groundies with phones, shyster drunk company owners

[silk]

Just read all the posts in this thread.

I can understand why you were so upset and yelling at the HO. You had to get the message across that the HO life was in real danger being under your work area, messing with the chipper.

I would have started with the ground crew, they need to be on the ball for you when your attention is in the tree.

I remember last summer I was taking down a large fur and I look down and the neighborhood kids from the house across the street helping the guys on the ground bring wood to the chipper.

Of course the kids had no sort of ppe to be seen, and the parents in the front yard watching all the while not even realizing the very real danger.

I almost had a heart attack and started screaming at the ground guys to get everyone away from our work site. After the job they guys were a little upset at my attitude but once I laid out all the "so what if this or what if that had happened"

They quickly realized I was not being a douche, but rather keeping everyone safe I would rather be a labeled as a hard ass over watching the HO sucked into the chipper.

This IS how accidents happen....

 

[treemandan]

Just read all the posts in this thread.

I can understand why you were so upset and yelling at the HO. You had to get the message across that the HO life was in real danger being under your work area, messing with the chipper.

I would have started with the ground crew, they need to be on the ball for you when your attention is in the tree.

I remember last summer I was taking down a large fur and I look down and the neighborhood kids from the house across the street helping the guys on the ground bring wood to the chipper.

Of course the kids had no sort of ppe to be seen, and the parents in the front yard watching all the while not even realizing the very real danger.

I almost had a heart attack and started screaming at the ground guys to get everyone away from our work site. After the job they guys were a little upset at my attitude but once I laid out all the "so what if this or what if that had happened"

They quickly realized I was not being a douche, but rather keeping everyone safe I would rather be a labeled as a hard ass over watching the HO sucked into the chipper.

This IS how accidents happen....

That is so nice, a chipping party and invited the neighbors kids. well great the gang is all here. Who brought the potatoe salad? watermelon anybody? Its get togethers like this that warm my heart and bring everybody closer together. NOT!

I used to think I was a hothead and feel bad about hollering at the guys. The job is that we stick together and watch out for each other all the time. Taking it for granted and believing that this is " just tree work" is really bad.

This job I was on, the one I just walked off of, was going to pot. The two kids on the ground were so miserable they didn't want to work and it really showed. I gave them a break cause for the 13 bucks an hour they get from Josh Lord plus the aggravation he puts them through was enough. When I sadi to get the big lowering device out they cringed so I just let them use the port-a-wrap in hopes of bringing them out of the fog, no go.

But we all know about lazy groundies. I was sick of the HO as well. He was all to happy to let Mr. Lord tell him this tree would take 4 hrs and could be handled cheap. Mr. Lord was waiting for the 4 hrs to run out so he could then tell the Ho it was gonna be more money cause The HO is so dam cheap he hired Josh Lord. I was ripping huge pieces out, it could have taken someone all day. I was looking at a 6 hour TD.
I often agree that I should not be working for this guy but he is close to my house and I was trying to help him out before I realized that he was actually a very bad drunk and a shyster. I like the boys, not bad kids. I used to bring them out on jobs of mine, they need the money, I pay well for good service rendered. They were starting to take advantage of me. I had Jesse on a job and went to dump, I left him with instructions. I had a break down ( idler pulley flew off) but was back within an hour and a half. He was sitting in the front yard smoking cigarettes and what I had instructed him to do was not done. Personally in the same situation when the boss comes back he says to me " I can't believe you got this all done".
The boys were having problem even getting the chipper started, they have been jumping the bad battery for months. The finally called Josh who fianlly broke down and got a new one.
Josh has been dumpning all his money into this wretched bucket truck which should be scrapped. WHen the next climber comes in he will have no problem sending him up in it. The carriage bearings are GONE and the main housing is cracked. There are many other things wrongs with it like the control are crap and the upper boom has been beat to **** and actually has chunks taken out of it.

Josh Lord= bad mojo.

 

[slinger]

What is it about trades that involve manual labor that makes everyone feel like they can do what you do by just showing up and jumping in?

I built an addition to a church - 16' tall walls, 16' long sections, 2x6's, sheathed--heavy and wet.

So 4 carpenters and 2 jacks is how we raise them.

Why does the youth minister think he can "help too"?

He gets upset when I yell "Get the @#(! outta the way.

He went home alive.

I still don't have a claim on my liability insurance.

I'm not a tree guy, I also wouldn't use your equipment and "just help" out.

I might bird dog ya-- at a distance.

 

[outofmytree]

What do you wear to load a chipper? Cause besides the safety glasses (sunglasses, yes OSHA Z81 approved) and ear plugs I don't wear anything. Well, pants and a shirt obviously (although I have seen other hacks do it shirtless, thats gotta hurt), but I can't think of anything else to wear for loading a chipper.

Dunno how it is for you but the OHS standards in Oz are pretty simple. Follow the manufacturers instructions. My Bandit has stickers showing ear,eye and helmets as a MINIMUM standard. When the big logs go in I push them myself cos I have the face shield. Personally the only time I wear gloves on the ground 100% of the time is when I'm loading the chipper.

 

[outofmytree]

My guys are under strict instructions that nobody loads the chipper except us. If the customer insists on helping then we give the spare hard hat and let em drag brush but they flat do not feed the beast.

 

[tree MDS]

Hey dano this ones for you buddy:

A couple of years ago I had a big job down on a lake over a seawall. I had my regular slow a$$ (but competent) groundman roping logs over the seawall and two other morons carrying leaders up the hill to the chipper in the HO's driveway.

The tree had a cable so I cut it, roped that piece down, had the regular groundy draw X's on it with the saw (they showed up real well too, nice white red maple wood) and place it where nobody should be messing with it and the GM could see it.

Fast forward: so I have these two losers chipping in the drive now and continue roping wood down. All of the sudden as my GM is untieing a log I see joey homeowner (mister know it all hyper worker guy) grab the log out of the corner of my eye and criuse up the hill with it. So I yell down to the GM (who has an injured leg, non work related) "I think he grabbed that FN log! run up there and make sure them losers dont chip it!".

So he succeeds in that and hobbles back down to continue roping. A short time latter I hear a load metalic sound an then a quick splat right after that - the sound of a munched up eye-bolt hitting a plywood chip box.

The chipper had a recent anvil and I had just changed the blades the night before. I just packed it up for the day, that was enough for me. But yeah I feel your pain dano, sometimes its like they are all conspiring against you. And its just amazing how stupid some people truely are.

 

[ropensaddle]

There is a fellow in my area who uses two women to chip and clean-up for him and they do a great job better than most of the phone users. I dont know if Dan meant hos as in women in general or actualy hos. I am not offended either way . It can be used the same as women and "The Dan " is mad at the moment so. AGAIN, I agree with "The Dan"!!!!! I'm sick of losers on the job who aren't on the job.

I have used hoes before but the distraction is not worth the pleasure

 

[fishercat]

the day i look down........

and see my rope guy on the phone,is the day he gets a steel caribiner at high velocity in the noggin.then a punch in the nose when i get down.

 

[motoroilmccall]

yes it is my insurance, I am a contract kind of guy. Why? Cause loose guys can't keep their fingers on me. Its my ropes and my saws, my rigging equipment. WHY? Cause loose guys don't keep up on thier equipment.
Why do I do it like this? Cause there are so many loose guys out there.
The chipper was under the tree MORON.
Finding half decent companies is not the easiest thing in the world. Respect? I need that first, screw you.

Loose guys huh? Like yourself? I would say telling a HO to get the *&^% outis coming from somebody who is pretty loose...

If its all your stuff, why aren't you running your own show? Not ontop of things enough to take care of the business side of things?

If the chipper is under the tree you're doing it wrong... I'm not gonna put a $35,000 piece of equipment under a tree thats being removed, no matter how good the climber in the tree is... $hit happens, and wiping out a hydraulic line, chip chute, etc means you're done for the day.

Finding a decent company to work for isn't hard if you're as good as you claim, which I seriously doubt now. Better than me as a climber? I'd put money on it. Better than our climber, highly doubt it...

Call me a MORON, I really don't give a ####. As far as getting nasty, beating your 39 year old ass wouldn't be worth getting your #### on my boots.

As far as respect goes, I used to respect you Dan, but after this thread, I'm not sure why I ever did...

 

[Raymond]

Dan My Man this guy giving you trouble?

 

[treemandan]

Yes, my friend loose is what its all about, when to be maybe more a important topic.


At any rate the HO apoplogized for being in the line of fire, He had said he did know better and got what he should have and that was that.

Oh after so long it tends to get old whether up there, in here or anywhere. I would just say now you are being stubborn but it looks like it bothers you now than me as I have just stopped talking.

Loose guys huh? Like yourself? I would say telling a HO to get the *&^% outis coming from somebody who is pretty loose...

If its all your stuff, why aren't you running your own show? Not ontop of things enough to take care of the business side of things?

If the chipper is under the tree you're doing it wrong... I'm not gonna put a $35,000 piece of equipment under a tree thats being removed, no matter how good the climber in the tree is... $hit happens, and wiping out a hydraulic line, chip chute, etc means you're done for the day.

Finding a decent company to work for isn't hard if you're as good as you claim, which I seriously doubt now. Better than me as a climber? I'd put money on it. Better than our climber, highly doubt it...

Call me a MORON, I really don't give a ####. As far as getting nasty, beating your 39 year old ass wouldn't be worth getting your #### on my boots.

As far as respect goes, I used to respect you Dan, but after this thread, I'm not sure why I ever did...

 

[treemandan]

Dan My Man this guy giving you trouble?

Not exactly sure what you would call it.

 

[Raymond]

I had a repeat customer just call again today, I've worked for 4 times now.

The first time (like 5 years ago) we were removing a dead tree in his front yard.
He had his garage door open, I told him he may want to close it due to sawdust blowing in, but he didn't care.

He was in and out of the house for awhile, then came out through the garage and was watching inside the open garage door.

He started looking around and asked my groundman (David) where his drill was.
David looked at him like he was nuts and said I don't know.
I had him so busy he never even had time to look toward the garage.

The customer started going off cussing him out and calling us thieves.

I heard this and burned down like a bat out of hell, ran into his messy garage with gear on and just started violently looking. Flipping crap over making more of a mess.

Low and behold I found his 14 dollar K-mart drill, handed it to him and told David to load up NOW we're leaving.

The guy instantly started apologizing and asked us to finish. We (or I) shared some not so professional words. Finally telling him shut your damn garage door like I asked you earlier and stay the #### inside till we get done and we'll finish.

He did just that and we've been there 3 more times now and going back in the morning to look at some more work.

What this have to do with this thread? I dunno I just thought I would share it with ya.

 

[treemandan]

I had a repeat customer just call again today, I've worked for 4 times now.

The first time (like 5 years ago) we were removing a dead tree in his front yard.
He had his garage door open, I told him he may want to close it due to sawdust blowing in, but he didn't care.

He was in and out of the house for awhile, then came out through the garage and was watching inside the open garage door.

He started looking around and asked my groundman (David) where his drill was.
David looked at him like he was nuts and said I don't know.
I had him so busy he never even had time to look toward the garage.

The customer started going off cussing him out and calling us thieves.

I heard this and burned down like a bat out of hell, ran into his messy garage with gear on and just started violently looking. Flipping crap over making more of a mess.

Low and behold I found his 14 dollar K-mart drill, handed it to him and told David to load up NOW we're leaving.

The guy instantly started apologizing and asked us to finish. We (or I) shared some not so professional words. Finally telling him shut your damn garage door like I asked you earlier and stay the #### inside till we get done and we'll finish.

He did just that and we've been there 3 more times now and going back in the morning to look at some more work.

What this have to do with this thread? I dunno I just thought I would share it with ya.

That's great. You were rootin through the guys stuff and found his dam drill? I hate to say it but no self respecting man is going want no 14 dollar drill.

I had a lady tell me the last guys she hired came in her house and robbed her... then she told me the side door was open if we had to use the bathroom and that she was off to work.

 

[Raymond]

That's great. You were rootin through the guys stuff and found his dam drill? I hate to say it but no self respecting man is going want no 14 dollar drill.

I had a lady tell me the last guys she hired came in her house and robbed her... then she told me the side door was open if we had to use the bathroom and that she was off to work.

Yeah customers deserve respect and all that crap
but when they call us thieves, it's on like Donkey Kong.

To this day when he calls, I remember his voice and address.
I tell him 'Oh Yeah the drill guy"... LOL he don't wanna talk about it
but he keeps calling me back.

 

[Raymond]

I had a lady tell me the last guys she hired came in her house and robbed her... then she told me the side door was open if we had to use the bathroom and that she was off to work.[/QUOTE]

They say alot of people are glutting for punishment and this gal is defiantly one of them.

 

[prorover]

text messaging

I hate it, hate it, hate it, did I mention hate it when they are on the phone texting and crap. Just last week we were working on a large pine and the ground helper/chip guy had his ear phones on and I had to yell at him every time for ever limb, they all had to be roped with a tag line to pull them out from over plants and shrubs then I look and he's texting his girlie, I told him a hundred times to put the stuff up and he mouthed off a bit so I just let it go until his dad got there a few minutes later and then I told him and he walked up grabbed the ear phones and ripped them off his head and stomped them in to the ground along with the mp3 player and took the cell phone and locked it in the truck.....I rolled laughing..

i went the rounds with this kid on his cell phone...i even set him up with a phone with unlimited texting..he wouldn't stay off the thing..i had to get rid of him after 5 weeks ...when i got the bill i saw he did 10,000 messages in one month!!!!!