Tree trimming?

[kb4ns]

I have a HUGE pin oak tree in my front yard, probably 100 feet tall - the base being about 5 feet wide. It badly needs someone to come look at it and trim it up so that I don't have to worry about it dropping limbs on the cars / house during storms. I'm about to get in contact with some folks to come give me some estimates. It needs probably 6 or 8 dead branches removed up in it, and maybe (I'm guessing here) another 4 or 6 removed just for safe measure. At this point in my life, I've never had any tree work done. Can anyone give me some idea of how much $ I'll be looking at? Just a rough idea is all I need. Does it normally run $80 to $100 to have a big tree cleaned up? Over $1000? Help me out here. Thanks!

[enfield]

The crew I hired a couple of weeks ago cost me $200/hr, 2 hr minimum. In those two hours they took down 10 damaged poplar trees for me (several of them 80' tall) and hauled 4 of them into my wooded lot so I wouldn't have to cut them up.

For that I got a bucket truck, a Bobcat and about 5 guys with chainsaws. They knew what they were doing and they were licensed and insured.

Several of the trees stood between my shed and camper, and they never touched either one.

For what you need done, that's probably overkill. You might be able to find a smaller crew with a 1 hour minimum. The licensing and insurance is very important - just ask your homeowners insurance agent.

[TNFlyer]

I just had a 20 in hickory tree cut down and two stumps ground and they charged $200. I used Quality Tree Service they were extremely fast getting to me and putting the tree on the ground. Tree Techniques is another reputable shop in the Mt Juliet area.

[Mike.357]

I have a 80 foot hickory tree that up and died here. Was fine in spring, now dead as heck.

Gonna have to pay to have it taken down, not looking forward to it.

[kb4ns]

Thanks for the input guys. I just had one guy out here who does tree work on the side (he is licensed and insured) and he quoted me $425 to clear out all the dead stuff and "open the tree up a bit". I'll definitely be getting a few more quotes before I decide.

[enfield]

Tip - if your dead/damaged tree is in a location where it or limbs could fall over power lines, your local power company should take them down for free. I've had Volunteer Electric Co-op take down 8 or so trees that were close to the road and power lines. They drop it - you chop it.

The last one, an 80', 2 1/2' diameter red oak, I bucked to length in the yard last fall and over the winter a local guy who heats with wood came to my house after work a few days and split it on-site and hauled it off. Can't beat it -- all it cost me was a chain and a little gas & oil.

Yeah, I own a LOT of trees, and I don't even own a fireplace or wood stove. But I have a big Stihl saw and a 4' cant hook. All I need now is a timber jack and a pickaroon. Maybe a mule team too . . . .

[kb4ns]

I appreciate the tip, but it doesn't fit in my situation. The tree isn't close to the power lines. :-\

[Rightwinger]

Funny how you mention tree trimming. Guess what I was doing today.

[vontar]

Man if you where in Oak Ridge I could turn you on to a local company I have used twice. I have no more dangerous tress in my yard thanks to them. However you are a bit far.

[56FordGuy]

Funny how you mention tree trimming. Guess what I was doing today.

Hey now! Where's your fall restraint harness, hardhat, safety glasses, ear protection, kevlar lined saw pants and steel toed boots?

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Thanks for the input guys. I just had one guy out here who does tree work on the side (he is licensed and insured) and he quoted me $425 to clear out all the dead stuff and "open the tree up a bit". I'll definitely be getting a few more quotes before I decide.

Hi kb4ns

That quote sounds in the ballpark of what I've been paying for tree work, but all my trees have been near or hanging over the house and they had to come down by rope in little pieces.

Maybe I've been getting ripped off, but the couple of different guys I've hired over the years are real nice good ole boys and don't drive cadillacs and work their butts off. Watching the work, I'd charge a lot more than them before I'd climb way up in a rotten tree with a chainsaw.

The first guy did our work for years til he had to quit with a bad back. An old piano tuner was discussing piano moving, "I used to move pianos til I hurt my back." Heard that before. Bet ya don't find many old piano movers, safe movers, or tree trimmers still in the business.

It costs more to pay em to carry off the wood. Tried to find some guy locally with a portable sawmill. No luck so far. Had to take out a couple of nice big maples. The trees looked healthy, but even after deadwooding them, they would unpredictably drop big healthy-looking limbs on the house.

I do a little hobby woodwork, and those two trees could have kept me in fine hardwood for years if could have found somebody to rip em to boards in the front yard.

Father-in-law up near Crossville has a farmer neighbor with a portable bandsaw mill. Keeps him in nice oak lumber, cheap.

[kb4ns]

Hey now! Where's your fall restraint harness, hardhat, safety glasses, ear protection, kevlar lined saw pants and steel toed boots?

You don't need all that stuff when you have a RRA t-shirt!

[56FordGuy]

You don't need all that stuff when you have a RRA t-shirt!

I bet if he had a three wolf shirt, he wouldn't have even needed the chainsaw.

[kb4ns]

I bet if he had a three wolf shirt, he wouldn't have even needed the chainsaw.

:rofl:

[Rightwinger]

Uh, they didn't leave any of that stuff for me with the renta boom. Man that thing is fun but a little scary when your up at max. Been out this morning and would be done if my arms hadn't been getting a little rubbery and the saw started slowing down. I'm cooling off and headed into town to find a chain file. Never needed one till now as I would usually tear a chain up long before I needed to sharpen one so I would just get a new chain! LOL

56, come up say after 5 at least so I can finish up and take the 3 wolf with Spock Death touch shirt off, then we will burn that meat and tell lies to one another. I'll check the cell phone some time this afternoon if you have a change of plans but right now, it's burgers and dogs in the late afternoon for me!

If any of you other local TGO clansmen want a burger, holler, we can arrange something (carting a load of branches down to the burn area will probably take care of all fees)

[Guest Jcochran88]

Not sure but in my area to have a tree cut( that is hanging over lines or house), hauled and stump ground it runs around $700.

[Capbyrd]

Sorry bubba but from what I have seen, 450 looks about normal around here. I live on .26 acres and have 13 trees. I had 14 when I moved in but I cut one down myself. I have several more that I need removed and one that needs to be cleaned out badly. I have had a lot of people over to give me estimates and for the tree that needs cleaning, it was all similar to your estimate.

[oldogy]

Hi kb4ns

I do a little hobby woodwork, and those two trees could have kept me in fine hardwood for years if could have found somebody to rip em to boards in the front yard.

.

Next time try Ramsey Lumber Co on CR 961 in Riceville.

[Rightwinger]

If you want to do it yourself, rent a all terrain boom. This one was 200.00 for 8 hours and since I got it on a Friday evening, I basically have all weekend to use it, just make sure I don't run it for more than 8 hours, that's what they go by. What got me was I'm so far from everything. 120.00 for delivery and pickup. You may have seen I sold a shotgun and some ammo to pay for it....bleh.

Anyway, it's really pretty easy to trim em. I'm taking these all the way to stump as they were pulling out of the ground on my neighbors side and when they went, they were going to hit the roof, side of house and air conditioner. They had to go. Trimmed all the branches going up, cut sections of the main going down. Got one left and I'm to hot to do it right now. Rest for 30 minutes in the AC and finish it up.!

[Rightwinger]

Done! Hot! Thirsty! Nothing but stump!

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Next time try Ramsey Lumber Co on CR 961 in Riceville.

Thanks oldogy

Got a huge oak that will have to come down some year. It is pretty and still looks healthy, and we get it routinely deadwooded, but that oak is so big if it ever comes down on the house, there won't be any house left. That tree has more oak than I could use for the rest of my life.

Riceville looks about 40 miles away, might be a bit far. I keep trying to talk my tree guy into getting a bandsaw mill and making hardwood lumber a second income, since they have to haul off most trees anyway and he says sometimes they have trouble finding places to dump off the wood. He counters that he doesn't even have enough time to keep up on his cutting work and he'd have to find some land and build a drying shed. Makes sense.

Wonder if some tree guys do "urban logging" operations, though. The old Pakistani feller who runs the local Citgo, was bragging about an outfit that took out a bunch of big trees off his back lot nearly free, with heavy equipment. I figure those guys couldn't afford to do it for a few hundred bucks if they don't have some other profit motivation.

Man, hardwood costs a fortune at the lumberyard, for small time tree trimmers just to haul it off and beg folks to take it off their hands as firewood.

[deerslayer]

Give this guy a call for an estimate:

A&H Tree Service 901-541-5776

I used him back in the fall and was highly impressed.

[kb4ns]

Give this guy a call for an estimate:

A&H Tree Service 901-541-5776

I used him back in the fall and was highly impressed.

Will do, thanks. I'm waiting for a Bartlett fireman to come back from vacation that does tree trimming on the side. I'm hoping he's got some really good rates!

[56FordGuy]

Wonder if some tree guys do "urban logging" operations, though.

The tree guys I've talked to usually don't mess with trying to mill anything due to the chances of a 'yard' tree having nails, screws, steps, etc embedded in the wood. That, and it takes more equipment to handle 8-10 foot sections of timber instead of 2-3 foot sections.

[Guest BEARMAN]

The tree guys I've talked to usually don't mess with trying to mill anything due to the chances of a 'yard' tree having nails, screws, steps, etc embedded in the wood. That, and it takes more equipment to handle 8-10 foot sections of timber instead of 2-3 foot sections.

That's true 56, most sawmills won't buy yard tree's for that very reason...hit a nail and ruin a good previously "sharp" saw blade, or worse...ruin it for good.

Some log graders run a metal detector over suspect tree blemishes before they run 'em through to be cut...cheap insurance.