Chunk of oak came down on my truck last week

Was taking down a big red oak in a backyard in Portland. Had the drop zone all marked out but a dead limb snapped mid-cut and swung right into my F-150's hood. Left a dent the size of a dinner plate. I had to pay $600 out of pocket since my deductible was higher than the repair. Anyone else ever had a customer's tree damage your own gear and how did you handle getting reimbursed?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_lucas4d ago

Hit that from the other side too. Had a similar thing happen a few years back with a maple limb that cracked a windshield on my work truck parked across the street. The homeowner didn't want to pay because it was technically an accident, so I ate the cost and raised my rates a little to cover stuff like that going forward. Now I always make sure my deductible is low enough that a single dent or scratch won't make me go out of pocket too much. It's just one of those hidden costs of the job that nobody talks about until it's too late.

the_sam4d ago

Funny enough, @the_lucas brought up a good point about hidden costs, but one thing I don't see mentioned is how much tree debris can mess with your lawn equipment. I've had a few customers come in after a storm whose mower blades got all beat up from hitting hidden limbs, and that's a repair bill nobody budgets for. Ever had that happen to your gear?