Shoutout to the crew that handled that huge oak removal in Cedar Rapids last week

They used a crane and had it down in three hours, but my boss says that's overkill for most jobs and just adds cost. What's your take on crane use for removals versus traditional rigging?

3 comments

3 Comments

ivan821mo ago

Totally agree... saw a crew use one on a tight lot last month and it was like watching surgery. Boss is right though, the bill for that thing has to hurt.

nora5351mo ago

My buddy runs a small fence crew and he finally broke down and bought a used mini excavator a couple years back. He said the first time they used it on a job that would've taken a full day with shovels, they knocked it out in like two hours. That week's rental savings basically paid for the first month's payment, and the rest of the year was just profit on it. They still charge a premium for the jobs where it comes in handy, but now the money goes to them instead of some rental place.

evannelson1mo ago

My neighbor's fence crew had to bring in a mini excavator last fall, and the rental alone was over three grand for the week. It's the same story with everything now, from the tools to the materials. You pay a huge premium for anything that saves time or solves a tough problem. The cost gets baked into every bid, so we all end up covering it. It feels like efficiency has its own steep tax these days.