Starting from Scratch, what should I start with to have the right equipment and steps

[TimberMcPherson]

Dont buy any gear, get books, go work for 2 companies (so at least if ones useless you will realise by working for another) and learn your butt off.

Its far to expensive to learn from your own mistakes, you might not come out the other end intact.

If you dont have the knowledge or skills to do the job correctly, any gear will be a waste of money and you may create a damaging reputation that could take decades to shake.

 

[Greener]

Dont buy any gear, get books, go work for 2 companies (so at least if ones useless you will realise by working for another) and learn your butt off.

Its far to expensive to learn from your own mistakes, you might not come out the other end intact.

If you dont have the knowledge or skills to do the job correctly, any gear will be a waste of money and you may create a damaging reputation that could take decades to shake.

TimberMcPherson, that is great advice and you make a good point. My brother once dropped a tree on a power line. Luckily that was his reputation and not mine.

 

[capetrees]

As you can see josh79, there are some that will help with great advise and some that are too good to help you. Keep in mind, nobody in here was born with all the facts and knowledge in their heads. They learned it somewhere and experience is the biggest helper. Book smarts are one thing but experience is another.

The last two/three posts are probably the best advise so far. Depending on what you want to do, trimming or large tree removal, keep your equipment sized accordingly. Too big is a waste and too small will limit you.

Good luck.

 

[MillerTreeMN]

9 years ago, when i was 19 i had a 3/4 ton pickup, bought a husky chainsaw with a 24" bar, and a used stump grinder. i started doing stumps, and the occasional tree job. then as i got bigger tree jobs, i would hire to have someone help me with the cleanup, other friends with dump trucks etc.

then i bought a dump trailer, so i could clean up bigger jobs on my own, and a 1-ton pickup.

i could always hire a bucket or climber if i couldnt take it down myself.

if the job was too big, i turned it down.

i started getting alot of bigger jobs.

then i bought a new stumper.

then a tractor, and bigger dump trailer. now i just bought a clam truck.

i didnt take it seriously when i was 19-22. but when i bought my house at 23/24, i really started taking work seriously

word of mouth and internet will be your best advertising- phone book is a waste of money.

also, at the end of the season i send out post cards to customers saying thanks for their business. that way, they are reminded of me and the trees in their yard, and if they lost my business card, now they have my # again.

when you clean up after jobs- make sure the yard looks better than it did before you got there. you can do the most dangerous job in the world, but if you leave a mess, they'll remember you as the company that left a mess, not the company who did a tough job safely. i have a bunch of reviews placed by customers on my business, and they comment on how clean the yard was when we were done, and how fast i returned their calls and scheduled the job. i often get told i was the first to return the phone call, and the people appreciate that.

 

[TreeAce]

You would be be the Boss and Owner. I think most tree guys respect a boss or owner that has walked in their shoes.
Jeff

I can say from experince that it is/was true for me. Some years ago I worked for a guy who got into tree work because he watched an actual tree man make 800 in about 3 hours. He was a mechanic (and a good one at that) but he quit his job wrenchen and convinced his wife to use her inheritance to start up a tree biz. I went to work for him cuz he paid me well. While I was there the biz did well, I have heard that since I left it has gone down hill fast. I believe it, Not cuz I am so great but because he is such an idiot. Guess I am just rambling...u had to be there. Point is that he thinks he is gonna start off just runnin a tree company when he isnt even an actual tree man. Doesnt know enough. One good thing I got out of it was that it proved to me that if this jack a.sz can keep his above water in biz even alittle bit then I should be able to do ok at it.

 

[Jeffsaw]

Happy New Year to All,
What equipment should i start with and what steps should I take to properly have a successful buisness. Marketing, gear, trucks, personnel, can anyone map it out for me, thankyou for ya'llls time.
Josh

If you don't have any experience in the tree service business, you should work for someone for a while and get some. I did not and wish I had.
If you do have some experience, take a small business course and/or how to write a business plan course. It is interesting to find out all of the places your money will go.
Start out with what you can afford as far as equipment goes. Best of luck.

 

[RVALUE]

Interesting read:


http://www.forestryjournal.co.uk/PDFfiles/Beranek.pdf

 

[CRThomas]

Info

I can't help but I work with a tree man and I clean up after he's go for the wood and I wouldn't cut a tree in the middle of the desert. I truly respect that man he say people want to be his partner he say no way. Parts is not a partner ship ours is a agreement. And we stick to it. We were at a cafe drinking coffee a fellow ask him for some of a tree he cut down and cut up he told the fellow when the tree hits the ground it's his and I no long can say sorry. One job he done it took me a week to clean it up but I got around 90 ton of firewood ready to split. I save him a 1000.00 dollars in clean up because he just has the stuff to put trees on the ground and I got the stuff to move it with. So if you putting trees on the ground to clean up your mess. You can under bid some fellow that has to clean up his job. While I was cleaning up that job. He done 4 more jobs.ater