Becoming an Arborist, Albany, NY

[HusqyStihl]

Moose,

I got into climbing and tree care last year. So far I've done ten removals for friends/family. All really good advice here so far, I've been reading and learning right along.
I bought Wesspur's Entry-Level Combo Kit (see here: http://www.wesspur.com/climbing-kits/entry-level-combo-tree-climbing-kit.html ) and have been very happy with it. I made a few changes when I placed the order:
I got a better saddle (Ergovation Economy) than they have with the kit; a friend who's been climbing for thirty years told me to get the best saddle I could afford to be more comfortable. The Ergo has nice padding and is adjustable over a wide range, also a good amount of gear loops.
I switched the climbing rope to Arbormaster Bigfoot ( http://www.wesspur.com/items/bf15.html ) and am very happy with it. It works well with a Blake's Hitch and now with a VT and pulley.
They give a discount on hand saws and safety gear when you buy it at the same time as the kit and I took advantage of that. I got a Pacific Kevlar helmet, a dozen Atlas gloves (they give EXCELLENT grip on rope!!) and a Samurai HD handsaw.
I also got a rope for rigging ( http://www.wesspur.com/items/sb1215.html ), a block ( CMI 5/8 stainless steel) and port-a-wrap. I made the whoopie and loopie slings myself from Tenex TEC per instructions from Samson.
After buying a few more odds and ends this year I'm up to a little over $ 2,000 in gear, but I always think that it's better to buy the right stuff once instead of going for cheap and then upgrading later, especially where I'm putting my life on the line.
One item I would not be without is a GOOD FIRST AID KIT!!!! Also First Aid/ CPR training !!
Since you're in my neck of the woods you might want to look into the Trained Logger Certification that Cornell Coop. Ext. does in NY. It is geared more towards logging but there are plenty of CE courses that are of interest to arborists as well. I took one last year on invasive species management that was a real eye opener. The courses are not expensive and most times they buy lunch . More info here: http://www.newyorkloggertraining.org .

Good Luck and climb safe!!

Where abouts in the Eastern Catskills are you located if i may ask? Grew up in Coxsackie my whole life and my grandparents owned a hotel out in East Durham until they bothed passed. I'm all over the Catskills, my son lives right in Catskill with his mother. If youre that close, i'd be glad to join you on the jobsite sometime if you wouldn't mind. I'd love to watch and learn some climbing first hand. Been watching everything i can possibly find on the net but in person i bet its a whole different story..

~Moose

 

[ShermanC]

Where abouts in the Eastern Catskills are you located if i may ask? Grew up in Coxsackie my whole life and my grandparents owned a hotel out in East Durham until they bothed passed. I'm all over the Catskills, my son lives right in Catskill with his mother. If youre that close, i'd be glad to join you on the jobsite sometime if you wouldn't mind. I'd love to watch and learn some climbing first hand. Been watching everything i can possibly find on the net but in person i bet its a whole different story..

~Moose

Hey Moose,
Thanks to this forum and Black Dogg your network is building. I am adding some things to the parcel of two books and will mail it in the next few days. Be sure to add www.tcia.org to your Favorites. Non-members have restricted access but that will hopefully change for you in due time. I worked toward having a membership from 1993 until 2008 whenI got so deep into the trade that I had a good safety record, proven work and made sure to set aside funds for liability insurance and then the dues. Consider it as buying an education in tree care. This year the bad weather cut us out of work so bad I had to scrape to pay the liability insurance in March and dues paid two weeks ago.

 

[ropensaddle]

If pricing in the natural state was more near industry standards the scraping would hurt much less but yes the rain has stunk.

 

[HusqyStihl]

Hey Moose,
Thanks to this forum and Black Dogg your network is building. I am adding some things to the parcel of two books and will mail it in the next few days. Be sure to add www.tcia.org to your Favorites. Non-members have restricted access but that will hopefully change for you in due time. I worked toward having a membership from 1993 until 2008 whenI got so deep into the trade that I had a good safety record, proven work and made sure to set aside funds for liability insurance and then the dues. Consider it as buying an education in tree care. This year the bad weather cut us out of work so bad I had to scrape to pay the liability insurance in March and dues paid two weeks ago.

Been all over the TCIA, and member'd up as a student with NYS ISA. Also just today found another climber really close by, found his card (is a member on here but haven't seen online since 2013), stopped at the store and there was his card! gonna give him a call sometime and ask if i can come watch and learn the ropes, exciting ****!

~Moose

EDIT: and thanks again for everything youre sending, let me know anytime if there is anything i can do for you my friend!

 

[Black Dogg]

Where abouts in the Eastern Catskills are you located if i may ask? Grew up in Coxsackie my whole life and my grandparents owned a hotel out in East Durham until they bothed passed. I'm all over the Catskills, my son lives right in Catskill with his mother. If youre that close, i'd be glad to join you on the jobsite sometime if you wouldn't mind. I'd love to watch and learn some climbing first hand. Been watching everything i can possibly find on the net but in person i bet its a whole different story..

~Moose

Well, I am that close (I'll PM you with details, if you'd like or I can give you a call) but I wouldn't want to teach anyone just yet. I'm still learning myself and probably have a few flaws that a more experienced climber would see instantly. I've been teaching myself with the help of this site, books and by watching vids on youtube (A. Hunicke, Reg Coates, Brian Bixler, Climbing Arborist are just a few ). Any technique I want to try is practiced on the ground first and then I go up maybe five feet and try everything there. Once that works the way I like it then I'll go up higher but always SLOW!
On the jobsite would probably not be a good idea yet either; I have to concentrate on the job at hand and wouldn't want too many distractions. Again, I'm still learning .
But if you want to see my climbing and rigging gear I can swing by sometime and show you.

Black Dogg

 

[ShermanC]

Well, I am that close (I'll PM you with details, if you'd like or I can give you a call) but I wouldn't want to teach anyone just yet. I'm still learning myself and probably have a few flaws that a more experienced climber would see instantly. I've been teaching myself with the help of this site, books and by watching vids on youtube (A. Hunicke, Reg Coates, Brian Bixler, Climbing Arborist are just a few ). Any technique I want to try is practiced on the ground first and then I go up maybe five feet and try everything there. Once that works the way I like it then I'll go up higher but always SLOW!
On the jobsite would probably not be a good idea yet either; I have to concentrate on the job at hand and wouldn't want too many distractions. Again, I'm still learning .
But if you want to see my climbing and rigging gear I can swing by sometime and show you.

Black Dogg

Speaking of watching I didn't realize until 2008 the dangers of spectators. That year I applied for Liability Insurance and got accepted my broker/agent strongly advised there be no spectators allowed in the area(s) of work. Six months later at TCIA Expo it was discussed in one or more workshops. It has happened occasionally that a spectator develops into a customer because they liked seeing how the work is done. But make sure to stop work and direct them to move away to a safe zone then keep watch that they don't move closer.

Think of the trauma felt by observers last Sunday in Albuquerque, NM as Ken Raschick, owner of Kens Tree Company (since 1973) extended a wheeled lift chained onto a long trailer but not stabilized to ground. He took four children all the way up as a joyride. Wind blew the lift over killing him, his 12 year old nephew and seriously injuring the other three boys. The web site www.vertikal.net presented photos and description of this, an act that could have been prevented by sound safety policies and practice; no joyrides, no extensions from a trailer mount and last but not least no spectators. If this matter turns to lawsuits for negligence and liability the witnesses who testify will suffer trauma repeatedly as they account for what they saw. OSHA ranks our industry as most dangerous and we who honor that must be proactive to control work to prevent injuries and fatalities.

 

[ropensaddle]

Speaking of watching I didn't realize until 2008 the dangers of spectators. That year I applied for Liability Insurance and got accepted my broker/agent strongly advised there be no spectators allowed in the area(s) of work. Six months later at TCIA Expo it was discussed in one or more workshops. It has happened occasionally that a spectator develops into a customer because they liked seeing how the work is done. But make sure to stop work and direct them to move away to a safe zone then keep watch that they don't move closer.

Think of the trauma felt by observers last Sunday in Albuquerque, NM as Ken Raschick, owner of Kens Tree Company (since 1973) extended a wheeled lift chained onto a long trailer but not stabilized to ground. He took four children all the way up as a joyride. Wind blew the lift over killing him, his 12 year old nephew and seriously injuring the other three boys. The web site www.vertikal.net presented photos and description of this, an act that could have been prevented by sound safety policies and practice; no joyrides, no extensions from a trailer mount and last but not least no spectators. If this matter turns to lawsuits for negligence and liability the witnesses who testify will suffer trauma repeatedly as they account for what they saw. OSHA ranks our industry as most dangerous and we who honor that must be proactive to control work to prevent injuries and fatalities.

One thing osha can't fix is stupid, now I don't know why the stabilizers were not down but imo its not sound thinking.

 

[ShermanC]

• Been all over the TCIA, and member'd up as a student with NYS ISA. Also just today found another climber really close by, found his card (is a member on here but haven't seen online since 2013), stopped at the store and there was his card! gonna give him a call sometime and ask if i can come watch and learn the ropes, exciting ****!

~Moose

EDIT: and thanks again for everything youre sending, let me know anytime if there is anything i can do for you my friend!

Moose, I tried to email you at [email protected] but it came back by Mailer-Daemon. I don't know everything about the internet but I know enough to doubt if there is actually an interest service provider called outlook. I think that name is copyrighted by Microsoft. Please try again To send me your email address. Thanks, Sherman

 

[HusqyStihl]

[email protected]

 

[ShermanC]

[email protected]

Aha...a "q" instead of "k". That helps. Thanks.

 

[Black Dogg]

Moose,

in my opinion, yes, you are wrong.
If you'd be using the gear for charity work only I would be all for it, but you are going to make money with it (eventually) and to ask other people to pay for something you'll use to earn money is wrong, IMHO.
I used my credit card to pay for my gear and have (slowly) paid it back over the last year. I have had a couple of jobs recently that paid a bit so now I'm all caught up. Any money that I get from future jobs will be used for upgrades to my equipment. That is the reason why I went with the basic kit (and recommend the same for you) and a few rigging tools and left it at that for the time being; I didn't have to lay out a huge amount and go into debt too much.
I was raised in the way that you have to earn what you want and not have everything given to you.
If you want to make a career change and can't afford it yet, wait some time and put some money aside from your sawbusiness. I know all about working in a job you don't like, but sometimes you just have to grin and bear it for a while longer to get to your endgoal.
No offense, just my 2 cents.

Black Dogg

 

[HusqyStihl]

Understood, and i see your points, i will remove it. I just sank so low with medical bills and being out of work i have know idea where to start. My saw business was something i do to keep occupied while out of work. I make half of what a service shop would so i don't see much (almost no profit from it). I would actually love to do this type of work (climbing) and do it for charity only just to gain the experience and to start somewhere. Just thought i would ask for help. I know all about earning my keep and i would have definitely paid it back in charity work. Guess i jumped the gun in thinking of how i could get into the business based on an apprenticeship and very very little money. You see, my doctor wants me out fully disabled for good, i don't agree and want to provide for my son and not live off the taxes of others. It's pretty depressing. I don't know which way to go and even worse, don't know where to start to figure out which way to go. Others say take the disability, which is railroad and quite a large sum, but that still leaves me sitting on my azz and feeling like a loser. Thats not the person i am and not the person i wanna be. I will pursue other options.

Thanks for your opinion, greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Moose

 

[HusqyStihl]

Do you think i should raise my costs in repairing of saws to almost but not just meet the local shops? I'm not the pro but i have a basic understanding of repair and maintenance of saws. But the reason i charge what i do is because i get more business that way, even though not alot because a guy with a small shop that doesn't have the bigshot logos and signs out front doesnt get the business as they do because of reputation. But i can say that i've had nothing but 100% positive feedback from all the saws i've fixed for everyone, god willing it will stay that way

~Moose

 

[ropensaddle]

Do you think i should raise my costs in repairing of saws to almost but not just meet the local shops? I'm not the pro but i have a basic understanding of repair and maintenance of saws. But the reason i charge what i do is because i get more business that way, even though not alot because a guy with a small shop that doesn't have the bigshot logos and signs out front doesnt get the business as they do because of reputation. But i can say that i've had nothing but 100% positive feedback from all the saws i've fixed for everyone, god willing it will stay that way

~Moose

Man your umm lol idk its hard to ridicule a 6 foot five dude but are you gonna be an arborist or are you gonna be a repair tech

 

[HusqyStihl]

Id do both, i rarely sleep so i have plenty of time to do both. Saw repair on the side of course if i went full time climber, or even in the field when needed lol

 

[ropensaddle]

Id do both, i rarely sleep so i have plenty of time to do both. Saw repair on the side of course if i went full time climber, or even in the field when needed lol

W

Id do both, i rarely sleep so i have plenty of time to do both. Saw repair on the side of course if i went full time climber, or even in the field when needed lol

Hahaha yeah, Well really I wanted to be a country singer but muh voice sucks from all that yellin headache, so I guess I'm stuck at climbing or comedian lol and we know what that pays

 

[ShermanC]

Moose,

in my opinion, yes, you are wrong.
If you'd be using the gear for charity work only I would be all for it, but you are going to make money with it (eventually) and to ask other people to pay for something you'll use to earn money is wrong, IMHO.
I used my credit card to pay for my gear and have (slowly) paid it back over the last year. I have had a couple of jobs recently that paid a bit so now I'm all caught up. Any money that I get from future jobs will be used for upgrades to my equipment. That is the reason why I went with the basic kit (and recommend the same for you) and a few rigging tools and left it at that for the time being; I didn't have to lay out a huge amount and go into debt too much.
I was raised in the way that you have to earn what you want and not have everything given to you.
If you want to make a career change and can't afford it yet, wait some time and put some money aside from your sawbusiness. I know all about working in a job you don't like, but sometimes you just have to grin and bear it for a while longer to get to your endgoal.
No offense, just my 2 cents.

Black Dogg

Well said Black Dogg.

 

[Black Dogg]

Do you think i should raise my costs in repairing of saws to almost but not just meet the local shops? I'm not the pro but i have a basic understanding of repair and maintenance of saws. But the reason i charge what i do is because i get more business that way, even though not alot because a guy with a small shop that doesn't have the bigshot logos and signs out front doesnt get the business as they do because of reputation. But i can say that i've had nothing but 100% positive feedback from all the saws i've fixed for everyone, god willing it will stay that way

~Moose

Moose,

I wouldn't raise my costs that high. After all, like you said, you're not a pro and "in business". I would maybe raise them a bit and see what happens. If you go up too high you might shoot yourself in the foot by scaring people away and making less money than now.
If you had nothing but positive feedback that's good! Word-of-mouth advertising is a lot more effective than anything else (and costs less, too ); comments from customers can make or break you really fast!

Black Dogg

 

[HusqyStihl]

I always try to throw in a freebie, an extra chain, air or fuel filter, just something i might have floating around that i may or may not have a use for. Alot of members on here have donated alot of things to me for trial or to help build some saws so i try to pass it on to whoever brings me a saw to work on. The last guy drove over an hour and said he's got buddies with saw issues and plans on sending them my way, and i'm hoping so. And btw, knock on wood about that positive feedback, i hope everyone doesnt start calling tomorrow with trashed saws. Now i've got another problem, i always did saws and this latest endeavor trying to fix the next door ladies ride-on mower (with no luck tho, too far gone unserviced), the rest of the neighborhood showed up today with cub cadets, husq trimmers, you name it. Not real happy about it because they all jumped on the free fix it guy wagon. Well except for one guy who asked for a full rebuild on his trimmer said he'd throw me 20 bucks

 

[ShermanC]

Understood, and i see your points, i will remove it. I just sank so low with medical bills and being out of work i have know idea where to start. My saw business was something i do to keep occupied while out of work. I make half of what a service shop would so i don't see much (almost no profit from it). I would actually love to do this type of work (climbing) and do it for charity only just to gain the experience and to start somewhere. Just thought i would ask for help. I know all about earning my keep and i would have definitely paid it back in charity work. Guess i jumped the gun in thinking of how i could get into the business based on an apprenticeship and very very little money. You see, my doctor wants me out fully disabled for good, i don't agree and want to provide for my son and not live off the taxes of others. It's pretty depressing. I don't know which way to go and even worse, don't know where to start to figure out which way to go. Others say take the disability, which is railroad and quite a large sum, but that still leaves me sitting on my azz and feeling like a loser. Thats not the person i am and not the person i wanna be. I will pursue other options.

Thanks for your opinion, greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Moose

One thing osha can't fix is stupid, now I don't know why the stabilizers were not down but imo its not sound thinking.

I saw the photos on web site Albuquerque Journal.com. It looked like a four wheel telehaqndler without out outriggers.