Another question here.. Are any of you guys setting up anything other than an LLC for your business structure? Do you recommend speaking with a CPA or somebody before filing? And.. If I'm about to buy my truck and trailer so I can test for my CDL, do you recommend setting up the business first and buying it through the business or should I just finance them personally? Any advice appreciated!

Hey there folks! I'm in the start up phase currently working on getting my CDL so that I can be ready to start things in the spring. My most current decision point is picking a truck and trailer to buy and I'm in West Virginia with some crazy tight twisty roads and plenty of up and down. Braking and maneuverability will come at a premium. I'm leaning towards grabbing an F450 diesel drw pickup model for the wide front axle and beefed up brakes without pushing myself immediately into commercial insurance and whatnot. The biggest drawback I see is payload, which would probably land somewhere around 5300 lbs if I get a crew cab (ideal). Can any of you speak into the pin weights you're actually getting? I'm anticipating a Takeuchi tl11r3 with the tak/FAE head and probably a bucket or grapple on board, meaning a minimum equipment weight of 16k, probably closer to 16.5. A 23-25k gooseneck at 20-24 feet long probably is going to come in close to 6k lbs.. so I'll be running at least 22-23k lbs all in. Does this actually work with the pin weights? Is 25% actually a good estimate for pin weight or can you get that lower with a loading strategy? Is this actually a big deal? Would appreciate some feedback!

Wondering if folks here are quoting jobs like building ponds, dirt work, landscaping, etc. and hiring subs to do the other specialty work? Also have you reached out to other contractors to sub yourself for forestry mulching? What was your method?

Do you guys quote on site while doing the site walk or do you just collect info and send an official quote? My initial thought was to send the quote through Jobber but I am pretty sure customers will be looking for a number in person or at least a "ballpark" number.

I have a pricing calculator that works off of acres, terrain, density, slope, things like that, but I keep running into quotes where people have bulldozed their trees. Now I just have these giant, dead, dried-out piles of brush and logs that have root balls, dirt, and rock, and I really don't have a pricing model. How do you guys look at a pile of brush and then know how to price it? I added a picture of two of the seven pals this guy has on his property.