Contract climber diaries

Stihlmadd said:
G'day CutHighnLetFly,
I will waffle on a wee bit but lets bear in mind what may apply here in Oz doesn't carry across the pacific.
as a sub contractor I am required at a corporate / government level of contract to have full arb qualifications, my own public liability insurance my own illness/death
my own vehicle insurance and my own health insurance,
have a senior first aid certificate and high risk work licence .
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:D

I have a EWP (elevated work platform) above 100 meters ticket as well as rigging and other qualifications allowing me to do crane work.
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We can only wish the arb industry was professionalized to any such standards here in the states.
 
So leading into this contract climbing endeavor, I had to leave my full time job or work part time. I went into the convo with my boss wanting to work part time but I wasn't sure how to go about wording it.
What I ended up saying was that although he was providing an excellent job (debatable), I was not satisfied and wanted more. Contract climbing and working for myself is what I've wanted to do and im going to start now. I didn't want to confuse this feeling for thinking my job, employer, or Co workers were making me unhappy, or have my attitude affect others.
He understood, how could he not. He started out with the same mindset. He took it pretty well, so now im pedal to the metal .

To anyone on the fence like I was, DO IT!
 
In a seperate note, I've noticed a good response from people who have spider lifts....
They bought one cause they don't have a good climber!
Landscape companies respond with more interest when you sell the idea that you and a ground man you bring it will be able to achieve a lot running all the aerial work and rigging. They don't really want their guys too involved with that stuff.
Are these things other people have found true as well?
 
I made the move about a week ago and the guy who is using me the most used to use a lot of lifts, and now he uses a me. Which is faster, and cheaper for him. So instead of hiring lacky ground men he can do the ground work and let me destroy trees, or prune them nicely whatever the job entails.
 
Decided that Facebook would be a good way to answers people's questions before they ask. For example, I know from talking to people they want to know if I'm some yahoo that can get into a tree while having a chainsaw attached to him, or if I can actually work safely and efficiently.
What I decided I would do was show before and after pictures of pruning, videos of me climbing and rigging, and explanations of my climbing systems and rigging hardware.
It helps as well for me cuz some people don't have websites yet they have Facebook pages. It give me something to look at to get an idea of who they are and if I wanna work with them.
 
So made a Facebook in my wife's name (I know, I tell her all the time what a great catch I was) and holy hell it's not what I thought. I have no idea how to get my page across to other businesses, not just "friends". We'll see, seems like an idea that was better in my mind than in reality.
Anyone ask people for deposits when they try to book you for several days straight for one project incase it falls thru?
 
I charge for travel. Usually an hour for in the city and two for outside. It adds a little buffer on the shorter days or if you're jumping from job to job. I usually pay my subs an hour travel as well.
 
So this has been pretty fun, I gotta say. I've met some really solid people pretty quickly.
It's funny to me, around here (and I sense probably everywhere) that tree guys are weary of other tree guys. I feel like it's not till people meet me and talk in person that they totally trust what im saying and my value.
I ran into an issue that I'm trying to find out the laws on. One company uses myself and a friend of mine working as a sub as his company tree crew. We run his chip truck and chipper. The truck says 23000lbs gvw but it's a roughly 6x12x8 box (H,L,W) and it goes his 18" woodsman single axle chipper. Loaded down, I KNOW I'm over weight, tell me I'm wrong. I don't have my class b, I'm not his employee, I'm not on the insurance policy to drive his trucks. Theres a lot of things I feel like are potentially big problem for me and him with me driving his truck. If he wants to turn a blind eye to the weight, that should be his problem, not mine. But they're actually a really good company so I think it won't be at all a problem

I started working with a guy who I grew up in town with who's been doing tree work since he was about 14 with his dad. Hell of a rope guy and can run the ground operations like a general. He has a day rate, I have a day rate, and we hammer work out. It's fantastic. And after one job of seeing the production level vs me and complete green horns below me, the benefit is obvious. $700 for the two of us, we operate as seperate sub contractors. He's been climbing with just two lanyards for years, no climbing line. I got hit going on a hitch climber and pulley and he's been bit by the bug. He'll be a beast in not time. the idea is for him and I to handle the work load of anyone who wants to use a subcontractor so that people aren't turned away from either one of us because of back log. Keeps business close.

I've met a couple tree company owners that operate with no employees. They just take on what they can do alone and are done trying to find good help. They are both good Arborist and have excellent reputations. They would use my friend and I whenever we have available.

There are really neat people out there that good to work with, just gotta take the time to go meet them.
 
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I contacted my ins agent a couple weeks ago for this very reason. Contractor has been driving my second truck to a lot of jobs so we have the dump trailer and mini. She stated that the commercial auto ins I have is permissive. So as long as he has my permission he is covered. Now the DOT regs are a different story with driver lists, time cards, physical cards and recording keeping.
As for over weight and other moving type violations, that's on the license (driver) I believe. Be careful!
 
I believe any obvious things like over weight, blown lights, tags, unsecured load, or anything that can be a hazard is the driver's responsibility. These all vary from state to state ....
 
@CutHighnLetFly
About the truck weight. Is the gross weight your referring to just a decal on the outside of the door or is it the data plate in the jam. If it's 23k I'm guessing it's an older truck like a late 80's or something? Anyway stop at a truck stop and run it over a scale, both empty and loaded so you know where you're at. I bet your close or just over but I'd bet your not over by much.
 
Times are changing people. Around here anyway, the market is flooded with people who provide tree services. To start a tree company that separates itself from the masses would be a difficult thing. There's the good the bad and the ugly, and a lot of each.
BUT they all lack a quality field arborist. Well not all, that's definitely not true. But a skilled climber who can assess a tree, prune it, or efficiently deal with the tougher removals. You know, the ol' "if I can't drive my bucket up to it, I cut a road to it!" Or rent a painters lift and call everything collateral damage.
Why compete for jobs against all these people? Why try to find the best one and please my case for a high hrly wage, only to be constantly"encourages" to finish the big jobs faster (less he's meaning less money for me) so i can try to squeeze another job in before i can go home but please make it fast. F THAT NOISE.
I'm all set with selling tree work to people who call me and 3 other people to get a quote. A lot of competition, and a lot of work before getting the job. I now sell my abilities as an Arborist to companies who needy skills to complete their jobs. WAY LESS competition, minimal work to get the jobs, and I TELL them what I WANT to be paid. No pleaded, proving, or compromising for an hrly wage.
Everyone asks me "when are ya gunna buy a chippa?" They don't get it. I'm not. My next plan is to get a trailer and gunna set up a rig for PHC. Not alot of people do it, and a lot of Landscape companies wish they had it but don't have the knowledge or personel they need.
I see opportunity!
 
CutHighnLetFly said:
Times are changing people. Around here anyway, the market is flooded with people who provide tree services. To start a tree company that separates itself from the masses would be a difficult thing. There's the good the bad and the ugly, and a lot of each.
BUT they all lack a quality field arborist. Well not all, that's definitely not true. But a skilled climber who can assess a tree, prune it, or efficiently deal with the tougher removals. You know, the ol' "if I can't drive my bucket up to it, I cut a road to it!" Or rent a painters lift and call everything collateral damage.
Why compete for jobs against all these people? Why try to find the best one and please my case for a high hrly wage, only to be constantly"encourages" to finish the big jobs faster (less he's meaning less money for me) so i can try to squeeze another job in before i can go home but please make it fast. F THAT NOISE.
I'm all set with selling tree work to people who call me and 3 other people to get a quote. A lot of competition, and a lot of work before getting the job. I now sell my abilities as an Arborist to companies who needy skills to complete their jobs. WAY LESS competition, minimal work to get the jobs, and I TELL them what I WANT to be paid. No pleaded, proving, or compromising for an hrly wage.
Everyone asks me "when are ya gunna buy a chippa?" They don't get it. I'm not. My next plan is to get a trailer and gunna set up a rig for PHC. Not alot of people do it, and a lot of Landscape companies wish they had it but don't have the knowledge or personel they need.
I see opportunity!
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Nicely posted dude. Go on get em!
 
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