whadja do today?

[mike515]

I actually just quoted treeMDS last post and was going to say that I want to buy a loader like that but then I thought....it's pretty sweet but I just posted the other day about how I need a different type of loader.

I took my crew out today and planted a bunch of trees. We're in this odd place right now and it's because of me and the new nursery. It's definitely all my fault. My crew is the company "A-team" who has the best toys and does the hardest jobs...even if I'm not there. They are saying "WTF do you have us doing here?" I am definitely a green thumb type of person and I'm all-in on our nursery which I've spent a lot of time and money putting together. So I want to do both but that probably isn't going to happen. A-team isn't going to go for being a planting crew for very long and that's fair. I have others who want to plant but we need them where they are right now. It's just a matter of moving the right people around and maybe hiring a couple more people. Or maybe I just plant by myself. It's kind of funny that....considering the thousands and thousands of trees I've cut down.....I'm hoping to head into this phase of my career by planting them.....and I enjoy it a lot. I think I'm going to dabble with some seed growing at some point.

 

[Jester3775]

Quite envious of your Giant but am crazy thankful for my smaller one, can't hardly imagine working without him now. Nicknamed The Battle Tractor !

 

[gorman]

I’ve been killing it money wise lately and got complacent. Pull started my 500i in the tree today in a crane job and the thing raked across my thigh and it splayed open. Felt the wet blood soak my pants and gave it a look. Figured I could tough out the job and went and got stitched after. Only 4.

 

[tree MDS]

Quite envious of your Giant but am crazy thankful for my smaller one, can't hardly imagine working without him now. Nicknamed The Battle Tractor !

That thing is bad ass, bro!!
There’s quite a few guys running those around here. Most have the single turf tires, which is what I’d probably go for if I ever did get one. Very cool machine, man! Congrats!

 

[grizz55chev]

Me n the old lady took our boys out on the lake.

 

[tree MDS]

View attachment 904178Me n the old lady took our boys out on the lake.

Cool dogs and lake and boat. Put up some treework next time! We wanna see what you do when not being leisurely! Lol

 

[tree MDS]

I’ve been killing it money wise lately and got complacent. Pull started my 500i in the tree today in a crane job and the thing raked across my thigh and it splayed open. Felt the wet blood soak my pants and gave it a look. Figured I could tough out the job and went and got stitched after. Only 4.

That sucks. You know what to do though, learn from it and keep moving forward.

 

[mike515]

Got the current tree installation basically done today (2 quick ones to get in the ground in the morning). The husband showed up today and asked if I could run down to their other property. He wants a 250 ft row of arbor vita (medium size...probably 25-40 trees depending on how we stagger them) and his wife wants an orchard planted.....this spring. I'll figure it out and get it done.

I'm learning more with every installation. The one we're finishing right now taught me to bill hourly for planting in the future instead of per tree. We were fine until we got to some really rocky ground. I pretty much broke even on the planting because of the rock and the A-team wages. But I didn't lose money and we still made a decent amount on the price of the trees. I just need to take these lessons and get the numbers dialed in.

This is still a really good idea for me and maybe some of you guys who have the room and time to manage it.

 

[grizz55chev]

Cool dogs and lake and boat. Put up some treework next time! We wanna see what you do when not being leisurely! Lol

Some firewood and some Alaskan mill black oak, gonna be my kitchen counter

 

[Jester3775]

That thing is bad ass, bro!!
There’s quite a few guys running those around here. Most have the single turf tires, which is what I’d probably go for if I ever did get one. Very cool machine, man! Congrats!

Funny you said something about the tires, just switched over to dually turf tires. Foam filled the inners for weight and no flats per Dave Nordgaard's advice. I actually bought the unit slightly used and they had it set up with the tractor tires ! Take note of the hydraulic coupler, another addition per Dave's advice. Worth it's weight in gold as far as I'm concerned !

 

[tree MDS]

Really cool machine!! Just be careful with her! I would recommend getting in the seat belt habit, annoying as it can be. I don’t wear it in mine, but I have an enclosed cab. That and I feel like I’m kind of a pro at putting it on its side. Lol. Those loaders are sweet, you just have to respect their limitations.

 

[Jester3775]

Thanks for the advice. I remember seeing pictures of yours tipped over and I was impressed you shared. Mine was modified by the previous owner to not move without seat belt on. I 3D printed a "plug" that I put in when I am running it. Neat thing is I can take it out if I have someone else running it, which is very seldom. I took the "door" off on the one side also, not sure what Safety Sam would say about that either !

 

[gorman]

Thanks for the advice. I remember seeing pictures of yours tipped over and I was impressed you shared. Mine was modified by the previous owner to not move without seat belt on. I 3D printed a "plug" that I put in when I am running it. Neat thing is I can take it out if I have someone else running it, which is very seldom. I took the "door" off on the one side also, not sure what Safety Sam would say about that either !

It helps not to have a huge head if you want to avoid tipping your loader. All that weight up top. [emoji6]

 

[tree MDS]

Cuz that’s how we roll, baby!!!

 

[tree MDS]

The best part is I think the MDS has finally found a worthy young protege. This kid is the real deal. Gonna fast track him ASAP and all that extra equipment is going to step into play. Long time coming. Long time in the making. Many, many (real) years. Not just flash in pan circle jerk new school stuff. Lol

 

[mikewhite85]

I’ve been killing it money wise lately and got complacent. Pull started my 500i in the tree today in a crane job and the thing raked across my thigh and it splayed open. Felt the wet blood soak my pants and gave it a look. Figured I could tough out the job and went and got stitched after. Only 4.

Ouch.

I hate to be the PPE police. Chainsaw pants are awesome and the more expensive ones are pretty comfortable. Ironically, I'm wearing jeans in my profile pic.

 

[mikewhite85]

A few cut and drop jobs today. Easy peasy.... Looking forward to getting my bucket truck finally lettered.

I'm going to sound like a putz but what's the deal with DOT numbers? I need to get them for my f350 dump and the 650 bucket. Do they each have the same number for the company or are they different? What's the process? I did this a long time ago for an f550 but have since forgotten.

 

[mike515]

I pulled the trigger on my new work comp insurance company today. Saved myself about 5.5%-6% of payroll compared to what I'm paying now. I don't know if I want to post the guys info (since I don't have his permission) but I will send you guys his contact info if you message me about it. I'm going to be less than 9% of payroll with this company but I qualify for a few discounts based on history. He told me his average is about 11%. I know some of you guys are probably sitting a lot higher than that. Send me a message and I will give you his number.

 

[gorman]

View attachment 904343
A few cut and drop jobs today. Easy peasy.... Looking forward to getting my bucket truck finally lettered.
View attachment 904344
I'm going to sound like a putz but what's the deal with DOT numbers? I need to get them for my f350 dump and the 650 bucket. Do they each have the same number for the company or are they different? What's the process? I did this a long time ago for an f550 but have since forgotten.

You need dot numbers for any truck used for a business if you cross state lines. It gets difficult if that truck is over 26k.

 

[tree MDS]

You need dot numbers for any truck used for a business if you cross state lines. It gets difficult if that truck is over 26k.

You need dot numbers for any commercial vehicle (even a one ton) regardless of whether or not you cross state lines. I forget the specifics, but anything over 11k pounds sounds familiar.