getting started

[southernoutdoor]

hey, new around here but I have gained alot of info.. anyways I was laid off from the oil-field a few months ago went through a bad divorce so on so on this isnt a country song i swear.. I decided to start cutting some firewood for extra money(used to work in the log woods) but i am really interested in getting into the tree work business. any advise or info would be appreciated.. gotta do something for work and looking for another career, traveling is now out of the question on account of my kiddos

 

[treesquirrel]

Tree work is not something simple like landscape work. You can buy a mower and start cutting grass and do a decent job with only a small amount of living brain tissue but buying a chipper, a chip truck, and climbing up into a tree with a chainsaw is much more intense.

This business requires skills and training to both perform the job at hand and to perform it while staying alive or unharmed.

Your best bet is to go to work for a reputable tree company beginning life as a brush dragger.

Sorry to burst your bubble but this is way far removed from serving up fries at the drive thru. You don't just wake up one day and start a professional tree service. Unless of course you have some kind of death wish.

My advice is whatever you do don't jump in without looking very closely. get proper training and work alongside a pro for a good while.

 

[southernoutdoor]

trust me i know what ya mean i roughnecked in the oil field...doesnt get more dangerous...but you gotta balance experience and having a set...im just looking for some valuable info to get pointed in the right direction I worked in the log woods and can handle a saw,I've worked hard all my life so no disrespect but draggin brush probably not

 

[lumberjack333]

Best thing you can do besides go to school is read - get yourself a copy of "The Tree Climbers Companion" by Jeff Jepson... should get you started in the right direction, and keep going from there. Keep reading, and stay safe. Nobody can stop you from doing what you're set on doing just be bloody careful, start small, learn the mistakes that way... you don't wanna #### up the big guys in situations where it really counts.

Live by these three rules;
1. Safety first.
2. Safety first.
3. Safety first.

 

[southernoutdoor]

Thank ya sir..appreciate the info

 

[MillerTreeMN]

if i had to start from scratch nowadays in the tree business,

id laugh, and find a different career.

there are too many variables, and too many little things to learn. if you dont learn those things first, the boss loses money.

when you are the boss- it costs money to learn those little things.

drag brush... and start small.

 

[Fireaxman]

Just a little more to consider - don't know where you are, but where I am the competition for tree work has gotten pretty intense since Katrina. I think folks saw some big bucks after the storms and thought this would be a lucrative profession. Since then, seems like there are a lot of very skilled and experienced men out there having to scratch pretty hard to make a living.

And then there are the wantabees ... and the pretendtobees.

 

[BC WetCoast]

If you want to start a tree business, drag brush and keep your eyes and ears open. Watch how a job site is set up, how trees are cut to optimize the efficiency of the crew. Learn how do more than just run a saw, how to prune large and small trees, how to do hedges. Learn how to properly do clean up.

Man, it takes me two days just to properly train a new guy how to rake efficiently.

It's the little details that aren't in a book, that will make or break your business.

 

[1savagehunter]

Don't want to give you a bad time there but REALLY ... your to good to drag bush???

If you come asking how to start out then listen to people who know ... and are giving you help. I know roughnecking is tough (I'll give you that). Let me just say I've meet some very physically strong roughnecks but SOME are also so stupid I wouldn't let them rake the lawn. I'm REALLY trying to not be a jerk here and don't want to tick off roughnecks in general (I have some good friends who are roughnecks ... and they are REALLY smart). Let's just say I wouldn't think of starting in the oil patch and saying "Can you guys all help me ... I want to start as a Drill Push ... I'm way above starting at the bottom and working my way up"

The advice to pick up the climbing book, get some experience - "dragging brush" and seek out a mentor is where you need to start. Having said that if you need some help ... PM me and I will help you anyway I can or point you in the right direction.

 

[danieltree]

My groundman (limb dragger) is as important to me as my chainsaw and that's saying a lot.​

 

[RVALUE]

Much good info above.



On a lighter note, I had a buddy come up with me elk hunting in the woods of Idaho in the early 90's. We were far into the timber near Avery, when amongst about 30 new friends one asked him (because of his prevalent southern drawl) where he was from.

'LA' he replied, then proceeded to take a drink of his Rainier, (I know, yuk, but thats all we knew.).

There was complete silence, and I prepared to meet my maker, as no one likes the implied location.

For ONCE then I wished he was from New York or somewhere they talked faster.

Finally, his slow self dribbled out , 'Lower Arkansas'. There was some chuckling, then the normal elk camp sounds slowly resumed.

All ended well, but how close were we to their telling this story today with a different ending?????

 

[southernoutdoor]

i think theres a misunderstanding,i never meant to say i was too good to do anything, and i hope i classify in the intelligent genre of roughneck... lol anyway im just saying i cant really afford to start rock bottom for minimum wage...

 

[treesquirrel]

i think theres a misunderstanding,i never meant to say i was too good to do anything, and i hope i classify in the intelligent genre of roughneck... lol anyway im just saying i cant really afford to start rock bottom for minimum wage...

I did not mean to sound rude but in this world we try to encourage folks to begin at the beginning. If you are indeed smarter than the average bear, as they say in Jellystone, then you will be able to start out a bit higher up the ladder.

The general attitude is that nobody should feel too skilled to drag brush. I am primarily a climber but I am also an engineer, long story but in a nutshell got tired of traveling, and I don't hesitate to help drag brush once I'm on the ground.

The main thing as I said earlier is to KNOW what you are doing and be familiar with the safety hazards. No job is worth your life or health. You had to deal with extreme situations in the oil fields I'm sure.

 

[danieltree]

Its a pretty tough biz to be in right now. Some owners are making minimum wage right now. The real problem with tree work is getting the work. I think everyone is trying to tell you that working with another company will take the pain out of learning on your own . Also a good ground man gets paid pretty good, especially if he has sense and can be trusted to be left on the job alone and if you can bring jobs to the table then you will do ok. If my ground man hustles up a job he gets 10 percent on top of his regular pay. And you can always do the simpler jobs yourself and keep all the money. But just remember that then you become the competition.​

 

[1savagehunter]

i think theres a misunderstanding,i never meant to say i was too good to do anything, and i hope i classify in the intelligent genre of roughneck... lol anyway im just saying i cant really afford to start rock bottom for minimum wage...

I'm sure you are ... I hear where you are coming from. If you can figure out how to get paid well to learn the basics go for it!!!

 

[tree MDS]

i think theres a misunderstanding,i never meant to say i was too good to do anything, and i hope i classify in the intelligent genre of roughneck... lol anyway im just saying i cant really afford to start rock bottom for minimum wage...

I can hear that man...however the replies so far are right on, whether you want to hear it or not. It is what it is.

Best of luck. I know these times suck for alot of us. But you having been a roughneck ought to be one tough sob, so youll be ok.

 

[outofmytree]

hey, new around here but I have gained alot of info.. anyways I was laid off from the oil-field a few months ago went through a bad divorce so on so on this isnt a country song i swear.. I decided to start cutting some firewood for extra money(used to work in the log woods) but i am really interested in getting into the tree work business. any advise or info would be appreciated.. gotta do something for work and looking for another career, traveling is now out of the question on account of my kiddos

I am sorry to say there is no way to get around the need to start at the lowest rung on the ladder. I appreciate you have skills and a good work ethic but starting a business without knowledge, especially a tree business is just not smart. Tighten your belt and start at the bottom. If you work as good as you talk it will take very little time to "step up" the ladder and earn a better rate of pay.

When you look for a company to work for, look for one where all the guys wear PPE and who clean up the job site properly. This tells you they take the business seriously and you will be starting your "apprenticeship" in the right place.

Best of luck.

 

[southernoutdoor]

thanks for all the info!!! I know a man usually worth a dang has worked his way up.. I've never wanted something for nothing just wandering what it all takes to become a sure enough jam up hand. I have no intentions on screwing myself up or someones house,property,ect.ect....I figure it might be hard to even get a foot in the door to a company, Plus lets be honest its hard as hell to go from making six figures a year to broke on unemployment lol its making me a better person through it all, funny really how life can go but I'm better for it...Im just taking it as a second chance to be truly happy.. hell I sound like a feel good lifetime movie, sorry brothers

 

[treesquirrel]

Plus lets be honest its hard as hell to go from making six figures a year to broke on unemployment lol its making me a better person through it all, funny really how life can go but I'm better for it...Im just taking it as a second chance to be truly happy.. hell I sound like a feel good lifetime movie, sorry brothers

I feel your pain. We all go thru tough times at some point. Over the past twelve months I have sold a dump truck, bobcat, and a few other minor pieces of equipment in order to reduce my overhead due to the work going into the crapper.

I hope you put some of that six figure money into a squirrel hole for hard times. I depleted my reserve cash which triggered selling off the stuff. I kept one bobcat, my BC1500 dump trailer and new Holland tractor. these seem to be all I have needed.

Best of luck to ya friend.

 

[soggyboots]

I have to throw my 2 cents.

The man who talked about Katrina is right. During the winter to 2008/2009, every limp leg bought a saw and started a tree business. The wind storm created work then the ice storm a few months later really created work.

The problem in this equation is that people were out picking up jobs for way too little and way too much, it just put the general public in a bad mindset for the future. Nobody wants to get bent over a barrel when they need a tree removed, but when the storms came that is what happened and I think that it really put a bad reputation on the profession because of people pretending to be in the profession. Even that name tree service gets on my nerves as I think it downgrades the profession.

I stepped back for a bit to during this time to try to build my business and learn. When dealing with a professional, people know. This is a profession not a hobby and more importantly people could get hurt in more than one way.

No you can't borrow my saw