Not dead, yet!

[JeffGu]

Well, my buddy and I ain't in the best shape for it. Too old for this, need to drop some weight and get in better shape. But, we have some trees to take out this year, so we thought we'd start with an ash tree that storms had already partly dismantled for us.

Started at 11:00 AM and were loading the firewood up at 2:00 PM which isn't too shabby for a 58 and 48 year old crew of two. Didn't kill us, I didn't fall out of the tree and I've got a bunch of good firewood. We thought we'd take out the bigger ash tree tomorrow. Then decided we'd skip a day for recovery time...

 

[Daniel]

loading wood by hand is hard work. I wouldn;t be in the business without a loader these days...

 

[JeffGu]

Oh, I agree.. today, I'm more stiff and sore from loading the wood than from the climb, judging by where it hurts. But, I don't do it day in and day out, so I can't justify the cost of such equipment. If I were younger and just starting out in the tree business as a sole occupation, I'd take out a loan and buy a loader, stump grinder, chipper and truck and maybe a spider lift or bucket truck. I'd also move to someplace with a high enough population and enough work to pay it all off fast.

 

[Gorman]

At least you didn't have to lump those big pieces in the back of a truck.

 

[JeffGu]

Nope, the little trailer will only handle about 800 lbs. or so, but it's low to the ground and has a ramp. It's ok for small jobs and hauling firewood around in it. Might get a little bigger one this summer.

 

[kstreehuggerco]

Dont fret to much Jeff. I had two new groundies yesterday, both in their twenties, and the big spruce I took down in a back yard kicked their butts. It was a bit of a drag, but hey, welcome to the wonderful world of tree work.

 

[JeffGu]

I haven't been doing much of this for quite a long time until last year. Almost 20 year layoff. Got back into it mostly just to deal with some trees on a property we own in a nearby town. I'd forgotten how much I actually enjoyed doing it. Also, though, forgot how hard the work can get, but in I'm actually having a good time with it. I need the excercise, and you certainly get some of that. On the plus side, there's all this new gear that we simply didn't have back in the day. Better ways of doing things, refined equipment and techniques. Keeps things interesting.

...the big spruce I took down in a back yard kicked their butts...

Ack! Those things are like like rolling around in a nest of porcupines!

 

[kstreehuggerco]

Ack! Those things are like like rolling around in a nest of porcupines!

Icky Sticky 80 ft tall porcupines that double as Christas trees. The new guy had it easy today. We took down a medium sized silver maple and the firewood guy came and got all the wood. I didnt need to rig it up, but it was training day for the newb. I am now confident that he can run ropes on a porty.