Why is there a Minimum Charge for Services?
Michael’s Tree Service offers several different services. Each of these services have a different minimum charge associated with the service. There are many reasons companies like ours have a minimum service charge:
1.) What equipment is needed for the job? If a single piece of equipment or multiple pieces of equipment are necessary to complete the job, they all have a service life. The cost to replace the equipment plays a factor in the breakdown for a minimum charge.
2.) Insurance is more than just business insurance. In addition to BI, there is vehicle insurance for the vehicles used to transport equipment to the job. There is also separate insurance for each piece of equipment that a company owns. Anyone who operates a physical location such as Michael’s Tree Service will also have insurance on their property where equipment is stored. Additionally, Worker’s Compensation Insurance is also required for any workers in your business. Unfortunately, premiums only continue to rise each year.
3.) What tools and/or ancillary equipment needs to come along for the job? For example, if we are stump grinding we carry a couple of saws, a blower, wrenches/repair tools in case of damage, extra teeth, grease, oil, fuel, etc. to be able to show up and complete your job effectively and timely. If we are doing a land clearing job, in addition to the excavator and skidsteer, we often bring the above tools but also extra buckets/grading tools.
4.) Every vehicle and equipment has a cost for maintenance. Whether it is changing the oil and filters in our trucks or greasing equipment, it is part of the cost of doing business.
5.) Fuel is expensive! Most of the equipment we use is powered by diesel fuel as opposed to gasoline. At the time of writing this article (July 2026), diesel fuel is around $5.00 per gallon whereas only two years ago it was around $3.40 per gallon.
6.) Time to get to the job and transportation play a large factor in the minimum price charge. If your job is 5 minutes up the road or an hour drive, it takes time and effort to load up equipment properly and transport it to the jobsite.
7.) Unknown breakdowns are never something that anyone wants to deal with, but they do happen. Every business needs to take this into account and try to plan for those rainy day situations. Properly maintaining your equipment helps, but it isn’t the end-all-be-all.
8.) Payroll costs only increase. When hiring employees and paying them, performance needs to be rewarded. Additional employees hired also means additional costs.
9.) Marketing and advertising as a requirement. In today’s digital age, there are multiple forms of advertising that may be more or less effective. Whether you are paying for the phonebook, hosting a website, sending out mailers, television commercials, etc. there is a cost associated with each. Since many customers prefer different forms of accessing information, many companies (such as ourselves) spend advertising dollars across multiple streams to try and showcase themselves to their csutomers.
10.) Overhead costs are real, and like any other cost, the price keeps going up and up! Whether it is the gas or electric bill, cell phones or internet, or some other overhead, the bills never end.
The last thing to remember, but wraps up this post nicely is that most companies are for profit. After all expenses, you have to be able to make some profit for your services. While the above list is not all encompassing, it is the part of the job that the customer never sees. I don’t write this to you for sympathy, as owning and operating a company is a challenging and rewarding experience. What I am hoping you take away from all of this is that here at Michael’s Tree Service, we are a small family owned business who is doing our best to serve our local Western New York Community. Thankfully, we haven’t had to raise our minimum prices too much in the past couple of years, as we cannot expect our loyal customers to bear all of the burden. That said, I hope this post has added some visibility into what all companies go through, as doing the job is usually the easiest part of our job. We hope to serve our customers for many more years to come, and we thank each and every one of you for your continued support of Michael’s Tree Service!
Should I Hire a Professional or Rent a Stump Grinder?
Often times we bid a stump grinding job and are sometimes told “it is small, I can just rent a grinder and do it myself”. Perhaps you have thought about if it makes sense to hire a professional, or rent a grinder to do it yourself? Here are a couple of things to consider for renting:
- 2 types of stump grinders
- Handlebar machines are operated by moving your body through the stump. While cheaper to rent, they take a hard toll on your body as you physically move the machine up and down and left to right. If you aren’t used to running one, it can be a daunting task. They are good for compact, hard to reach places.
- Self propelled machines are operated by using controls on the machine, instead of your body. These are more common in rental fleets and don’t put as much wear and tear on your body.
- Cost of the machine
- The average cost for a 1 day rental averages around $300 depending on the machine and rental company
- Teeth on the machine head
- In most instances, the teeth on a rental machine are usually dull and either need to be sharpened, or if you request it/get lucky, the company will put new teeth on the machine. You may wish to sharpen these yourself, but since stump grinder teeth are made out of carbide, you will need a diamond wheel on an angle grinder to sharpen them.
- Most rental companies will charge an additional, non-refundable tooth deposit for the cost of teeth maintenance/in the event you break a tooth.
- Fuel
- You will be required to fuel the machine before returning it. Letting the rental company refuel the machine will cost more than fueling it yourself.
- Transportation
- The machine has to move to/from your location. If you do not have a way to transport the machine yourself, the rental company may charge a delivery fee which varies based on how far away your location is.
- Damage
- If you damage the machine, your insurance may cover the cost, or you will be paying it out of pocket to the rental company.
- If you damage the property around where you were grinding, it may be covered by your insurance or you may be paying to repair it out of pocket. This could include things such as a broken window from flying debris, hitting an underground utility, catching the edge of a fence, etc.
- If you send debris flying into your neighbor, a friend, or a beloved pet, that bill could easily stack up.
With the initial cost to rent the grinder being around $300, by the time you add in fuel, transportation, and the teeth deposit, you could easily be above $450 into your 1 day rental, and that is hoping that there is no damage to the machine or surrounding property! In most instances, it is better to leave the stump grinding to the professionals. However, there is at least one instance where it may make sense to rent a stump grinder. If you have a property with multiple stumps, a long weekend to complete the job, and you are not worried about potential property damage (open field without utilities and no buildings, vehicles, persons, or pets around to potentially get injured), then it might make sense to rent a grinder over hiring a professional. I would also be lying if I didn’t say stump grinding can be fun! But outside of a very specific use case, it is best to leave the job to the professionals. Contact Michael’s Tree Service today for a free estimate, as you now know what the cost would be to rent a machine.
Trees are a Maintenance Item
When you think about home maintenance, what are the first things that come to mind? More than likely:
1.) Draining your hot water tank
2.) Cleaning the gutters
3.) Removing unused items to clear up space
4.) Changing lightbulbs
5.) Checking smoke detectors
6.) Servicing the furnace/AC
Most people will not think about their trees as a maintenance item, but they are just as much as any of the above items! Whether you plant a small tree or shrub yourself or you just purchased a new home with established growth, keeping healthy trees and shrubs is another vital part of home maintenance. Regular tree care is necessary not just for hazards, but habitat, aesthetic, disease prevention, increases longevity, and improves property value. At minimum, a once a year inspection (and especially after sever weather conditions) can aid in the following:
- Safety and Risk Mitigation: Neglected, dead, or diseased branches are high-risk hazards that can fall, causing injury or damaging homes, cars, and power lines.
- Preventing Property Damage: Proper pruning keeps branches away from roofs and, and trimming prevents damage from strong winds or storms.
- Tree Health and Longevity: Routine care—such as pruning, mulching, and fertilizing—protects against pests and disease, allowing trees to live longer and reducing the need for costly removal.
- Structural Integrity: Regular, professional pruning ensures trees grow in a balanced, strong manner rather than becoming weak or overgrown.
- Aesthetics and Value: Well-maintained trees significantly boost curb appeal, increasing residential property value by up to 7%.
- Environmental Benefits: Healthy trees are more efficient at filtering air, reducing pollution, and managing stormwater.
Don’t wait until it is too late to do something positive for your trees. Inspect regularly and partner with your trusted tree care expert to make informed decisions.
What Factors Contribute to the Price for Stump Grinding?
Many customers often ask me:
“How much do you charge for stump grinding?”
The honest answer is, it depends. No two jobs are alike. Several factors play into the cost of stump grinding (including, but not limited to):
1.) How big the stump is. Please see the post entitled “How to Measure a Stump” for more details.
2.) Where the job is located.
3.) Does the stump need to be cut down, or is it low to the ground? Cutting the stump close to the ground before your contractor comes to grind can save a customer money.
4.) If there is a mound of dirt around the stump, or if the surrounding area is on grade with the rest of the yard. Grinding out a mound takes extra time, and dirt dulls out teeth faster.
5.) What is the access like? Is it fenced in with limited access, or wide open?
6.) Are there unseen obstacles (such as underground utilities) near the grinding area which necessitate the need for locates? Your stump grinding professional should call in their own locates, not the customer.
7.) Are there any other visible hazards around the stump such as rocks, metal/fencing, or hardscapes? A customer can save themselves money if they remove these hazards before they have a stump removed.
While this list is not all encompassing, it is some of the factors that must be considered when receiving a quote for stump grinding services.
How to Measure a Stump
When it comes to measuring a stump, many people believe that you measure at the top of the cut. Unfortunately, this is incorrect. As stumps get closer to the ground, and even go into the ground, they flair out. When measuring your stump, you have to measure from the widest point at ground level. Remember, what you see at ground level isn’t as large as the proper grinding area of the stump, as the flair continues under the soil.
Why Should I Remove a Stump?
There are many reasons and benefits to removing a stump. Besides being an eyesore on your property, stumps can cause a variety of issues:
1.) Damage to lawn mower or other pieces of equipment.
2.) Safety concerns as stumps can provide tripping hazards for people and pets.
3.) Pests (including termites, ants, rodents, or other wildlife) like to make their homes in old stumps.
4.) Ecosystem health can be effected by unwanted stumps that absorb water and nutrients from other plants.
5.) Structural damage can occur to remaining stumps that are close to foundations, costing thousands of dollars in structural repairs.
6.) Diseases caused by fungi and mold on stumps could spread to other plants or wildlife.
Stump grinding is the number 1 way to safely and effectively remove unwanted stumps to prevent a whole host of issues (above). Stump grinding is less invasive than excavation. Removing stumps via grinding prevents regrowth. Finally, stump grinding provides a quick way to reshape your yard for either aesthetics or other projects.