What do you do if the customer don't allow the crane on there driveway?

If your business has evolved to a crane based model, and the client doesn't want a crane, then they're not your client. This is not a cookie cutter industry, and there are all kinds of niches in which companies can ply their particular skills whether climbing, crane, bucket work, MEWP or Tree Mek. Personally, I try to remain the expert when I'm on a job. I'm the guy wearing the hat that's responsible for the safe fulfillment of the assignment and for knowing how to best address the assignment with my particular constellation of resources. If the client won't accept that, then it's not a safe assignment and I'm off to other things.
 
rico said:
Why don't you just climb the thing, like treemen have been doing since the dawn of time. God lord, has this industry really gotten to the point where a bunch of crane spoiled "arborist" don't want to do a job, because they have to actually climb a fucking tree? Sad! Seems that cranes just might be ruining this industry?
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It's not that at all bud, it's called production tree work, that's why we own the big iron, bang out more jobs per day, week, month. Go home after each day not feeling as physically tired. We still have to climb don't get me wrong. You might not have jobs backed up like some of us do. Also I do a lot of storm work, so taking trees off houses it's the only way to do it with a crane.
 
rico said:
It's not about getting soft, it's about losing a skill set. Do you think it's a good thing that a few guys here said they would not do the job if they had to climb it? I sure don't.
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Crane work involves more technical skill set and climbing skills then traditional removals to make things go smooth. I know Mowbrays is out your way, go see if you can work with them for a day with their 200 ton crane. Your perception would change pretty fast. I know your out in the redwoods and cranes wouldn't come into the equation much but for some of us it's the way we roll. It's like us telling you your soft because you use a skidder to move would. Right?
 
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deevo said:
Crane work involves more technical skill set and climbing skills then traditional removals to make things go smooth. I know Mowbrays is out your way, go see if you can work with them for a day with their 200 ton crane. Your perception would change pretty fast. I know your out in the redwoods and cranes wouldn't come into the equation much but for some of us it's the way we roll. It's like us telling you your soft because you use a skidder to move would. Right?
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Deevo u took my words with the skidder part, Lol. Rico i didn't mean for this to get where its at now! We're all grown/capable men. Climbing and cutting it down wasn't at all an issue! It was actually a walk in a park as far as cutting it down even though it was over the house and pool. However the drop zone 75% of the time was down into the back yard which was a valley that a mini skid or loader would not climb back up if you wanted to take it down there! The cleanup/ retrieval made a 2 hr job 6hrs! So a crane in this particular job only made sense, it would keep the tree out of the valley. Why work harder if you don't have to? If you got the skidder to pull the tree out once felled why not use it! I just purchased my crane this summer and am starting/trying to adapt my work around it.
 
The reason i created the post was i tried giving the job to someone else since it was out of my area. He actually bidded on the job before i was called to look at it. The Homeowner is a freind of the family and told me someone else wanted to use a crane on the job. Well that someone else ends up being the person i was trying to refer to them. HO said there not allowing the crane on the drive so there was no other way but to take it down traditionally. I called and offered my friend the chance to do the job without the crane which he wanted no part of. Me being Mr nice guy gets dragged (by family) into doing the job.
So main point i learned from this job. If the job fits the crane but HO refuses to have it on their driveb Iam walking away..
 
Its about the extra unnecessary ground work. Im paying the guys extra time to cleanup,not to mention the next day we were burnt. That day we did not meet our quota! Its about production. Why would i want my crane sitting while i got a payment on it?
 
I like to think in terms of opportunity costs. If you've got a crane and the skills to use it your opportunity costs should generally be higher than a similar crew without a crane. Your bids should reflect those costs. I can have my climber cut and stack firewood, but I'll have to charge the client far more than the wood is worth.
 
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islandedge said:
Its about the extra unnecessary ground work. Im paying the guys extra time to cleanup,not to mention the next day we were burnt. That day we did not meet our quota! Its about production. Why would i want my crane sitting while i got a payment on it?
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Sounds like a missed bid then?
Some days I can do 3 huge trees, others I can do one tiny one. You need to adjust your bid accordingly to allow your quota to be met...
If homeowner says no trucks on driveway bid for it, no trucks on grass bid for it, no divots bid for it, they want every single piece roped bid for it. its all about the bid if they ask you to take your wife's wind tunnel out there to suck up every last piece of saw dust bid for it. If they ask for a service you don't offer don't bid it.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
 
Nobody's doubting you are truly killing it at work. I was just looking at your pictures their awesome! However
Some of us work in high end residential yards and work constantly over pools, fancy fences, high dollar landscaped yards where even a yard ornament can't be scratched got to the point where we realized a crane will make the job faster and prevent yard damage. Now iam ready to step up to the treemek setup (hydraulic grapple saw) on my crane. What will you classify me then?
 
Lumberjack said:
If you're in business to work hard; you're not in business.
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Speaking of bullshit. That's some knee deep shit right there. It ain't about biz. It's about a way of life. It about pride in my skill set, and knowing that at the end of the day, I have truly earned my pay. It about leaving a trail of happy clients, many of whom become friends. It's about community, and being respected in that community for what I do, and how I do it. I definitely ain't getting rich, but I'm certainly living the dream!
 
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rico said:
Somehow getting a crane ride to the top of a 55ft shrub is more skilled than having the skills, strength, and balls to roll a flip line up a 7 footer, and climb a 220 ft stick. Setting some slings for a crane takes more skill than setting up the rigging, and hold backs to swing an 8000 lbs log to another tree. Making a cut, and watching your piece float away on the end of a crane takes more skill than hitting the head of a nail with a 40 ft log from 150 ft in the air. Fucking please.

Some of you could benefit from a little exsposure to how other folks are doing things. Go get a job working in the rigging, with a high-balling, yarder logging outfit. Spend some time with a kickass timber faller, jacking and beating over big, tall timber, on steep ground. Head out west and work with a crew who's wreaking truly big wood, without the assistance of a crane. Might just be a humbling experience, and give some of you a little perspective. Who knows?
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I'm sure you do a great job taking out big trees in the forest, however it is a different skill set required to do crane work in congested, high end locations. not a better skill set, just a different one. nobody is comparing the size of our units, we know we couldn't compete with someone as awesome as you.
 
I guess this is my turn to chime in here. I bid a large silver maple a year ago and I’d have to set a 50 ton crane in the neighbor’s busted up asphalt driveway at short span to get at it. The homeowner was all like, “I don’t know. Will you wreck the driveway?” I told him we’d lay out plywood on it and gave a price. He said, “on second thought can you do it without a crane?” And I’m told him yes. But it will take a two days more time so that’s $3500 more. He got weird with me and said I’ll think about it.

I have no problem doing the job the hard way, but I’m going to make it just as hard for the homeowner.
 
rico said:
A man can't live on $30 an hour in todays America. I figure in $75-$100 an hour for saddle time, when bidding work. You need to get out to the west coast, and see some of the remaining old-growth. It will truly blow your mind.
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I'd love to. Maybe sometime I'll be knocking on your door. You can show me some west coast work.
 
I look at it as the “invisible hand” of capitalism will inevitably push these people to either using a crane or not having the job done. No normal person is going to pay 6500 bucks for a 3000 dollar tree.
 
deevo said:
I'm not going to start a little kid argument here with someone like you so I won't, I'll tell it how it is so you know how stupid you sound on each and every post. I have a guy who works for me , and did large trees out in BC for a decade like the ones you go on and on about, you don't see Reg or anyone else on here putting us down or crying or whining like you. He doesn't go on and on and on like you and the way you think your God's gift to logging. I've done some of the biggest technical removals around my part with 0 issues, accidents mishaps etc... climbing and with cranes, you've missed the whole point, I don't give 2 craps about what you do your neck of the woods and your in an entirely different country, part of the world whatever, you just come on here and rant rant rant, everyone's sick of your childish behaviour BS. I'm done listening to your pointless stupid replies! while your at it get a helmet! It's 2017! Oh yeah you've been doing it so long ya da ya da ya da! Have a good day
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Reg's is the man!
 
Big cranes crack driveways. I you havent cracked a driveway your crane is too small or you haven't done enough crane work. This thread would be awesome if it actually discussed the preventative measures experienced crane operators learned the hard way.

I would contribute something useful but this thread is broken just like the driveway corner you're about to roll off of
 
limbcontrol said:
Big cranes crack driveways. I you havent cracked a driveway your crane is too small or you haven't done enough crane work. This thread would be awesome if it actually discussed the preventative measures experienced crane operators learned the hard way.

I would contribute something useful but this thread is broken just like the driveway corner you're about to roll off of
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Please start that thread!
 
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