From:Forrest To:All

[kf_tree]

i just find it odd that you have a mentor in 2 weeks on the job. i won't even talk to the ground crew for the first 2 weeks, they come and go so fast. if their still around after 2 weeks then i'll try and teach a little. why is your mentor pushing you away? if you have some talent, i would think he would want you around to run ropes for him. most climbers i know do not like to teach climbing for 2 reasons. 1 is job security and 2 no one wants to see some one get hurt.
after i sold my business one of my guys started his own company. he bought a small truck and i sold him a morbark 290. he's doing ok just taking the smaller jobs and i work for him a day or 2 a week to tackle the big stuff. but he doesn't always know what he's looking at. he asked me to do a dead norway for him, so i scoped tree out before he set the job up. i told him i don't think i could get it down with out doing some damage. its over a house and garage with terracotta roofs. i will borrow a bucket from another company to do the tree for him. its just hard to estimate jobs when you do not climb. some big tree's come down faster than small tree's. i once went to do a dead atlantis for a company. the estimater did not climb. i walked up to the tree and pushed it over taking out all the phone and cable lines with it. then said you expected me to climb that?
in this business you must learn to trust your instincts. which is hard in your case because they are developed over time. i was going up a small live willow a while back. the tree felt too shakey to me. there was a tall school yard fence next to the tree so i tied in at the top of the fence. there was one small branch grown in to the fence. i cut it on my way down and the whole tree fell across the yard. just that little 3in branch was holding the tree up. i walked from a job a few weeks ago. i just had a bad feeling about the tree. the climber that tried to do the tree got hurt. a dead piece broke out knocked him out of the tree and the wood landed on him. he was knocked out cold and out of work for 2 weeks. the sad part is he was almost done. i ended up finishing the tree in an hour. just as a customer can choose who they hire, you get to choose what jobs to take. just don't get big eye's thinking you could tackle any tree.
as far as what saw's to buy go with husky or stihl. basicly anything will cut with a sharp chain. learn how to properly sharpen a chain.

 

[SpikedSupra]

Spike_It

Thank you for your advice and good examples of dangerous situations. This job that I have is with a very small company....in fact its just me and my boss and thats it. We get to work on a very personal level so I learn a lot from him. Also, he is not pushing me away. I am working for him in the summer because I am back home for the summer(Daytona Beach). I will be moving back to Orlando in August to go back to college and then I am going to start my business. Alos, I would like to add that today I did decide to focus on Lawn care and do tree jobs secondly until I do get more experience and then take on more tree jobs. Happy cutting!

 

[Kevin]

That sounds like a good idea.
If you have a customer with a smaller tree job you can handle it and for the big jobs you sub out and call in someone that`s better equipped and possibly help them.

 

[Nickrosis]

Spike_it, maybe you're just joking, but I want to address something. Perhaps you should reconsider your two week waiting period. Someone who really cares about trees and the industry would not put up with a climber who was too good for them. Instead, they would see the light and go somewhere where they could talk on the same plane with their co-worker.

I know I haven't put in my time. The eight years of experience I have is a fraction of what's necessary. I haven't learned on manila. I don't know how to tie a taut-line. I'm a college kid and don't know about the real world, the school of hard knocks.... I hear this all the time.

As a groundman, which I usually am on the job, I want to be able to talk and ask questions with whoever is in charge, but maybe I'm asking too much. I'm writing too much tonight as well. Carry on.

Nickrosis

 

[rbtree]

Todd, and all,

Here in Seattle, an ISA officer and consulting arborist's real name is Favero Greenforest.

I hired a fella named Forrest for a few days work, off and on, back six or seven years ago. He had never rappelled, and never wore his butt strap part of the saddle, til I showed him a bit of technique. One time, while I was away on one of my ski trips, he was the climber. All in one day, he had a maple log sit back on my 044, the gmen had to call for a neighbor to help pull so it didn't fall on his house. Then the log fell off onto the 044, doing $150 damage. He also cut himself, and turned in a small L&I claim. Plus my 120 foot Hi-V came up missing. He now has his own tree service; perhaps he has improved a bit- doubtful tho.....

Forrest,

I would highly recommend these books: "Tree Climber's Companion", and Gerry Beranek's "Fundamental of General Tree Work". Plus, get subscriptions to Arbor Age, Tree Care Industry, and join the ISA. Make friends with good arborists in your area. If you plan on working on your own, it will be very difficult to learn much. I have 30 years of tree work and landscaping under my belt. I started tackling some mighty big stuff in my first years of tree work, without the excellent information and training that is available today. Being a technical rock and mt climber as well as crazy skier helped. It all came naturally. But I made many mistakes, some of which resulted in rather major injuries. And I am still learning, as I hope we all are, no matter how old or skilled.

 

[Nickrosis]

There's nothing wrong with last names for businesses. If you think of 5 major, successful tree businesses, you may be surprised my how many of them include names, especially last names. In fact, it's probably the most common source for names.

The reality is, if you don't use your name, you could easily end up with a corny or tacky business. There are many good ones out there, but like band names....the good ones were taken in the 60s and 70s.

Nickrosis

 

[Kevin]

One local company here that everyone remembers and talks about because of the name is Tree Men & A Chainsaw.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

There is a Tree Amigos in western IL I think.

I've seen Treemen and Truck.

I have a buddy with a bad back, who has a climber 22y/o climber who has bloodclot problems. Lost 30% lung capasity. I tell them with my VA disability we should join in buisness call it "Tree Cripples".

 

[SpikedSupra]

Name

I have been racking my brain for a good name. Nothing is really standing out like its the one I definitaly want. I will keep thinking. You guys are helping me with ideas though.

 

[kf_tree]

about my 2 week period. i've just seen so many guys come and go. i'm talking about new to the job brush draggers. its not so much that i won't talk to them its just that i don't take it to a personal level. i make it a point to say "good morning" to every one. when i ask for a saw or rope to be tied on i say "please" when a rope man lands a piece from over the wires i always say " nice job". i always make it a point to be polite. no one wants to work with a miserable crew. there are days when i never see the clean up crew. we run a cut and boogie crew and a clean up crew. if were doing a bunch of jobs its 2 climbers and a rope man in a pick up bounceing from job to job. we cut every thing up and get on to the next job.
just because we are tree men its no reason to be rude and low class. why perpetuate the myth. i even own my own tux and have custom dress shirts made. but i go home with saw dust in my ears like the rest of you guys.
but tree work is "hard work" and most new guys quit in the first week or 2. not because of rude primadona's but because it is " hard work".
thanks for listening , and have a good week end. ken

 

[rborist1]

:Eye:

 

[kf_tree]

there is an urban tree care by me. the guy is a total hack. he cuts down trees gets half the money and never cleans up the job. he once did a job for a blind women. he just stood in the back yard running a saw for an hour and took her money never cutting the tree. a friend of mine felt so bad he did the tree for free.

 

[SpikedSupra]

Spike it

That is messed up man! Somebody should have beaten the snot out of that guy for doing such a thing to a blind woman. Good for the guy who did it for free. Thats a real gentleman. If you ever see that guy tell him I said "You're the man" because people who do such deeds deserve compliments. If more people complimented other's good deeds then more good deeds would be accomplished.