Is this a reasonable or OTT price for felling a large conifer etc?

Davesnave

My guy is experienced, very safety conscious and he has all the kit. He works in forestry related activities 2 days a week on a self-employed basis, but does other work outside of that. He also drives a digger, has an agricultural engineering background, an HGV licence and he farms about 50 acres. He's insured too; doing jobs on the roads, one has to be.

He does the other work to subsidise the farming. His Dad never had to do that.

We'll probably not see his like again.

laurel7172

I cut down 30m of Leylandii over the winter. They contained eight or nine empty nests...so I'd be wary of assuming birds don't nest in them. However, most nest spots were in the clusters of regrowth where the hedge had been cut back in previous years...so if the hedge has been thoroughly neglected you might not have that problem.

It's not a job to be taken on lightly if you do it yourself...you'll need a very clear idea how you're going to land each tree exactly where you want it. We used a winch/turfer, anchored it to trees on the opposite side of the garden, and took off as many branches as possible before we felled the trunk to reduce/even out the weight. Without somebody who *really* knows what they're doing (not me, but I was lucky to have a competent helper), there's an awful lot that could go horribly wrong...and it's not worth the risk for a few hundred quid imo.

Lotus-eater

Davesnave wrote: »

We'll probably not see his like again.

You're right there Dave and the rest of us will never probably see his like.
£12 an hour, running that kit, with insurances/breakdowns/holidays/sickdays/wages/vehicles/tax/accountants/fuel........[STRIKE]pension[/STRIKE]. It just doesn't add up. I know because I've worked for that price and you make a living, no more. If something goes wrong, if you fail to get a job for a while, you're f*****d.

Watchdog, funnily enough, did a feature on a guy who is a tree chopper last night, to anyone who is interested, you could probably catch it on iplayer.

Davesnave

I think it's just a different culture. People who've always lived here have a different approach from those who are newer arrivals, and just about all of them have second jobs.

I've noticed with these chaps, getting them to stop work for a break is well nigh impossible, but they will happily chat for half an hour once they've finished and the clock isn't running; in fact, it's compulsory!

ColaCube

Last quote in, incase it helps anyone else.

Large Leylandii dismantal to ground : £685
Grind out stump : £121

So I shall go with the one who quoted me the best price last week.

I rang 3 different 'proper' tree surgeons, not tree choppers! The one who knocked on the door by chance I strongly suspect he was a tree chopper!

So, for anyone who thought I won't get the job done for a decent price from a properly qualified and insured tree surgeon, well quite frankly, I'm afraid you're wrong!

Mado

We paid about £1500 last year to have a very large ash tree felled. It was diseased.
They left the wood onsite (would have been more to remove). Loads of very hard labour from us as some was so rotten it had to be moved and bruned and some very happy neighbours as a result.

I don't think they made a huge profit from us; in the end it took 3 blokes for 3 days plus a couple who came and helped on day 2. Plus equipment. And insurance.

For trees, I'd rather go for reputable and fully insured companies. Too many things that could go terribly wrong.

Cashbereft

Amazing reading this. You wouldn't let a bloke off the street service your boiler or the brakes on your car, but you'd let an unqualified "lumberjack" loose on your trees, all in the search for cheapness.
Most of this has already been said, but training and experience plus kit and insurance all costs. Big tree, small tree the same rules apply, as its amazing how much damage a falling "small tree" can do, let alone the injury it and a chainsaw can inflict on the human body.
I'm amazed at the number of numpties I see, wielding a chainsaw (£100?), in shorts, without protection to eyes head face even. Let alone kevlar and helmets. Some so called pros, who drop whole trees sans regard to whats underneath, working alone.An outwardly safe looking tree could be 70% rotten and then split when back cut, kicking back and knocking yer block off. That smarts!!!
Have a look at the Health and Safety Exec site injuries list - most dangerous profession/activity, even for pro's.
Get 3 quotes from trained aboriculturalists, who have seen the job, ask to see certificates, then you know its not just a sign writing qualification, find out where its going after, and pay the bloke who gets the work a decent amount for bothering not to destroy anything peripheral to the work including himself or you.