whadja do today?

[DR. P. Proteus]

So, uh, how many hours did you have involved with yer last job?

Oh well, forget it, nevermind, I suppose it doesn't matter though the obvious answer is ALL OF THEM AND THEN SOME.


A friend of mine who owns a landscape supply company asked me to drive for him today as one of his regulars went on vaca and he was very busy. You might wonder why a guy would go on vaca right at this time of year but try to tell a semi-retired ex- union carpenter what to do and I guarantee you that will be that last you see of him. So they asked me. And they were worried. For some reason I worry people... and I ain't never been in a union!

So I drove. Just a 550 mason. I think my biggest load was 8 yards of mulch. I know right? MULCH!!?? WTF? And two scoops of gravel or whatever they call it. The other kid they have driving told me I wasn't supposed to smoke in the truck. OK, sure, and I love Jesus too.

I started at 7 and was done at 3:30. Everybody thought I was gonna crack. I didn't tell my wife I was doing this because she knows that after so long I just can't be on the road anymore, its not safe.

But I even wore my seatbelt, there were cops everywhere. I never see to many when I am doing my thing, whatever that is, nobody knows and I am not sure myself. I passed some oinker standing in the road with a creeper. Man he was looking to break somebody's balls. He was out where there are building the new school making sure that all the drivers hauling dirt out there paid their dues. What a ****. Used to be we thumbed our noses at these kitties, not anymore.

I had to get a medical card, I went to Urgent Care. The nurse weighed me and checked my eyes. When the doctor came in he took one look at me and said, verbatim, " Looks can't be deceiving and you look just fine to me" and that was it. I told him for 99 bucks he could at least cup my balls. We laughed, talked about making whiskey and when he found out what I do he never shut up about it. I need to remember to never tell people what I do and to make something up like, " I deliver bread and potato chips" or I'm with the bureau of weights and measures" or anything besides " I am tree guy". Boy does that ever send them into a line a questioning that never ceases and of which I am pretty sick and tired of. What they really want to know is how crazy to you have been to do such a job. They already know the answer and are trying to figure out how crazy they are for doing whatever they do.

So I guess I am not going to drop dead at the wheel anytime soon by what the doctor said. At least he had a sense of humor I suppose. I had a good time delivering the mulches and the stones, it was quite civilized opposed to what I normally do to trucks. They bought me lunch and seemed very concerned about my well being. Far more than I ever got in the tree industry I will tell you right now.



Yesterday I went at 40 foot white pine full of vines and laden over the house. I clumbed up and hacked it out then stove it through the chipper, loaded the logs and was done. I did this by myself.

 

[DR. P. Proteus]

New roof on the shop today (finally). Took something like five or six hours. I think there was like eight guys working on it.
Need another load of 3/4" processed to spruce up the driveway next, then make another attempt at the lawn and things will be looking good for the season. The MDS likes.

View attachment 499841

Whoa! Wait! Processed? I think the term is MODIFIED. I know, I am a professional landscape supply deliver driver now.

I took the toothed bucket to my lawn last Sunday, crisscrossed it then threw some seed down. Now I am trying to keep that dirt patch wet.

 

[mckeetree]

This is why I am glad that we do not do residential,
It is easy to use a gut feeling when bidding that way, I know, that is how the smaller company's do it here.
But, your gut is gonna have a hard time coming up with a good number that generates profit's if you use that gut feeling to bid on 141 pines to remove in a large HOA and they are spread out in a city that requires permits for each location.
The crew gets paid by the hour, those hours are a criteria in my bid.
So, I would use my gut on a small job, but do my homework on a large job.
ps,,we actually bid on those 141 pines last week,, we will see.
Jeff

You are right...you can't just spit something out on those type of bids. And when it comes down to something that big, I drop back on the hourly approach to figure them. Not by the
hour as a quote but to arrive at the number. We just bid on a municipal job that will be well over $100,000 but as you say, we will see. Haven't heard a word back on that one yet.

 

[tree MDS]

I think I need to develope my gut some more and charge more, or whatever you guys are talking about.

 

[13TreeWorks]

Yesterday's madness ...... Customer called asked if he could borrow my chipper to chip some brush ....... I ended up dropping and chipping 30 arborvitae ....... Today I go back and cut 5 more including 2 Apple trees I'm gonna cry while I cut .... Wish I had a tree spade to take them home ..... Dosent want to prune them anymore just wants them gone. Then the stump orgy begins I'm gonna be bumping and grinding that little rayco for the better part of the afternoon I figure

Jesse

 

[dbl612]

I think I need to develope my gut some more and charge more, or whatever you guys are talking about.
View attachment 499996 View attachment 499997

those rich bastards in litchfield are more than happy to get the work done for nothing.

 

[13TreeWorks]

This morning I had to deal with a Sit in. There upset over the demise of the Apple trees chanting " were not getting out untill you cancle those trees" ..... It was a long tense negotiation but it was finally settled ... they traded the trees for a slushi ..... I would have done the same .....

Jesse

 

[BC WetCoast]

Yesterday's madness ...... Customer called asked if he could borrow my chipper to chip some brush ....... I ended up dropping and chipping 30 arborvitae ....... Today I go back and cut 5 more including 2 Apple trees I'm gonna cry while I cut .... Wish I had a tree spade to take them home ..... Dosent want to prune them anymore just wants them gone. Then the stump orgy begins I'm gonna be bumping and grinding that little rayco for the better part of the afternoon I figure

Jesse

I've had to grind those hedges in the past. What worked best for me was to essentially grind a trench, work your way down the row, rather than sit perpendicular to the row.

 

[DR. P. Proteus]

I think I need to develope my gut some more and charge more, or whatever you guys are talking about.
View attachment 499996 View attachment 499997

Did you make the green sling?

 

[DR. P. Proteus]

This is why I am glad that we do not do residential,
It is easy to use a gut feeling when bidding that way, I know, that is how the smaller company's do it here.
But, your gut is gonna have a hard time coming up with a good number that generates profit's if you use that gut feeling to bid on 141 pines to remove in a large HOA and they are spread out in a city that requires permits for each location.
The crew gets paid by the hour, those hours are a criteria in my bid.
So, I would use my gut on a small job, but do my homework on a large job.
ps,,we actually bid on those 141 pines last week,, we will see.
Jeff

What about the risk factor? How do you account for that?

 

[DR. P. Proteus]

Sunday - when you start drinking at noon, pass out at 5, wake up 3 hours later and put it back on.

 

[JeffGu]

Monday - when you begin paying the price for Sunday.

 

[13TreeWorks]

I've had to grind those hedges in the past. What worked best for me was to essentially grind a trench, work your way down the row, rather than sit perpendicular to the row.

As it turned out they were spaced perfectly so the grinders wheels either landed in the hole or on the next stump. I'm running a poor old ex rental beat to death and resurrected rayco mini all manual stump humper had to come at them diagonally. It wasent bad the Apple trees were worse. So the final tally for the day was pick up the poles and flush cut 27 cedars wreck two perfect Apple trees and 4 more various ornamentals then go grind all 33 stumps ( all under 16" I'm not super human ) and clean up the mess ....... Found a couple nice sized rocks and a broken leaf spring got a wicked cool tan line going on and defused a sit in without violence leaf spring made some interestingly nasty noises and brought everything to a stop real quick teeth were about shot at that point anyways. Oh and I think the big oll mentally handicapped girl in the assisted living house next door has a crush on me. She kept flipping her hair back then giving me the cute wave. Must have done it a dozen times today. Yesterday she asked if I was cutting a tree down 27 times ........yep I'm gonna cut another tree down ...... yes you can watch ...... Yep I'll be careful...... ( you did a good job ) Thanks...... Nope I'm not tired..... I was fascinated that she kept repeating the whole spiel verbatim for every tree.

Jesse

 

[DR. P. Proteus]

Monday - when you begin paying the price for Sunday.

I'm good!

 

[JeffGu]

I'm good!

You must have a cast iron liver!

 

[DR. P. Proteus]

I got suckered into driving mulches and stones around today till about 3, didn't get my equipment on the job til about 5. I dropped one 50 foot spruce right across the fairway at the golf course and had it chipped and loaded by 6. The other one I needed help with since it was inside my client's fenced yard.

So The Rookster came in then a helped me. I skinned that tree up and set a rope to pull it before it got dark. That is as far as we got. The Rookster is the full time driver and yard knigger at the landscape supply yard. The Rookster is a 25 year old kid and I don't know what else to say about him besides that I am 45 , been doing this crazy **** for over 25 years and I LISTEN to him. I actually regard what he has to say about things. That is no small thing.

He got mad at me and yelled the other day cause I was down at the supply company, had drunken 4 beers in 15 minutes and took a piss in the middle of the yard. It was raining, what else could I do?

Other than that the kid is a ****ing dream. Its been working out for years working with him and we have been through the shite. The owner of the supply company is a another straight shooter and can be worked with. A rare, abstract and conducive find. I'm flabbergasted, I could cry.

Driving the mulches and stones around is pretty allright also, except whereas I just forcibly jam my solid steel chip body into any jagged hole I have to be careful not to rip the electric roll up tarp off the delivery truck. Also I can't holler at the kunts in his truck like I do in mine. I have seen many a fine honey though. Reminds me of my youth as bike messenger. I like to get around.

Pulling a job for The Lesbians on Frog Hollow and things couldn't be better. I am sure they smelled the fine Californian by now and they just love me. They do recognize and that is a good feeling for me. It been tough working with working with the LOFG, and dropping trees across the fairway for the last ten years. I am not slack jawed jackass. Jeff be talking about hitch pins? I had this one kid over there talking about some golf ball he scabbed from somebody who just tee'd off - I told that fuker he was on the verged on being DEAD! He thought he was being funny. Well, he was, the thing is I don't do funny. He didn't recognize.

Getting ready to stuff that 20 foot fiberglass boat into a dumpster. With its trailer its taking up space. I can't wait to have that abandoned heap off my tennis court. A thing I like about this business is the different challenges to face.

 

[BC WetCoast]

You were a bike messenger?

What a shock!!

 

[gorman]

I heard he had a soul patch and a nose ring.

 

[rtsims]

Sending the boys out on 3 smaller jobs. I'm going to CAT to try and get the filters for our 250xp. For some unknown reason no auto parts store around can come up with filter numbers, (CAT 3.4?). Then meeting with a climber to see if he's worth bringing on. Trying to remove myself from some of the field work. I tend to slack at returning phone calls and emails after a day of climbing.

 

[DR. P. Proteus]

I heard he had a soul patch and a nose ring.

No, no, no, no! Not me. There were the dirty hippie street urchins, all skinny, malnourished, just freaks. They would get a little bloody or their bike would break and they would sit their sad little butts down. Some of them were die hard messengers, but I mean who else would give them a job?

I rode with the renegades, some had tats and soul searched but mostly we were riders. We raced, laughed at death, owned the road, owned the woods, owned the slopes. Sometimes one of them would start talking about what brand of socks he was wearing, that was kinda gay.

It was a great job, didn't pay well as a sub- contractor but the chicks!?? My god, don't get me started.