So this is way off topic but does relate to the nature of wood –
I live in a very small rural area and I have a very large silver maple tree that I want to have removed.
I’ve never had to ever consider removing a tree but this one is at the point where I’d like it removed. I am trying to get bids but its hard to get anyone to respond or travel very far considering the small town I live in.
Those of you in the USA if you have had trees removed any idea of what you paid or know of anyone and what they paid? Even if its a SWAG (simple wild a$$ guess)… I can search all over the internet and its all bid by bid so if I do get someone to show up I’ll probably be limited to a bid or two at best.
I think the hard part is going to get access as the tree is in my backyard, fenced and many obstacles (brand new paver patio other trees) to get any big booms or vehicles in – neighbors also have fenced yards.
If I had other folks to ask I sure wood but figured I’d try this forum since its really active. Also if I get the tree taken down is it worth checking into having some of the really large parts milled into slabs for future wood working projects?
The slabs would be cool, but I would get that figured out first. I think it’s better for the slabs to cut them down in the fall, and you need to treat the ends so it doesn’t dry too fast. Hooefully you can find a local sawmill that can do it for you and you can find projects to do with the slabs.
My neighbor had a tree removed. Two youngs guys with two chainsaws and a bunch of ropes removed it in an afternoon. No cranes or ladders needed. This was at least a three story tree between our houses. He just climbed up there and attached his rope as high as he could and just cut off the big branches first and the eventually cut the top off. Each piece was tied to the next highest piece and it would swing down below the guy the the tree. The guy on the ground was just chopping them up enough to carry them out. I would guess it was still at least $1500. It definitely seemed very proffessional and a lot of work.
1500 USD to cut a three? Wow, that’s insane, I think I’ll seriously consider becoming a lumberjack!
Here in China that would likely cost you less than 20 bucks. I’ts even possible that the guys would pay you since they’ll be able to use the wood to build something out of it.
I bet I could find someone to cut a tree down for $20, but they wouldn’t care where it fell, they wouldn’t chop it up, they wouldn’t clean it up, and they wouldn’t hail it to the dump. Just the dump fees are going to be over $100 ($20/pickup truck load, IIRC). That said, it is surprising how expensive it can be. There are a lot more trees than tree trimmers around here.
It’s not just cutting down a tree. It’s climbing up the tree, paying the liability insurance so when they screw up and destroy your house/kill someone a check gets cut, paying for the truck to chip the tree up and take it away, paying for employee health insurance, gas, chainsaws, etc. It’s statistically the most dangerous job in America also, so you’re paying them a bit of a premium because they are risking their lives…
Good to know… as I suspected no one ever called back or came out to give me a bid. Must be nice to be in a line of work where they can just let business fall by the wayside… I have experienced something similar with HVAC in my area… been waiting three years for someone to come replace my central air unit…
By “cutting a three” I meant that for that price the guys would cut it and get rid of it or even take it out entirely with its roots to replant it somewhere else.
Just right now in the street outside my coumpond they are doing just that, they manually dig around the three, then cut the roots, use some ropes to take the three down, charge it on a truck and replant it somewhere. They did it for litterally hundreds of threes in only one week because they are enlarging the road. Without any kind of power tool, just a special straight shovel.
Of course they wouldn’t just cut the three and leave it right there, otherwise what’s the point?
I’m actually right in the middle of removing a stump in my yard. I wanted to do it entirely by myself just to learn stuff. Kinda regret this choice now, it took me around 8 hours of hard work and it’s not finished yet, I still have to cut one or two more roots.
After a weekend of chainsaw swinging, fee beers and cleanup; what was down was gone.
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For grins I called around and got someone to give me a bid to fall the rest, haul it off and grind out the stump. It was the other half of the tree. $1,150!!
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I am going to wait until the leaves drop this fall and drop the rest in the street, buck it up, burn the big stuff and recycle the limbs at the local mulcher.
We were bummed, because it really provided some good afternoon Colorado summer shade!
Jeff - there is a company here in COS called Rocky Top Resources that takes slash on Saturday for free with donation to the Care and Share food bank. So for a sack of canned goods I drop of the cuttings and feel good helping the local food bank. Not sure if Golden has something similar…
