Tips on getting started with crane work

Some solid advice here, thanks all.

We are looking into contract climbers but have an opportunity to sub in with another local company on a massive crane job, both me and my brother on the ground. Not sure what to ask for on a rate. Anybody care to comment on what your rate might be for such a situation? Two guys, no equipment. Sorry if that’s too personal haha.
 
Lupin_IV said:
Some solid advice here, thanks all.

We are looking into contract climbers but have an opportunity to sub in with another local company on a massive crane job, both me and my brother on the ground. Not sure what to ask for on a rate. Anybody care to comment on what your rate might be for such a situation? Two guys, no equipment. Sorry if that’s too personal haha.
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That would have to depend on experience level and insurance status, not to mention what rates are in your area. Insured climber day rates in this region are $300 on the low side and $500 on the high side.
 
I had the chance to work ground for a couple crane jobs recently with a great crew. It rocked my socks.

a massive old beech with a crisp top, the base of the tree wrapped around the house brick foundation corner, 4' wide trunk only inches from the shingles on a street corner. Wires all over, (Newport, R.I.) two streets involved, police detail.. it was a marvelous introduction. Did a prune before going there, at 11am there was still most of a whole tree, branches way over the roof.... yet it all came down and went away. Amazing to see the balance and coordination between cutter and operator. with relatively simple tools, the lift and crane.
I am glad to see and realize the potential, as in a case like this, it turned an impossible situation into one that was clean, efficient, and safe. No damage.

Like a lot of tree work, a good start is just watching the show. Highly recommend working with some experienced crew.
 
I've worked with about 10 different operators give or take over the course of 9 years. Climbed strictly crane (45t, 50t, 100t) for my first 5 years.

Getting your Climber and Crane Op on the same page is key. That key is efficiency. For crane ops it's using your numbers over and over again (length, rotation, distance, height, and weight) Especially when working single stemmed trees. Large Oak/Maple/Beech/Locust canopies differ as the climber is constantly limb walking to cutting zones and getting retrieved in different places, but its good to note the numbers while picking up the climber at trunk of tree.

As for the climbers, understanding what will fit in your drop zone and what will not is crucial all while keeping your weight margins in check. Going big is rarely efficient. Waiting in the tree for 15 minutes while the ground processes is not efficient. Finding that sweet spot is what it's all about. Lastly my biggest takeaway has been communication. Communicate Communicate Communicate. Tell them what's going on every step of the way, take over that fucking microphone.

Re: Video - Wondering why the didn't try and stand it up to gain scale with a notch on the top side and a slow shelved undercut?
 
OasisTree said:
Even watching crane work 1 or 2 days will really open your eyes as to what you can do with a crane. Invest in communication headsets, and work with good weight margins. The most challenging part of cane work is estimating weights. The second most challenging is the reverse rigging, and making your cuts to work with the rigging. A good crane operator that knows trees can significantly reduce time on site. Also, we have found that crane work paired with a lift can be done in about half the time of crane work with a climber.
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Where would you say the major time saving comes from when using a lift vs. a climber?
 
bigredviking said:
Where would you say the major time saving comes from when using a lift vs. a climber?
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Moving around. If you’re referring to crane work, the guy in the lift can set rigging before the crane gets there, just hook it to the ball and swing down to cut. That time savings alone saves a tremendous amount of time if the crew knows what they’re doing, and can keep the ground crew well buried in brush.
 
OasisTree said:
Ive never heard of that...sounds like a hazard. What does the climber do when he gets done rigging? Does he go out with the piece?
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Repels to the ground before the cut. I've done this some.
It's faster and the guy cutting only has to climb from cut to cut. He can get positioned and ready to cut while the other climber sets the sling, repels, and retrieves the rope from the crane.
 
OasisTree said:
Ive never heard of that...sounds like a hazard. What does the climber do when he gets done rigging? Does he go out with the piece?
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We have done that, especially on trees with real long laterals. Rigger sets the slings and bombs out, so the cutter can make the cut, then the rigger jumps back on the ball on the ground.

With the lift, one guy can do both jobs just as fast, or maybe even faster.
 
Reach said:
We have done that, especially on trees with real long laterals. Rigger sets the slings and bombs out, so the cutter can make the cut, then the rigger jumps back on the ball on the ground.

With the lift, one guy can do both jobs just as fast, or maybe even faster.
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That makes sense. The other option is to go up with a number of slings, tie them all, and take the ends to the center. Then the crane operator can just bring his hook to the middle and hook up, and the climber can stay on the trunk. for multiple cuts at a time.
 
OasisTree said:
That makes sense. The other option is to go up with a number of slings, tie them all, and take the ends to the center. Then the crane operator can just bring his hook to the middle and hook up, and the climber can stay on the trunk. for multiple cuts at a time.
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We use two sets of slings with the lift, and we do a lot of smaller, single sling picks because it’s often faster and it results in less processing on the ground, which means a more efficient operation altogether.

That is an interesting idea though, we’ve never tried that. It seems like it would require a lot of slings and would make balanced picks very difficult without a lot of extra setup time.
 
OasisTree said:
Ive never heard of that...sounds like a hazard. What does the climber do when he gets done rigging? Does he go out with the piece?
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I've never worked with a second person in the tree.

If possible, bail to a safe spot within the tree and climb to the next strategic location for rigging if riding the ball is not allowed.

I've always ridden the ball.
 
Some really solid advice here. Something I’d like to add is work to the capabilities of the ground support/equipment. If the ground can’t keep up with what you are sending out, take smaller pieces. Just because you have the capacity, doesn’t make a bottleneck in the “system” worth it. Hanging out and waiting in a tree will fatigue you just as quick as continuously moving.
 
One more thing, don’t just sling and cut. Keep in good comma with the operator and have him adjust as you are cutting, if necessary.
 
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