the top half was taking down by the tornado we had this summer. Top was down, but still attached. Kinda like a big A frame. NOWAY I was taking THAT down. *


Picture of that tree...........


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## Old_Nodaker (Nov 1, 2003)

Another option in the right conditions - We recently had a backhoe here to do some dirt work. He backed it up to a dead pine tree we had amoungst several other trees. In ten minuets he had pulled the thing over by the roots, strapped it on to his bucket and had it on the burn pile. Didn't even make that backhoe sweat. Tree was about 30 foot, 1 foot in diameter, not much of a root system though. Also I have a friend in Oregon that has a excavator with a grinding head on it. He can grind down a similar sized tree in a couple of minutes. He does a lot of work for the power companies keeping their power line right of ways clear.


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

Since I damaged my left arm at the elbow and wrist I do ot climb much any more unless I absolutely have to. About the only trees I will not or never touch are those in close proximity to powerlines, such as those with wires running through it or if its a simple drop job, if its close or can possibly hit a power line I let those go. They teach another course for working trees that are in electrical line proximity.


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

What my friend Jim and I do is to dig up as many of the roots around the tree without topling it. He has a tall 30 ft. ladder and we attach a 100 ft. log skidder choker cable to the tree as high up as possible and then pull the tree over in a safe direction. Normally he uses his bull dozer (Dresser TD8E) but you can use a large tractor. When the tree goes over; it is more of a controlled crash than just dropping it when cutting it down with the saw. Pulling it over also pulls up the root ball and does away with the stump or need for a stump grinder. You could get a dozer operator to do this job and any other dozer work you have for about $45 - $65 per hour with a 3 - 4 hour minimum. The tree surgeon guys are just way to over priced. They are spoiled by the insurance money and urgent need business after a storm or disaster. Check around with your local dozer operators.


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## Stewart (Sep 17, 2003)

We payed $600 to have a Bradford Pear removed. It was over 30' tall and they used a boom truck to pull most of the limbs down after they cut them. They hooked a guy up to the cable in a climbing harness and lowered him into the tree he tied himself off and hooked the limb up to the cable then cut if off. They boomed it out into the yard and then chipped almost everything except for the real big logs. It was a big vermeer chiper and I though the guy was nuts when he started feeding some real big limbs in!!!!:hand: I don't remember how big he said they could chip. 

I don't think I would say that you can't burn pine in your fireplace. That is all we used to burn in Colorado, and our flue didn't get loaded up. We had the triple wall chimney flue and had no problems. I does burn hot and fast but is is good wood to get the chill off and some coals to get some harder wood started.


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

Oak and other hardwoods actually will cause more creosote than pine will. The pine will just burn up really fast and hot as Stewart said.


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

Most woods if seasoned will burn fine, its when you have folks using green wood and then banking down the fire to last overnight that starts building up creosote. I have yet to get more than a cup of junk out of my chimney when I clean it. I keep a hot fire 99% of the time. I have one piece corrugated Chimney liner made by Homesaver II which is single wall material but you layer it with a ceramic / silica insulation blanket to keep it hot. A cold chimney leads to quick build up of creosote as well. This is usually a problem in masonary type chimeys originally meant to handle a fireplace that are now being used with a woodstove. The woodstove can't keep a masonary chimney that was built for a fireplace hot enough, so the smoke condenses and builds up creosote.


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## slipshod (Sep 19, 2003)

*Chipmaker is right*

Most chimney fires are caused by improper fire techniques not the type of wood used. A good rule to follow is burn the stove as hot as you can once a day. Many people get into trouble with build-up when the weather is not too cold.They try to damper down the fire so the house does not get too warm. It is better to open a window and let some heat out instead. Green wood is a hazard, other then ash. It can be used if common sense is applied.


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## Ed_GT5000 (Sep 30, 2003)

Got my first estimate today for taking down the tree and hauling it away: $635.00 I was not too surprised in fact, I had expected it to be around $800. This is a HUGH tree. I am getting 3 more estmates and maybe more before I pick one of these guys. I was not able to meet the guy when he gave the estimate.. He left it in my door along with a liability insurance paper to show he was covered.


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## Ed_GT5000 (Sep 30, 2003)

Ps: I would take it down my self but I don't want the wood and it is close to the garage and if it fall the other way it will take out my neighbor's powerlines. To risky for me.


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## Ed_GT5000 (Sep 30, 2003)

After geting a few more estimates all around $900.00, I am going with the $635 guy.
I ask him why he was so inexpensive an d he told me he gave me a "winter rate" This is a large tree removel company not a "fly by night operation" He said the work will be done on Wensday.


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## guest (Sep 16, 2003)

smart move ed, 635$ is a a lot of money but not as much as the cost of replacing your garage roof or your neighbors power lines..


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

If he cuts up the wood in firewood size pieces and leaves them for you to burn or hauls them away for you, that is not too bad a price. Does this include grinding the stump down or pulling the tree over so the root ball comes out too?


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## bigl22 (Sep 16, 2003)

don't any of you guys have any c4 around the house for small projects such as this? a series of small controlled explosions at 15 foot intervals along the trunk will drop it down just fine anddandy -- climb up and place charges and drop it top section first -- -- or a real man would clamber up and gnaw it off in chunks -- use store bought teeth - i have previously used strong rope in 50-100 foot lengths to wrap trunk about 10 ft. up after trimimng off lower branches - apply steady but not harsh pull with truck or ag machines -- cut a v notch alongside you want it to go -- and pull with truck while cutting off more on other side -- move quick and go when needed --


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## DeereBob (Sep 16, 2003)

Ed,
$635 is pretty reasonable for a tree that size especially if they remove all the wood. My neighbor and I dropped a 36" diameter dead oak tree when I first moved into my house to save $500. Never again will I do that. I will gladly pay someone to remove a tree like that and agree with your decision.


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## Ed_GT5000 (Sep 30, 2003)

Yes, They are going to remove all the wood. I don't want the pine for fire wood. It does not include stump grinding. This is a job that I do not want to do and this guy has the best price. The bad part its it is snowing now and that will delay the work.


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

He should be able to pull a pine tree down and pull the root ball along with it. They are not rooted as strongly as most hardwoods.


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