WARNING about GRCS

[newb]

I bought a GRCS at the TCIA trade show. I have to tell anyone who is on the fence about this system, don't even look at it unless you have the money to buy it. Once you see it in action you won't be able to live without it. I had been using a port-a wrap and fiddle block system for over a year and felt I could do some pretty interesting removals. But the GRCS, WOW!! We just did a 4 day project in an older trailer park removing limbs off of old Silver Maples that were all over trailers. I couldn't imagine having done that job in the time we did without it. Greg put a lot of time and thought into this, and it is obvious once you use it. The only questions I have are what "name" have you come up with for yours and have you figured out any tricks while using yours. I'm number 488 and more than happy to be in the GRCS club. Pete

 

[Jumper]

See my comments elsewhere in this forum....I agree totally. Worth every penny. Easy piece of kit to use, and makes removals easy at least from the groundie's perspective. Only improvement I would make would be to place another pigtail/fairlead on the right hand side, longer than the one that is there at present as the lowering rope sometimes bunches up when using tension if you use the one there at present. Don't use it and the rope sometimes jumps off the winch spool, which makes for interesting times if it is a really big piece.

 

[TreeJunkie]

How do i find what number mine is? Where do you look?

 

[treeman82]

It's on the plate for the winch. Mine is #465

 

[TreeJunkie]

I just went and checked. Mine is #456

 

[Lumberjack]

Mine is 044!

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Wow, I musta helped sell over a hundered of those things!

Brandon, did you get yours from Charly?

 

[TreeJunkie]

nope, David w/ Oklahoma Arborist Supply-demo model from this years I.T.C.C

 

[sal b]

great tool especially if you get something hung up. tell your ground-man to be careful when taking rope out of pigtail and never snap rope out of the black rope grabber. does anyone know why they cost so much. i could see $1200 or $1500 but 23 is kind of high.

 

[Tree Machine]

I was at Greg's booth at TCI EXPO, a big booth to accomodate his demo area. I happen to know the cost for him to just be at that one show for 4 days was over $10,000. The GRCS is advertised in all our publications, money, the cost of their graphics and promotional materials, more money. The video costs (ever wonder why motion pictures cost so much to make and produce?) Then there was the actual research and development, startup costs and a kazillion other expenses involved in getting the GRCS designed, built, tested, promoted, stocked and gotten to the point where you can make a call, voice a credit card number and have it the same week where it will likely pay for itself the same week.

$2,300 is a bargain and even though I don't own one (yet) I have the highest respect for Greg who probably had to mortgage his home in pursuit of a dream for the financial benefit of every treeman who owns one. He's paid a huge price in money, resources and time to bring this to us. He DESERVES to eventually make a profit in this venture. As you all know, no profit, no opportunity, no GRCS company.

Does that answer your question?

I have a question..... of the 465-some owners of the GRCS, have you ever heard of a single one who did not feel it was a good purchase? I will buy one on that mass testimonial alone, and then figure out how to make it make me money and do bigger work safely.

 

[notahacker]

It is probably unamous, the GRCS is worth the buy. Great idea.

 

[Jumper]

Go fer it! One example I can see is that you can safety operate with just one groundie if need be on jobs where lowering of large chunks is preferable. Another advantage I can state from first hand experience is that if the piece for some reason becomes hung up on the way down, just winch it back up using the 44:1 reduction and redirect it another way.

 

[rbtree]

great tool especially if you get something hung up. tell your ground-man to be careful when taking rope out of pigtail and never snap rope out of the black rope grabber. does anyone know why they cost so much. i could see $1200 or $1500 but 23 is kind of high.

Wrong Sal....The B46 Harken winch alone retails for around $1400......

Mine is #343.....

 

[xtremetrees]

Rbtrees trees are so easy a one eyed, one armed monkey with a machette could down them.

 

[TreeJunkie]

WTF lol

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Wrong Sal....The B46 Harken winch alone retails for around $1400......

Mine is #343.....

Add to that that he's been selling maybe 100/year. This means that the brackets are all basicly crafted at a machine shop, not assembled on a line. He does not have an economy of scale, vendors have to tie up a lot of capitol to keep one on the showroom floor, heavy freight costs, steel...ect...

That all said, the $2500 is a MSRP, and you can talk any vendor down at a show.

The way I frame the argument, is

1. How much does your biggest saw cost, and how much do you use it? Compare that to a tool you will use as often as your meduim saw."
2. What is your average billable manhour? (not estimated, you should know where you're actually working at week to week) If you could save an average of one hour per job without adjusting your estimations, how many jobs would it take for the tool to start making you money?
   
   I assure you it will save more then 1 hour on average.

This is allso the logic I used in buying my 385, it cuts big wood twice as fast as the 346 with narrow curf chain. so if I make 30, 30 second cuts, bucking firewood I've saved 15 min's on the job.

If the average manhour is $50, that's 12.50 per job. A $650 saw pays off in 52 jobs with this conservative estimation. (capping big stumps shaves a lot more off the calendar.)

So if we say The Winch saves us only $100 per job then its less then 25 jobs before the tool is a money maker.

 

[sal b]

above average tree climber

you sound like one of those guys who stands around the job and tells everyone how to do there job. a real above average know it all

 

[Tree Machine]

Sal, are you being nice?

 

[sal b]

yes trying to be nice 8000 post get off the dam computer get to work

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

yes trying to be nice 8000 post get off the dam computer get to work

Since 2001. I don't climb trees at night.

I do tell people what to do, because I know what I'm doing. And sometimes I do stand around in my gaffs, while the ground crew is clearing the DZ.

Yesterday it was 18-20 degrees, and I was up in the tree with the 30 inch 385 blocking down big willow chunks. Because it gets me down faster. :sword:

I climb better then I spell too.

BTW I freely admit to acting like aknow it all, that's called cconfidance. Unlike many I don't open my mouth when I do not know what's going on.