High and low ranges for tree work across the country

[tomstrees]

Here in CT, Fairfield County has some pretty high rates. $3K- $4K a day for a tree crew; climber or bucket truck, chipper, truck, several workers. Line crews, can be less; Lewis Tree specializes in that, I don't know what their rates are. Smaller operations often charge whatever the market will bear. The recent storm Isaias with more trees down than Hurricane Sandy, I heard crews charging double their usual rates. When insurance foots the bill with house and wire damage the sky can be the limit.

What's fair? The laborer is worthy of their hire. I had a climber who took over from the Anglo older guy I worked with for years, Mike Johnson, and I would pay him $50 an hour usually cash, sometimes more; the Guatemalan American was usually satisfied with fifty an hour, but then wanted to get paid by the job, one of the last estimates he gave was around fifteen hundred for one tree.

What's fair, what is actually greedy charges? I usually tried to price things in a neighborly way, but when you are working for wealthy people you should not undercut yourself.

 

[Boomslang]

The beauty thing about capitalism is that what is "fair" is whatever someone is willing to pay. If people think you're being greedy you won't be getting any work. That being said I don't think you should have different rates based on people's socio-economic status.

However, double rate for storm work is fairly standard (or should be). You're workers should be making 1.5x or 2x their wages, it's long days, often dangerous work, and you're delaying regular customers. That's all justifiable in my opinion.

 

[Reach]

We bill the same daily rates regardless of what we are doing; that means we don’t usually get a great lot of pruning projects (unless I make a mistake and lowball one - Oops!) as we specialize in large removals. We find about $1800-2000/day for a three-man climbing crew with a 15” chipper and a loader is about normal around here. Add about $400/man for a larger crew.

If we work on the far East side of our service area those prices go up 15% easily. There’s a couple other guys on here based out of that area who I am sure are billing more than we are, but their overhead is much higher due to property taxes and land values.

 

[Serf Life]

Seems so variable here. I did a job a year or two ago for $1200 two people and chip onsite, climbing removal of a 16” spruce by a camp and some view trimming, the client had another company quote 6k.

Day rate for a larger company who does land clearing, 4.5k/day 19” tracked and excavator. Another was 3k/day two people and tracked 12”. Mine has changed as I’ve bought more equipment but some jobs have gotten cheaper for the client due to speed even with double the previous hourly.

Some gardeners get $50+/hr with no truck, as an example for what is acceptable by the market...

 

[Serf Life]

That being said I don't think you should have different rates based on people's socio-economic status.

Personally disagree but being self employed I can charge whatever. I’d rather make a little less and help out those who need it, especially if it keeps them from using a cheap hack tree-mutilator or getting hurt doing it themselves off a ladder.

 

[tomstrees]

The beauty thing about capitalism is that what is "fair" is whatever someone is willing to pay. If people think you're being greedy you won't be getting any work. That being said I don't think you should have different rates based on people's socio-economic status.

However, double rate for storm work is fairly standard (or should be). You're workers should be making 1.5x or 2x their wages, it's long days, often dangerous work, and you're delaying regular customers. That's all justifiable in my opinion.

Free markets have huge challenges; true, customers can be smart and educated and ask most of the right questions and get good value, but I have seen too many who are lazy and accept the first or second estimate or get turned off on a trivial issue. We also have those who take advantage of contractors, or are indifferent to the issue of illegal workers or get too demanding. What is reasonable, what isn't?

 

[Roger_Barnett]

I'm semi-retired, but I am happy with as low as $1900/day for a three man crew chip truck/chipper. Prefer to get $21-2400/day. $1400-1700 for two of us, the other being a good, young fast enough climber. If I'm running the ground, it will go smoothly and as fast as this far-from-normal 71 yr old can run it--which is likely faster than most, lol!! Location Seattle and environs.

 

[OasisTree]

It takes some time to feel out a market...And one gets a feel for what a job/tree is worth after a while. Then what you make per day depends on your equipment, and efficiency. For example, I noticed my gross income per day average went up a fair bit when I quit chipping and started using a grapple truck.

 

[tomstrees]

A friend who is struggling to survive after serious bouts with alcoholism quoted me per person rates he and others got back in the 80s which are completely unrealistic in 2020; the rates have gone down if anything with the floods of foreign labor. The last time I went to the local arborist training in Stamford they had all Hispanic classes. Many of them are happy to make $100 a day and across all the trades they have brought the rates down. I am happy with ground work for customers making $50 an hour--it sure beats the sub $13 an hour I make part time at Home Depot with just as strenuous work as tree work.