Contract Climbing

[KentuckySawyer]

Who among you work solely as "climbers for hire" and who does their own jobs from start to finish? I do a bit of both as I expect others do, but am curious about the market for contract climbers.

Also, what are the pros and cons of this route for the business hiring a climber on a per job basis? Is it financially beneficial or is it a headache?

I love those jobs. No worries about the equipment. Don't have to deal with customers. "I'm just a subcontractor Sir."

 

[SteveBullman]

my work at the moment is entirely freelance. i find most companies like a list of climbers they can call on as the needs arise. the only headache i have at the moment is trying to keep everyone happy.
wether or not this is financially beneficial to the hiring party surely would depend mostly on the speed of the climber. from my experience though, freelance climbers are more reliable. and if they arent quick enough to make money for the hirer then they simply wont be hired again.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I've been in that club for about 5 years now, dunno why I didn't do it sooner. I didn't really know I could do it, it was kinda forced on me. I'm happy.

 

[SteveBullman]

dunno why I didn't do it sooner.

hear ya there. im earning twice as much a day as i was just 4 months back
oh and no headaches or stress either. just turn up, do my bit......get more respect.....NEVER get taken for granted......get we paid, and in return do a top rate job

 

[Monkeywitha_saw]

i do both but its a headache to keep every one happy all at the same time

 

[hobby climber]

Its a hobby for me thats turning into a business faster than I wanted it to! I do the job myself from start to finish depending on the job. Another company in my area has a bucket truck and chipper but the guy can't climb or rig...so he gets me to do all his major climb/rig jobs. In return, I have him do bucket work and chipping for me. This arrangement benefits both of us. We are each others competition but because I do it as a hobby, it doesn't become an issue. HC

 

[tophopper]

i do both but its a headache to keep every one happy all at the same time

What he said!

 

[Mike Barcaskey]

I've only ever climbed for myself as I run the business
I've been asked to contract climb for other guys, but have always been too busy on my own, so I turned them down
I've used contract climbers in the past for real difficult stuff beyond my ability (about a 7-8 on a 1-10), but there are not many here abouts.
most climbers have their own business and if you want them to climb for you its outrageous, like 200/hr. cause their bringing their crew. needless to say I've never used them.

I got lucky and brought on a guy from Indiana who moved here with his wife (who is from here) he had his own biz back in Indiana, but now just wants the security of daily work, even if it isnt all climbing and no hassles over equip and bidding
he does most of the difficult climbing and now I pick and choose my climbs and run the biz
he has turned down contract climbs for other people (that I gave him the lead on) cause he doesn't want to work for the competition and doesnt want to work weekends
got to keep this guy happy
(sorry TNT, we'll get together sometime)

 

[MasterBlaster]

Nobody ever wants to work weekends.

 

[treeseer]

Nobody ever wants to work weekends.

I do; that's when the client is home to write the check.

I contract climbed for much of my early career but after a while I could not handle the lack of control. When the tree owner or biz owner told me how to prune it turned into a long unwelcome conversation when I knew a better way. And being told to remove a good tree for bad reasons, that

Now I do all my own work and love it; most clients say "Just do what is needed and let me know." If a storm makes for more work than I can handle i call in subs; overall good experiences there too.

 

[Mike Barcaskey]

Yea, well I dont want to work weekends, at least not on the tree side of the biz
that's why I'm the boss, do as I want. Just lucky that my crew doesn't like to work them either.

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

i like hireing contract climber's at the moment it suits me better than employing a full time climber..and yes as a rule they are more reliable, and they are usualy the better than average climber.

 

[P_woozel]

I hae had difficulty staying busy in this area doing that, maybe changeing location would work.

 

[KentuckySawyer]

I assume you all bring your own saddle, etc to the job, but what about say saws? What about rigging equipment?

I definitely prefer using my own saws just so I know it will cut. I work for a landscaper occasionally who doesn't have any rigging gear so I provide that.

Another question... How do you charge? Hourly (at what rate)? Or per tree?

 

[Ekka]

Having tried both contract climbers and climbing staff I must say that the contractors are the way to go.

Most will be faster, have their own gear, be more reliable and carry their own insurance making them more responsible.

On the down side the contract climber probably gets the harder jobs, the jobs that the business owner or permanent climber doesn't want or can't do ... so just some advice to the bosses out there, give those contract climbers some of the good jobs too.

As a boss I must say I feel extremely vulnerable in my business when I only have one climber available, so it's a good idea to have more than one just in case.

 

[tophopper]

I come fully equiped with enough gear, rigging, and saws to do most any tree. I prefer using my saws and rigging in most cases, but sometimes I'll use their stuff.

I charge a daily flat rate.

Contract climbing usually means getting the hardest, ugliest trees in my experience.
Full throttle too, not like working for your self where you can set whatever pace you want.

 

[basnighttrees]

I am doing contract for one co. m-f and another on saturday. I do my own jobs when they come up. I am not trying to advertize cuz I don't have the equipment to haul away. I was charging 200. per day, but after 3 saws put me down in the same week it was time to raise the bar. I am going to 250 per day and I bring my own rigging equip, rakes, log dolly, wheel bowwer, ropes, etc. Does anybody think this is too low?

 

[MasterBlaster]

 

[Tree Machine]

I do my jobs beginning to end, but will drop everything if I'm called on a contract climb. I make myself available only on the most technical trees. I bring all my climbing cutting and rigging gear and the clock starts as soon as my saddle is on. This is rare, though, mebbe twice or three times a year. My hourly rate is prohibitive on any sort of regular basis, but I'm a reliable bail-out guy and I truly live for the big meanies.

Day to day I run a solo business, do all my own everything from start to finish. There's pros and cons to this, and I'm seriously considering a shift this season, so thanks for this thread.

I've got a gross overabundance of work every year. Already, I'm turning away about a third of the calls that come in. I'd like to hire a climber, but the problem is, I'm a climber. I would love to do just the most difficult jobs, and leave the more regular ones to the new climber, but then we'd need a ground guy, and then at that point I have totally lost the joy of the simplicity of working alone and the ease of just managing my own self and my gear.

I'm really torn over this. I just got 125 new clients last week, all surrounding a nearby lake which is so sweet, but it's a little outside of my normal working zone. Kind of a blessing, but I was already overburdened without the lake people. If I get a big storm now, I'm screwed. There's only so much work a single climber-cleaner-upper can do alone. Right now I'm having a time just keeping up with estimates.

Anyone need a job? Not as a contract climber, but a subcontractor, anyone fully equipped and able, looking for some new scenery? Heavy hardwood belt here, tens of thousands of trees within a tight radius. I'm lookin. :Eye:

 

[Tree Machine]

Double-edged sword

That pretty much summs up why I don't have employees. That, and I'm not very responsible managing other people. Also, I'm not so consistent on getting out in the morning, maybe because I have my cup of Joe with Arboristsite, and the next thing I know it's 10:30 or 11. My priorities are mebbe screwed up.

If I had a ground guy I'd have to be consistent and reliable. I like to take nice days off sometimes with Elizabeth, and I thoroughly like to work when the weather's crappy. This confuses employees.

The last guy I hired, I made him go out with me, first day, whitewater canoeing. Told him if we were going to do treework together, I had to know if he could paddle a watercraft in dangerous current. He became apprentice material and is now out doing his own business.

If I hired someone today, we'd likely spend the next couple days in the woods hunting morels. I'm getting really complacent. With a helper, I'd have to be, well, like a boss