Thinking about do contract climbing,need advice.

[truestory]

Hi I have recently returndd to school after being a full time crew lead for 5 years. Needles to say, I do miss climbing. I have classes everyday so can't commit to a regular schedule for my employer. I've thought about doing contract work for various landscaping or arboriculture companies. I would supply my own gear. I wanted to know what is a fair price to be charging companies for my services? Should it be hourly or fixed price per job? Should I get some insurance? Who should I go and see
to get work? Where are good places to advertise my services? Thanks for any info.

 

[Pelorus]

You best think long and hard about this...
I haven't felt very much love contract climbing for landscrapers. Mostly cause the hired help they provide is / can be worse than useless. Guys who can't tie knots, run a saw, comprehend basic simple directions, etc.

 

[jefflovstrom]

To bad you can not go back in time to the 70's thru the early 90's,,
whoo whooo!!
Jeff

 

[jefflovstrom]

Hi I have recently returndd to school after being a full time crew lead for 5 years. Needles to say, I do miss climbing. I have classes everyday so can't commit to a regular schedule for my employer. I've thought about doing contract work for various landscaping or arboriculture companies. I would supply my own gear. I wanted to know what is a fair price to be charging companies for my services? Should it be hourly or fixed price per job? Should I get some insurance? Who should I go and see
to get work? Where are good places to advertise my services? Thanks for any info.

You better do some market research,,,
You sure have a lot of questions,, good luck
Jeff

 

[RajElectric]

Yeah, book 5 climbs for 5 different companies on the same day same time to increase the chances of actually getting a job done with the help actually showing up. The first text you get asking where you are that's where you go. :S

 

[tidy]

landscapers can be as bad as homeowners. Imagine having a clueless homeowner running your tree job and expecting all manner of outlandish pita tasks like flush cut stumps etc... maybe after work you could teach them how to sharpen the chains on their toy saws

 

[Wayne Wilkinson]

We do some contract climbing. We carry our own insurance, and work as a two man team. We tell who ever we are working for not to touch our ropes or saws! We take responsibility for anything in the tree to the ground, once its untied it becomes their problem. If they want to pay extra we will buck it down for them because we have large saws. We also bid by the job. Most of the landscaping companies we work for let us lay the tree down and come back and clean up behind us that way guys arnt standing around waiting for something to happen. We also work for a few "handyman services" in the same manner. Most of the second hand work kicked to us from other tree companies is work they want nothing to do with. We have the tight access equipment that they lack to make the job worth doing. I guess its a different game around here. If you carry your own insurance and equipment I wouldnt charge less then 100 an hour. Insurance aint cheap, neither is all that awesome equipment you bought to be able to do it. Kevin, my climbing mentor, did a lot of contract climbing in Indy before he came down here to work with me full time, and he learned how to rig a lot by his self because of lack of exp with the people he contracted for. Good luck may all your tie ins be secure and let the dust fall like snow!

 

[Magnum783]

We do some contract climbing. We carry our own insurance, and work as a two man team. We tell who ever we are working for not to touch our ropes or saws! We take responsibility for anything in the tree to the ground, once its untied it becomes their problem. If they want to pay extra we will buck it down for them because we have large saws. We also bid by the job. Most of the landscaping companies we work for let us lay the tree down and come back and clean up behind us that way guys arnt standing around waiting for something to happen. We also work for a few "handyman services" in the same manner. Most of the second hand work kicked to us from other tree companies is work they want nothing to do with. We have the tight access equipment that they lack to make the job worth doing. I guess its a different game around here. If you carry your own insurance and equipment I wouldnt charge less then 100 an hour. Insurance aint cheap, neither is all that awesome equipment you bought to be able to do it. Kevin, my climbing mentor, did a lot of contract climbing in Indy before he came down here to work with me full time, and he learned how to rig a lot by his self because of lack of exp with the people he contracted for. Good luck may all your tie ins be secure and let the dust fall like snow!

Couldn't have said it better myself. Two man team is where it's at. Hard to find a second man with your schedule my second man a lot of times becomes my wife which is just fine she cares. $100 per hour sounds close area dependent. Insurance is a must cause you know as well as anyone when something goes wrong they will point the finger strait at you.

 

[DR. P. Proteus]

I did it for a number of years then went back to peddling my ass on street for 20 bucks a pop just to boost my self esteem...

I did have some fun but mostly everything is on you and you become hated after awhile. Not to say that its not impossible to find something that will work for you although what you expect and what they expect are very different.

 

[beastmaster]

You might try what i've been doing for years now. I work for several tree services on an as needed basis. I generally make twice what their full time climber make, im on the companies payroll and insurence, though i normally get 1099 or cash. I have my own equipment and saws.
I get to pick and choose jobs. I have 7 tree care services i work with. It took a while to get them use to the idea of a floating climber but it works out well. Plus i have lots of my own accounts too. Even when things are slow im working as much as i want.