got my first contract climb

Maui Palm & Tree Care

Maui Palm & Tree Care

Location
Pukalani, Hawaii
got a call today from a company called marry's tree service. their climber is on vacation so he called me up and asked to finish a eucalyptus robusta same type of tree as in my pic. i need some tips on working for another crew and especially one that speaks broken english. any pointers?
 
be yourself. get the job done with the tools you have, don't gripe about their equipment. be safe and make money. do everything that you would normally do, don't do what the last guy did or the regular guy or how they would do it.
 
Great advice Jeff. Some of my longest relationships have been formed like that and in your case Josh, you'll want to keep that moving forward so the other companies will want you to stand in also...and that may be your opportunity to bring the upgrades you'd like to see. Anyway, I'd suggest you hit big on the non-verbal communication and climb from your heart. We all know you do anyway. Go get 'em. KMS
 
Establish your signals with the exact guys you'll be signaling BEFORE you go up, same for how and what you'll be wanting tied on. Make sure the guys on the ground know what you're gonna do before you do it. Wear your PPE regardless of what the others do. Behave like a pro, start to finish.

Aside from a couple of jacklegs trying to get me to lower my standards of tree care, the biggest problem I ever had was communication with non-English speaking ground help.

Make sure you get paid at the end of the day...no waiting on payroll, you aren't an employee.

Make sure the groundies get the rope off the work as soon as it hits the ground. I've lost two practically new ropes to fast working groundies with chainsaws.
 
Prior to doing any work I would get copies of their Workers Comp, General Liability insurance, and a signed Contract fully explaining what they expect of you and what you expect of them. A copy of their Safety Manual may also help with your interactions with their crew as SOP's should be laid out nicely in it.

While I'm sure you have a good personal relationship with the owner of the Contracting company, its amazing how quickly things can turn bad if anything goes wrong.
 
Get to the work-site early, before anyone else shows up. Get your gear organised, saws fueled ect so you are ready to go when the others arrive.

Explain how and what you are going to do, whether and what kind of assistance you might need, and which individual you'd prefer to help when the time comes.
Determining the work-plan before you start makes a huge difference, especially when working with strangers.

Watch everyone like a hawk throughout the day Josh. Never assume everyone is on the same wave length.

Best of luck.
 
i hate working with other peoples ground guys. i usually try to persuade the company im working for to allow me to preview the job and if its difficult ill try to bring my own groundie. Once you get established you can pick and choose who you work for. When i first started out I was desparate for money and worked for alot of questionable companies. Make sure you teach the groundie one easy knot that can function for several things. I find that the more you try to teach they wont learn anything.
 
yeah, like Huff said
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Joshua-
I think Reg's advice is the best overall given. I just did 5 days for a company on Oahu over vacation and had a very good experience. The ground guys were skilled and we worked well together.

I think showing up on time and being set to go when the crew arrives, with game plan in mind, really shows commitment and is very professional. Work at your pace, though when you put out high production and impress the boss, it often results in job offers
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Good Luck, have fun, be safe!

Simply Arbor
 
Raven-
I grew up in Hawaii, so just called around and let a couple legit companies know that I was a certified arborist with all my own gear and would be available over vacation. Being around christmas, lots of companies seem to lose a climber to vacation, so its the perfect opportunity to get a few days in...

In the broader scale of contracting, having certain abilities such as tackling gnarly removals or doing high end pruning, you can market yourself to specific companies based on their needs.
 
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