IML resistograph?

[familytree]

We recently purchased a lower end model IML resistograph at the tcia. We are currently trying to incorportate it into our sales and have kinda hit a wall

Do any of you own one? how do you charge for this service?

 

[Paul Biester]

i could tell you but then id have to kill you!!

 

[marlinspiker]

we charge based on time. most of the time it only takes one man hour to do one tree.

 

[arborgreen]

Mark u a low end device!?! :b

 

[familytree]

[ QUOTE ]
Mark u a low end device!?! :b

[/ QUOTE ]

i didnt buy it, my boss did, i tried to convince him to spend the 7 grand on the big boy one, thats just how i roll, if youre going to do something do it all the way

 

[Paul Biester]

I have actually heard of guys charging like 75.00$ per hole drilled.I have tried this a couple of times and sold it.Like 3 or 4 times . I am pretty new to my machine as well.From a marketing stand point M. I think it is sort of organic.When selling, and a tree comes up that you cannot be clear on by visual tree assesment,you then tell the folks about the resistograph and what it does!! It has really helped me . There have been a few trees i may have said keep, until i drilled them.it'll catch on!!

 

[familytree]

my biggest concern is the "novelty" of the device. Yes, it has a huge upside to it, very helpful to identify possible problems we cant see. The downside is that its a used car salesmans machine when weilded by the wrong person

I see people using this as a "let me come and drill a ton of holes in your tree to make you feel safe. It only costs 75 dollars per hole!"

my concern is that we are opening perfect passage ways for insects to manifest.

Am i wrong? id love to feel more comfortable about this seeing that my boss is the first person to drill a million holes to make a million dollars

 

[Knowledgequest]

[ QUOTE ]
my concern is that we are opening perfect passage ways for insects to manifest.

Am i wrong? id love to feel more comfortable about this seeing that my boss is the first person to drill a million holes to make a million dollars

[/ QUOTE ]

Is there any better source than Francis Schwarze? He says "the combination of an aggressive fungus and a host tree with a weak compartmentalizing ability may contra-indicate the use of any invasive diagnostic device" "account any available information about the particular host-fungus combination."

Your concern is infestation but I might be more concerned about infection.

 

[familytree]

but does the end justify the means?

 

[Paul Biester]

If the tree is visually assesed and enough decay is present to warrant drilling , then drill it!! If not dont!!There are going to be people who abuse everything .....shame on them!!!
Its about motives dude!! Client and tree first!!

 

[cerviarborist]

Can the machine be set to only penetrate to a set depth? If so, you can use industry standards, like those from the Metheny Clark, or Bartlette risk assessment manuals, setting your drill to stop at the depth required for adequate shell thickness, without having to breach internal walls. If the tree doesn't have adequate thickness, then it's already a high failure risk. If it does pass, you've only drilled deep enough to prove it.

I don't recommend resistance drilling, unless it's to help a client resolve a legitimate remove/retain dilemma, and it's certainly not the first thing that's put into play.

As to pricing, it's not so much the drilling that they're paying for, it's the liability you take on when you assess the risk of a tree.

 

[marlinspiker]

75 a hole is outrageous! it takes like 2 minutes per hole! we usually drill at least 6 holes and sometimes investigate further up the main stem. Ive never charged more then 500 hundred for a fairly thorough investigation and report.

 

[treesandsurf]

I would emphasize the consulting side of the company, not the actual tool(s) that you will be using to evaluate the trees. You don't market a treemotion saddle, even though it is sweet!

jp

 

[familytree]

I charge 75$ per hole and there's drilling required

Wait. Wrong forum group.

 

[Cameron]

 

[marlinspiker]

damn these things are pricey. I just looked em up on the net and they range from 6-7K. we rent ours for like 70 bucks a day.

 

[guymayor]

one company charges 225/resisto assessment. if the best one costs 6-7k, why not spend 10k for a tomograph? more info, less wounding.

shell wall thickness is vastly overemphasized as a risk factor imo.

 

[Knowledgequest]

Picus has the major flaw of not being able to differenti­ate between decay and internal cracks.

Get you a rot sniffing hound.
A school in Sweden trains dogs to smell the presence of root rot and decay in standing woody plants (Davner 1986).
Apparently, these dogs can detect rot in anything from 5 to 10 ha (12,500 to 25,000 ac) of forest per day. - joa.isa