# picking up the mess



## ariel11 (Jan 25, 2017)

Hi everybody!
So, I work mainly in urban enviornments, which makes it harder to pick up the debis/ Anyone got any creative ideas? 
hit me up at גיזום עצים


----------



## chevybob (Feb 3, 2017)

Rake and a shovel usually works well.


----------



## no tree to big (Feb 3, 2017)

Clean it up as you make it? Selling jobs as no clean up? 
More groundies? 

How urban are we talking? 

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk


----------



## Jason Douglas (Feb 3, 2017)

Add a landscape mulching service option using your wood chips. Promote it as sustainable nutrient recycling.


----------



## BC WetCoast (Feb 4, 2017)

We work in urban environment all day every day. What's the big deal with cleanup. Climber cuts, groundies drag and chip. At the end of the job everybody rakes and blows.


----------



## Ted Jenkins (Feb 4, 2017)

I picked up a small chipper several years ago from a estate deal thinking I would use the motor for a snow machine. One day I started messing around with it and found it worked pretty well on small stuff so I would put it in the back of one of my pickups for clean up. Usually it would be used to blow the small junk into my truck or pick up. It does not chip anything larger than 3'' but it is nice for clean up. Many customers ask me often if I have extra chips for landscaping or gardens and I just give the chips away. As it saves a ton on dump fees. I was going to buy a real chipper for $15,000, but a friend had a nice one that will meet us at any job that is too big for us. As it turns out the larger chipper is not needed often and not hauling around another piece of equipment is just fine. If I end up with quite a bit of small rounds larger than 3'' then I give it away or take it home for my stove. Thanks


----------



## no tree to big (Feb 4, 2017)

On the most extreme urban removals we have had the owner hire some body to mulch up all the brush with a chainsaw and sit there and have a campfire once we were outa there. we went back a second day to remove the remaining portion of the tree, which was all logs after the brush was out of the way. He then had 2 guys split the logs and burn everything. 
This was an extreme case of no access it was a courtyard in a mansion, they built the house around the tree, there was zero equipment access virtually no access for a person you had to go through the house and no way we were going to even think about that. We had to clean our saws b4 and after use to carry through the house.... major pain but hey it was fun leaving that mess behind!

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk


----------



## BC WetCoast (Feb 4, 2017)

We've had to drag through a house, The job got priced accordingly. The impossible only takes more time and money.


----------



## gorman (Feb 4, 2017)

No helicopter access? Come on. [emoji857]


----------



## david1332 (Feb 4, 2017)

Ted Jenkins said:


> I picked up a small chipper several years ago from a estate deal thinking I would use the motor for a snow machine. One day I started messing around with it and found it worked pretty well on small stuff so I would put it in the back of one of my pickups for clean up. Usually it would be used to blow the small junk into my truck or pick up. It does not chip anything larger than 3'' but it is nice for clean up. Many customers ask me often if I have extra chips for landscaping or gardens and I just give the chips away. As it saves a ton on dump fees. I was going to buy a real chipper for $15,000, but a friend had a nice one that will meet us at any job that is too big for us. As it turns out the larger chipper is not needed often and not hauling around another piece of equipment is just fine. If I end up with quite a bit of small rounds larger than 3'' then I give it away or take it home for my stove. Thanks


What kind of chipper is that? That's exactly what I need for my business. How fast does it chip? I currently stuff all my debris in my 6x12 tandem axle dump trailer with sides built up to about 3.5' tall or so. I can fit ALOT in there if I have one of my guys stomp it down and cut it up with a saw so it compacts. Usually I only have to make 1 maybe 1.5 full trips for trees under 50" and not a lot of debr


----------



## no tree to big (Feb 4, 2017)

gorman said:


> No helicopter access? Come on. [emoji857]


Did not want to damage other trees, it was a thought! We actually turned down a helicopter job once tho. It was for Michael Jordan he lives or lived a town over from our shop. 


david1332 said:


> What kind of chipper is that? That's exactly what I need for my business. How fast does it chip? I currently stuff all my debris in my 6x12 tandem axle dump trailer with sides built up to about 3.5' tall or so. I can fit ALOT in there if I have one of my guys stomp it down and cut it up with a saw so it compacts. Usually I only have to make 1 maybe 1.5 full trips for trees under 50" and not a lot of debr


Don't get anything less then a 6" you might think it's a good idea but it's really not a 6" is about just as slow as brush loading 

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk


----------



## david1332 (Feb 4, 2017)

no tree to big said:


> Did not want to damage other trees, it was a thought! We actually turned down a helicopter job once tho. It was for Michael Jordan he lives or lived a town over from our shop.
> 
> Don't get anything less then a 6" you might think it's a good idea but it's really not a 6" is about just as slow as brush loading
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk


Gotcha


----------



## gorman (Feb 4, 2017)

I've heard the hardest part about helicopter work is getting one that is rated for what you need. Some are too freaking big and expensive. 
My buddy worked with a helicopter installing a huge AC unit on a mall roof. He said it was drinking almost 500 gallons an hour and had to re fuel after every other pick. It was picking 16k at a time I think.


----------



## no tree to big (Feb 4, 2017)

500 gal hr might be a bit much haha but the local news chopper would have had enough lift to help out 

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk


----------



## DR. P. Proteus (Feb 4, 2017)

I think the guy is just amazed that there could ever be such a mess ( and it keeps coming everyday) to clean up before he can get paid and just wanted someone to talk to about it. Yeah, its one hell of a mess! And thanks for the guy who mentioned rakes and shovels, you really got this thread moving and hopefully gave some reassurance to the poster in the daily battle of picking up the mess. I didn't bother responding because the question seemed so elementary. If he had said "The ****ing mess" then that is an area that would better suit my talents, mental issues.


----------



## no tree to big (Feb 4, 2017)

back to rakes, do you prefer metal rakes for everyday operations or do the big plastic rakes have a spot in your tool box? 

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk


----------



## DR. P. Proteus (Feb 4, 2017)

no tree to big said:


> back to rakes, do you prefer metal rakes for everyday operations or do the big plastic rakes have a spot in your tool box?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk



I have a set of custom plastic rakes with aluminum handles. There is fine tooth and coarse tooth. I pair these with other types of rakes as well, all custom and designed to do a specific job the best way it possibly could while remaining easier to operate. One has batteries. You do not want to hear what I think you can do with a metal tine rake.


----------



## no tree to big (Feb 4, 2017)

DR. P. Proteus said:


> I have a set of custom plastic rakes with aluminum handles. There is fine tooth and coarse tooth. I pair these with other types of rakes as well, all custom and designed to do a specific job the best way it possibly could while remaining easier to operate. One has batteries. You do not want to hear what I think you can do with a metal tine rake.


You blow my mind every time you type! Ha!

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk


----------



## JeffGu (Feb 5, 2017)

no tree to big said:


> You blow my mind every time you type!



There's an old saying that if you give enough monkeys typewriters, one of them will write some Shakespeare. No, they won't. But by the end of the third day, all of them will be writing stuff that looks just like Dr. P's posts.
They're gonna need a _lot_ of booze, though.


----------



## DR. P. Proteus (Feb 5, 2017)

Gold anodized aluminum thick wall tube for lightweight, positive and constant strength and rigidity throughout each stroke.


----------



## no tree to big (Feb 5, 2017)

DR. P. Proteus said:


> Gold anodized aluminum thick wall tube for lightweight, positive and constant strength and rigidity throughout each stroke.


Did you build them yourself or does somebody make them? I want some especially if they are gold!

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk


----------



## JeffGu (Feb 5, 2017)

...and have constant strength and rigidity through each stroke. Something I always strive for.


----------



## DR. P. Proteus (Feb 5, 2017)

no tree to big said:


> Did you build them yourself or does somebody make them? I want some especially if they are gold!
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk



The heads are select plastic leaf rakes from Sears or K-mart which normally come with cheap wooden handles that weather poorly and break easily. I came across some long lengths of ali pole that would fit. I noticed a difference right away with the ali poles, they worked well with the plastic head which do not rake up as much dirt or grass and are lighter. I love them.


----------



## gorman (Feb 5, 2017)

I switched to the groundskeeper takes a few years ago and never looked back. Fiberglass handles you can buy separate for $8 a pop and replace. Nice and light and don't pick up rocks.


----------



## DR. P. Proteus (Feb 6, 2017)

gorman said:


> I switched to the groundskeeper takes a few years ago and never looked back. Fiberglass handles you can buy separate for $8 a pop and replace. Nice and light and don't pick up rocks.



But of course my good man! I've had the same one for over ten years! Not a rake that goes out everyday, they are pretty much only good for the chips and grinding you know.

No heavy duty steel here, its to heavy, to much energy used per stroke. You have to have tight tool, not a floppy heavy hunk of junk.

My stone/landscape rake is also aluminum, one solid piece, nothing to come loose like rakes do. A normal stone rake is about 20 or more inches wide, mine is about 12 to keep the strokes easier with less material. It gets heavy and rake work will tire you out. You know what it feel like after you put the tree on the truck and now have to rake both the front and back. What a bummer!


----------



## gorman (Feb 8, 2017)

Benny's used to carry a real nice steel grass rake. Priced around 15 bucks too.


----------



## Stayalert (Mar 5, 2017)

My rakes are custom too. they have hockey stick handles and the rake heads are a variety of plastic, bamboo, and steel.....Whatever rake I fish out of the dump that ha a broken handle. What sets my rakes apart is that a guitar pick is fastened to each rake. They are not only custom they are musical. Come on, who doesn't want to run a freaking musical rake?!!!


----------



## DR. P. Proteus (Mar 5, 2017)

Stayalert said:


> My rakes are custom too. they have hockey stick handles and the rake heads are a variety of plastic, bamboo, and steel.....Whatever rake I fish out of the dump that ha a broken handle. What sets my rakes apart is that a guitar pick is fastened to each rake. They are not only custom they are musical. Come on, who doesn't want to run a freaking musical rake?!!!



Dude, uh, um, yer crazy!


----------



## DR. P. Proteus (Mar 5, 2017)

ariel11 said:


> Hi everybody!
> So, I work mainly in urban enviornments, which makes it harder to pick up the debis/ Anyone got any creative ideas?
> hit me up at גיזום עצים




Poor guy probably ran off to wherever he was from after all that. But he still has a tough beat, I mean tree jobs in the city? You gotta get every speck up and it sucks! I would suggest maybe a Billygoat vaccum if I had to deal with that everyday.


----------

