[NA] Tree removal

TangoWhiskey

TangoWhiskey

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Feb 23, 2005
Messages
14,210
Location
Midlothian, TX
Display Name
Display name:
3Green
How much would you expect to pay for the removal of two tall cottonwoods? I've got two dead/dying trees in the backyard that need to be removed. They are 30-40' tall, each, without a clear drop path (alongside a fence and in striking distance of my neighbor's home and mine). Anybody have any idea what's a fair / typical price to have an insured arborist cut down the trees, grind down the stump and take away the wood? I'll get quotes, but would like some idea of what to expect, against which to measure the quotes and know if my ignorance in things arborial is being taken advantage of.
 
Depends on a few things. You said they were dead. That means they can't climb and cut. So a cherry picker may have to be used. 2 trees that size normally run about 6-7 hundred (total)to drop and haul.....add another 2 or 3 hundred for the stumps...again depending on the size.
 
Last edited:
troy perhaps PM Matt Michael (wby0nder). he does this for a living, although he doesnt grind stumps.
 
I paid $2000 in the DC area recently to have 2 large oak trees dropped - one overhanging the house - and two more trimmed. Wood cut to fireplace size and left.

They used bucket trucks.
 
TangoWhiskey said:
in striking distance of my neighbor's home and mine
Click to expand...

Tell your insurance co to come and get them before they have to buy 2 new roofs!! :D
(actually our car insurer will pay to fix windshield stone chips; same concept)
 
The actual structure and location of the trees has a huge bearing on the price. Based on your description I could guess anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand. In other words, not enough information. If you post some photos and actually measure the diameter of the trunks that would help.

In dealing with tree services expect the worst. You will find a huge difference in price between various operators. Try to meet them when they come to evaluate and evaluate them in return. Are they the kind of folks you want messing around on your precious property? Insurance doesn't mean squat in terms of how safe they are. Either does fancy equipment. Nail down a quote in writing, not an estimate. Additional charges are common. Also, nail down when they will do the work (within a week give or take). Many times I've seen the lowest bidder show up weeks late and end up tacking on hundreds for unplanned for issues.

Good luck and feel free to contact me with questions.

Matt
 
TangoWhiskey said:
How much would you expect to pay for the removal of two tall cottonwoods? I've got two dead/dying trees in the backyard that need to be removed. They are 30-40' tall, each, without a clear drop path (alongside a fence and in striking distance of my neighbor's home and mine). Anybody have any idea what's a fair / typical price to have an insured arborist cut down the trees, grind down the stump and take away the wood? I'll get quotes, but would like some idea of what to expect, against which to measure the quotes and know if my ignorance in things arborial is being taken advantage of.
Click to expand...
I have had a couple of trees removed and had the stumps ground too. I paid a couple of hundred dollars each. The caveat is that the cherry picker was able to get right next to the trees. Had that not been possible the contractor told me it would have doubled his price.

Do call a couple of tree removal companies and ask them to quote the job. They will come look to see what it will take to get it done safely.
 
We paid $7,200 in '05 to have 9 trees taken out, including hauling the wood and grinding the stumps. There was nothing tricky about any of them. OTOH we paid just about the same to clean up one big, fallen limb and the magnolia it wiped out on the way down. (Had to bring in a 100' crane to get the pieces over the power lines.) As others have said, it all depends. Get a few quotes, ask for references, and ask around. Find properties with lots of trees, knock on the door and ask who they use.
 
smigaldi said:
Do call a couple of tree removal companies and ask them to quote the job. They will come look to see what it will take to get it done safely.
Click to expand...

Good idea. Quotes are free. Make sure they are licensed, bonded and insured. This the best time of year for these guys are they are usually slow. My tree guys does work for 1/2 price this time of year.
 
Geico266 said:
Quotes are free. Make sure they are licensed, bonded and insured.
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the tips guys!

Quotes aren't always free, but I make it a point not to get quotes from the guys who tell me it's gonna cost $50 for them to come out and give me one.

I'll measure trunks and post pictures soon. Trees are still solid, but are losing bark and are on a slope at the back of the yard behind a gated fence (i.e., cherry picker can't easily get to them without removing fencing).
 
I just paid $500 to have a tall cottonwood cut and removed that was starting to penetrate the obstacle free plane for the PAPIs on RWY7. Power line complication so it couldn't just be cut and let fall. Left the stump as it was serving as a fence post. At least the airport neighbor graciously gave me permission to have her tree cut.
 
Here's some pictures of the two trees that need to come down. Please ignore the fence that I STILL haven't finished staining. I'd get so much done if the MC would just shut down POA... ;-)

The pics should help show the slight slope, proximity to the fence and the neighbor's homes. My best guess is 35' high trees.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0394.JPG
    IMG_0394.JPG
    102.9 KB · Views: 18
  • IMG_0396.JPG
    IMG_0396.JPG
    140.5 KB · Views: 19
  • IMG_0398.JPG
    IMG_0398.JPG
    124.2 KB · Views: 18
  • IMG_0399.JPG
    IMG_0399.JPG
    112.9 KB · Views: 16
Well, I got a deal I couldn't refuse from one of the premier tree service companies in my area, recommended to me by my neighbor who has used them for over 10 years; stayed home today to get a quote; $795 for BOTH trees (not per); $225 to grind all stumps and roots down 6-8 below grade; includes removal. For another $695, taking care of all pruning, crown clean, dead limbs & balance of the other seven medium sized trees on my property.

You were about this time of year being slow; I didn't plan to do the work til March (bonus $), but he wanted his crew to work NOW, and split the payment into 5 equal no-interest payments... $375 out of pocket today, and they'll have a crew here in an hour to do the work TODAY.

Wow.
 
And just like that, they are gone (the trees); they are working on cleaning up the other trees now... actually, I think they're eating the pizza I ordered for them, THEN they'll finish cleaning up the trees.

One hour after their arrival (15 minutes EARLY and only an hour after agreeing to the quote), and with some crazy rigging and tree climbing, those two cottonwoods were totally down, moved around front, and shredded. No damage to fence or property or other trees. AMAZING. Mucho grande cajones, that's all I'm saying. Got some of it on video, might put some of it on Vimeo later for those that want to see how it's done.
 
wby0nder said:
Reminds me of this:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=149150&id=584151058&l=3c7069bb96
Click to expand...

Matt, those are some INCREDIBLE pictures, especially the ones taken from your vantage point up in the tree. Folks, if you haven't looked at Matt's link above, you need to! WOW.

So, how did you learn to do this? I see in your pictures, and in some of what I saw my workers doing, that make me very nervous... i.e., in this one where you climb up one of those forks... how far up can you go before you have to be concerned about the branch breaking or splitting back at the junction to the trunk??

I can see that you, and the guys in my yard, were very "strategic". They spent quite some time on the ground looking up--only afterwards did I realize they were plotting a strategy for what comes out first, etc., to leave them what they needed to get what comes out next, etc.
 
he usually crawls out on a really thin branch then answers his cell phone. extra points if its a hollow dead branch.
 
tonycondon said:
he usually crawls out on a really thin branch then answers his cell phone. extra points if its a hollow dead branch.
Click to expand...


Wise ass. You are giving away my trade secrets!

Seriously, it isn't rocket science. Trees are strong, generally, very strong. You pick up a branch in the woods and you can make a pretty good guess about what it will take to break it, with your hands, or by stomping on it, or whatever. You know, you are going to have some trouble breaking a 3 foot 2x4 over your knee. But if it's 10 feet long and you have some leverage... Wood is pretty honest.

Like in flying, I always have several layers of redundancy in my personal safety and several back up plans in case things dont go as predicted.

Like they say, good judgment comes from experience, experience comes from bad judgment. I've had over 40 years of experience tree climbing, half of which was with chain saws and safety equipment. I've made some bad judgments but never at anyone else's expense.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top