Did you ever contract climb for somebody who is kind of a hack?

fastbub

fastbub

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Have you guys ever contract climbed for somebody who is a hack? This small local company wants me to do a couple of technical (for him) removals. They are pretty easy for me. Nothing sketchy.

Is it bad for my small business to do work for a guy like this? He has insurance, a state license number so is sort of legit but he has some pretty haggard equipment, a part time ground guy who has a past felony and climbs spur only even when pruning. He doesn't know what a port a wrap is.

I talked him up to a reasonable hourly rate but the whole situation kind of gives me a bad feeling.

On the other hand he seemed nice and I almost feel bad for him. My ground guy says f-that. I don't need to be a social worker. Maybe he is right?

What are your experiences?
 
Man I do it almost every day. I disagree with the majority of the work practices and demands of the boss. I have given up on making a difference with this group. I do the best I can and hope it rubs off on somebody. Unfortunately the money is rite and I just look at it like, if I can look in the mirror at the end of the day and not be ashamed of myself, it's ok. Having said that, if your gut tells you its bad news and gonna hurt your biz then listen. On the flip side, maybe they will take something away from you to improve themselves. Show them how it should be done and maybe that will light a fire for them. Oh yeah, turn your shirts inside out and either park your trucks down the street or throw a sheet over your signage.
 
Thanks for the response Steve. I would not be ashamed of the work I would be doing. It is just removals. I wouldn't prune for this guy, that is for sure.
I would have to teach him to use a port a wrap though. He just wants to do wraps on the tree.
 
I'd say do it. Money's money and isn't the whole point of contract climbing doing work for companies who aren't capable of doing it themselves? And removals are a little different. There's no finished product per se to advertise the work done.

Just be sure you're happy with the rate he's paying you. No point selling yourself short.
 
rockettree said:
Pass on it if you can afford to.
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I can definitely afford to pass on it. This was really my first time dabbling in contract climbing. This guy is local to me and was looking for a climber to hire. (Part time of course) so,I called him and told him if he needed someone to fill in I could do it as a contractor and I have all my own gear and insurance. I can get them down safely and he can do the rest. He liked the idea, I just didn't know what type of operation I was walking into until today.

I figured it was just something else I could do with my part time business as I try to transition to full time. I don't have enough steady work yet to go on my own full time so I thought this my fill in some of those gaps and help out other companies that need an extra climber here or there.

Maybe I should contact some more companies?
 
If he can't do it maybe he'd refer work like that to you in the future. Show him what you got so he feels his clients will be well cared for and then ask him to pass it your way. Worth a shot and might help you build your biz more so than working for a wage.
 
I'm in the exact same situation as you at the moment and about to begin dabbling into contract climbing to escape my current gig. My only experiences with it in the past have been bad. Hacks much like your describing. I've even had a guy try to pay me in pills. Later I found out that same guy lost his leg to a stump grinder and then lost the prosthetic to a chipper. I try to stay away from anyone who gives me a bad gut feeling. I just found a reputable company sorta local that has agreed to be able to provide one job a week spring into summer doing both pruning and removals that I'm going to try in the spring. That might just be enough combined with my own part time gig to get away from my current employer. I wish ya luck dude
 
Started with an 80 year old guy who's been doing tree work for over 50 years. The original "adirondack tree surgeon". He used a walker on site. He manned the chipper bar. We once seen him get smacked in the face with a branch, rolling down the windows as he almost broke a hip. He did eventually break a hip and end up...rip John Whitney. I love angry old guys. My grandpa taught me some kinda respect for that. Not many folk got any thing on that. I'm gonna be one some day.
Yea...dude did not give a shit and had enough with customers. Digressed to being a hack cause most folks just don't know any better. Gotta make a buck the way you know right? So here we are blessed with the knowledge and experience of what a hack even is. Hmmmm???
 
i climb for a company from time to time who are not arborists, they just cut trees. kind of hack i guess. but they spoil me as a climber. they have cheap help, the main ground guy is their climber. he just uses two lanyards and not a lot of rigging, so they call me in from time to time. he can run ropes real good, cuts the pieces up quick, and then his two guys get rid of it quick. if youre a man of many words like myself, you can talk people thru being your groundman, just takes some communication.
and its just removals, so like boomslang said, its a stump when your all done. as long as theirs not a bunch of broken shit and obvious destruction around the stump, it all looks the same however it came down.
if you own your own business, would you and these guys your climbing for bid on the same jobs? if theyre "hacks" and only bid removals, do you do a lot of pruning? maybe its not like your bettering the reputation of a competitor if he gets called by people looking for a deal and you get calls by people looking for an arborist.

but im all about them dead presidents!
 
Well the update is that we are going to knock it out tomorrow afternoon. He agreed to pay for me to bring my ground guy who can show him how to use some of the newer gear. So like I said in the original post, he seems like a nice guy, just old school and struggling a bit. I like the idea of being able to show him some newer techniques and maybe he can sell some spurless pruning in the future!
 
I did a pile of work for the competition in my earlier days. Great guy. Just underexposed to industry standards. Kind of a hack. That was 5 or 6 years ago. Now he is running top notch equipment, makes good cuts, climbs srt etc.
I am doing very little tree work these days, and have no hesitation giving out his number when folks call me for work.
I say do the work, pass on the sacred knowledge. It brings the industry forwards. Yes, it may be helping the competition, but I feel strongly that it is the right thing to do.
 
I definitely contracted with some sketchy operations. Guys where only 1/2 hour into the job I was thinking "the next time they call, I'm gonna be busy." Not hacks in the tree sense (topping) but just clueless, dangerous tree guys. I was doing a large tulip removal for one guy, called for a block and they sent me a horribly mangled little 3" accessory pulley. "But that's what we always use!" Yeah, I can see that. Sent them to my Jeep to get a real block, and the strangeness of it actually made them nervous.
Fastbub, as long as you can stay safe and not leave your name on a tree hack job, I say go for it! It sounds great that he's willing to pay for your ground guy too. I'm sure the 2 of you will impress him with how fast and easily you get the tree down with all your high tech gear and 21st century techniques. You'll either wind up getting a bunch more work from him, or open his eyes to a better/safer way, or both. Win-win!
 
Thanks for all the replies. I did the removal for this guy today. Pretty technical removal over a structure. The guy was there working with his son. My ground guy showed him how to use the port a wrap. He was impressed with how fast we were able to smash this thing down with no damage. I think it was an eye opener for him and his son and showed them that there is more to it than what they were familiar with. Nice guys and hard workers. I think they were happy to have the help and learn some new stuff. They probably got in over their head a little bit on this one. I didn't make the rate I usually do,but,I don't regret it either.
 
fastbub said:
Thanks for all the replies. I did the removal for this guy today. Pretty technical removal over a structure. The guy was there working with his son. My ground guy showed him how to use the port a wrap. He was impressed with how fast we were able to smash this thing down with no damage. I think it was an eye opener for him and his son and showed them that there is more to it than what they were familiar with. Nice guys and hard workers. I think they were happy to have the help and learn some new stuff. They probably got in over their head a little bit on this one. I didn't make the rate I usually do,but,I don't regret it either.
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That attitude will get you far my friend!
Not many want to hear about it, seeing it can be a mind opener.
 
paul phalloides said:
I'm in the exact same situation as you at the moment and about to begin dabbling into contract climbing to escape my current gig. My only experiences with it in the past have been bad. Hacks much like your describing. I've even had a guy try to pay me in pills. Later I found out that same guy lost his leg to a stump grinder and then lost the prosthetic to a chipper. I try to stay away from anyone who gives me a bad gut feeling. I just found a reputable company sorta local that has agreed to be able to provide one job a week spring into summer doing both pruning and removals that I'm going to try in the spring. That might just be enough combined with my own part time gig to get away from my current employer. I wish ya luck dude
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As long as you don't smash anything there really is nothing to lose from doing it. Make hay when you can. He will probably refer you down the road. I help a few "hacks" around locally. We just agree to use my stuff and do it my way.
 
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