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So I know nothing of trees or tree surgery but I'd like to know what is going on when I pay out so much money.
So I have conifers to come out, about 5 of which are 20 to 25ft tall and up to 8ft wide. A couple of big fat ones about 35ft tall by maybe 15-20ft wide and 4 or 5 inbetweeners, young so thin but quite tall.
Is there a way to roughly knw how much I should be charged for this, it seems something quite difficult to put a price on but I expect it would be maybe two days to process these, fell, chip and take away.

I've had a couple of quotes but it seems high.

Any ideas?

In the north.

Hello Dave,I personally would never put a price on any job without seeing it in person,as there are too many different factors to take in to account,even detailed photos can be totally misleading.All the best Rupert.

Insurances-public liability, employers liability, vehicle, machine, kit
taxes
wages-2 guys
vehicle purchase cost, maintenance cost, day to day running cost
chipper purchase cost, maintenance cost, consumables
cost of disposing of the waste-conifers make alot
+ saving towards a replacement vehicle/chipper/tools when the current ones die
plus the overheads of perhaps office staff, advertising, down days, breakdowns, kit thats not being used that day but still needs to be paid for-like a stumpgrinder

Job risk/ballache-if theres a greenhouse under theres a higher chance of breaking glass, not worth claiming on the insurance. if theres a 300m drag uphill throgh a dog turd ridden garden, companys might not even want the work if they have plenty

i last lived in the south of the uk, a 2 day job, 2 guys with close tip site would be between £900 and £1300 depending on company, give or take for a straight foward job

Hi

I'm a supplier to this industry, so can't help with the price. But what you need to bear in mind is the equipment they will need.

not including fuel, insurance, waste licence, etc...

1 x Truck £5k +
1 x Chipper £10k +
chainsaws and blowers £1.5k
Climbing equipment £1k

Total 17.5k

This is all minimum.


You average electrician or gas fitter
1 x small van £3k
£1k of tools
Total 4k

This is not a dig at you just the way I see it as it winds me up how much I'm charged to have my boiler looked at.

Pics would help,so many variables in tree work,& in conifers too,for example;
distance & obstacles between target trees & chipper.
Are they maiden trees or previously reduced.
Targets near trees,(sheds,fences,flower beds,etc).
All these & more have an influence on costings.

Prices can seem high,but myself for instance turn up with between 55 & 70 grands worth of kit,this needs maintaining,buying & does not last forever.
Fuel costs are,as you know,through the roof!
Insurances for vehicles,kit & to undertake the contracts.
The disposal costs in the waste,& hidden costs & time in service of kit,pricing work & all paperwork/bookwork that goes on behind the scenes & off site.

So yes,a good fair price can sound high,(not when you look at some other trades,with less kit,who charge more),but the cutting process is probably less than half of the work total involved in small contracing.

Some firms are charging high prices,some way too cheap to sustain a company,but if you get a couple of quotes from firms with respectable kit & a helpful fresh attitude,with relevent insurance,you should get a realistic idea of the cost of work you wish to have undertaken.
Word of mouth is a very good way of contacting a decent contractor in your area.
Hope this ramble helps answer some of your questions.

Josharb pretty much covered it. And as jonesie said, not many people appreciate that they have approximately 20k + worth of equipment sitting on their driveway

Same thinking as me Justin, complete wind up!

Without pics it's hard to say but from what you have said suppose it was a day then 650 quid ish. As well as the things that have been mentioned there is the skill we have to do this work, it ain't cheap to train you see.

There are no real hazards, just chop them down onto the road and drag them off I would presume. So the quotes seem realistic then, 1 £900 and the other £650, quite a difference hence my curiosity in how there can be such a variable.

Different companies have different overheads. There's many reasons. Or it could simply be down to one of the companies having a more realistic idea of what their business needs to thrive and expand, whilst the cheaper business may well find in 3 years time when his truck and chipper go bang that he has no money in the kitty to replace it with