Must’ve been one expensive tree with all them glam workers!!
whadja do today?
- Thread starter treevet
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NeSurfcaster
ArboristSite Operative
Been busy fishin and huntin plus tree work. No pics but climbed the deadest maple/any tree ever on Wednesday. Most of it needed rigging due to fence, house, barn. It was a good day to have a good rope man, for sure.
Still studying the arborist study book. I think I may need some flash cards for the chapters on soil conditions and shrubs and bushes.
Still studying the arborist study book. I think I may need some flash cards for the chapters on soil conditions and shrubs and bushes.
When's the test scheduled? Read the book through 3 times and you'll be good!
Yep. And then if you ever plan to come to ct and trim so much as a branch, you can do our test too. Lol
Hope everyone has a safe year.
mike515
ArboristSite Operative
I spent yesterday and today driving out power lines for our line clearance side. We've had this contract for over 20 years but I'm not sure about this year. They want a lump sum bid per substation instead of hourly. People who work in an office are wanting to change things in a way that they think makes sense without actually talking to anyone who has to do the work. They want a 20 foot ROW (to each side). Remove everything in a 40 ft. swath. But they are also a co-op who gives members a say in how trees are trimmed and they have no balls in arguing with them. So...am I supposed to tell a member that after 30 years of 3-4 feet of clearance on his mature white oaks.....we now need 20 feet? There are a ton of problems with this and when I talk to the operations manager at the power company, he acts like he feels my pain but still says to just bid it how I think it needs to be done. That's how office people are. They punt to make things someone else's problem. I was ready to just let this contract go but they called me a couple of days ago because they haven't got a bid from us yet. It's tough because we aren't going to get that kind of clearance on about 80-85% of the area but we have to assume that we might...and since it's not hourly....we can't miss on the lump sum bid. And the power company knows all of this and they still seem to be saying "Just send us a bid". I think we will be done with that relationship in a few days.
Sounds pretty hard core. I think I’ll just stick to allowing my usual residential nut cases to drive me insane.
I had a few commercial snowplowing accounts try this on me a few years ago. The higher ups that don't even live in my state, MN, wanted to go from hourly to straight bid. The managers at locations loved me, I gave them exactly what they wanted, no more no less. The people on location had the say on how things were done but it was hourly so everyone was protected. Only way I could think to bid the new way was to go silly high to cover my ass but depending on how the winter went I could potentially really look like an over priced jerk. My reputation at the local level was more important so I decided not put in a bid. They literally begged me to come back but I refused to play the game. At least that's what I felt it was. Explained to the local management why and what "corporate" was doing. They seemed like they appreciated where I was coming from but they were bummed as I had been at the one location for 4 years and apparently I was the only one to last more than one season. I had not known that until then so that felt good to know.
Little different situation perhaps but.... Wishing you the best in whatever decision you go with.
mike515
ArboristSite Operative
Thanks. I'm going to give them a bid but it's just going to have to be a high bid. I even told them this. I pointed out one section of line...about a mile long and completely buried with larger trees. I said it would either be 2-3 days to trim or 2-3 weeks to remove them all and none of us know what will happen until we start talking to customers. Multiply that by how many spots over an entire year? It isn't reasonable. So I drove out lines until I thought "This is about as much as I think we can get done in a year doing it how they want it done". I'm confident with that amount of work because once I added all of the numbers up, it came out to very close to what they pay us every year. So I think my bid is spot-on if we do the work that way. But the thing is....we aren't going to do it that way. It's never going to happen. Some of it will be done to their new standards but most won't be and the cost difference is substantial. I've tried explaining this and it doesn't matter. So we're either going to win big or get underbid on this work and not do it at all.
What really kills me is that they don't seem to care. They want to feel like they are getting what they're asking for...even if they aren't. If it's impossible to do, just do the best you can. Just don't rock the boat. They want 20 feet of clearance. I told them there simply isn't a boom manufactured today that can reach anywhere close to 20 feet past their lines (because of how far from the road their lines usually are.) So I said "Are we supposed to trim trees back as far as we can and then fold up the booms and climb them? And you want a lump sum price for that?" He said "Hmm...no. Just tell them to get the clearance they can get from the bucket". Ok. I told him that we have known each other for 20 years and we can agree on this over the phone and make it work but contractual verbiage matters and we could both die next week and there will be two other people trying to work out whether we get paid or not. Then what happens? He didn't have a real answer. They never do. They want you to just figure out a way to make it not their problem.
I've said for years.....there is a difference between guys who drive bucket trucks and guys who drive pick-up trucks. I might not drive a bucket truck everyday anymore but I still wear sawdust on a pretty regular basis.
Yeah Mike515, you are in a tough spot. I have always been nervous of having bigger accounts, they can be lucrative but they also kind of have you by the you know what. To have any one customer make up so much of a guys income can be nerve racking, at least for me. To just blow them off because of their unreasonable requests, especially when you don't think that is how it will really play out seems crazy too. I am always paranoid I guess that I will be the one they want to make an example of and after the fact demand work to the letter.
There seems to be such a disconnect between the person we deal with and the higher ups that are actually paying the bill. You have to wonder if "they" knew how much trouble & money this costs them if they would have a fit. I know what you mean about their lack of concern too, it's just a job to them and they get paid either way...
mike515
ArboristSite Operative
They started a new crazy 5 year tree plan about 3 years ago. I said from the start that it will never work and predicted that we will possibly get replaced at the end of year 3. This is the end of year 3. It isn't working. It's ultimately going to be a disaster and they don't even realize it because they don't want to know. They aren't even really upset with us. They're upset with the other tree guys skipping stuff they don't want to do or can't do. We're the guys who they like. But I predicted that we had a 3 year lifespan in this new system, they threw another curve ball with the lump sum bidding this year and here we are. We're prepared to walk away. Our guys don't want to do that contract anyway. So I will give them my prices today and we will either make a bunch of money on this deal or we will be done with it. My heart just isn't in it because nobody else seems to care besides me.
treevet
Addicted to ArboristSite
Once you pass and re cert the ISA test you don't have to worry about any of those worthless tiny local tests lol.
NeSurfcaster
ArboristSite Operative
I've had to make some flashcards for the chapters I'm not familiar/really interested in. I think I'm 75% there, so I tried to get a test set up. I was hoping a test date would get me really studying.
Philadelphia is where we have a testing center, unfortunately they aren't accepting any appointments anytime soon. So I was forced to make a appointment to take the test April 5th. Now I have to remember the finer points of what I know/I'm interested in and remember the stuff I've had to read 10 times already. Maybe it's meant to be and I needed more study time... I may try a North Jersey testing center for a sooner appointment.
Anyway we've been swamped both work wise and ground wise. We're trying to do jobs that don't involve leaving the road/driveway w/ the equipment. But a lot of the dump sites are sketchy, twice this week I got stuck. Fortunately the old throwing chips under the tires trick got us out w/out any phone calls.
2 nice side climbing jobs are ready to go for next weekend.
treevet
Addicted to ArboristSite
Best place for CEU's after passing. Next year will be my 30th year ISA CA....https://gibneyce.com/index.html
Hoe Chi Minh/Ash trail pics.
treevet
Addicted to ArboristSite
That town looks like high end ville like my town. You should try some ringed slings. No more need for blocks hardly and no more knots/hitches....https://www.treestuff.com/rope-logic-trex-ultra-ring-sling-3/
Link didn’t work for me but I looked it up and saw the treestuff vid. I gotta admit that looks pretty sweet. I want one! Just not sure I can afford it at the moment.
That’s South Street in my hood (on the right) and the center of my (yuppified) town up ahead. It’s nice up town but nothing left in terms of stores for regular folk like us. Getting the mail occasionally is about all I can handle, and even that’s a mildly stressful event for me, lol.
Amazing how they keep coming up with new gadgets and gizmos (both large and small) for our work. Makes it fun seeing what the latest things are. Long strange trip for sure. I remember when the sliced eye and pulley (rigging block) was the latest innovation.
treevet
Addicted to ArboristSite
Look at yours and my year of joining ASite and that is when it all started...13 years ago. Seems like a lot longer but it was the separate hitch line that started it, forgot what highly technical term they used for that. I used one in a climbing contest in 1971 but it was a big new thing in 07 I guess. Metal hitches, porty (boat anchor, I still have one), Cox'es Wraptor came out in late 09 I believe and I bought the first one after prototype in 2010. Tree Machine's throw line reel ( I still use it every day almost) after the big shot, etc etc. So much action after forums began. An ocean of brains coming up with ideas. Why? Capitolism $.
Speaking of gadgets. I’m starting to fall in love with this thing more and more every time I use it. Definitely a glam shot photo opp this morning. That log was rotted and light, but I don’t think this thing would’ve cared if it was red oak or whatever. That 505 X15, Allison 4500 and 5:38 gears make driving it a whole other experience too. Pricey, but I think this truck is gonna be worth it in the long run.
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