The difference between a successful tree-care company and an unsuccessful one is often determined by their ability to offer customers fast, affordable, and quality service.
Jeremy Folsom, Owner of Folsom Tree Service in Benton, Arkansas, found a way to deliver these three elements and today, his business one of the most successful tree service companies in the state, generating $5,000 to $7,000 of work daily.

His key to success? An efficient, safety-focused system that harnesses the power of two critical pieces of equipment: a 19-inch-capacity tree chipper, the largest in Arkansas, and the Ditch Witch SK3000 full-size stand-on skid steer, the largest stand-on skid steer available.

“Other tree service companies make multiple trips to and from the jobsite daily to haul debris, but I use a system where I stay onsite and chip the trees down,” Folsom said. “So instead of making multiple trips throughout the day, I make one trip at the end of the day.”

Folsom’s system was founded in the need for efficiency. His crew began chipping debris onsite in 2017 and has been perfecting the process in the years since. By chipping debris onsite rather than disposing of it throughout the day, Folsom saves on business and jobsite costs by limiting fuel expenses and the need for a disposal truck. And because no one is hauling debris, Folsom can keep his four-person crew onsite and focused on the actual task of tree care.

The SK3000 allows Folsom’s crew to use the large tree chipper to its full capacity and work faster.

“With both the large chipper and the power of the SK3000, I can lay a 3,000-pound treetop on the ground with my crane, pick it up with the stand-on skid steer and feed it into the chipper at 5 minutes per pick,” Folsom said. “Contractors using caged or smaller machines have turnaround times four times longer than that. The SK3000 helps me give my customers the best, most efficient service possible.”

The SK3000 also helps Folsom Tree Service limit disposal trips by creating more transportation space.

“We generally bring only the SK3000 to the jobsite because it has the power to complete all the jobsite tasks we need, and the ability to use attachments just doubles down on that,” Folsom said. “And since we only transport the one machine, we have much more room to transport logs at the end of the day.”

Folsom Tree Service’s customer base values efficiency, so its ability to move through jobsites quickly and safely is a primary reason that it continues to book new clients – and why it uses the SK3000.

“Our jobsites are often in small, residential yards, and we’re constantly moving,” Folsom said. “We use the SK3000 all day because the ‘stand-on’ aspect of the machine makes it easy to transition between operating the machine and doing other manual labor on the ground. If we had to use a caged machine, I don’t think we could even consider that same strategy. It just wouldn’t be as efficient.”

Like most tree-care professionals, Folsom Tree Service operators are consistently driving their machines in reverse due to lack of turning space and to limit wear and tear on residential yards. The 360-degree visibility of a stand-on skid steer allows Folsom’s crew to work quickly and confidently in reverse – Folsom said his crew can back up to within one inch of a potential hazard without hitting it.

The SK3000 also helps keep workers at a distance from hazards on jobsites.

“Some tree-care professionals use caged machines because they consider them to be safer. I disagree,” Folsom said. “If you’re using a cabbed unit then you’re only 2 to 3 feet away from anything that you pick up, and if it falls, it’s coming down on the cab. The SK3000 carries debris 10 feet away from you because of where the attachment is. Tree debris can be unpredictable, and I’d rather have it farther away from me when I’m operating a machine.”

Folsom is the first to admit that all contractors have their own system. But with his wood chipper and his SK3000 stand-on skid steer, Folsom Tree Service has found a system and the equipment that work for his business, his operators and his customers.