Contract Climbers: Show us your T...

Flex Abednego said:
View attachment 31548 View attachment 31549 contract climbing is sounding like an option i might be interested in. we have several tree services in my area but i can't really afford to show up for $20 hr. i think i might email these pics to companies in the area and offer my service as a contract climber. the last couple weeks i have watched a few hrs of work from a couple different services and suddenly don't consider myself as slow as i had previously believed. anyone here in california know what i need to be legit? i have a mil in liability what else would i need ?
Click to expand...
I think I like your cant hook. Maybe I'm behind the times--it looks very "modern".
 
rawtree said:
All the pics were from the 2009 Augsburg Conference. Going by your avatar it looks like you might have been working with me and Kay on the Hemer helicopter job. The most amazing tree job I've ever participated in in my 39 year career. We need to start a thread just for the pics from that job. Do I know you?



View attachment 31534 View attachment 31535
Click to expand...

Bob, was that the year I saw you there? Everything was all on German then and I walk outside and not only do I hear English but I hear a familiar voice that I hadn't heard in years! What a cool surprise and then to hear some of the stories that I remembered as well. Good stuff.

I'll have to dig up some cool trucks from Italy or Norway. The best contact vehicles I've seen are all in Europe. And they move fast too! Mercedes, BMW, ...
 
Tree service ala tool box
9620c7f08a7415e3980aba99863a29da.jpg
2237fb9bfea69a3668e5a9ca6b72d5e0.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Srt gear. Primary rigging bag with xrings, porty, rope, climbing gear, special rigging gear bag with extra slings blocks, balancers, extra ppe chaps, 3 saws, multiple extra chains, saw tools, gaff sharpening kit, 2 pair of boots, rain gear and a bunch of other goodies. It's full to the brim with no room to spare. Oh yeah. One crappy rope for natural crouching. And 2 climbing lines.
 
RyanCafferky said:
Just get a Sprinter van and ditch the trailer. My van can carry a ton of gear in an organized dry space and I still get almost 25 mpg.
Click to expand...

Hey, Ryan! I love the idea of the Sprinter van. It seems like there are a bunch of different versions, somehow from different manufacturers. Is yours the Dodge version, I think it is? I was wondering how long you've had it, and how well it seems to be holding up, mechanically speaking. Thanks for any answer you choose to give.

Tim
 
TimBr said:
Hey, Ryan! I love the idea of the Sprinter van. It seems like there are a bunch of different versions, somehow from different manufacturers. Is yours the Dodge version, I think it is? I was wondering how long you've had it, and how well it seems to be holding up, mechanically speaking. Thanks for any answer you choose to give.

Tim
Click to expand...

Tim-

Mine is a 2006 Dodge Sprinter. All Sprinters from that era were made in Germany, shipped over here in pieces, and assembled to avoid import taxes. They are fantastic with reliability but when stuff goes wrong it can be expensive and not just any mechanic can work on them. I just filled up today and on my last tank of fuel I got over 23 mpg. That is after a lot of driving with the AC cranked and my van completely loaded with all my climbing, rigging, and cutting gear. I could improve the fuel economy by taking off my lumber rack, but I like its versatility.

I've been driving Sprinters since 2007. My last one I sold to a friend and it is still going strong. I would recommend looking very closely for rust issues and read the Sprinter forum for learning about the advantages and disadvantages of the different model years.

It is nice having a rolling gear room, changing room, break space, and the option to sleep in the vehicle as well.

Feel free to ask any other questions.

Ryan

Sent from my Motorola Electrify using Tapatalk 2
 
Last edited:
RyanCafferky said:
Tim-

Mine is a 2006 Dodge Sprinter. All Sprinters from that era were made in Germany, shipped over here in pieces, and assembled to avoid import taxes. They are fantastic with reliability but when stuff goes wrong it can be expensive and not just any mechanic can work on them. I just filled up today and on my last tank of fuel I got over 23 mpg. That is after a lot of driving with the AC cranked and my van completely loaded with all my climbing, rigging, and cutting gear. I could improve the fuel economy by taking off my lumber rack, but I like its versatility.

I've been driving Sprinters since 2007. My last one I sold to a friend and it is still going strong. I would recommend looking very closely for rust issues and read the Sprinter forum for learning about the advantages and disadvantages of the different model years.

It is nice having a rolling gear room, changing room, break space, and the option to sleep in the vehicle as well.

Feel free to ask any other questions.

Ryan

Sent from my Motorola Electrify using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...

Ryan, thanks so much for the great response. Right now the only other question I have is what height Sprinter do you choose to go with and why? I know they have some in which the ceiling is tall enough to accomodate a six foot tall person without forcing them to constantly bend over at the waist. I'm wondering whether or not that was a big amount of the appeal of the Sprinter when you decided to buy it. Thanks in advance.

Tim
 
frashdog said:
We have two of them, use them all the time.
We have not bent one yet, just the hooks.
We snapped three wooden ones before these.
Click to expand...
Recently bent one of them. Of the two we have, it was the longer one. Maybe a few inches of too much more available leverage. Though I'll be proud to bring it back to the store where they bragged about how awesome they were. We also sharpened the hooks, now they hook soooo much easier.
 
After the Great Recession cut my engineering job back significantly I started working as a contract climber. But having sold my pickup, I was forced to work out of the trunk of my car, with towels over the seats to keep it clean.

My advice: If you want to be taken seriously as a climber, don't show up to a job in a BMW 3 series! The looks I got were priceless
 
Tim-

I have the 140" wheelbase with the regular celling height. If I had it to do over again, I would've bought the tall version, but the shorter one is nice too. Even being 5" 10", I don't really have to bend that much to move around inside. Sprinters are tall so you have to be careful not to hit tree branches and things like that. With the tall version, it is even worse.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New threads New posts

Back
Top Bottom