Looking for advice on becoming a contract climber

ArborArcher

ArborArcher

Location
Denver
I've been in the industry since 2005, and the day rates I see for contract climbers are very attractive so I'm looking into going that route.

I have a decent idea of that goes into it and some pros & cons, but I want to hear any and all advice on the subject to get a clearer picture of what it's really like & what it takes to be a contract climber, how to get started, and how to sustain it.

I'm in the Denver-metro area, if anyone needs a climber in the future, please let me know.
 
Be proficient at all aspects of tree pruning and removal. This is a production based business. Speed, safety, & quality matter. Have your own gear(saws, rigging, etc). Have a good attitude. Be on time. Be a man of your word. Be professional. Communicate effectively. Don't jet once you hit the ground. Help out the groundies, get to know the crews you work with. There are far too many contract climbers out there asking for more than their value. Keep your ego below your skill level. Oh, and be ISA certified. These are the bare minimum requirements as far as I'm concerned.
 
HigherGroundArborist said:
Be prepared to work the sketchiest, most difficult trees every time you’re hired. We only bring in a contract climber for trees that scare the crap out of us…just sayin’.
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I’ll give that one a great big second. Contract climbers rarely do anything that isn’t big, nasty, and challenging. If you can handle doing the hardest stuff out there all the time, contract climbing probably isn’t for you.
 
My suggestion is to not become a contract climber. And this is coming from someone who’s reputation is as a contract climber. Hindsight being 20/20 I would have partnered with a new company as an employee or partial owner or just started my own crew in my home market much earlier.

If you insist on being a contract climber, focus on building your skills, be very clear about price, boundaries around safety and scheduling, and what you will and won’t do to trees.

Charge what you want! Only you can dictate to other people what you think your time is worth. Nobody else can determine that! We live in a capitalist society with a free market. If your calendar is always full, you can charge more until your schedule starts getting light. You and your clients will find that healthy balance. Figuring out approximately what people are charging per employee (not what employees are making) is usually a good place to start.

Don’t be afraid to say no and walk away. Some days things just feel off. If the company you are working for/with can’t provide adequate equipment or personnel that is reason enough to call it off for the day.
 
RyanCafferky said:
My suggestion is to not become a contract climber. And this is coming from someone who’s reputation is as a contract climber. Hindsight being 20/20 I would have partnered with a new company as an employee or partial owner or just started my own crew in my home market much earlier.
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Can you expand on that? Seemed like that was your jam.
 
HigherGroundArborist said:
The contract climber we use charges $1,400/day. That’s well above the National average which I believe is somewhere around $450/day and he is worth every penny because he’s literally doing the hardest, most technical work in our area.
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Holy baloney!

My advice to the OP- don’t dance with the devil, a ghost policy is a terrible idea. If you think you can’t afford full WC, you should just stay an employee with bennies.
 
HigherGroundArborist said:
The contract climber we use charges $1,400/day. That’s well above the National average which I believe is somewhere around $450/day and he is worth every penny because he’s literally doing the hardest, most technical work in our area.
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As seen by this, the market dictates the rate. In my market companies might pay that but they would need to know my pricing before bidding projects and planning on me being there. I’ve basically been trying to price myself out of the contract climbing market but for certain projects when nobody else wants to do it or the budget won’t allow excessive man hours, having someone efficient in the tree (even if they cost a lot) is cheaper than paying a whole crew multiple days.
 
Serf Life said:
Can you expand on that? Seemed like that was your jam.
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Contract climbing was my jam for years but I tired of the commute to Portland. I was spending a minimum of 3 hours a day commuting back and forth between Hood River and Portland. That just became unacceptable to me so I decided to start my own tree service in the Hood River area. None of the companies here would pay me as a contract climber and none would pay enough to make me want to work for them as an employee. My options were: take a job in California on the utility side of things, help run a tree service in Portland (keep commuting), contract climb in Portland (keep commuting), or work in my home market and chase my own work. Doing my own jobs locally has been a huge step up for me when it comes to quality of life. It is more stressful because now I have employees and equipment but I am making good money and building a clientele that values me and will continue to give me all types of work. Not just super gnarly pruning and removals.

All that said, I love contract climbing. If I could do it without a 3 hour commute I would keep doing it part time. There is something so incredibly addicting about showing up and doing the gnarliest thing day after day. Basically you become a superhero and it feeds your ego. But it is hard on the body, hard on the mind, and now at 45 when I do a 2-3 day gnarly job for someone, it takes me a few days to really recover. And during those days where I am kind of dragging ass, it sometimes doesn’t seem financially worth it. But when I’m in the middle of a job like that, it is all I can think about and I absolutely love it. I’m like a junkie that when I’m in the middle of my fix it is awesome. The coming down and withdrawal is a bitch but hit me with another fix and I’m usually good to go.
 
Most contract climbers in my area get into this situation where they are mainly contracting with one company, maybe 3 days a week. And then doing whatever else two days a week. I contract with one person (which, lets be hones, I'm just an I-9 employee at this point) but I am set to open up my own shop late winter. I've called a lot of other small, independent tree companies and never heard back from them.
 
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