palmettobrush
Silver Member
- Joined
- Jun 15, 2008
- Messages
- 105
- Location
- florence SC
- Tractor
- 2011 Terex pt 100g 2012 case cx210 2006 gyrotrac gt 25
how about the latest the two usda jobs in south carolina went for 239 an acre
Who are these CRAZY contractors????????
- Thread starter cbturf
- Start date
- Views: 23725
yellowdogsvc
Platinum Member
the problem in land clearing is that some low-baller may come in and really wreck a property. The customer ends up with a piece of land that has been virtually raped. Save trees are damaged or scorched including root damage. Often, erosion takes place because the lowest bids are almost always conventional clearing (dozing and burning here in Texas).
There is also a huge difference in quality of clearing when using forestry mulchers. I wouldn't take on a 1000AC job with one small machine unless the customer knew it would take a LONG time and I'd still want to shear and chip the big stuff.
Around here, everyone seems to have gotten into the mulching business. I see the results daily. Some jobs look great but many look awful. The ones I have been underbid on do not have the finished look that I personally strive for. maybe the customer was looking for a rough cut and a cheaper price but often, after visiting with me, they do not communicate that but rather, they are looking for the "park-like" look which takes more time, more finesse, and the right equipment.
The cheap guy will always be there. At least in Texas, there aren't any laws protecting people against stupidity, ignorance, or contractors who lie. It's buyer beware and the best we can hope for is to be recommended to a friend of a customer or get work trying to fix the other guy's mess. And yes, I do offer a slight discount to fix another contractor's mess and it helps get the relationship started.
There is also a huge difference in quality of clearing when using forestry mulchers. I wouldn't take on a 1000AC job with one small machine unless the customer knew it would take a LONG time and I'd still want to shear and chip the big stuff.
Around here, everyone seems to have gotten into the mulching business. I see the results daily. Some jobs look great but many look awful. The ones I have been underbid on do not have the finished look that I personally strive for. maybe the customer was looking for a rough cut and a cheaper price but often, after visiting with me, they do not communicate that but rather, they are looking for the "park-like" look which takes more time, more finesse, and the right equipment.
The cheap guy will always be there. At least in Texas, there aren't any laws protecting people against stupidity, ignorance, or contractors who lie. It's buyer beware and the best we can hope for is to be recommended to a friend of a customer or get work trying to fix the other guy's mess. And yes, I do offer a slight discount to fix another contractor's mess and it helps get the relationship started.
Bids need to be apples to apples. If one contractor is looking to do quick rough job and the other a finished job there is going to be a differnce in the price. Now getting the client to see beyond the dollar figure is the trick. Some of the damage done by a poor job can not be fixed. Yellow Dog is dead right.
Robbie Hegwood
Platinum Member
I think there are a few other factors as well.
1. Less work
2. More bidders for the jobs available
3. With more bidders there is bound to be more opportunity of sharing of sensitive information.
4. Again with more of these jobs being completed it is public info as to what they went for.
5. More people getting into mulching and contractors who have been doing it the technology is growing leaps and bounds daily. Just a few years ago the only machine was a Kersahw or Hydro-ax with rotory mower. Now there are multiple machine in every hp range.
6. Factor all these and all the previous info and it does all lead to a poor outlook for a while.
1. Less work
2. More bidders for the jobs available
3. With more bidders there is bound to be more opportunity of sharing of sensitive information.
4. Again with more of these jobs being completed it is public info as to what they went for.
5. More people getting into mulching and contractors who have been doing it the technology is growing leaps and bounds daily. Just a few years ago the only machine was a Kersahw or Hydro-ax with rotory mower. Now there are multiple machine in every hp range.
6. Factor all these and all the previous info and it does all lead to a poor outlook for a while.
ClearViewGroup
Silver Member
The good news is that when the dust settles and things return to normal the contenders will be here and the pretenders will be gone
WestshoreConstruction
Gold Member
The good news is that when the dust settles and things return to normal the contenders will be here and the pretenders will be gone
This may be true Ryan, but take Joe that has a ASV and a mulcher (Not the best combo) and a guy that has like in my case a excavator, dedicated mulcher and multiple skids with mulchers just for land clearing, a dedicated service truck (Not just a P/U with a tool box) low bed for moving more than one piece at a time, spare parts to lessen down time and still a few not so smart fellas under bidding because they have no overhead or what ever and they can still bring on some hardship to me because they will underbid a large job, start the job take a few months to do some portion of it and then go out of buisness and the job is left to complete, sure I will be able to bid the job again but sometimes the time that the "Other guy" takes to go under they can swallow up jobs that we all know they can't complete and it makes for slim pickings for the guys that have overhead. Yeah I know some are gonna say thats just business but really its not, its uninformed customers bs'd by cons who don't do the same work, neither quality or quantity. Some say its were just complaining but its not the case. Well not much use complaining on a web site just gotta let time run its course and hopefully I'll be around when the chips fall. LOL I know I will but just the same its frustrating.
Just fyi around here most contractors are charging the same or near there's just a few contractors undercutting and for what reason I don't know, on a few jobs recently there was allot of money left on the table for them, the closest 4 bids were all within $1000.00 of each other on 3 $60,000.00 job and they were almost 8k less. Thats a couple bucks and there was three seperate contractors awarded on the three contracts.
SuperDuty335
Silver Member
It's not just the mulching business. I bid a few fence jobs recently and lost to a company who is going to do it for what my materials costs would have been. Thanks, idiots. I'm not even mad that I didn't win, it's the principle of the thing.
I'm not even mad that I didn't win, it's the principle of the thing.
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
I checked out that bathroom job that I lost out on to the homeowners buddy. He's building half the bathroom that I bid, and he's already way over budget. They are not happy, but I already told them that I'm booked up for the next couple of months and couldn't get to it until I'm done with the other jobs that I booked after they told me that I didn't get their bathroom job. On the good side, he is doing a decent job, but he's extremely slow and he's bringing in helpers do to simple stuff. He's still a along ways out on it and he's already stopped showing up every day.
I'm just guessing, but I think he's making me look pretty good by some of the comments I'm getting from the homeowner. It's a struggle to bite my tongue and by sympathetic, but the wife isn't happy and she's blaming her husband for this. They are booking weddings for April and it has to be done by then. I can't imagine a bathroom remodel/addition taking that long, but then I didn't think it would take two months to move the drain lines and get it framed in.
Eddie
I'm just guessing, but I think he's making me look pretty good by some of the comments I'm getting from the homeowner. It's a struggle to bite my tongue and by sympathetic, but the wife isn't happy and she's blaming her husband for this. They are booking weddings for April and it has to be done by then. I can't imagine a bathroom remodel/addition taking that long, but then I didn't think it would take two months to move the drain lines and get it framed in.
Eddie
Eagleview
Veteran Member
It seems we are all having problems with bidding . I often lose out because I charge $110inc tax per hour for slashing . My opposition charges $77 inc tax per hour . He has a $2000 45hp Massey and a 5' slasher/hog and has no blade or bucket and takes 3 times as long , it's not even registered or insured . I have a $132,000 100hp 4X4 tractor with grapple rake , 4in1 bucket and a 12' folding slasher/hog . He mows around everything laying in the grass and leaves a mess , I pick up everything with the rake and make it tidy . A 12' slasher travelling at 10KPH/6MPH gets over a lot of ground but all they hear on the phone is the difference in $ph . My only saving Grace is that anyone who I have worked for keeps me coming back and also spread the good word .
OP
