Becoming an Arborist, Albany, NY

[HusqyStihl]

Well that was easy! $15 bucks and i am now a pro and can climb any tree or perform any service needed!! No further edjumacation needed, thanks for the help, i'll see y'all over on the "I know everything" thread

EDIT: i'm being sarcastic, just in case, thought i should add that lol

 

[ShermanC]

View attachment 426957

Well that was easy! $15 bucks and i am now a pro and can climb any tree or perform any service needed!! No further edjumacation needed, thanks for the help, i'll see y'all over on the "I know everything" thread

EDIT: i'm being sarcastic, just in case, thought i should add that lol

 

[ShermanC]

The best humor is to laugh at yourself. The older I get the more often this happens.

Not funny was the death of a climbing arborist a week or so ago in southern New Jersey. The 47 year old had tied in securely above his target limb 26' long, 2' diameter. After he made his three-cut maneuver the target limb caused the limb he was tied in to to snap at the trunk so he fell 30' with the two limbs. He was crushed to death by limb he tied in to. When I read the report on the Internet from TCIA, I wondered if he did shorter cuts in smaller weight increments. The description of the accident did not indicate this. A well respected business man, family member and deacon of his Church this death has a huge ripple effect beyond that of the tree care industry.

Three weeks ago in W. Fargo, North Dakota a roofing crew had two rented tell-handlers with forks putting up 90-lb. bundles of shingles at a three-story apartment building. Although they machines had outriggers the soil was soft from construction work. Chad miller, 25, rode a pallet up but an outrigger went through soft ground. The machine went over throwing Chad into the other machine nearby. He was medical-vac'd to a hospital with critical injuries. The accident is on the web site www.vertikal.net. Why he was allowed or required to ride that pallet beats me. Roofers, like loggers, have difficulty finding insurance coverage.

 

[HusqyStihl]

The best humor is to laugh at yourself. The older I get the more often this happens.

Not funny was the death of a climbing arborist a week or so ago in southern New Jersey. The 47 year old had tied in securely above his target limb 26' long, 2' diameter. After he made his three-cut maneuver the target limb caused the limb he was tied in to to snap at the trunk so he fell 30' with the two limbs. He was crushed to death by limb he tied in to. When I read the report on the Internet from TCIA, I wondered if he did shorter cuts in smaller weight increments. The description of the accident did not indicate this. A well respected business man, family member and deacon of his Church this death has a huge ripple effect beyond that of the tree care industry.

Three weeks ago in W. Fargo, North Dakota a roofing crew had two rented tell-handlers with forks putting up 90-lb. bundles of shingles at a three-story apartment building. Although they machines had outriggers the soil was soft from construction work. Chad miller, 25, rode a pallet up but an outrigger went through soft ground. The machine went over throwing Chad into the other machine nearby. He was medical-vac'd to a hospital with critical injuries. The accident is on the web site www.vertikal.net. Why he was allowed or required to ride that pallet beats me. Roofers, like loggers, have difficulty finding insurance coverage.

I hate hearing of accidents, especially if there might have been something different being done to prevent them. I spent 10 years as a railroader and i'm all about safety. I'm full dressed PPE head to toe even in 90+ degree weather just bucking firewood at home. I've worked plenty of Heavy Equipment, drove locomotives and have never once had an incident on any job, always a perfectly clean safety record, and i plan to keep it that way if i can. Funny you should mention insurance, just yesterday my grandfather mentioned to me that being a logger that i would not be eligible for life insurance at all. Really?? He mentioned calling himself something else to obtain it but i forgot what he said, landscaper maybe? I wouldn't be concerned personally if i didn't have a 7 year old son to think about and his mother who is putting herself down a very bad path of addiction and its getting to the point where CPS is now involved. My son is being neglected and i feel as though a different career path may make me more successful and get me back (or close to) making the $125k i used to make years back but this time doing something im interested in.

"If ya find something you love doing, you'll never work a day in your life"

I've yet to climb but i hope one day soon enough i will be closer to the heavens and feel the wind in my face knowing i accomplished and mastered something that appeals to me

 

[ShermanC]

My experience of lift work WAH is 14 years long. I like to call it dancing on the limbs. I know my Niftylift so well thatI an usually get a tree worked in one set of the equipment.Visit the website www.niftylift.com, select trailer mounted lifts and select the TM40. Minewas one of 29 units built in England for Nations Rents. It is a 2003 version, is petrol powered/hydraulic and I found it on eBay in february 2008. I bought it from a farmer-dentist in eastern Oklahoma and arrived home four hours before our town was hit by a tornado. We were lucky to be free of damage. It runs off a Kohler 6HP Command Pro engine that I have gone through completely.

A friend I recruited into TCIA about five years ago is Paul Worman to the north 52 miles has Clean Cut Tree Service working with his step dad and brother. They recently ordered an 83' All Access tracked lift from Italy. It has tremendous features and will be the first unit in the U.S. They'll haul and store it in a gooseneck 20' aluminum trailer being built by Aluminum Trailer Comapny in northern Indiana. Total investment $153K. I dream of having a 70' reach but I am wise enough not to incur new debt in this tight uncertain soft lousy economy.

A great asset for you as an arborist will be able to serve customers as a climber and a lift arborist. Its like having two pistols to draw with in a western movie. I have no idea what your forests look like so I can't relate to your geography. The elevation of the Ozarks are not high enough to be classified as mountains, just Ozarks found in Arkansas, Missouri, southern Illinois, southeastern Kansas and eastern Oklahoma. Our state has 214 species of trees in six climatological growing zones: Ouachita Mountains, Ozarks, Louisiana swamp Region on the south border, high plain south of Little Rock, Crowley's Ridge from Paragould to Pine Bluff and lastly the Mississippi delta.

 

[jefflovstrom]

really?
Jeff

 

[ropensaddle]

really?
Jeff

Brawhahhahhah lol

 

[ShermanC]

When you reach a

I hate hearing of accidents, especially if there might have been something different being done to prevent them. I spent 10 years as a railroader and i'm all about safety. I'm full dressed PPE head to toe even in 90+ degree weather just bucking firewood at home. I've worked plenty of Heavy Equipment, drove locomotives and have never once had an incident on any job, always a perfectly clean safety record, and i plan to keep it that way if i can. Funny you should mention insurance, just yesterday my grandfather mentioned to me that being a logger that i would not be eligible for life insurance at all. Really?? He mentioned calling himself something else to obtain it but i forgot what he said, landscaper maybe? I wouldn't be concerned personally if i didn't have a 7 year old son to think about and his mother who is putting herself down a very bad path of addiction and its getting to the point where CPS is now involved. My son is being neglected and i feel as though a different career path may make me more successful and get me back (or close to) making the $125k i used to make years back but this time doing something im interested in.

"If ya find something you love doing, you'll never work a day in your life"

I've yet to climb but i hope one day soon enough i will be closer to the heavens and feel the wind in my face knowing i accomplished and mastered something that appeals to me

 

[ropensaddle]

34 years living in this area and honestly i've never seen a local climber anywhere, i'm just starting to get questions about wether i climb but they questions keep coming. I keep wondering if there are any climbers anywhere around me, there's gotta be but maybe i just don't look up often enough

Get in your phone book look up tree services then look at credentials etc is there CA CSTP BCMA on staff if so call tell them your interested in learning safe climbing skils. When I started there were no where near the options youth have now. I basically learned the hard way and though I have been safe 33 years I have wore my body quite a bit by inefficient use of my lovely physique lol Btw getting a job with them could never hurt and you would be worlds ahead in learning at such a place!

 

[ATH]

Back to ropes:
You linked Wesspur's clearance ropes. They have a 100' length of Tachyon for $80. I have that and like it. They will put a spliced eye on it for you. How high do you expect you will be climbing. If never of 50 for your first year or so, then this is a great rope. I actually like having 2 ropes in the truck...one just over 100' and another that is around 200'. I don't need that long one too often. Having the shorter one as the "every day" rope does 2 things:
1) cheaper to replace
2) easier to move (for example, if I want to bring the whole thing over a limb...and my TIP is only 40' up, it is nice to not have to pull an extra 100' of rope just because)...it is also lighter to carry.

If you want a longer length, I think that rope is a nice rope to get. Sherrill's Lava is the same thing. 10% off sale on those right now until the end of the month.

I have a Yale BlueMoon that I like...I think I like that better than the XTC...not sure why - maybe just because it is spliced and the XTC is not. I'd use the XTC rope again if was a significantly better price... I am pretty sure Sherrill's Poison Ivy is BlueMoon made for Sherrill.

I've also used Samson ArborMaster. Not bad, but a little stiffer than the others I have used. I'd use any of the others before using that again...but it wasn't miserable.

As for site sponsors who I buy from: Sherrill, Wesspur, Bailey's and TreeStuff. Probably prefer Sherrill and TreeStuff only because their orders arrive quicker because they are closer. Wesspur and Bailey's ship it right out, just takes UPS about 2-3 days longer to get it here than the other two.

I would not buy a "kit" unless it has only things you want, and it is significantly cheaper than buying the separate. There may be one or two things that you buy in the kit but will not use...that eats up the savings versus buying individual parts.

 

[HusqyStihl]

I would not buy a "kit" unless it has only things you want, and it is significantly cheaper than buying the separate. There may be one or two things that you buy in the kit but will not use...that eats up the savings versus buying individual parts.

Everything you wrote about was awesome, exactly what i was asking about. Thank you! Appreciated!!

About you saying "no" to the kit, ive been pricing both kits and buying everything seperate. Seperately it seems like i'd round out to around $2000 bucks, the individual pricing is unbelievable. And being new to climbing i almost wish there was a list of basic tools/ropes/saddle types/biners... etc. Ive read the Tree Climbers Companion multiple times and most of the gear listed i wouldn't be using while first learning to dangle in the trees and throw feces

Attempting to put together a full climbing outfit on my own is killing me, i hit a couple sites, sign up, start loading the shopping cart and it seems after 2 or 3 items seperately im already up past or close to $1000 bucks. GD! Am i doing something wrong? by the time i grab everything i'll be broke. Thats why he kits seem optional because i get this warm fuzzy feeling that i'm buying Pro gear, SAFE gear, and everything i need. Money is no option when it comes to safety for me. I will wait if it costs me that much but i'm eager to start. Figured i'd go with the best Pro outfit kit, then go for the trees. Then maybe change out parts and pieces. I know you say its throwing away money, but when i search for everything (and i admit i have very little knowledge of what i need) those kits really look worth it even if i have to change something.

I thank you again for rope suggestions, i've written everything you've said down. Im thankful for your opions so i can narrow down my search a little.

I'm looking to spend around $1200+/- and get everything i want ya know...

Thanks ~Moose

 

[ShermanC]

When you reach a

I hate hearing of accidents, especially if there might have been something different being done to prevent them. I spent 10 years as a railroader and i'm all about safety. I'm full dressed PPE head to toe even in 90+ degree weather just bucking firewood at home. I've worked plenty of Heavy Equipment, drove locomotives and have never once had an incident on any job, always a perfectly clean safety record, and i plan to keep it that way if i can. Funny you should mention insurance, just yesterday my grandfather mentioned to me that being a logger that i would not be eligible for life insurance at all. Really?? He mentioned calling himself something else to obtain it but i forgot what he said, landscaper maybe? I wouldn't be concerned personally if i didn't have a 7 year old son to think about and his mother who is putting herself down a very bad path of addiction and its getting to the point where CPS is now involved. My son is being neglected and i feel as though a different career path may make me more successful and get me back (or close to) making the $125k i used to make years back but this time doing something im interested in.

"If ya find something you love doing, you'll never work a day in your life"

I've yet to climb but i hope one day soon enough i will be closer to the heavens and feel the wind in my face knowing i accomplished and mastered something that appeals to me

point where you want to get liability insurance

Everything you wrote about was awesome, exactly what i was asking about. Thank you! Appreciated!!

About you saying "no" to the kit, ive been pricing both kits and buying everything seperate. Seperately it seems like i'd round out to around $2000 bucks, the individual pricing is unbelievable. And being new to climbing i almost wish there was a list of basic tools/ropes/saddle types/biners... etc. Ive read the Tree Climbers Companion multiple times and most of the gear listed i wouldn't be using while first learning to dangle in the trees and throw feces

Attempting to put together a full climbing outfit on my own is killing me, i hit a couple sites, sign up, start loading the shopping cart and it seems after 2 or 3 items seperately im already up past or close to $1000 bucks. GD! Am i doing something wrong? by the time i grab everything i'll be broke. Thats why he kits seem optional because i get this warm fuzzy feeling that i'm buying Pro gear, SAFE gear, and everything i need. Money is no option when it comes to safety for me. I will wait if it costs me that much but i'm eager to start. Figured i'd go with the best Pro outfit kit, then go for the trees. Then maybe change out parts and pieces. I know you say its throwing away money, but when i search for everything (and i admit i have very little knowledge of what i need) those kits really look worth it even if i have to change something.

I thank you again for rope suggestions, i've written everything you've said down. Im thankful for your opions so i can narrow down my search a little.

I'm looking to spend around $1200+/- and get everything i want ya know...

Thanks ~Moose

When you reach a

 

[HusqyStihl]

Ive lost everything in my life due to medical conditions so im banking around $2000 bucks to build a life back together. Climbers needed severely and with that money im thinking i can build from there buying the right equipment and learning everything i need to know to be on the call list locally when a tree needs removal. Even though ive never climbed, ive got people around begging me to do so, and i want to do it. I think it would be a huge chance that only comes around once in a while, and i should grab it now. Chainsaw repair/maintanence/mods on the side, i think i can start a living, and im looking forward to being "the" guy to call!

 

[HusqyStihl]

Im far from being able to purchase any kind of insurance. But theres no reason to buy it unless im climbing. I will when i can afford it for sure though

 

[ShermanC]

I started to write last night about reaching a point of buying liability insurance. I held back to see what others offered as advice. This insurance coverage will ease your mind and make you plan your work better for every tree, every customer and every collection for work well done. When I got started in 1998 others told me to expect to pay $2,500 a year so I waited listened and studied choosing an independent broker rather than an agent. The broker searched and found Med James Insurance Co. which has cost me $1,380 a year. Some years when cash flow was tight I had to finance the premium in six monthly payments; financing cost was $57 more. I have never had a claim but the industry statistics get worse ut they don't raise my premium rate. A good record stands up for itself.

On buying equipment eBay is a tremendous resource if you examine a seller's feedback ratings, put auctions on Watch, study comparable offerings and shop carefully. I have 100% Positive Feedback on 210 auctions the largest and most difficult was to sell a 1960 vintage Rolls Royce salon right hand drive in show room new condition for $29,000. I could write a book on the unique auctions I have done. For clients I charge the listing fee and a commission. If they balk at my rates I just tell them "look at my sales record and what I've sold" and if you want your item sold this will be my terms or you can struggle with doing it yourself just like tree work"! I've had a few loser items that wouldn't sell but I still charged my client for the preparation time and listing cost.

On eBay I bought my Stihl 066 Magnum from an arborist in Iowa who fell off a warehouse walkin refrigerator and injured his back. His sideline was working trees with his son. I also bought an Echo CBS-8000 from a seller who tried using it three times and couldn't handle the 32 pounds loaded weight. It is an excellent trouble free machine.mi currently has 14 saws and do my own maintenance. The newest is Tanaka's ergonomic 12" top handle li bing aw from Northern Tool. It and a Stihl MS200T are the workhorses for much of our cutting. Then I jump up to a Tanaka 14" top handle and a 12 year old Echo CS-5000 I bought new that is trouble free. My third big saw is a Stihl MS 460 Magnum bought new five years ago. My pole saws include Stihl HT101, Shindaiwa and Echo PPT-260.if I erred on model numbers overlook it. I'm going back to bed for more sleep.

 

[HusqyStihl]

Ive got many of homeowner type saws that i modify and beginning to feel the big differences in CC ranges. Slowly workin my way up on my own saws. Always a pleasure to rebuild or service a pro saw and play in the wood with it for a bit though

 

[ShermanC]

Im far from being able to purchase any kind of insurance. But theres no reason to buy it unless im climbing. I will when i can afford it for sure though

Moose,
Until you can afford liability insurance do a risk management assessment. After you can afford insurance still do risk assessments. Be reasonable to decline work that shows to be high risk especially property damage for customer and neighbors. Be frank and honest when you turn a job down by saying "this job has risks that I am not yet insured to perform." You might be comfortable to refer the customer to another tree service but you'd want to be sure they are insured and capable. The job is not yours until you get the job. The job is the customer's and they must handle and choose the solution without contractor interference (taken from lew Bloch's book Tree Law Cases).

This year on www.linkedin.com several of us have had a long running debate about doing estimates for free or for fees. The discussion has made me smarter and saved me time, asking callers to email me photos of what they want done. Not every job deserves a qualified professional arborist....just a back hoe, track hoe or bulldozer. In these parts trees are allowed to grow and get in the way until they present themselves as a nuisance or danger. I have taken down 16 giants and the highest bill was $5,300 where we were on site 22 days out of a span of 62 calendar days. To save the customer's lawn we had to rope drop everything until I hired a crane truck to pick the twin trunks and set them on a huge trailer. The stump base was 9' diameter and took 13 hours to grind with my Husqvarna SG-13. It made me strong while being worn out.

 

[HusqyStihl]

At this point i will only take jobs that have ZERO risk of property damage. Hence why i want to learn more and start climbing, then rigging. One foot in front of the other. I wanna do it safe, there's enough risks in just basic firewood bucking and splitting. I have a long way to go before i take any jobs that will involve some risk. Im learning, slowly but surely!

 

[ShermanC]

At this point i will only take jobs that have ZERO risk of property damage. Hence why i want to learn more and start climbing, then rigging. One foot in front of the other. I wanna do it safe, there's enough risks in just basic firewood bucking and splitting. I have a long way to go before i take any jobs that will involve some risk. Im learning, slowly but surely!

Moose,
Your philosophy plan should work and your ten years in transportation with their intense safety practices will benefit you. In my case I had three years experience in airline catering first at two flight kitchens in Albuquerque, NM (my home town) then a year and a half with ContinentalAir Lines at their Denver flight kitchen being laid off in January 1970. One year later I was hired as manager of food service for a contract caterer providing cafeteria foodservicefive days a week at the Denver Federal Center. Our workers comp carrier Liberty Mutual Insurance conducted a six week class on recognizing unsafe conditions and preventing accidents. That contract ran out and was not renewed so I found work as an assistant manager in department store foodservice with six operations the largest of which was an aged 550 seat Tea Room. The average daily volume of the Tea Room was 1,800 lunches a day served.
The store chain of ten stores was owned by Associated Dry Goods of NYC so we were not on our own flight plan. Three months later my boss resigned and I asked for a chance at the top job. In my four years of work I added four more restaurants then got laid off along with 16 other executives. I went through divorce by a cheating wife, accepted Jesus as my Savior and shifted gears to management consulting. My first and largest client was the National Park Service at Yellowstone NP serving two concession management specialists. Our study was to find out what is, what can be and what should be the concessions management contracting standards for all national parks. Yellowstone is the largest and one of the most difficult parks to operate in and had the greatest number of written complaints. We were there seven months (march through September 1976) and I was called back two years later to review their changes based upon our recommendations. I recommended a change of contractors. I would love to go back now and see how Zantera operates it in view of immigration policy changes, the Internet, cell phones, etc. This year one of my friends is there to recondition the boiler plant at Mammoth Springs where park headquarters are situated on the north end of the figure eight road system.
I mentioned the author Alex Shigo so I am sending you his book 100 Tree Myths. Digest it well and you'll begin to "read the wood through the bark". As I was taught touch every tree you estimate....something special happens by doing that.

Time to go exercise walking laps in walmart and doing arm exercises while I walk 20-30 minutes daily.

Later...

 

[HuskStihl]

Why do they call you Moose? You look tiny in u'r avatar pic.