Digger Tree Shears costs/hr

bee_hive keeper

A tree shears contractor (digger mounted) was in the area recently and I asked the chap to clip an ash tree (not that tall) that had die back as it was close enough to our home. While he was there, I also asked him to clip a couple more trees….there wasn't a lot of work involved and access was fine for both shearing the trees and placing them after being sheared. I didn't ask for a quote (my mistake!) as the work was limited enough. The guy had to leave the job around lunchtime and came back later that night (he had lights) to do some more shearing. The next morning, 4 more trees were knocked and I believe that the total amount work completed was around 6hrs (I was working from home both days and provided food for breaks etc). I was shocked when the contractor asked for 1200 plus VAT for the work. I obviously didn't look for a quote before the work started though the amount charged seems a bit rich…what do others think?

Anto_Meath

No that would be about right. Insurance for tree felling is massive so it's expensive to get someone to do this type of work. Generally run to take down 1 tree is anywhere between €1,000 - €1,500. €200 an hour wouldn't seem that excessive.

mulbot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122793941#Comment_122793941

How much is the insurance?

Anto_Meath

I work in construction & I know from contractors pricing jobs that once there is tree felling involved their insurance skyrockets. Insurance companies see it as a very risky activity with likey injury to operatives or damage to property. Thankfully I have never actually heard of to many incidents involving tree felling.

lmk123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122793941#Comment_122793941

that’s mental, by those numbers I’ve saved about €10k over the last few days and it only cost me a few quid for petrol & 2 stroke, and my parents have timber for months, that just made my day

patsy_mccabe

You can't rent a chainsaw from a plant hire because of insurance. Chainsaw work, especially at heights is extremely dangerous.

anthony500_1

Neighbours recently got two evergreen trees knocked maybe 30ft high each, and topped 4 more from 30ft down to about 15ft. Now they had to cut them close to a house either side, so took them down in pieces using a hoist and pole saws before chopping the trunk in small sections but all in was 3.5k including vat, a very professional outfit that had propper insurance etc, there is nothing cheap about getting trees taken down, and at the money they charged I thought it was good value.

Id pay the contractor quick incase he realizes he was to cheap and be grateful of a good job done safely.

Who2

are you sure 6hrs was the total. Most lads start at seven these days due to making the most of light . Then you mentioned leaving at lunchtime, was that 12.30 or 2.30 and then he came back for a few hours and then back the next morning to knock 4 trees. I’m not arguing but I get the feeling you’re rounding hours down and he’s rounding hours up. Are you allowing for moving the machine?

If you’re not a regular customer or going to be a repeat customer he isn’t going to do you favours when it comes to tree cutting. 120hr plus vat wouldn’t be crazy but on the other side if my regular contractor tried charging anything over 70-80 per hour he’d be told where to go. The difference being he gets consistent regular work.

bee_hive keeper

Yes, the hours are correct (the guy started at 10am..had lunch at noon and was gone by 1:30pm…he did an hour later that night 6-7pm and 2hrs the next morning (had breakfast too!))…machine was working next door to us so moving the machine was literally next field. I'm not a regular customer (we're not farmers/foresters) but live in a rural area. Even allowing an hour and moving machine…it just seems excessive….contractor had said 12hrs at 100euro/hr plus vat…should I challenge his hours…I just feel like he's tried to pull a fast one. I didn't have the hours calculated when he said what I owed him!

Anto_Meath

@lmk123 the difference is you were working on your own property. You didn't have site specific safety statements, methods statements, risk assessments all written up and available for inspection should anyone from HSA pop in. Some people don't see the paperwork and regulations that goes on behind the scenes in getting what is a relatively straightforward job done. I know it's all to prevent accidents and keep people safe, but it adds serious cost to a small job.

Who2

Was it the contractor driving the machine or someone driving for the contractor? Maybe the driver let on to the contractor that they were his hours.
if your hours are correct I’d pay the hours that was worked , allow a bit more than the hours,explain your case and if they are any way half reasonable they will understand. They will more than likely be a bit put out but if your telling the truth they don’t have much of an argument.

fulldnod

I'd tell him where to go

newholland mad

We had a 13tonne machine in with a sheer tidying up low overhanging branches around tillage fields and he charged 100 + vat. He did a power of work in 4 hours. He moved then to a neighbours leylandi hedge. Well hedge was a bad description. This was sown in 1994 and done nothing with since. Probably 40 foot high and close on 20 wide. He done 120 metres in 3 hours but the downside is the unholy mess left behind.

Aravo

The hours look about right if you don't include that the drive left between 1.30 to 6pm. Tell the contractor that the hours aren't right, driver left during the 1st day

GNWoodd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122794562#Comment_122794562

How much work did you get done in the end ?
You said initially that you asked him to clip an ash tree. You had work done to six / seven or more trees ? Were they sheared to ground level or just pruned to a height that they are no longer a risk? I would think that is more of an issue than the number of hours involved ?
Most companies are charging 1200 - 1400 per tree to remove them to ground level

bee_hive keeper

The contractor didn't do the work himself alright but was coming and going. We decided to clip 20-25 ash trees altogether to make them safe (still quite a bit of the tree stumps remaining 9-10ft which is fine even if a little unsightly) over a 80m distance on the first day/night…4 trees removed the second morning…

farmersfriend

That's not a bad price, u got a lot of work done and have lots of firewood

GNWoodd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122798153#Comment_122798153

So you got between 24 and 30 trees reduced to a height of 10 feet for 1400 ?
That was very good value .

148multi

Great value

enricoh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122798153#Comment_122798153

Ah so 2 fellas involved. I think you are doing ok at that price tbh. Try pay him cash if invoice no use to u.

Had a lad here doing hedges last week, bust a pipe ,pig to take off hose I was helping him, took my motor to get a hose made up in town. Probably 2hrs + to get going again. Probably another hour if he had to drive tractor. Didn't charge me the couple of hours.

bee_hive keeper

So just to clarify…the vast majority if the trees are less than 10inches in diameter…so not very mature (and not a huge amount of firewood). I was interested to gauge whether the amount of work done would be reasonable for the time charged (12hrs even though the amount of time spent was closer to 6hrs…can add an extra hour for transport) plus whether the rate (100euro/hr) is fair. Appreciate the feedback already provided above…this has helped…

Cavanjack

It’s irrelevant how many trees he cut or clipped. He charged €200 an hour for a man with a digger. It’s saucy.
A man with a 13tonne digger round here is round €40- €45 an hour. That’s if he digs one hole or 20.
Had trees clipped 3 years ago with a shears on a digger and it was just an hourly rate. I can’t remember how much an hour but if it was much more than that I’d have remembered.
The insurance thing always makes me laugh when it’s mentioned as an excuse. Like what’s the extra charge for insurance? If he’s charging even €20 an hour extra because of insurance he must be insured like j lo’s ass.

lmk123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122799124#Comment_122799124

any chance you could send on a number for the lad charging that for a 13T

Good loser

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122799558#Comment_122799558

I paid €60 per hour for hedge cutting on Sunday last

Dunedin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122799124#Comment_122799124

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122799558#Comment_122799558

send on the number of the lad charging €200 an hour seeing as most people on here seem to think he’s great value…………..

SodiumCooled

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122799558#Comment_122799558

Some crazy prices seem to be getting normalised here, I pay about 350 a day incl vat to the man who does digger for me (13T digger) and he is an excellent operator too.

lmk123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122805301#Comment_122805301

yer very lucky and I don’t doubt ye, €55 + VAT / hr is the rate around here for a 13t. I had a 30t a few weeks ago that was around double that.

9935452

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122794562#Comment_122794562

Ask him how he is calculating the hours and give him your total.

TThe Lad driving for him might have given him the incorrect amount on purpose or by mistake.

We have lads here who would dispute 15 minutes. They would have starting times, stopping times, break times, even if you stopped for a phone call