One of my early groundguys was an Eagle scout. I hired him solely on that. This was back in the days of loading brush onto a trailer. He was great.
I haven't had all bad experiences with employees, just this thing the day before yesterday, but when the most unlikely thing happens and takes my business out of the loop for two days, I'm really sorta gun-shy on hiring again.
I need to make the effectiveness of my effective equipment even more effective.
Solo climbing operations is much about strategy. You are 'dependent' on no one. You may have an audience of onlookers, but you are still very much solo, every one of you, except for key moments, but for a solo cat you don't have help for even the key moments. The crux situations you need to see coming, play through in your mind, rig appropriately and cut. Lots of slings is one advantage. Not forgetting anything is another. Powerful saw, good size gas tank and razor sharp chain another plus. Different length lowering lines to match the height situation. Cammed pulleys. Eyed ends. Lots of nuances that make everything faster.
Expert shotline management, huge difference in time savings, no need to have assistance there.
But, it all depends on the job, doesn't it? I probably do 19 out of 20 jobs solo, but I must admit, my firewood guys are of big assistance on some of the bigger of those, they move out all the big wood. The solo part is
in the tree climbing, rigging and cutting. And then solo on the ground, brush chipping/powerblow, get a check.
Solo artist, in my case, means being a professional firewood cutter (sometimes aerial, sometimes on the ground), and a stick picker upper.
For these reasons (big wood walks away and I
like cutting logs into firewood) I have a small, efficient chipper to do brush. I have log arches to move both small and large logs, in length, and effective, wheeled carts. I'm really kinda geared for solo, more now so than in the past, but even when I was shlepping brush onto a trailer 15 years ago I still did my share of the jobs solo.
Helpers come and helpers go, but the show must go on.
Where I go to work,
and when, is a freedom I truly enjoy. With an employee I'm forced into being 'more responsible' and learn to accommodate upcoming jobs to make use of labor; then teaching, explaining, instructing, directing, answering and hearing when all,
I want to do .....
is climb and make beautiful some trees and
listen to the music,
and have a peaceful and safe afternoon.
And as long as your afternoon is safe, that is what fundamentally matters most, yes?
I am safe with an employee
But I feel I am just as safe without one. You think more thoroughly because there's no one staring up at you waiting, no need to feel compelled to be fast up top to keep him moving down below. No distractions.
You just do your stuff, and go down and clean it up. I like that life.
Its all good Jeffy, I climbed twenty eight to and still am but am glad for you friend, really it is good to see your making it in the corporation. I gave 13 years to one to only get crapped on, may you not be bro.
