I finally had to choose between a crane and a bucket truck for a big oak removal

Got a call for a huge pin oak in a tight backyard in Cincinnati. The owner wanted it gone, but the fence was only six feet from the trunk. My crew was split. One guy said we could rig it down piece by piece from our bucket truck. The other said we had to bring in a crane. I went with the crane. It cost the client about $800 more, but it was the right call. We had the whole tree on the ground in under four hours with zero damage to the fence or the garden. The crane operator said, 'You can't fight physics in a space like this.' Has anyone else had a job where the extra crane fee was totally worth it?

2 comments

2 Comments

lilyt909d ago

Totally agree. That extra cost buys you peace of mind and saves your crew from a brutal, risky day.

brown.susan9d agoProlific Poster

Gotta disagree with you on this one, @lilyt90. Sometimes that "peace of mind" price tag is just padding for a company's bottom line. A brutal day for the crew can often be avoided with better planning and the right gear, not just throwing more money at the problem. It feels like we're getting trained to think every safety issue needs a fancy, expensive fix. Not every job needs the premium option to be done right and keep people safe.