Free tree felling

[treequip]

It can be nearly free, if the circumstances allow.

 

I spent a morning felling several simple trees for a developer, he cut the timber for firewood and sold it for about 70% of his costs.

[landrover 101]

I guess the clue is in the thread title

 

Felling

 

If someone offers me a tree for the wood and the access is good and it can be felled I may do it for free

 

If however it needs dismantling and has to be climbed and brought down in small pieces to avoid objects below then not a chance

 

It's not a service you shout out to offer but if the wood is good, access is good and you only have to drop it and cart it away then with the prices of timber roadside it can be worth considering if you do a lot of logs

 

 

 

 

Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

[Dryar123]

I'm amazed that people are even considering doing it for free. Before you even put a saw into the wood you are running at a loss. You got to kit yourself out,buy fuel , get insured ,travel etc and set that off against the time it takes when you could be getting paid to work. When the woods on the deck you still have to cross cut ,cart away and process. It all takes time and whilst firewood can be readily sold you got a lot of ground to make up to spin a profit. I know my daily costs and trust me a few cubes of seasoned firewood is not a good exchange.

[landrover 101]

I'm amazed that people are even considering doing it for free. Before you even put a saw into the wood you are running at a loss. You got to kit yourself out,buy fuel , get insured ,travel etc.

 

And if you where in forestry for yourself as a firewood business then you would also be paying for the timber

 

So the odd free tree if you normally pay for them is suddenly a nice bonus

 

 

 

 

 

Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

[Mark Bolam]

I'm amazed that people are even considering doing it for free. Before you even put a saw into the wood you are running at a loss. You got to kit yourself out,buy fuel , get insured ,travel etc and set that off against the time it takes when you could be getting paid to work. When the woods on the deck you still have to cross cut ,cart away and process. It all takes time and whilst firewood can be readily sold you got a lot of ground to make up to spin a profit. I know my daily costs and trust me a few cubes of seasoned firewood is not a good exchange.

 

We dropped an ash in a field for a farmer friend. Burnt the top, had loads of brews and cut split and delivered £450 worth of logs. Cruisy day, early finish.

 

Not a whirlygig washing line, a solar light or a drag up a right-angled side access in sight.

 

The deal was the farmer didn't pay me.

Was I wrong not to charge him?

[Mark Bolam]

I guess the clue is in the thread title

 

Felling

 

If someone offers me a tree for the wood and the access is good and it can be felled I may do it for free

 

If however it needs dismantling and has to be climbed and brought down in small pieces to avoid objects below then not a chance

 

It's not a service you shout out to offer but if the wood is good, access is good and you only have to drop it and cart it away then with the prices of timber roadside it can be worth considering if you do a lot of logs

 

 

 

 

Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

 

By the way, I totally agree with this post.

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

I'm not trolling. I'm not talking about the big contract jobs, that needs to much skill and kit to be free.!

I'm talking about the farmer that has a tree over hanging. Or a single tree that needs to come down in a big garden. That sort of work must be getting harder to charge for?

 

Only cos the public are being told that "wood is the new gold". If only they knew...

 

IMO, there far to much work in turing a tree into seasoned logs for it to be viable to remove domestic trees for the timber.

 

Absolutely right, best answer in this thread.

 

This day is already here, last year I paid £2500 to fell 50 odd trees, I sold the timber for over £10k...

 

Forestry works the other way round sure; based on volume in a organised crop. Tree surgery arisings cost a lot to be able to produce in the first place let alone not covering your costs and then some by being daft enough to turn up with tens of thousands of pounds worth of kit to work for some awkward timber; forget it

[doobin]

If you can cut it down and get it to your yard for significantly less than the cost of timber you would otherwise buy in then refusing to do it cheaply/free is cutting off your nose to spite your face.

 

I appreciate the majority of jobs do not fit this description. But I've had a few that did- ie. a mile from the yard, drive right up to them with the tractor, burn the brash on site.

 

Still felt wrong 'giving the customer a freeby'! But the figures stacked up, and I also managed to sell him some hedgecutting.

[skyhuck]

If you can cut it down and get it to your yard for significantly less than the cost of timber you would otherwise buy in then refusing to do it cheaply/free is cutting off your nose to spite your face.

 

I appreciate the majority of jobs do not fit this description. But I've had a few that did- ie. a mile from the yard, drive right up to them with the tractor, burn the brash on site.

 

Still felt wrong 'giving the customer a freeby'! But the figures stacked up, and I also managed to sell him some hedgecutting.

 

I disagree, what your are doing, IMO, is devaluing the industry and giving customers the idea that we make fortune from their timber.

[geoff]

I disagree, what your are doing, IMO, is devaluing the industry and giving customers the idea that we make fortune from their timber.

 

I'm with Skyhuck on this one.