What to do...?

[Robert_S]

Hi All,

I'm looking for advice/thoughts......what would folk do when asked by a customer "to quote to include taking some for firewood"? Its an oak that is approx 5ft diam. at the base, approx 45ft high

Would it be a price per estimated ton off for the amount I would want?

I know its a bit vague but any thoughts would be appreciated.

Cheers.

 

They sound like they are going to be rubbish clients i would just quote it as a normal job with everything off site. if they want to keep some logs(not cut into 6" sections though) leave them a pile and knock a tenner off the bill at the end.

[DN22 Gardening]

give em a price for taking the tree down and removing brash from site

 

a price for ringing up

 

then tell them, you'll come and take away ( for free) all the rings they don't want

 

after splitting a few 4/5' dia rings, they'll soon get fed up

[Pete Hart]

I recently got asked if i would take down a multi stemmed ash which was approx 75-80ft tall and 4ft diameter in return for the logs...no payment at all!

......I think not!!

 

By the time you account for labour, petrol, diesel, two stroke, chain oil, wear and tear, disposal of brash/chip, insurance, advertising to get the job in the first place, and your blood and sweat, it is certainly not worth it..oh and then you have to split the wood, stack it, season it, find a customer, and deliver it!

[swinny]

I recently got asked if i would take down a multi stemmed ash which was approx 75-80ft tall and 4ft diameter in return for the logs...no payment at all!

......I think not!!

 

By the time you account for labour, petrol, diesel, two stroke, chain oil, wear and tear, disposal of brash/chip, insurance, advertising to get the job in the first place, and your blood and sweat, it is certainly not worth it..oh and then you have to split the wood, stack it, season it, find a customer, and deliver it!

 

ha ha thats class!! asif some people think some would do it for just the logs lol

[Pete Hart]

according to the customer... the deal would have been worth thousands

:lol:

[Stephen Blair]

explain that raw wood where it lies in 12 foot lengths is worth £10 per ton, seasoned bagged firewood is worth £240 a ton. If you price it to get it on the deck and remove the brash then offer them a cutting/splitting service at £75 per hour.

BUT tbh, they are not the type of customer i entertain. All they want is money off.

[Dan76]

Cheers to all for your thoughts. Think i've decided.......give a price to remove the tree, chip all waste (which the customer will keep for their own use) and leave the site and wood tidy. The customer can then take the firewood they want and then sell the rest themselves. Unless you have the right mechanised setup for firewood (preferably when you touch the wood as little as poss, in my opinion.) then its pretty hard going. As folk have replied, once you take into consideration transport etc your margins are pretty tight.

Cheers all for the thoughts and advice:thumbup:

[John Hughes]

Dan

A 5ft diam oak , sounds good for milling.:001_smile:

What part of the country are you in?

John

[Dan76]

Hi jph,

I'm up in the Highlands, near Inverness.

[tommer9]

BUT tbh, they are not the type of customer i entertain. All they want is money off.

 

Exactly. These are the ones that get told I will charge extra to remove the logs. If they are sound decent people it gets done in the price- I will take it away if they want the site clear, or leave it if they want the logs. The price goes up if they start behaving like your customer, who obviously thinks that we all go home laughing our tits off about the vast profits we are going to make out of our idiot customers logs.....if only that was even remotely true!!

We have all had it, and unfortunately there are alot of people who WILL do large trees for the firewood.