Hickman's

What Hickman's does

Hickman's Pty Ltd is a privately held, family-owned tree services and equipment hire company based in California Gully (Bendigo), Victoria, Australia. The business traces its lineage to the mid-1930s when founder Darren Hickman's grandfather worked in logging, and the company itself has operated as a qualified arborist service for more than 30 years. Hickman's provides tree maintenance (pruning, trimming, tree surgery, rope and harness climbing, consultancy, palm-tree transplanting), tree removal (including 24-hour emergency response for storm, fire, and flood damage), and stump grinding, alongside a separate equipment hire stream offering travel towers from 13 to 24 metres, wood chippers, bobcats, a JCB backhoe, a 14-tonne excavator, and a 10-metre bogie tipper. A specialized rotary axe attachment service extends the offering into environmental land clearing for blackberry, woody weed, and easement work.

Name

Hickman's

Legal name

Hickman's Pty Ltd

Website

https://hickmans.com.au

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arboricultural and Tree Services

NAICS

Landscaping Services (561730), Support Activities for Forestry (1153)

SIC

Construction Machinery & Equip (3531)

akta.pro primary industry

Tree Removal & Dismantling (HSAIADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Stump Grinding & Stump Removal (HSAIADAC), Tree Pruning & Crown Management (HSAIADAA), Emergency Storm Damage Response & Hazard Mitigation (HSAIADAG), Lot Clearing, Land Clearing & Brush Removal (HSAIADAH)

Keywords

• Tree removal services
• Stump grinding
• Tree maintenance
• Tower hire
• Equipment hire

Headquarters

HQ city

California Gully (Bendigo)

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tree Services: Tree maintenance, tree removal, stump grinding, pruning, tree surgery, palm-tree transplanting, rope and harness climbing, tree consultancy, SEC easement clearing. Both one-time services and ongoing maintenance contracts.
2. Equipment and Tower Hire: Hire of travel towers (13m to 24m boom heights), backhoes, bobcats, wood chippers, excavators, bogie tippers, stump grinders. Equipment rental on a per-use basis.
3. Mulch Sales: Sale of mulch produced from tree maintenance operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hickman's provides professional arboricultural services including tree pruning, tree removal, stump grinding, and palm-tree transplanting for residential, commercial, and government clients in Bendigo and central Victoria. The company also operates an equipment hire business offering travel towers (13m to 24m boom heights), bobcats, backhoes, wood chippers, excavators, bogie tippers, and stump grinders for rental. Additional offerings include mulch sales produced from tree maintenance operations and 24-hour emergency response for storm, fire, and flood damage.

Product overview

Hickman's Tree Maintenance & Tower Hire is a tree services company offering a unified portfolio of arboricultural services and equipment hire. The core service offerings consist of Tree Maintenance Services (pruning, trimming, surgery, consultancy), Tree Removal Services (including 24-hour emergency response), and Stump Grinding Services. These services are complemented by an Equipment Hire Fleet (bobcats, backhoes, excavators, wood chippers, bogie tippers) and Travel Tower Hire with five tower sizes ranging from 13 to 24 metres. A specialized Environmental Tree Removal service using a rotary axe attachment handles land clearing and weed removal. The company operates as the preferred council contractor in central Victoria, serving Bendigo and surrounding areas including Axedale, Castlemaine, Echuca, Kyneton, and Maryborough.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tree Maintenance Services Professional arboricultural services including tree pruning, trimming, tree surgery, rope harnessing and climbing, tree consultancy, and palm-tree transplanting. Hickman's operates as the preferred council contractor for tree maintenance in central Victoria and Bendigo districts, serving residential, commercial, and government clients.
• Tree Removal Services Complete tree removal services for residential and commercial clients, handling jobs ranging from single trees to 500 trees. Services include 24-hour emergency tree and branch removal for storms, fires, and floods, with equipment available for towers up to 24-metre boom heights.
• Stump Grinding Services Stump removal and grinding services to create smooth, flat, and safe surfaces post-tree removal. The company operates one of the largest towable stump grinders on the market plus two regular-sized stump grinding machines, with over 34 years of stump grinding experience.
• Travel Tower Hire Mobile elevated work platform hire featuring five tower sizes: 24-metre boom height, 19-metre boom height, 17-metre telescopic flyboom, 15-metre boom height, and 13-metre telescopic boom tower. Serves Maryborough, Castlemaine, Echuca, Shepparton, Heathcote, Clunes, and Talbot areas.
• Equipment Hire Fleet Comprehensive heavy equipment rental including three 15-inch capacity wood chippers with Hyn winches plus smaller chippers, two bobcats with enclosed cabs, log grabs, four-in-one buckets, and stump grinding attachments, JCB four-wheel drive backhoe with four-in-one front bucket, 14-tonne excavator for stump removal and earthworks, and 10-metre bogie tipper.
• Environmental Tree Removal (Rotary Axe) Specialized land clearing service using the rotary axe 'tree mower' attachment, a bobcat-mounted rotating axe that chops through and removes stubborn ground trees, blackberry bushes, and woody weeds. Designed for easement clearing and environmental weed removal.

Quantifiable outcome

• 34+ years of stump grinding experience

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Active Tree Services: National Australian arborist and vegetation management company offering tree removal, pruning, stump grinding, and equipment-based land clearing. Directly comparable to Hickman's in core service mix, with a broader geographic footprint across multiple states.
• Allround Tree Services: Australian arborist company providing tree removal, pruning, and stump grinding services with similar equipment-based delivery. Closely comparable in service scope, customer mix, and operational model.
• Arbor Operations: Specialist arborist company offering tree removal, pruning, stump grinding, and consulting across Australian markets. Comparable in service breadth and equipment-based delivery, with overlap in council and commercial contracts.
• Spot On Tree Services: Australian tree removal and arborist services provider operating with similar equipment (bobcats, chippers, stump grinders) and residential/commercial customer base. Direct comparator on service mix and regional operating model.

Broad incumbents

• Jim's Tree Services: Franchise-based tree services brand operating nationally through Jim's Group. Comparable in service offering (tree removal, pruning, stump grinding) but competes through a franchise model rather than owner-operator depth, and serves residential customers across all of Australia.

Regional players

• Melbourne Tree Removal: Metropolitan Melbourne-based tree services company focused on residential and commercial tree removal, pruning, and stump grinding. Comparable service offering to Hickman's but operates primarily in the Melbourne metro area rather than regional Victoria.
• Eastern Tree Services: Victorian-based arborist offering tree removal, pruning, and emergency response across eastern Melbourne and surrounding regions. Comparable service offering with regional rather than central Victorian coverage.
• Bayside Tree Services: Melbourne bayside-area arborist providing removal, pruning, stump grinding, and emergency storm response. Comparable service catalog to Hickman's but focused on a different Melbourne sub-market rather than regional Victoria.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hickman's