Axe Men---YAWN!

[Sunrise Guy]

Three strikes and---
it's outta here! I was really excited about this show and marked it on my calendar so I wouldn't miss it. Sad to say, it now bores me, big time. It seems that each show is about the same stuff, each week: Big machines break, big machines are fixed, chokers are set, logs are hauled, guys have close calls, guys swear, logs are trucked down the mountains--Yawn. To make matters worse, the show has to give you the exact same blurb each time they shift from one crew to another, and show the exact same group shot of the crew----OK, we get it, you're changing job site locations.

I now think we should get a reality show going about us---Urban Arborists. Our jobs are far more interesting than what's on Axe Men: In one day, on a job with rigging, we do a whole lot more interesting stuff than a week of what they're doing up in the mountains. The public would really find a show about what we're doing far more interesting than what the guys on AM are doing. We, by and large, maintain our equipment, we are more careful, we are more intelligent (OK, OK, you can give me grief here, but some of those guys on AM seem to be not the sharpest axes on the truck) and our jobs are certainly more interesting, more varied.

I propose a name for the show---Tree Men, or Tree People. Yeah, it doeasn't have the same macho feel as "Axe Men," so y'all kick in here with your ideas for a show name.

Any companies out there who think they have enough activity going on each week to fill a show, stand up and be counted. Maybe I can get a production deal going with the History Channel. I think three or four companies would need to be in the show to keep things moving along. Possibly, it would be cool to have four companies from four different parts of the US, maybe the world, to show contrasts in the way things are done in different areas with different trees. Weigh in here, and then I'll see what the shirts at The History Channel have to say about my idea.

FWIW, I'm totally serious here, so if you want to get involved with this project, let me know. It may be a long shot, but, then again, anything seems to go on "Reality TV" these days, so this just might work.

 

[treeman82]

I agree with you, I watched the first 2 shows... flipping to other things during commercial breaks. Now I watch other stuff and flip back to this during commercial breaks. It's the same thing, over and over again. What I'm bothered by though... is that they say logging is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world... OSHA makes us wear chainsaw protective pants and helmets on the ground, they also make us use fall protection systems while working aloft.

I don't think I've seen so much as 1 pair of chaps or protective pants... let alone any eye protection. These climbers... holding their spurs on with tape and string.. no climbing line, just a buck strap... These other guys dropping a tree right on top of a high pressure steel cable. I mean they send the guys up spars to attach blocks... SOMEBODY had to have cut the tops out of those things. Why not show that? Or hows about a helmet cam when they go up there? I mean we're arborists and we have them... can't the History Channel afford one or two as well?

 

[ents]

Last week they had the first 3 episodes on back to back. By the start of the 3rd. I was done with it.

Your idea of an arborist show would be great, BUT, the channel would butcher it just like they did with AM (sorta like what the federal government does when they administer something).

 

[nytreeman]

A few of my friends have mentioned how poorly the show reflects on all people who work with trees, including arborist. Logs aren't the only thing being dragged through the mud.

that about sums it up ^^^^^^

 

[reachtreeservi]

It's been posted on here before, but there was a reality show done on tree services. Here's the link.

http://www.nosakraw.com/


There's 8 episodes. Click on the page where it says extras.

It's pretty good. Doesn't show enough climbing and rigging, seems to focus on crane jobs.
And the audio and video do not sync , on the later episodes

But it's better than Axemen, imho.

Check it out.

 

[Gologit]

A few of my friends have mentioned how poorly the show reflects on all people who work with trees, including arborist. Logs aren't the only thing being dragged through the mud.

You're right...I wish you weren't. A lot of what's being shown on AxeMen is realistic and a good representaion of what actually goes on in the woods.

Unfortunately a lot of what's shown isn't the way things usually are. And that's the rub. The general public has no way of knowing what's real and what's contrived and the people responsible for the show don't really care if they find out.

The show, so far, has a very narrow focus on one type of logging and doesn't really represent the industry as a whole.

I don't see the show lasting more than one season...and that's a shame. There's a lot of things they could show that would be just as entertaining and shed a better light on logging.

 

[smokechase II]

Correction

"same stuff, each week: Big machines break, big machines are fixed, chokers are set, logs are hauled, guys have close calls, guys swear, logs are trucked down the mountains--Yawn."


Actually, the correct order is:
Big machines break, guys swear, big machines are fixed, guys swear, chokers are set, guys swear, logs are hauled, guys swear, guys have close calls, guys swear, logs are trucked down the mountains, guys swear--Yawn.

*************************

Without the fatality rate going up this format isn't going to last. That is just an artificial crutch at that.
{There are teasers about an injury and rescue coming and there will be coverage of another more serious wind storm.}

*************************

Housing markets take awhile to recover. Next years episodes would be titled: "Unemployment line is long, and Wife beating rate goes up and Oregon suffers Budweiser shortage".

***********************

In the good old days stories were legend about passed out choker setters being picked up outside the bars of Forks Washington for the morning ride in the crummy.
Perhaps the State of Warshington could pick up the slack next year.

 

[smokechase II]

On second thought

For a show to last it doesn't have to be good.

For instance I watch the 'COPS' show(s) somewhat regular.
They are repetitive but deal with really stupid people.

That has a lot of appeal, feeling better about oneself by looking down on others lack of judgment.

Perhaps Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers and AxMen all fill a similar niche.

 

[Bigus Termitius]

It's not that bad...it's not that good either.

I think the monotony is fairly reflective...it's a production situation.

If you can bear through not being entertained then I believe that there are other aspects of the industry being shown from time to time. However, if the attention span isn't there...it isn't there...nothing you can do about that I suppose.

Then again, I'm not a tv viewer.

I'm keeping up with back episodes from the website in my spare time. I'll see it through till the end. I like hard outdoor work in all sorts of situations and weather as opposed to needing ideal conditions. It certainly separates the men from the boys. I think that is way it's called Ax Men, as opposed to Ax People.

In a society and media frenzy bent on blending genders, it is refreshing to see just were idealism (and its offspring) finds its limitations.

No Tree Emos in dem dar hills.

Nevertheless, I agree that certain perceptions can be ascertained by the general public about all tree workers from this show that are not good nor reflective. And I could careless for all the swearing...but that is reality, especially is a roughneck group like that. What do you expect? Boy scouts fresh out of choir practice? LOL!

Not that you have to swear to be manly. Plenty of not so manly men swear just as bad or worse. Manly women bank on it.

Therefore a Residential/Utility, Urban and Rural, Arborist show would grant proper contrast to the Loggers we see here. It would be a great....and I mean a great opportunity to bring to light the nature and unprofessionalism of fly by night hacks and the like. I think it would be good for all of us, bad for the low balling hacksters.

Good Luck with the project...just keep it fair and comprehensive. There are trees out here in the country too ya know.

 

[Bigus Termitius]

For a show to last it doesn't have to be good.

For instance I watch the 'COPS' show(s) somewhat regular.
They are repetitive but deal with really stupid people.

That has a lot of appeal, feeling better about oneself by looking down on others lack of judgment.

Perhaps Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers and AxMen all fill a similar niche.

Good point. Your first post was a gas....

 

[tomtrees58]

right on the money tom trees

 

[kkottemann]

I agree as well...not great but not so bad either. I definitly think they are leaving some things out that need to be seen. I also do not understand why all the mishaps (like the tree falling on the line, equipment stuck in the mud...ect...)Where are the seasoned crews? The climbing is terrible.

One thing that get me every week is how they refer to it as the logging season, and how the company only has 3 weeks to get the wood out. Now I know nothing about how the industry works out west, but I was a district manager for a timber company in louisiana. I bought timber and managed the 9 logging companies in my district. When I bought a tract of timber I drew up the deed to give us a term of 24, 38 or 48 months to cut the tract at which point if the tract was not completed or cut there was a clause which would allow me to buy an extension at 5% of the value of the uncut timber. so why are they saying 3weeks or 4 weeks? I do not get that. And what about the season thing...I know there are better times to log certain tracts, but there is no logging season here. It is all year long, balls to the wall get the logs out where you can and keep the mill logged! It seems to me they are playing to the success of the fishing show Deadliest catch, you know, with the season thing and how they are keeping score on who hauled more logs. These guys are not in competition with each other. each company has its strengths and thay is why they are on the certain tracts they cut. Agian, I do not know the PNW process of putting a logger on the tract so mabe I am way out of line here.

 

[beowulf343]

I kind of find it interesting. Everything around here is logged on the back of a skidder, cool to see how it's done out west. However, parts of it are embarrassing to those of us in the tree business. Had a buddy ask me after seeing the show if that is the way tree climbing is done. That Stump Branch crew is just ridiculous.

Now a show about residential tree work would be great. Unfortunately, a professional job done by a professional crew is boring to those who don't know what they are seeing. I love watching a pro but that's because i know what he just did and how tricky it was, etc. People just want to see limbs dropped on roofs. You notice in the show that when a crew is finally pulling some logs, they don't focus on them at all. They wait till the yarder gets stuck, or they lose a gas cap, or they lose a bolt, or they drop a tree on the skyline. People want to see drama i guess, so the show would probably focus on hack crews who are causing damage, or whose equipment don't work.

 

[smokechase II]

Hard to imagine

You know what's really bad about this statement:

"For a show to last it doesn't have to be good.

For instance I watch the 'COPS' show(s) somewhat regular.
They are repetitive but deal with really stupid people.

That has a lot of appeal, feeling better about oneself by looking down on others lack of judgment.

Perhaps Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers and AxMen all fill a similar niche."

?

************

I was a Smokejumper for over 20 years.
What's that tell you about the guys hanging around the cable being helicopter laid or their tree climbing gear or using a choker to pull a tree being fell over on the main line etc. Chheeezzz.

That Stump Branch crew is low budget and they are providing most of the mechanically challenged material.

You are going to find those outfits in the arborist world too.
Be careful about any our entire profession is perfect analysis.

 

[beowulf343]

I was a Smokejumper for over 20 years.
What's that tell you about the guys hanging around the cable being helicopter laid or their tree climbing gear or using a choker to pull a tree being fell over on the main line etc. Chheeezzz.

That Stump Branch crew is low budget and they are providing most of the mechanically challenged material.

You are going to find those outfits in the arborist world too.
Be careful about any "our entire profession is perfect" analysis.

I'm feeling a little slow-what does being a smokejumper for over 20 years have to do with this show?

That stump branch crew is cheap and they are providing most of the mechanically challenged material simply through their own incompetence or stupidity.

 

[smokechase II]

Analysis

"what does being a smokejumper for over 20 years have to do with this show?"

If you parachute to work on forest fires and think someone else is way too dangerous in their workplace, what would that tend to indicate about their safety?

************************

You can do lots of things safely. I not only never had a malfunction in over 400 jumps I never even saw a significant one in the thousands of other jumps I witnessed.

Granted, being safe with a forklift in a warehouse setting is going to be much easier to achieve than cable logging. (A forklift class I had in the 90's pointed out that Oregon averaged almost 6 forklift related fatalaties a year back then, so don't assume that it is being done safely all the time.)

 

[M.D. Vaden]

It was interesting at first, but became a bit boring.

I still watch bits of it, but not the entire daily showing like the first day.

 

[sawinredneck]

It's been posted on here before, but there was a reality show done on tree services. Here's the link.

http://www.nosakraw.com/


There's 8 episodes. Click on the page where it says extras.

It's pretty good. Doesn't show enough climbing and rigging, seems to focus on crane jobs.
And the audio and video do not sync , on the later episodes

But it's better than Axemen, imho.

Check it out.

Have you actually watched these morons? It scares me to think of them going nationwide!! It would be a show of WHAT NOT TO DO when you have more money than brains!!

 

[capetrees]

I've said it before and I'll say it again;

Nosac(k) is a no talent assclown.

His antics say nothing more than "I just bought a bunch of new equipment, have no idea how to use it right and want to show off". All the equipment, none of the brains. Riding a wheely in the crane? Whole trees removed all at once with the crane? No thanks, Illl hire the non-flashy guy with hard worked equipment.

 

[beowulf343]

Whole trees removed all at once with the crane?

With the right crane, what's the problem with that? Did it myself just two weeks ago. Saves alot of time.