? about contract climbers

[TREETX]

I am enjoying the change from a company owner to a contract climber.

The company I have worked for the last 1.5 weeks has been good to me. $300 a day and all I bring are my ms200 and climbing kit. No dragging brush, filling in for labor that doesn't show, working all day climbing and bidding jobs when I can, running to the dump, replacing equipment that employees break....

I dig it.

I am faster than the other contract climbers the company uses which is getting to be a problem. If there are 2 of us, I carry 2/3 of the work load. No point in whining though, I think those are just the pains of suddenly having a boss.

Bottom line - being a contract climber is good.

Dang it feels good to be a gansta

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Originally posted by TREETX

I am faster than the other contract climbers the company uses which is getting to be a problem. If there are 2 of us, I carry 2/3 of the work load. No point in whining though, I think those are just the pains of suddenly having a boss.

Keep records then ask for a performance bonus when you renegotiate.

 

[TREETX]

Originally posted by John Paul Sanborn
You just have to train him to schedule work on your availability.

I hate it when people call me and want me to work on day X without even checking to see if it's open.

That is one of the pains I am having.

I get a call the night before and then have to cancel plans for the day.

I want to demand a few days notice but being new to this country, town, and work situation, I fear burning a bridge so I just say "Yes sir!!" (I think it makes them happy but establishes a bad precedent)

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

ROCKY J hit the nail on the head in his first post..i call in a sub contract climber.on average 4 times a month for big difficult stuff..though thats not always the case as sometimes we just need another experienced pair of hands..if i had the need i would obviously employ 1 other major league climber but without the work i keep to my contract guys..i pay them well they do a good job and were all happy

TREETX I give a contract climber a chance too veiw the job and always give them plenty of notice when i need them .i dont ring at 10.30 pm the night before.,i think doing that is totaly unacceptable..i like life to run as smooth a possible

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

The season is slow right now, so i ask people to get ahold of me friday or saturday for the begining of the next week.

If it is sunday night, I've already called people for Monday and Tuesday at the very least.

Funny thing is they can schedule rthe end of the week on sunday, but act funny when I make my request.

It's even worse when we are in summer and I'm booked a week or so ahead of time "hey can you do a big one for me tomorrow?"

Hey are you going to pay me more to reschedule with the other fellow? No? No, you don't need to call him...

 

[gab]

I have a question about this contract climbing stuff. What percent of your work is take downs and what is trimming? I have thought about trying this, but I am much better at trimming than removals.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I imagine its different everywhere. Around here, I'll do 9 TD to 1 trim. As a rule, contract climbers tend towards the difficult TD. Simpler stuff will get handled by the payrolled climber.

 

[dbeck]

Originally posted by MasterBlaster
I imagine its different everywhere. Around here, I'll do 9 TD to 1 trim. As a rule, contract climbers tend towards the difficult TD. Simpler stuff will get handled by the payrolled climber.

tend? Being a contract climber is like putting a sign on your back saying I will do the hardest work you can throw at me. At least that is how it seems for the guys I know who do it. They do get pruning, but generally only when the client needs to get a big prune job done fast.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Yup. Thats the way it seems to go. I have learned not to be intimidated by a mere 'tree'. I do enjoy the occasional easy job, but they are far and few between.

 

[xtremetrees]

I disagree with Rocky on deadwoods is more difficult. Thou I have gotten a runners high from spikless climbing a solid 4 hrs. However its now where near the peak I get from monster dead removals nor the difficulty.

A mere tree does intimidate me MB at lease until I have prayed on one knee to it while buckling up and then spike it.
It seems when I spike it all the trees energy tranferrs to me.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I don't think you understand what Brian said. It is much easier to cut a limb off then to climb out 30 ft to the tip and cut off 2 peices of deadwood.

I have several clients for whom I do a lot of prune work. I just did hazard deadwood on three large cottonwoods this afternoon and did not need to return to the ground once. One of those treeline/lotline things where all the stuff hangs up if you cut big and let it drop.

Several good jamknot transfers and a few good swings too.

I have those clients that call me for TD's only too. I'd rather do the fine pruning though.

Starting out as a sub can be rough. It is hard to convince people that you are worth more then what they pay a regular climber. So don't go and quit your dayjob, unless you have some working capitol and at least 2 clients to start with. Having a lot of gear helps too, if you can pull out some trick that speeds things up it really makes you look good.

The best way to start is find tree compaanies that you get along with and work with them on your days off.

 

[gab]

Right John. I agree, I am an arborist at a zoo, I am not leaving that. I can climb all day and look down at the animals and have a collection of strange trees. I do some takedowns, but I really don't enjoy it. Nothing to look at afterwords except a stump. I like to see a cleaned up healthy alive tree when I get finished. I was just wanting to do some weekend trim work without having to search for the contracts myself, just come in and do some work. So, thanks for all the info guys.

 

[MasterBlaster]

So you have a good job to rely on... thats perfect. It might be harder to get with a tree service that works weekends, but they ARE out there.

Put an ad in the paper looking specifically for a licensed, insured tree service, and tell them what you can do for them.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I've had luck twice with the paper, no big deal.

You should probably do both for the best result.

 

[Nathan Wreyford]

Never under estimate the power of networking.



.02

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Aside from networking conventions, I've had my best luck here on AS.

You really have to be "proactive" about it. Some may think I'm pushy, but I'm more likely to get in with someone when I ask then if I wait for them.

You do get more people who say they want to work you then do, but as you get it going you will find the type you like working for. Then ask them to recomend you to thier freinds if they are not using you regularly. My best clients were called by other clients so that we had that mutual aquiantance who could vouch for us to each other.

Another thing that has given me some good work is taking cources at the tech school here. We talk at breaks, I'm outspoken in class, we hit it off and I get enough work to pay for the course several times.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Has anyone ever noticed when a new hire says he can climb, its only true maybe one time outta ten?

Or more?

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

They did it for the ROW contractor...oh they really only dragged brush and been in the tree a few times...

 

[Lumberjack]

Originally posted by MasterBlaster
Has anyone ever noticed when a new hire says he can climb, its only true maybe one time outta ten?

Or more?

You just have to clarify, climb a tree, or climb a step stool?

 

[MasterBlaster]

Yup. And no.