Climber/Owner making $4000 a year

[Tree&Stump]

It's never been a problem for the guy to bid jobs except (now that I think about it) only with the larger tree jobs. I'll just take the advice, and say I'll need to be there to make the bids on large jobs, so we're making money.

I stopped by after a job of my own to see how the other guy was doing. It's hard to hold in my chuckles right now. He had the tree half down, and he was using a wood chipper on the front lawn the size of a moving box. It chips into a bag, and then he dumps the bag into his 1/4 ton pick up with a camper shell. It looks like he'll be into it for 4-5 days like I said. My bid was to have the tree gone by lunch, and grind stump all in one day. I need to ask him how slave labor is working out with the new business and all. His ground worker who hasn't touched bark with work gloves before in his life will make more money on this than he will. The laughter is hard to contain.

 

[millbilly]

come on he made a typo, he meant 1 to 2 tons.

 

[millbilly]

It's never been a problem for the guy to bid jobs except (now that I think about it) only with the larger tree jobs. I'll just take the advice, and say I'll need to be there to make the bids on large jobs, so we're making money.

I stopped by after a job of my own to see how the other guy was doing. It's hard to hold in my chuckles right now. He had the tree half down, and he was using a wood chipper on the front lawn the size of a moving box. It chips into a bag, and then he dumps the bag into his 1/4 ton pick up with a camper shell. It looks like he'll be into it for 4-5 days like I said. My bid was to have the tree gone by lunch, and grind stump all in one day. I need to ask him how slave labor is working out with the new business and all. His ground worker who hasn't touched bark with work gloves before in his life will make more money on this than he will. The laughter is hard to contain.

Dude just stop, your as fake as the day is long. Now your going to do the job in half a day, and the guy under bid it by $600/ $1000.

 

[Tree&Stump]

Im assuming you have a few years experience doing the climbing, but little to no years running an actual business. That is ok, and making decisions like the ones you did is called "learning the hard way". This works for some, but it would behoove you from here on out to ask advice of a mentor or maybe even here before you go put your foot in your mouth again, making yourself look like a total jack ass, (which you did in this case).

It's not that bad at all. I'll just point it out to him that I need to bid large tree jobs because he cannot. That will work. And that will work for any other landscrapper in the future.

 

[Tree&Stump]

Dude just stop, your as fake as the day is long. Now your going to do the job in half a day, and the guy under bid it by $600/ $1000.

Ya, it's fine. The problem is solved.

 

[imagineero]

Very true. At the same time I was thinking I'd put my foot in it because obviously everyone else involved had no idea what was involved in the job and neither did I. They'd never know I was talking crap.

Fixed it for you.

No offense mate, but all your posts scream of no experience. You may have the makings of a good climber, but you clearly need more experience. Get yourself a job working for a decent company, and put in your time. Learn how to climb, rig, and cut. Learn how to efficiently cleanup a job. It's the only way you'll ever get anywhere, or make any money. The short route you've taken leads only to ruin; of yourself, and of our industry. Do your own thing on the side with small jobs in the mean time, for sure. Try to learn from the people around you about how to get the job done, as well as how to quote. Maybe your new boss will cut you a break and come chip for you. Once you've covered all the bases, save up your money and get yourself a truck and chipper, workers comp, liability, vehicle insurance, advertising, and a groundie.

Then you can come on here and ##### just like the others about how hacks have brought the industry down and there's no money to be made. Or you can pull your finger out, run your show professionally and make decent money. Either way I don't really care, but I don't want to read another ridiculous post from you about possibly winning a job involving a crane and 10 trucks or whatever. I'd reply to stuff like that constructively if it was in 101, but here I just want to burn your ass. I can't stand posts about hacks from real pros as it is, I'm certainly not going to put up with stuff like that from actual hacks.

In the mean time, please confine yourself to the 101 forum, so that we don't have to. You'll get more helpful answers there, even from me. This forum is for experienced tree climbers. We never give out any good advice in this forum anyway.

Shaun

 

[mckeetree]

In the mean time, please confine yourself to the 101 forum

Shaun

Or the I'm just making #### up forum. Do we have one of those?

 

[Gologit]

Or the I'm just making #### up forum. Do we have one of those?

No, but maybe we should. You guys have been real patient with the OP but patience has a limit.

I'll move this to 101.

 

[Tree&Stump]

I won't argue even a little, and I definitely don't know how I could possibly get shoved down to here. This day is starting off poorly.

 

[imagineero]

[video=youtube;sE1huPYerp0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE1huPYerp0[/video]

 

[Gologit]

I won't argue even a little, and I definitely don't know how I could possibly get shoved down to here. This day is starting off poorly.

Your thread was moved here because this is the place for people who are relatively new to your profession.

It's obvious from your posts that you need help and advice. You also need to start listening to what these guys are telling you. If you added up all the years of experience from all the people who have replied to this thread so far you'd know that their advice is based on sound reasoning.

They might not be the most tactful bunch of people but tact isn't really necessary in this case. Ask your questions, listen to what they tell you, and use it to your own benefit. Or not...your choice entirely.

But no more BS, okay?

 

[Tree&Stump]

What don't you understand about a 10 ton tree removal and some extra stuff to go with it?

 

[TheJollyLogger]

What don't you understand about a 10 ton tree removal and some extra stuff to go with it?

Ok, I'll waste a little more time here. Stumpie, it has nothing to do with the job, it's how you handled it. It's not entirely clear to me from your posts whether you were subbing for the landscaper or whether he was birddogging for ya, and it doesn't really matter. The instant you showed up and started renegotiating with the homeowner you lost all credibility in their eyes, and so did your sub/birddog. Sounds like he tried to salvage the job with another sub. I am assuming since he is a landscaper these were people he had had prior bsiness relationships with. Look at it through his eyes, and the Homeowners. You show up, and start renegotiating what they thought was a done deal. Looks like a classic bait and switch. Then, you don't just quietly walk away, you show back up while the other guy is doing the job and start slandering him. Ok, he's a hack, and the landscaper's an idiot, maybe, but in the homeowner's eyes you're the one showing your ass. This isn't about treework, this is business 101.

 

[HuskStihl]

Hey Jolly, I drove thru bastrop today for the first time since the fire (fahr). Looks like you cleaned it up pretty good. Nice country, too

 

[Tree&Stump]

this is business 101.

That's easy enough to agree with. What I'm asking though is how does "12 tons" get confusing for anyone? And is the fact that I spelled out exactly that I definitely checked the job over first before going to any job ready to work get confused with not checking the job first?

My point of view is clear enough to me. This is now the "I'm an AS dumpling" thing instead of a place to ask people that know anything about my specific occupation my questions, and now this is a misplaced business 101 thread now. I have AS admin explaining to me why I'm shoved on down to this forum was because I was posting BS about "12 tons of brush," and I was talking about not "going to check a tree job out before agreeing to do it." That is the actually why the thread has been moved. The reason was not because this is just a business 101 thread now.

Oh and then there is somebody else passionately describing me as a beginner hack like I don't even know what a rope can be used for in arboriculture.

Thanks for the response. I should also mention it was a sappy day? No complaints here.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

Hey Jolly, I drove thru bastrop today for the first time since the fire (fahr). Looks like you cleaned it up pretty good. Nice country, too

I don't know if I ever want to work another fire, those first three months were miserable, worse than Ike. I need to update my profile, spent the spring working a pipeline contract in Houston, and now I'm up in Georgetown kickin back and doin a little contract climbing. I kind of like it up here, not sure if I'm gonna head back to Bastrop or not. It's now one of those towns where one of my exes lives in Texas, LOL.

 

[Youngbuck20]

Oh and then there is somebody else passionately describing me as a beginner hack like I don't even know what a rope can be used for in arborculture.

*Arboriculture.

 

[HuskStihl]

I don't know if I ever want to work another fire, those first three months were miserable, worse than Ike. I need to update my profile, spent the spring working a pipeline contract in Houston, and now I'm up in Georgetown kickin back and doin a little contract climbing. I kind of like it up here, not sure if I'm gonna head back to Bastrop or not. It's now one of those towns where one of my exes lives in Texas, LOL.

With a few of my Texas exes, I wouldn't feel safe in Georgetown if they lived in bastrop. The coastal boys prolly wouldn't underatand:msp_biggrin:

 

[TheJollyLogger]

With a few of my Texas exes, I wouldn't feel safe in Georgetown if they lived in bastrop. The coastal boys prolly wouldn't underatand:msp_biggrin:

Eh, she got thegoldmine, I got the shaft, as usual. I still do a little contract climbin down there, but it's pretty quiet down there compared to a year ago. It's all good. I'm just kind of takin a little breather after the last few years, flippin afew saws, climbin a few days a week and figuring out my next move.

 

[Goose IBEW]

I now understand why the tactfulness goes out the window.