# Spider Lift Sub



## sdplowing (Jul 15, 2009)

I've been working for a tree service for 12 yrs, running a bucket for the past 5. My boss is slowly easing into to retirement so I need to find something else. There are tons of other tree services in the area but with the wonderful economy none of them are hiring. So I was thinking of getting a spider lift and subbing myself out to these other companies. As far as I know no one else has a spider lift in this area, and we're always doing trees that cant be reached with a bucket but could with a spider. Do any of you guys work this type of arangement? Would it be worth it?


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## sawinredneck (Jul 15, 2009)

Figure around $200k for the machine ($160ish at least) a down payment, waiting three to six months to get it, and you can't really do any contract work until it's here. NO!
If you have a buisness setup that is working, and carying it's weight, then add it to it. But unless you can get contracts written in stone right now, it's a bad time to purchase a Big Mac if you don't have cold hard cash! And I doubt you have that much sitting around doing nothing right now, right? I don't know anybody that does, that would buy that if they do!
It's a neat and workable idea, but with the economy, and if you cant pick up enough work without it, what are you going to do to pay for it when you do have it? Sorry to come acros as a hard ass, but times are just too tight to buy something you can't justify and garuntee it will make TONS of money as soon as it hits the ground!


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## pdqdl (Jul 22, 2009)

:agree2:

Yep! What he said. 

Additional considerations:

You can probably hire a pretty big crane to carry a decent climber on the ball as cheap as you can get a spider lift with skilled operator. That is what I would do, given the choice. Then I could use the crane to pick logs out too.

Any smaller tree service will only hire a high dollar sub when they are in way over their head, which won't happen often enough to pay for a spider lift. They are not likely to call you for the easy work, and they are not likely to get the job at all since they will be bidding high to cover your added expense.

There might be a lot of work available from the landscapers and lawn services that don't do enough aerial work, but you would have to work a long time in a pretty big market area to develop enough business to keep busy. Since the lawn guys don't usually complete too well on the big jobs with the full fledged tree services, that would be a pretty narrow market to fill.

There is probably tons of aerial work for painters, gutter installers, and home remodelers. They usually don't own aerial lifts, and they frequently rent them as needed.


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## Blakesmaster (Jul 23, 2009)

sdplowing said:


> I've been working for a tree service for 12 yrs, running a bucket for the past 5. My boss is slowly easing into to retirement so I need to find something else. There are tons of other tree services in the area but with the wonderful economy none of them are hiring. So I was thinking of getting a spider lift and subbing myself out to these other companies. As far as I know no one else has a spider lift in this area, and we're always doing trees that cant be reached with a bucket but could with a spider. Do any of you guys work this type of arangement? Would it be worth it?



Do you climb? Much cheaper to get into and a good, sober climber is extremely valuable to any company as a sub.


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## TreEmergencyB (Jul 23, 2009)

Blakesmaster said:


> Do you climb? Much cheaper to get into and a good, sober climber is extremely valuable to any company as a sub.



:agree2:

I AM A BUCKET TRUCK


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## tree MDS (Oct 30, 2009)

Spiderlifts said:


> A Teupen Leo does not cost nearly as much as you think. Seriously not even close to 100K. We have a pre-owned Leo 23 GT available for $95,000. And, it is ready to roll today, not in 3 to 6 months. We also have new machines available today. 23 GT is 76 foot, articulated and can reach almost anywhere due to the superior track drive. Superior to other track drives out there, that is.
> 
> Also, if you are in NH, you can rent a machine from us very reasonably if you want to.
> 
> Let me know if you want more information... or check out www.spiderlifts.com



I bet things are tough for you guys this year. I dont think I know of anyone around here thats bought any new toys this year...usually someone buys some sort of toy and it :censored: off the rest of us.

Good news though, the recession is over (supposedly)...now if we only had some jobs for people maybe the spending would ensue.


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## Lawnmowerboy48 (Oct 30, 2009)

sdplowing said:


> I've been working for a tree service for 12 yrs, running a bucket for the past 5. My boss is slowly easing into to retirement so I need to find something else. There are tons of other tree services in the area but with the wonderful economy none of them are hiring. So I was thinking of getting a spider lift and subbing myself out to these other companies. As far as I know no one else has a spider lift in this area, and we're always doing trees that cant be reached with a bucket but could with a spider. Do any of you guys work this type of arangement? Would it be worth it?



Have you talked your boss about taking over the company? Being in the lakes region of NH I do see a bit, and I mean a bit, of a niche in the market for a spider lift. Tight back yards and steep slopes would be an ideal working situation for the machine. I have never heard a good climber complain about the terrain they have to cross to get to the nightmare tree they have to take down though.


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## Koa Man (Oct 30, 2009)

I personally would not buy ANY piece of equipment, then hope SOMEONE ELSE can keep it busy for you. A friend of mine bought a $65K concrete pump because a mason who is his good friend told him he could keep it busy since he was renting from other guys. Well, the economy tanked and construction ground to a halt a few months after he bought it. He is lucky to get it rented even once a month and he still has to make the monthly payment on it.

I own 2 spider lifts, and other tree companies sub me an average of once every 2 months, usually for only a day. The reason I bought the 2nd lift was because I already had the work for it. I use the lifts an average of 12 days per month.

Once again, my advice is DO NOT BUY any piece of equipment, be it a crane, stump grinder, chipper, dump truck, excavator, etc., unless you KNOW you have the work to keep it busy and make you money. Otherwise, it will be a money pit. My friend regrets buying that concrete pump and although he has had it for sale for over a year, no one wants to buy it.


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## Koa Man (Oct 30, 2009)

I personally would not buy ANY piece of equipment, then hope SOMEONE ELSE can keep it busy for me. A friend of mine bought a $65K concrete pump because a mason who is his good friend told him he could keep it busy since he was renting from other guys. Well, the economy tanked and construction ground to a halt a few months after he bought it. He is lucky to get it rented even once a month and he still has to make the monthly payment on it.

I own 2 spider lifts, and other tree companies sub me an average of once every 2 months, usually for only a day. The reason I bought the 2nd lift was because I already had the work for it. I use the lifts an average of 12 days per month.

Once again, my advice is DO NOT BUY any piece of equipment, be it a crane, stump grinder, chipper, dump truck, excavator, etc., unless you KNOW you have the work to keep it busy and make you money. Otherwise, it will be a money pit. My friend regrets buying that concrete pump and although he has had it for sale for over a year, no one wants to buy it.


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## sawinredneck (Oct 30, 2009)

Koa Man said:


> I personally would not buy ANY piece of equipment, then hope SOMEONE ELSE can keep it busy for you. A friend of mine bought a $65K concrete pump because a mason who is his good friend told him he could keep it busy since he was renting from other guys. Well, the economy tanked and construction ground to a halt a few months after he bought it. He is lucky to get it rented even once a month and he still has to make the monthly payment on it.
> 
> I own 2 spider lifts, and other tree companies sub me an average of once every 2 months, usually for only a day. The reason I bought the 2nd lift was because I already had the work for it. I use the lifts an average of 12 days per month.
> 
> Once again, my advice is DO NOT BUY any piece of equipment, be it a crane, stump grinder, chipper, dump truck, excavator, etc., unless you KNOW you have the work to keep it busy and make you money. Otherwise, it will be a money pit. My friend regrets buying that concrete pump and although he has had it for sale for over a year, no one wants to buy it.



Kinda what I have been saying as well! I bought a mini skid right before everything tanked, I sweated then, even with the deal of deals I got on it. I have not picked up the work I was hoping to get with it, but I only have to run it once a month to make the payment, and the things I can do around the house make the wife happy so she doesn't complain much!
Now this cost me a meager $5kish, I can eat that. I could come up with work for a spider lift, if I wasn't tremendously afraid of heights, but right now there is no way I could sell enough work to even think about sitting on $65k!


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## Koa Man (Oct 30, 2009)

I made a word change from you to me and it appears now as a double post and I can't delete the first one. I click on edit and all I get is nothing.


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## fishercat (Oct 31, 2009)

*the recession may be over........*



tree MDS said:


> I bet things are tough for you guys this year. I dont think I know of anyone around here thats bought any new toys this year...usually someone buys some sort of toy and it :censored: off the rest of us.
> 
> Good news though, the recession is over (supposedly)...now if we only had some jobs for people maybe the spending would ensue.



but there is no cure in sight for cheapbastarditis.


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## dtw902 (Oct 31, 2009)

You will want to broaden your work load for a Spider Lift. Talk with the local rental places, construction company's, electricians. They are not going to give up there easy work but they will use you when there are no other easy options. We pick up a lot of other work for my Spider Lift, like ball field lights, signs, construction projects, hazard tree's. You can get to a lot of area's you can't get to with a standard lift or crane. We have a job inside a church to do, if you have the electric option it helps for getting indoor work.

Main thing make sure you have the work and let the machine pay for itself. Just think outside the box.


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## TreeW?rx (Oct 31, 2009)

I bought my bucket truck thinking that I would only be doing tree work out of it. So far I have rescued 3 cats, hung yard lights for a local rancher and run an antenna up a pole. Now that I know a few of the locals, I get more calls for things not related to tree work. I am scheduled to hang christmas lights for the two churches in town this year. They have been doing it by ladder. If you can find other ways to use your spider lift, it just might be worth it. Just think long and hard about it before you lay out the cash or sign your name on the line.


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