I'm pooped...

[arbor pro]

I don't know how the guys who chase storms do it. We got 110mph staight-line winds last thursday night and I've been doing cleanup of trees on roofs, cars, etc solid from thurday morning to 11pm sunday night. I still have at least two more full weeks of sunup to sundown cleanup until I get done with what's already on the schedule and the phone keeps ringing.

I'm in the office for part of monday catching up on scheduling and office work and I'm absolutely pooped. I've done a months worth of tree work in 4 days and made a months worth of income in 4 days but my carpel tunnel hurts so bad right now, I can hardly type!

Hats off to you guys who do storm cleanup on a regular basis - it's mentally tiring and physically exhausting. And then there's the stress on the kids and wife who haven't seen dad for 4 days straight. While the money is good, I'm really not looking forward to the next few weeks. It's not as if I didn't already have a month's worth of other tree work lined up before the storm hit. Now that work is just pushed back all that much further.

On a seperate note, it's interesting to hear the new radio ads for all the new tree services that have popped up in the area. Some are lowballing hacks while others are price gouging thiefs. One guy already got pinned between a backhoe and tree and is headed 6' under.

 

[Kgrlandscapeing]

Ouch becareful out there. cut with care

 

[epicklein22]

I haven't done much storm damage with the tree company I work for, but have heard some stories about doing storm damage down south after hurricanes. Sounds horrible...make sure you get proper amounts of rest. The last thing you want to happen is getting hurt because you are too tired. Maybe you could hire another hand?

 

[S Mc]

AP - take care, trust me, your wife and kids want to see you come home at night!

Personally, I hate storm-damage jobs. Just for all the reasons you mentioned: crowded in to an already full schedule, the danger factor of unstable working conditions, etc.

Good luck.

Sylvia

 

[JeffL]

Hey join the club! We've spent the past 2 weeks at work clearing up storm damage in a small area we normally service after 2 consecutive days of storms with reported 90-100mph straight line winds. Really funny what some of that wood will do with all the twisting/compression/tension it builds up laying across roofs, hung up in other trees, laying across utility lines.

I basically worked Saturday AM through Sunday PM 2 weeks ago, same deal, just getting driveways opened up and the real scary stuff off houses. Definitely stay rested, keep sharp. Not to mention it was was 90+ and oppressively humid. Never been so dehydrated in my life. By Saturday at 8pm I couldnt hardly move without turning into a huge knot of cramps. Next day I came packing salt tablets.

Oh yeah, and the schedule thing.......take that and throw it right out the window.

 

[treemandan]

Yup, been slawgging it out since the tenth of June when a little ripper came through and busted up a bunch more.
When people ask when I will be over? " The day after you call me and ask where I am."
Banging straight aces and showing off. been there for old clients and found tons of new.

 

[TexasTreemonkey]

Shoot you have too love those storms! A years salary in one month!! Take it with pride then in the dead of winter go ahead and laugh!

 

[Bigus Termitius]

hey pooped...

What you need is some sleep and real energy. Keep it natural as possible, and stay hydrated with electrolytes as well.

Keep your mind and your saw sharp and stay cool.

 

[mckeetree]

Shoot you have too love those storms! A years salary in one month!! Take it with pride then in the dead of winter go ahead and laugh!

Somehow I don't exactly get that.

 

[Ghillie]

Shoot you have too love those storms! A years salary in one month!! Take it with pride then in the dead of winter go ahead and laugh!

Somehow I don't exactly get that.

You're not the only one. opcorn:

 

[TimberMcPherson]

If your making a years worth in a month,IMHO your not working, your extorting. (or is that massive overtime from your employer?)

If you had to pay $48 per gallon for fuel, $300 for a silky blade, or $6000 for an ms200, what would you think of the suppliers? Even if you were desperate.

 

[OLD CHIPMONK]

We don't chase storms. It seems like regular customers frown on this practice. They always ask " you must be busy with the storm we had last night " ? We clean-up damage at regular prices & do estimates at normal rates. No need getting a bad rep. at the expense of others. We are in a declining , inflationary market, over saturated with competitors. We'll just hang in there & plug along. Serving 45 yrs. & still here , small but happy !

 

[ClimbinArbor]

AP... becareful out there bucko. keep yourself nice and hydrated, as well as fueled.

as for storm work..... i love it..... nothing better than helping everyone out and getting paid right to do it.....

 

[serial killer]

We don't chase storms. It seems like regular customers frown on this practice. They always ask " you must be busy with the storm we had last night " ? We clean-up damage at regular prices & do estimates at normal rates. No need getting a bad rep. at the expense of others. We are in a declining , inflationary market, over saturated with competitors. We'll just hang in there & plug along. Serving 45 yrs. & still here , small but happy !

To a certain extent you are correct. Gouging is never acceptable, and unless it is an absolute emergency situation your loyal regular customers should come first. However, if I have extended travel time to an area that has severe storm damage and not enough local companies to perform the urgently needed cleanup, then I have to pass my additional costs on to the consumer.

For example, I and one other guy traveled 7 hours north in June to help clean up after a storm in upstate New York near the Canadian border. There were crews there for grid repair and clearance from as far away as Boston, and it was fairly obvious that there was both a lot of unprofessional hackery going on and way way too much work for the few local pros to handle. So, we had a full day of travel each way in trucks that were getting 8 miles to the gallon, lodging and food expenses, and if we're away from our families and loved ones for a week straight then you had better believe that we're getting paid an overtime rate. So our billing rates absolutely must go up or the company will lose money. We also left a crew back home to keep up on our regular work, and those guys all deserved a little bonus for working extra hard to keep us on track.

I don't think that there is anything wrong with raising our rates in a situation like that, and I think that all the people we dealt with were more than happy with our prices and the work we did. I also don't think that we stepped on anyone's toes; I'm sure that the local guys, qualified or otherwise, had more than enough work to keep them busy long after we were gone.

Personally, I'd love to chase storms full time. Get 80 hours or more in a week, then loaf around for a little waiting for God to throw some more business my way. See the world, meet new people, do dangerous stuff for fun and profit.

 

[TALLGUY]

I heard about the guy and the back hoe on TV. I didn't realize how bad the damage was up that way. Keep your head up and remember to save up for that rainy day that doesn't take down any trees. I love doing storm damage for my neighbors. I keep a saw ready to be fueled in the basement with my emergency food supplies just so I can cut my way out in case of a storm.

 

[OLD CHIPMONK]

Serial Killer : As a former Western New Yorker, I fully understand working ice storms & tornados. Back in the day of Dutch Elm Disease, dying Chesnuts & Suagar Maples dying like flies ! We worked 6 or 7 days a week on Elm removals. Just trying to keep up with the local bids & municipal contracts. Remembering a storm that hit Angola,N.Y. back late 60's. Every tree ,Huge Cottonwoods 5-6-7 ft in dia. ripped in half. You brought out some old memories. Now being a little older, I've elected to slow down. You go out & make the big bucks & good luck to you ! Old Bill's getting tired !

 

[TexasTreemonkey]

Somehow I don't exactly get that.

You dont get sh1t

 

[mckeetree]

You dont get sh1t

I was not the only one that didn't get it. Why don't you jump on him. I did get one PM and they didn't get it either.

 

[Ghillie]

:agree2: opcorn:

 

[rbtree]

Another vote here....Depending on the difficulties, we charge 1.5-3x our normal rate for storm work....and, sometimes, normal rates, if it's is simple cleanup, or straight forward...and no insurance or property damage involved.

3x is very rare...the wind would have to be still blowing and the work hairball.