Tree Trimming...

[Anastasis]

what time of year in this suppose to be done? Fall or Spring? Fall would be my guess. Is it too late to have it done this year?

How much can one expect to pay. I got 5 large pecans that have been neglected for about 4 years that are in desperate need of pruning. Every time a storm comes thru I expect to find a tree limb crushing my car when I go outside. What should I expect to pay per tree?

 

[Mrmyke709]

Now is good..the limbs lighten up since the leaves are gone. If you need radical pruning, it's going to hurt. Rope and ladder work is expensive.
5 trees, probably around 3-400 bucks or more.

 

[Anastasis]

thanks for the info..."radical pruning" is a fair description of what needs to be done, however that is a little more than I was expecting regarding price. Might have to just bite the bullet.

 

[Campus Loop(y)]

I am in the same boat but only for one, maybe two trees. Mine is a big old pecan too. So I am going to have them do the wood so I can have friends pick up some firewood if they want it. Ain't I a nice fellar? No answers please.

 

[Fletch_F_Fletch]

I just had some tree work done myself. Trimmed up 2 Spanish Oaks and some Red Tips. Ran me about $500.

 

[ldogg53]

I'll be doing this soon myself... I plan on doing as much of it as I can with a small chainsaw and a pole blade thing...

anyone know how much it costs to actually remove a tree?? I've got 2 that need to go...

 

[K-Man]

I pruned our old pecan tree with a bow saw and a garden hose (used old garden hose to pull off dead limbs). It looks great.

However, yesterday, Austin Energy (Asplund) cut down a 30" diameter hackberry on my back property line. They left a 4' stump that has an old chain link fence grown right through it. The fence is gone, but there is chain link embedded in the stump, so a chain saw is out of the question.

My question is how the hell do I get rid of the stump? 1. Dig up the roots and cut them with an axe? 2. Have a bunch of bonfires around the stump.

 

[Fletch_F_Fletch]

Idogg,

My ol' man just had 2 trees removed (Oaks) and it cost him about $1,800.

 

[SouthernGent]

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[Apostle7550]

My brother in law does tree trimming. He came out to my place and did a great job. He may scare the kids a little (tattoo on his face,) but he's a great guy and does great work.... I'd be shocked if he wasn't drastically cheaper than the others out there. PM me if you want me to get in contact with him.

 

[El_Guapo]

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[horn4life]

how agile and brave/stupid are you? And how bieg is your health insurance deductible?

Well I am cheap when it comes to this stuff and I HATE having any wort of minimum wage, former/future felon sort working aorund my house for a few days. So I opted for the chainsaw on a stick and another larger chain saw for the larger few cuts.

I probably saved easily $1000 even on just the trimming out of the dead wood undergrowth crap. The tough part is trying to get rid of the damn debris. Thankfully my back door neighbor saw what we were doing and offered to bring his big chipper around. He's in the tree trimming business and it woudl ahve cost me a fortune. Think of having 80 x 35 feet covered with limbs 4 feet high to give you an idea. Now I have 9 oaks in the back yard, and the trees had not been trimmed for at least ten years according to my neighbor.

Thank God for that chipper took us about an hour and a half to drag everything around to the front curb, the big chipper was a lifesaver.

You might try getting a quote on an hourly rate to have them come by with a chipper.

The biggest problem with Pecans is the wood is so soft that you can think you are on a nice strong limb and my 200 pounds could bring that sucker crashing down.

Chainsaw on a stick, and a 24 foot extension ladder go a long, long way. When you think of $600+ being something to blow on Chistmas or yourself instead.

 

[horn4life]

P.S. if you are trimming Live Oaks the dead of winter or Dog says of Summer is best. Paint the tree wounds and make sure and clean your tools with rubbing alcohol or other antisceptic to prevent Oak wilt.

 

[Anastasis]

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[horn4life]

Watch the newspaper and think of buying a long extension ladder. You can find one pretty cheap or lowball the pawnshop.

The main thing is to have somebody else working a rope on the lime you are cutting to pull it away from you as it falls. ALSO!!!!! ALWAYS make a vertical cut from the underside of the limb where you think the top cut will end. this allows the limb to drob straight down rather than pendelum inward handing on to that last bit of bark as the weight of the branch breaks it loose. Hope that's clear as it's important!

make sure you health insurance premium is paid up...

If you have an annual deductible now is a good time to get started.

 

[El_Guapo]

For once, I agree with horn4life. I came pretty close once to having a gigantic limb fall smack dab on top of me. I didn't have anyone to hold a rope and I figured it would fall straight, but it started to break and kind of swung back towards me because I didn't make the bottom cut deep enough. Also be sure to think and double think the position of your ladder and anticipate any potential problem.

And I'm not sure if the thing about your health insurance was supposed to be a joke or not, but consider it not.

I still want to know where Mrmyke had this done for $300.

 

[Texoz]

Another thing to keep in mind, especially with live oak, is momentum and trajectory.

Many years back I was trimming about a 8-foot live oak branch that was growing over my mom's driveway. The driveway was empty, but my car was parked on the street, near the tree trunk. The branch extended from a larger branch that went to the trunk near the street. I was on the bigger branch about 10 feet up and 10 feet away from the street.

So, I'm sawing away with a chainsaw and the branch creaks, snaps, and then begins to swing back toward street. I'm thinking, okay it's going to drop onto the sidewalk. Nope. It keeps swinging because the cut wasn't complete, and it flies onto the hood of my car.

Live oak + 15 feet of swinging fall = nice dent

Lesson here, clear the area beneath you and around you.

 

[ldogg53]

OK gents... after doing as much as I could myself I realized the job was way over my head (no pun intended).... the tree service is out there today working on it...

here is the breakdown of what I'm getting done:
3 large trees removed
3 medium trees removed
6 stumps grinded down
4 large trees trimmed/pruned (inlcuding removing some very large branches)
1 palm tree trimmed/cleaned
1 tree topped
everything hauled off
$1,300

I thought that was a pretty good price considering how much work there is to do... 3 of the trees are also near/through power lines, so it is not easy on them... according to the boss man it is a 1-2 day job with 6 guys working...

 

[Mrmyke709]

****, I'm in the wrong bidness.
El_Guapo, I've been out of the landscaping business for awhile, so my prices are a bit "dated".
I've got the big *** ladder, it's more safe than perching on a limb, and rope work is right out.
I prefer the elegance of the curved pruning saw to the belching chainsaw.
This puppy will go through a limb like butter.
Behold... the 26" Nicholson "Silver Flash"...

 

[Campus Loop(y)]

The most expensive part of it is the removing of trees. I have been told that for one tree expect at least 700 bucks to remove it. This is by people who have had it done, as an average. So that price you are getting is pretty good, also since they are bonded and you are not going to emergency room.

If they do a good job, let us know who you used and what crew it was. They could be getting my business and I will let them know it was you who told me about them. This way if you use them next year or in the future, you may get discount.

Oh, go buy them a 12 pack of beer for when they end the day. Give it to them before they finish and you will be amazed at how many extra touches you get. A sharper job, brush and debris picked up better, who knows. But I always get sodas or beer for people doing work for me whether it is putting in a car stereo or whatever. Pays divedends and makes me feel good too. Just don't let them drink while doing the work, no explanation needed on that one.

 

[ldogg53]

Loopy...
I'm in Houston, so it doesn't do you any good... but the company is Four Seasons Tree Service... I also got an estimate from Espinoza Tree Service and he was comparable...

as for the work... I was just over there a couple hours ago... these ******* guys are nuts... there was at least 1 dude in every tree in my backyard... they were using a combination of a saw and a chainsaw.... these dudes literally were repelling like mountain climbers through that ****...

at any rate it is well worth te $$ seeing those crazy dudes dangling precariously as they cut out the limbs beneath them.. wild stuff...

 

[coachkiss]

If anyone is in the north Dallas suburbs, let me know. I used a guy last year (my grandfather's old ranch hand), who looks to make a little extra money. I had several trees cut back, a lot of underbrush cleared out, greenbriars removed, the limbs carried off, and it cost me $250 for two days of work for two people. Not bad. I don't know if he would give you the same price, but it might be worth a shot.

PM me, and I'll contact him.

 

[mickey]

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