Central MA small company looking for sub(s)

Sfoppema

Sfoppema

Branched out member
Location
Central MA
Have enough gear for two crews, but I only run one. I could get a second crew going if I had the proper man power. Work just southeast of Worcester, MA. Could probably kick one or two guys 3 days a week up until Sept-Oct if they wanted it. Wouldn't even necessarily be climbing every day. Also the shit. Same pay, though! Just need some experienced guy(s) working for a day rate. I pay a local climber that I trust $400 a day and he's got quite a bit of experience. Occasionally we have a 6 hour or a 10-12 hour day. Usually its right in the middle. Have mini skid and currently renting/maybe buying avant 528. Experience with a mini skid/mini loader would be a huge plus. PM me. I'm drowning in work.
 
If I'm a climber, worried about carpal tunnel, tendonitis, etc, I'm not raking. Pay me to get 'it' done, and use my other skills to your advantage.

Consider if another groundie would actually speed stuff up, and if a competent climber is a competent client-interface person, they can be pre-viewing work to be bid by the salesperson (you?? or them or dedicated salesperson), adding work to the jobs from neighbors, while a groundie works within their pay-grade. Even just an afternoon part-timer who comes in for half a day or more.

Personally, I often need extra help at the latter part of the day. Having someone fresh show up after lunch can be a winner, and avoid 12 hour days that sap the next day's progress.

I, personally, don't usually have time to jump in on a small job for a neighbor when I am not planning for it. When I have the time to add-on for the customer or neighbor, I'm making extra money without mobilization expenses. Just did an easy $600 job for the neighbors, without moving anything. Oh, and they have a monsterous maple that was topped and is about 100' tall and 4'-5' through. Getting the $600 job opens up work at the neighbor's house until I retire.

When you're drowning in work, you're losing opportunities, IF you can find the right person.


At a bid, I spend a lot of time pinning the customer down on the scope of work/ septic location/ goals and objectives, that could be pre-scoped by the climber who is now done climbing, ready for the salesperson to bid quicker. IF this is you, you need to save as much time as possible. A bid-info sheet helped me when I was having someone bid work in my absence (specs on deadwood size, equipment needed, utility locations, material processing needed, etc).

I don't get how people bid work for others to do, without lots of problems, when it's something beyond removal, grinding, basic tree care.

If I bid a job I'm going to handle later, I have time to tumble the plan around, not showing up to work immediately after getting out of the truck. The climber can work more efficiently with a preview, making less work, same money, IMO.





$0.02




Are you only contracting subs, not hiring employees?
 
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I see your two cents. I am just looking for someone who is a competent all around production tree worker who I can bring in when they have availability. Not looking to hire low or no experience ground personnel. Actually found a guy that has worked out great. Could use more, though.

I see your point about raking.

However, if there is no more climbing to do, and I'm paying a guy 50 an hour, he better pick up a rake and help the crew do what needs doing. It's bad for team moral, and ridiculous, in my opinion. The guy I mostly hire will just stand around and talk on the phone, leisurely putting his gear away while myself and two others do all the clean up. It makes my guys especially annoyed, because they know he's getting paid a lot more, and cutting in on their opportunities to climb/learn/climb the ladder. If they see him on the job, they know they're not doing any climbing or felling. And they know he's not going to drag brush or rake.

It's a ridiculous mentality. I grew up on a farm, just not the way I was brought up.

Still hire him though..... It's an employee's job market.
 
If you're worried about carpel tunnel and tendonitis to a degree that you will refuse to rake, I would suggest finding a way out of the industry Or becoming a crane/logtruck operator. How can you climb a rope just fine, but be worried about raking? Really not trying to sound like an asshole here, I just do not agree with the statement.

I see that I could put a skilled climber's potential to better use doing more important tasks than raking. No doubt. But if there's nothing else to do, but rake. Just F^&*ing rake....
 
Ahh i left mass about 6 months ago and was making 30 an hour. Moved in with my gf in ri and am making 20 now to start will be at 22 soon enough but its not an hour n a half drive only 10 mins away. God i miss mass payrates...thats 4 years tree exp but no cdl
 
Worth noting that the guy who gets 50/hr has his own insurance and uses all his own gear/saws. He's very skilled/experienced, and I'd trust his judgement in pretty much any situation. Known him for a decade. He's not just some random guy
 
Sfoppema said:
Worth noting that the guy who gets 50/hr has his own insurance and uses all his own gear/saws. He's very skilled/experienced, and I'd trust his judgement in pretty much any situation. Known him for a decade. He's not just some random guy
Click to expand...

Ahh i see. I have all my own equipment and my own climbing saw. All top of the line. Ive been studying on and off for the ISA CA cert and plan on getting insurance and advertising for myself online after i get certed. Hopefully my own legit operation within 5 years.

Edit: Some of the science stuff and the latin is a pain to memorize lol
 
Not hard to charge $50 dollars extra for a day job to be able to pay a reasonable wage. How are you going to get someone to bust ass for nothing? I started at $11 per hour and the most I ever got paid was 16/hr to climb, run bucket, fell trees. Going alone with another guy to jobs and getting them done. I thought it was funny, honestly. Was just working for the education. Learned a lot from the guy so it was worth it big time. Soon as I could I got out of there and started on my own.
Swore I'd pay better. At the end of the day, if you can't charge enough to pay guys decent, you're either too greedy, too cheap, or just unrealistic.
 
Yeah that stuff helps. Went to UMass for Commercial Arboriculture/Urban Forestry. Certs are cool, but doesn't make you any good at doing anything. I would bet that over 50% of people with ISA cert are useless in a commercial production setting. Know plenty of them. Good for the resume, though.
Guy I pay 50 doesn't have any certs.....
 
Well when it comes to the science stuff like diagnosing diseases, bugs or w.e it is thats harming the tree and coming up with a plan to fix that is def something u learn from the books. Ur right tho doesnt make u good and anyone can be like eh trees fucked take it down...id rather save em if i can.

I feel like if ur gonna spend money on a website and advertising online without having "certified arborist, licensed and insured" under you business name will get u passed up and ur wasting money.
 
Yeah depends on your region. I guess I say that because I am Mass Certified and I do have "Certified Arborist" on the logo....lol. Even the diseases are hard to learn from books. Guys that are legit either go to legit schooling for it or learn from someone who knows combined with the books. I guess I passed the test without knowing too much about diseases so I think I just get a kick out of people that I know who have the certs, but really aren't actually qualified to make decisions on things that they are the "authority" on. I'm going to start upsetting people if I keep going I think!
 
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