Sugar Bush Removal

[bwlj491]

Good afternoon, all. While cleaning up at the end of this season, I was approached by a retired maple producer, wanting to remove his old sugar bush setup. This includes all tubing, wire, posts, etc. Nothing is salvageable as this is a very old setup which has now been in disrepair for 20+ years. My question for the group is on how to charge for this type of work and yes, he insists on paying. I will be using ATVs to aid in the removal, and he will drop a dumpster at the end of a field for all of the tubing. Any insight is appreciated. Thanks!

[ennismaple]

I'd agree upon an hourly rate and give him an estimate of how many days you think it may take. You can either do as much work as he has budget for (an upset limit) or agree upon having a closer look at total level of effort once you've done about 50% of the work.

[Andy VT]

I agree with this advice.
Also scope out the sugarbush while you work.
If you like it and want to expand, when it's time to get paid, consider whether you'd like to offer he gives you access to the woods for sugaring instead of the cash!
Hey, if you're crazy enough to sugar one woods, you might be crazy enough to sugar another!
In any case a fun project. Any excuse to explore a woods is a good excuse.
Andy

[bwlj491]

Thanks for the feedback! The tubing comes out a lot faster than it goes up.

[Scm]

The tubing comes out a lot faster than it goes up.

Yes, considering the tubing is not being saved.
Trying to save tubing is a nightmare taking it out of the woods. Gets hooked on every thing.

[ennismaple]

Yes, considering the tubing is not being saved.
Trying to save tubing is a nightmare taking it out of the woods. Gets hooked on every thing. Agreed. We'll walk through and cut all the laterals off the mainline, then unhook from the head tree and roll back up in hand coils which we tape up to try to keep them as organized as possible. It is a PITA...