climbing-tearing up your body-how long can we do it for!?

[Greenstar]

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-How many of you have been climbing for 10 years or more?

-How many of you do this full-time, and how many of you do this tree service part-time.

-How many of you have nagging aches and pains that make you want to change professions because your body just cant take it anymore?

-How many of you have come back from having constant aches and pains to keep climbing on and on?

-What age have most of you older gents quit climbing?


These are all questions I ponder on a day to day basis still lately. I don't know if its because I'm still single, or what! but I've been climbing and have owned my own tree company for 12 years now! This is a question I ask myself quite frequently now. I am 33. I don't know if its because I cant stand my employees (I know thats harsh) but because good, smart, conscientious cool employees are hard to find (dudes are hassles), because I'm working too long hours, because I'm climbing too much, because I'm not making enough (because I tell you I don't seem to ache as much when I'm making 1,000 + a day few times a month), I don't gain enough respect for my work, I don't stretch enough, get enough sleep, again because I'm still single, or because I dont smoke enough green anymore!?
Or whether its just what I've heard from other guys locally who own successful businesses in this area (Boston) that guys can only take so many years of climbing. That 8-10 years of climbing is about all a man can take, and most guys have to give it up after a while..

-Can you tell I'm having a midlife crisis guys!?

The thing is, getting someone to go up there and do the work for you while you watch, when you are such a good arborist yourself, to do the work for you, while you sit there and watch, is so hard for me to do.
Good climbers, especially arborists, who know how to listen, discuss a tree's many unique characteristics and needs individual to each tree species, and guys who can get the job done, responsibly, are so hard to come by.
The legendary Rolf Briggs from Tree Specialists Inc. once told me that the good climbers eventually end up leaving the industry, unless they are making 80K a year plus, because its just not worth it for them. The amount of work, the wear and tear, the customer correspondence, the risk, and just everything that goes along with it, its just too much to handle on a day to day basis very long.

Sorry for this guys. I know its not what some of you want to hear. There are many things I love about this job. Furthermore I should be thankful that I have a job the way the economy is right now. But its just running me into the ground. So much of the time I'm just feeling like I'm over it. I have mastered trees I feel. I need to move on, and only do this part-time. Thats what I think I'm going to do, is do this part-time. I'm just not making enough money. I'm trying to become a nurse.
Ok, you can all call me gay now :deadhorse: :sword:

ps. this is totally different for you guys who work for someone else. TOTALLY different! I think I could handle that (So keep climbing guys!). And unless you've ever run your own tree company you can probably relate more easily. But this is to you guys who have been running your own quality tree care company for many years! The owners. Peace to y'all

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I make a good living as a climber/consultant, though I'm not on the clock for 50 hours a week any more.

I'm 43 next month, and have had a number of service connected disabilities that cause those nagging aches and pains all the time. Some of them the climbing actually helps.

Not everyone has the ability to do this for years, just a fact of nature. If you want to get rich, it is the wrong business. Though i do know a number of people who live comfortably.

You also need to look at the rest of your lifestyle, if you are still partying a lot, then you need to look at your priorities.

Finding good employees is a problem in any field, one mus "winnow the chaff" and let the bad ones go. When you find a good one, you treat them very well, so that they don't want to leave.

Delegation is hard for anyone who wants to have their own business. It is even harder to leave the site and trust them not to eff it up. Which is the biggest thing that holds a small operator back. If you have to do everything, then something is not getting done. Leads do not get run, clients do not get call backs, equipment does not get worked on. You neglect your body by trying to get one more thing done before you go to bed way to late for what you have done that day...

Being single is a drag too, things do not get done around the house, you have no one as a sounding board, or to give you that hug when the job gets you down. One of Freddy B's guys said it well "I can't snuggle up with my cat".

Smoking anything is for idiots; I know this because I was one.

 

[ozzy42]

I got burned out on tree work,both mentally ,and physically after 15 years.
Got my class a cdl and went driving around the country for awhile. Burned out on that in just one year otr,and drove in state for another 5 years. Now I am back to trees.
More freedom doing trees than driving a truck. Was a lil better the last 2 years when I owned my own truck,but still had to answer to too many people.
Tree work is very hard on the body,you're right about that.But you will miss it when you quit,trust me.

 

[Greenstar]

I am pretty physically fit, as far as climbers go. Maybe a little on the skinny side. Im 6' 158 lbs. But have climbed for years and could work non stop. I used to do 12 hr days all the time. Sometimes out working 6 days a week.

Now i just want to work 3-4 hrs tops. I hate all the running around all the time. I have lower back issues, and right rotator cuff tendinitis.
What i know i should be doing is yoga everyday. But i cant bring myself to do it because i feel so stupid doing it.

It seems like i never have time to do anything else, because all im thinking is TREE SERVICE all the time! Time discipline, and management is always a problem since im boss. Unless i have good employees, then i want to be punctual and disciplined for them. Ive had hundreds of employees over the years. Now im working on a better training program of some sort.
-Does anyone have good training tips?

Im trying to make video clips of "how to's". I also want to get those ISA training videos and make copies, so i can giv e to guys. Ive sent a couple guys to the "Arbormaster" training course. I took it myself. Great course. Even knowing as much as i do, as pro as I am i learned a helluva a lot from Rip Thompkins! Its $500 but it was really worth it. I can set a line almost anywhere, in any tree, even if there is tons of shag everywhere, through multiline setting techniques. Also picked up quite a few other tips which are priceless. Anyway, have also sent guys to tree school (Prep course for the MCA exam, that a lot of guys in New England take. Its taught at a local community college up in Danvers, MA. Its great course. Anyway, the empolyees never seem to pan out. Unless i can keep steady work. Thats the prob. If i want steady work, i gotta be runnin around to no end. Gotta get a hold on runnin my business, not lettin my business run me!

-How many of you guys let your top employees know the dollar figures on jobs? And how many of you guys pay your top guys on a percentage basis?

Later guys! See you at the top! Or the bottom

 

[arbor pro]

:jawdrop::spam::agree2::greenchainsaw::monkey:

too many of these can give a guy a headache...

 

[jefflovstrom]

Started climbing in 1977 and climbed strong for 26 years. No complaints. Now I am an operations manager and miss climbing.
Jeff

 

[M.D. Vaden]

I've got nagging aches and pains - even though I don't climb.

That's why I tried to bail-out of this trade 3 years ago when we moved to southern Oregon. What I did not know, was that 3 or 4 weeks of easy sales work would make me hurt 2 times worse.

All the raking of country club sand traps for 5 years, the landscape lifting and shoveling, and like 20 years of handsawing 4 continuous hours pruning a few days a week started to grind on me.

The solution is to just slow down slightly, and adjust the hours I do the harder work to 3 to 6 hours. I now believe I can stick with this until I'm 80 years old.

I've got a friend who climbs in Indiana, and I think it's beginning to wear on him a tiny bit too.

The main thing I realize, is that I don't want to retire. I like this work - a lot. So shorter work days, for more years is the way to go for my needs.

By not working full-length days, and slowing down a little, my back pain is almost all gone. And my knuckle and wrist pain is just a fraction of what it used to be.

 

[Rickytree]

Cut down on the booze, eat right, drink lots of water, and get on some fish oil capsules. I gotta do it too.

 

[OLD CHIPMONK]

Still going at 64-65 & feel good. Started in 1958 at 14 yrs. old, trimming with my dad, a former Orange climber. I have had no regrets & only a few minor fractures, falls & injuries over the years. Took about 5-6,000 crane jobs over the early years with lattice boom cranes & then hydraulic cranes. The only new "old school" is a wire core lanyard w/ micro ajustor.Oh yeah,a breakaway bungee cord for my topping saw. If at some future time I no longer post, I've died doing what I loved doing. Good luck to you younger guys and happy climbing.

 

[Greenstar]

Thanks Old Chip. Thats a cool post. Thanks for the good post man.
Just do me one favor. With all due respect, stop topping trees. Its not acceptable practice in arboriculture any longer. Science has since proven that.

 

[Raymond]

I hurt everyday. I can go to work and work circles around the young guys though. Just gotta throw the crippled body in the right directions and make every move count.

Getting out of the truck at the end of a full day and holding silverware at night can sometimes be a #####.

 

[Greenstar]

How old are you?

 

[ropensaddle]

46 and 25 years in the saddle still get r done but it is my pace or no pace.

 

[Rftreeman]

How long can we do it you ask? Well I'll say it depends on you your self and your body condition, I'm 39 and started climbing in 1988 but can't so much now due to the fact that I'm a fat bastard now with a bad knee (working on repairing both problems) but I still do a simple removal every now and then but most of the time someone else does it for me. I hope to be back in the saddle so to speak in a year or so.

 

[tomtrees58]

climbing for 34 years now no problem tom trees

 

[Raymond]

43 and climbing for about 20 years.

My elbows are so shot, I can't hardly put my finger in my ear to flick the sawdust out.
Just takes both arms, one to do it and the other to pull the arm to the ear.
We get beat but we adapt. You put me in a tree though and I run around like I'm 20 again. It's the ride home that hurts.

 

[treeclimber101]

The bottom of my feet hurt at the end of the day, my left arm , sometimes the right too, my back occasionally, always my inner groin area (chaffing) , my throat from talking to loud , my left knee sometimes, right always, and when i work on pin oaks i tend to get a lot of scratches, some bloody , but overall thats about it . Think of it this way you could be doing something that doesn't have such nice views into backyards and upstairs windows :check:

 

[treemandan]

I am sorry, I guess I just thought we were all in this to see just how much a man can take. If that is not the point to all this then somebody better give me a real good reason why I am still here and it better be good.

 

[Slvrmple72]

The mone... no wait! The notoriety! Dan you are the man! Go Dan go!

My knee hurts... rest of me is itching to climb... gonna be a long wait till May.

 

[oldirty]

hey greenstar.


i gave you my number the other night. you want someone to help your company out on the odd occasion. let me know.


you looking for good help, i just offered.