Tree surgeon - good price?

[woody67]

Evening All - We urgently need to pollard our conker tree due to sapping light and goodness from the garden. We've been quoted 5 to 6 hundred to pollard it down to the fence height. Is this reasonable, considering they say they'll take the logs too - OR charge extra to log it for our woodburner! :shock:

I'm tempted to dig out my ropes and bow saw! :wink:

Thanks all.

Mark

 

[wizer]

I'm sure it's worth it for their time and 'danger' money. But, personally, I'm too tight and stupid to pay that sort of cash. Get the hacksaw or dremel out and away you go. If it falls in your neighbours garden, then you don't have to take the logs away either... :lol:

 

[Green]

I'm with Wizer on this one. I'd do it myself, though I use a harness when doing things like this:

http://www.safetysupplies.co.uk/trolleyed/21/

 

[woody67]

Me too, but no doubt the H&S police will be along soon. :wink:

Mark

 

[Chems]

I have a friend who is a Tree Surgeon, he just pollarded 2 willows, cut down a sycamore stump that was about 18 feet high down to around 12 and also cut down 2 hawthorn trees to 6 feet high an charged £200. He is a friend thou.

2 Years ago he did a very big job for us and the bill was sub £500. I think your probably paying a lot for that one tree IMHO.

 

[paulm]

Mark,

Get another couple of quotes and see !

Standard practice for anything like this, building work or whatever would be to get a minimum of three quotes I would have thought ?

Cheers, Paul

 

[woody67]

Thanks Paul and I agree, it's just I feel we got stung a few years back with a different firm to the one who has recently quoted. They charged 125 notes for little more than a gentle prune of the offending conker tree and a couple of forsythias. It took them no longer than an hour! :shock:

Mark

 

[Karl]

Hi Mark

I took out (the majority of) a 50ft Sycamore from our garden with nothing more than a tree harness and a bow saw - I managed to get it down to a main trunk of about 17ft height. My BIL then came with a chainsaw and brought down the remainder of the trunk.

It took me 1 1/2 days, including chopping everything down and taking it to the tip for recycling. Bit scary at first, especially being up at the top of the tree with the branches wavering !

We were quoted similair prices to you - £5-600 saved!

Cheers

Karl

 

[woody67]

Thanks Karl - I think that's the route I'm going to take too.

Luckily I have a head for heights, but sorry, I hate manual sawing, so I'm looking at one of these (grabs jacket and runs for cover)

http://www.blackanddecker.co.uk/Product ... 1000_2.jpg

as there's not a snowballs chance in hell I'm going to wield my petrol chainsaw up that height! :shock:

Thanks

Mark

 

[big soft moose]

that seems a bit high - when i do this work as i do from time to time i generally charge £150 per man day so that would be 300 notes (including logging it) for two men on site (its hard to see it taking more than a day)- however you are sadly too far away for me

btw its generally a bad idea to do radical work to horse chestnuts as they are very prone to infection from wounds and it generally results in the whole tree having to be felled in due course

 

[woody67]

Thanks BSM - but what's the answer to calming it's rampant nature??

I'm sentimentally attached to the tree as my dear late dad planted it from a conker (my defeated one in our conker bashing comp) more than 35 years ago.

Mrs W wanted it felled, but we've compromised on a bit of pollarding. Is it worth the chance, or do we just leave it to cause more damage? The path is already 3 inches out of kilter and the roots are showing through the lawn.

Sadly, it's also a tad lopsided as the neighbours pruned their side when we were on our hols a few years back.

Thanks

Mark

 

[Chems]

Whats my post invisible

 

[woody67]

So, so, sorry Chems mate - Very remiss of me

Of course fella, thank you for your advice too. Promise it won't happen again!

I'm off to chastise myself with a whippy conker branch this minute :wink:

Mark

 

[jimi43]

Thanks Karl - I think that's the route I'm going to take too.

Luckily I have a head for heights, but sorry, I hate manual sawing, so I'm looking at one of these (grabs jacket and runs for cover)

http://www.blackanddecker.co.uk/Product ... 1000_2.jpg

as there's not a snowballs chance in hell I'm going to wield my petrol chainsaw up that height! :shock:

Thanks

Mark

Those Aligators are BRILLIANT.

The best garden tool I have ever bought.

They say they only cut up to 6" but that is rubbish. They cut down huge branches and trunks...just use them like a chainsaw but with the same respect as well. Remember not to cut so that the blade jams though....you will never get it out if the blade gets stuck!

You need to carry a bottle of chainsaw oil too. To fill up the little hole.

Oh and of course...use an RCD!!

Jim

 

[Chris Knight]

Pollarded, it's going to look pretty ugly I would have thought. I'd get it all removed and plant something prettier in its place!

 

[Paul Chapman]

Pollarded, it's going to look pretty ugly I would have thought. I'd get it all removed and plant something prettier in its place!

I agree with Chris. Also you say that the roots are causing a problem showing through the lawn and damaging the path - pollarding is not going to stop that because it's already happened. Take it right down and start again.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[woody67]

Thanks all again - It may have to be the final cut then

What about the logs though? I hear they aren't brilliant for burning? I suppose I could put an offer out to any woodworkers in my area to see if they could put some decent lengths to use? If any of you good folks are in my neck of the woods, please feel free to pop round and gather you're free goodies.

I mentioned pollarding as our local town high street was lined with horse chestnuts and they were subject to this treatment and now they look quite wonderful.

http://www.cockermouth.me.uk/cockermouth.jpg

Thanks again

Mark

 

[Benchwayze]

As Chris said. Get rid. Plant a nice Japanese Cherry, or a slow growing Acer (Palmatum Dissectum or Blood Red)

http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/Acer-cappadocicum-Rubrum

Neither you nor your grandchildren will ever have a problem with those.

John

 

[ike]

£150 per man day is a competitive rate. Doubt they charge by the hour - probably half day min for smaller jobs.

 

[woody67]

Think it might be poll (ard) time folks :wink: !

A) Pollard

B) Fell it

C) Pay the going rate

D) DIM (do it myself)

Dilemma, dilemma, dilemma

Thanks All

Mark