Dangerous technique?

[ropensaddle]

I've been to your neck of the woods a few times. I love the Riverside, Carlsbad area and North of there as well. Some of the most beautiful country and beaches I have seen. I like to vacation there. I checked on pay scale for a climber out there a few years back because I was considering moving there but with the cost of living it would be hard for what they pay a climber. I saw a 60 YO guy take down a Redwood up in Sonoma County a few years back and chatted with him. He told me what he was getting payed for the job and my jaw dropped... I think that it's probably because there are a lot of ex/unemployed loggers in that community and the work just doesn't pay very well. He was doing that job for about half of what I would get here for a similar scale job... Of course that was a few years ago too. Could be that the depression hit there first and had yet to catch up with me in my area.

I think it may be the illegals senior They take over the market like maggots on garbage! Look around at construction,especially concrete. They have definitely entered the tree arena here and it stinks.

 

[beastmaster]

I think it may be the illegals senior They take over the market like maggots on garbage! Look around at construction,especially concrete. They have definitely entered the tree arena here and it stinks.

You hit the nail on the head. All those Companys that employed illegals are now bidding against them. That cheap labor is biting them in their *****.
They low bid tell the competition is gone. Then after they control the industry jack up their prices.
That a pet peeve of mine because I suffer reverse discrimination almost anywhere I work. I guess they see a American as a threat and I catch a lot of slack from them. Not to mention listening to their music, no one to talk to. Don't get me started.
Beastmaster

 

[ropensaddle]

You hit the nail on the head. All those Companys that employed illegals are now bidding against them. That cheap labor is biting them in their *****.
They low bid tell the competition is gone. Then after they control the industry jack up their prices.
That a pet peeve of mine because I suffer reverse discrimination almost anywhere I work. I guess they see a American as a threat and I catch a lot of slack from them. Not to mention listening to their music, no one to talk to. Don't get me started.
Beastmaster

Me neither it is a shame the word illegal is sorta looked at in taboo. We know wazzup we really need to thank the aclu Anyway I will leave it alone buddy so we don't say too much!

 

[treeclimber101]

I will say that is a little scary to watch when you don't understand it . The trees sometime render funny and it always looks heavy on the rope usually bending the top like a fishing pole .. But good for you , getting his blood pressure elevated ..

 

[tree MDS]

I think it's almost impossible to do the real tricky trees without knowing the tip tie and butt tie cut.

Back in the day we used to take down some big assed trees, with a 50' work height skyworker, mounted behind the cab. That cut is a must for that type of thing imo. kinda freaky cutting a 30 foot leader above your head, stood straight up like that at first though..

 

[beastmaster]

I've tip tied a long branch that had to clear an object, then cut it close to the tree from underneath so then it came loose it would fall full speed towards the tree, tip up. Thats a little dangerous, at least for the climber. beastmaster

 

[tree md]

I agree that some people just freak when they see a big honking piece of wood suspended from a rope. I had hung an 18" pine, prolly an 80' tree, from a larger neighboring pine onetime in these condominiums. I had room in the back of the place to lay most of the tree down. Saved me a ton of time having to piece it out. The old lady that lived in the condo next to the customer came out and FREAKED! She cussed me up one side and down the other about lowering a whole tree over her house and #####ed me out for laying part of it in her yard (which was community property that I had gotten permission to use). I appeased her the best I could and got the hell out of there. Some people just freak when they see the work being done.

 

[flushcut]

I caught a lot of slack for a cut I did on a removal. First time I've ever worked for this company and the owner was a tyrant(I can be a hard head also). It was a muli trunk ash over a house. I was using the tallest trunk to catch the others. One of the small trunks went over the house with a pronounce lean next to the chimney.
above the house I anchored the butt and tied the top of the leaner to the higher other trunk . When I started my cut and the trunk started moving, the top tie in pulled tight and cause the trunk I was cutting to change direction 90 deg. away from the house, when I cut all the way though my anchor rope caught the butt.(both ropes were controlled on the ground.)
This freak this guy out, he started yelling at me, told me to get out of the tree..
I was almost done with the tree after that so I just finished. He hired me for that tree because he didn't think his guys could do it.
He figured it would take all day, it took me 3 hours. He didn't want to pay me(I charged for the job, not by the hour).
Any one else ever use this technique or feel it was dangerous?

How was that dangerous? Having not seen it maybe you could have used a spider leg and a tag or just a tag maybe. You got it done and nobody/no property got hurt sounds like a good day to me.

Some people just freak when they see the work being done.

That they do.

 

[Mikecutstrees]

Sounds like a good job to me. Iv'e done taht many times and it works well. Funny to see the people on the ground get nervous when it moves towards a structure. Usually I brief the groundies not to get nervous. Many times I'll set two blocks on seperate leaders if I'm taking a really monster top. Good job

Mike

 

[Scrat]

Beastmaster- I have found that you have to be very clear when pricing by the tree, hour or day. I have found that when you price a tree or job it is best to also clearly indicate the amount of time you feel it will take, otherwise the other guy will make an assumption and that will be based on his experience or lack of. They could think it should take 2 hours and may feel you were slow or 3 hours which it took you and he would be happy or he ASSUMED it would take all day and lets say you priced the tree at $400.00 so he feels you are costing him $50.00 an hour and he is ok with that. Now you pound that tree out in 3 hours, you go Beastmaster!, and he feels screwed cause now he is paying you $133.00 an hour... he thinks "SH!T I DON'T MAKE THAT" I'm not paying you that.....get out of that tree!

Now it is hard to explain anything because he is now bias and opinionated towards you.

I feel your pain as I have suffered it in the past. Now I have had great luck by always giving a clear description of my pricing, climbing plan and time to complete. in fact recently one of the local guys I climb for when he feels it is beyond his guy's ability, I knocked out a "fixed price for the tree" job in less time than estimated by both of us. When he paid me for a completed job I counted the money then I grabed him and said you over paid me a hundred bucks and I wanted to return it, He replied I know how to count and I know how much you saved me on this job.

So I guess the moral is don't leave room for assumptions they usually leave someone feeling bad.