Anyone ever been told that tree work is not a steady job in the colder areas???

[John Paul Sanborn]

I laugh when people ask me if there is enough work for me to work everyday. I tell them I need 28 hour days and 8 day weeks, then they are surprised when I tell them I am booked solid for the next 5 weeks.

Need some help? It's cold here!

My work slows down in the colder months, most of my clients loose their backlog around now, so I end up traveling more. (Hint, hint) but it does not come to a complete halt. but my buisness modle is different then most of you.

As for plowing, it is pretty cut throat in the bigger areas, like lawn mowing. Most guys I know will farm out workers to the landscape companies, and maybe a skidder. Plowing is real hard on the front end of a truck, and the tranny too, so a lot of guys dont put plows on their work trucks.

 

[huskycandoit]

Up here in Pennsylvania theres a dead season that we are about to enter. It only like that for about 2 months thank God. But if you have a big tree service you shouldn't have that problem because your worked should be backed up if you have a good name and reputation. Like a competitor of ours say that his work is backed up until next spring so we try to work any time we can rain or snow. This morning it was snowing and I and saw the local tree care out so we dont have that much of and "Off Season."

 

[Berniestumper]

I've been cutting trees and grinding stumps since 1968. I do very few trees now, it's stump removal most of the time now. I work by myself and at my age it's easy just to pull levers on a grinder. No haul, grind and go. I haven't worked a winter since 1979.

Bernie

 

[NickfromWI]

I haven't worked a winter since 1979.

Bernie- is that by choice or by lack of demand?

 

[Berniestumper]

There is always tree work that you can save for the winter months if you want to keep your crew working. I just grind stumps and maybe a small tree by myself now. So i don't have to worry about work for a crew during the winter. It's hard on a grinder to cut through frozen ground. And very hard to chase the roots out in frozen ground and snow. Travel time would eat me alive in the winter time. When stump jobs are few and far between.