I have 3 oak trees in my yard (way in back) that I would like to get
removed. The quoted price is a bout $2000/tree.

Years back, I got bids of around $ 500 to take down a 90 ft cedar tree in my
backyard...for their Est 4 hrs work.. $ 125/hr !!
I decided to give it a go on my own. Put up a 24' extension ladder, tied it
off to the tree, set my chainsaw on the ground nexto the tree and tied to a
rope to it and climbed up as high as I could. I tied a 1/2" rope near the
top and dropped the rest to the ground. I tied off a piece of 1" dia rope
above & below at the 75 ft mark, hauled up the chainsaw, cut 75%-85% of the
way thru the tree at that point.. Then climbed down and took the 1/2" rope,
tied it to my trailer hitch, went into 4WD and hauled..the top 10' of the
tree creaked and finally broke off and swung down on the 1" rope.

I went back up, tied the 1/2" rope to the now top end of the "cutoff" 15'
piece and lowered it to the ground.
Repeated in 5' sections til it was down. Took two of my "days off" but the
$ I saved represented a weeks pay to me at the time.

I bucked up the trunk, hauled the branches to the dump..a friend took the
wood to burn.

R