It's getting to be spring, how's everybody doing?

[Mikecutstrees]

Completely swamped today here too..... Of course completely swamped means me getting 3 calls for estimates a day, I'm a small company....

 

[Sunrise Guy]

Going very well, down here in Austin, business-wise. We're up 30% over last year. The only trouble is, it's hot already. We've been sweating in and out of the trees, and then the temp goes down twenty degrees in five minutes. You take the second shirt off, you put the second shirt on, you take the-------. Very odd weather. Squirrels are confused. They're doing their mating chases all over the place and the little squirrels are showing up more than ever before. We're seeing bark chewing by squirrels where we've never seen it before, as their population soars. I've taken some serious damage to a few of my own trees. Again, very odd, this weather. Great business, though.

 

[HolmenTree]

April 4. This AM woke up to -22 F windchill. Just gonna stay in the shop a little longer,still 2ft of snow outside. I can't remember a winter lasting this long.

What happened to global warming? we sure don't have it here yet.

 

[tree MDS]

April 4. This AM woke up to -22 F windchill. Just gonna stay in the shop a little longer,still 2ft of snow outside. I can't remember a winter lasting this long.

What happened to global warming? we sure don't have it here yet.

I'd move dude, F that.

 

[HolmenTree]

I'd move dude, F that.

Have been thinking about it . One extreme to another here - 50 F below in winter to 110 F in summer. Long summer days though 4am to midnite. We don't get snow like you get on the eastern seaboard. Just sunny dry cold winters.

 

[treeman82]

Winter was VERY quiet here, which I didn't like at all. The past few weeks the calls have started coming in though. Sucky part however is that I spent a bunch of money on advertising... so far it's been a money losing venture.

Just today I looked at a willow tree I got from a referral... I said $3,750 and probably won't get it... 5' at the base, wood has to go, lots of chips to get rid of... and I don't think they have the money.. plus you can't drive the trucks right up to it either. I asked a friend to go over who I knew would give a cheaper price. I never thought he'd bid it at $2,400 cash though

However I also looked at a white oak removal for a client of this one guy I've been referring work to... $1,750 for putting it on the ground, wood stays, as do the chips... 3 guys all day. Fairly confident on that, cause I sold it as a low to no impact job.

1 customer called about 1/2 an hour ago from overseas.. I was worried about losing them this year... nope... go do whatever you need to do and send me the bill. Got a call this afternoon, 2 new customers side by side for maintenance in an area I've been busting my tail to get into.

 

[Timberhauler]

About three weeks behind.Could be better,but certainly could be worse

 

[tree MDS]

Finally going to get the new bucket out on a real job monday, just been climbing lately, I just picked up some 3/4" plywood I must be getting old, lol, never used plywood before. I take care of an exotic bird sanctuary here in town, I've got a huge old Sugar Maple with a giant rot hole about 10' up where a codom ripped of about 5 years ago, its full of dirt and I can see roots growing in the hole. Tree leans over a garden area so I'll have to rope some big lealers probably candlesticked as my truck is only 60' wh rear mount. The good thing is if the tree does fail it should fall in the garden and not on me sinse its all leaning that way. There is another big but not as big Maple as well thats dead over a bird fence and some limbs to remove over the aviary (Ithink thats right) so it will finally be a nice test of the new (used 50k) bucket, I just hope that piece does'nt blow another hyd line out on this one as its probably my fanciest account. Thank you S.M.-scumbags! And I hope the tree isnt gonna break either. But all in all things are looking real sweet so far. I've got all these nice jobs right in my small town all for these rich f#@$ so it seems as though my plan is working (finger tenting here) I'm also getting in with alot of the local country clubbers as well-funny thing is all this work is old clients of my former boss (13 years ago) and his shop is next door to mine so its agreat rivalry ya gotta love it- I hate that prick and he moved his shop next door so now its war!! And all I gotta do is good work and cleanup and they just keep coming cuz I do all the cutting personally and dont just sell the job and unleash the crackheads on it. Plus all the locals talk and alot drive by to pick up there kids sinse the elementarry school is off my road, another good reason to have the truck, advertizing. Oh, well just a little about me sinse I had the time. Oh one other thing the guy burned himself on moving next door- he's pretty big and people know where we are and I got a good name so I become the next logical choice, funny how things have a way of turning out eh?? Heh, heh, heh.

 

[treeman82]

Well, I never heard back on the white oak, and I spoke with the willow tree lady last night... she had somebody else come do it for HALF the price I quoted. I'm alright when it's a few hundred less, or whatever... when we start talking HALF though... that's not good.

At least my good customers have plenty of work for me.

 

[nytreeman]

Finally picking up here actually getting busy,been hot last 2 weeks in the 80s even 90s a cpl days freaky hot,all the trees are popping fast from dormant to leaves in 2 weeks,the last to open here like catalpa and ginkgo are already showing green and thats like 2-3 weeks early. its been 30- 40 degrees above average for here in April ,but of course now that it's almost May it's supposed to get cold and rainy next week, maybe even snow :censored:

 

[TomSawyer]

Times are tough.

I'm getting a lot of drop N drive work too. Most bubbas in N. Michigan have their own saws, and want to do the cleanup themselves. I guess they figure "why pay someone for work I can do myself?" It's fine with me, I guess. I think I need to get into better neighborhoods.

 

[ropensaddle]

Taking the good with the bad. I'm liking the warmer temps, but since the ground has thawed, I'm limited to where I can go with the truck. Hinders production somewhat.

One of the things I love about utility work is that I rarely shut down. I thought about it though, the one day my eyes were freezing shut, but hey, I'm a polar bear at heart.

I'd like things to dry out round here though. Enough rain already, somebody needs it worse than we do. Send it south!

Ya know, before you know it, it will be too hot. I love these mid 50's for getting things done.

On a side note, with tree work picking up, I'm hoping to get some weekend work either with some residential brothers or on my own.

Hey man you keep it, it came from the south ya know! Send it east
for crying out loud our rivers are outta control and you are trying to
Anyway I have some work but still too many low ballers and even though
I mean no harm I hope they go down or wise up.

 

[Jumper]

From Friday night until Wednesday morning we had about three feet of snow here. Not fun in late April. I just had got the Harley out and next thing I knew it was buried in a drift.

 

[HolmenTree]

Spring is sprung here in northern Manitoba. Like the last of the snow that dumped on us a few weeks back, I am now buried in estimates and lots of work. I am going to buy a laptop so I can keep posting on this site during my lunchbreaks.LOL:greenchainsaw:

 

[CLEARVIEW TREE]

Doin favorably well in E.Tn. Bidded 6 jobs today, got 5 of them, that sets us back now for 4.5 wks or so.