What temprature do you stay home

[Jumper]

It's all about the equipment for me. It's cheaper to take a day off than risk a spendy repair. Besides my diesel trucks just suck the gas in cold weather and at $3.50 a gallon. We've worked when it's well below zero but if the warm part of the day isn't above zero we usually find something else to do.

With all the idling my Dodge was getting 4.6 miles to the gallon over the past couple of days. We don't dare turn them off.

 

[buckbandit]

Last Jan temps dropped down to mid -30 degree c's with high winds creating windchills of -50 some degrees c. We took Monday and Tuesday off, Wednesday the wind died off a bit but the temps dip a little further. We worked Wed and Thurs. Had a few more smoke breaks but still managed to score highest production for the first quarter.:deadhorse:

 

[sgbotsford]

C-c-c-c-old?

Firstly, I'm not a pro like many of you guys -- as in pro-arborists. I grow them mostly for some of you guys to plant.

I do however have winter work on the tree farm, and I heat my house with wood:

1. The tractor is a Deutz 6250 with a 3 cylinder air cooled diesel. Below -10C (about +10F) it doesn't start worth a *@(#*.

2. The chainsaw works at all almost all temps. Some days I just cut and stack wood, waiting for a warmer day to hall it to the barn.

3. Poplar splits wonderfully at -20 C (-5F) I only rent a splitter when I've got a days worth to do, which means once every 3-4 years. I split most of my 8 cords of firewood by hand. Frankly, most of it splits faster by hand than I can with a splitter, and I don't have a noisy bashine next to me.

At the other end:

I don't like planting trees above 25C (75F) Roots dry, and there's more transplant shock.

And I hate working in the rain. In Alberta, there seems to be a requirement to use pre-chilled water for rain.

I prefer not to work in my woods when the wind is blowing mroe than about 50 kph (30 mph) We've had 3 30" black poplars come down at various times. I'd rather take them down when I'm not distracted by all the other wind noise.

 

[summit583guy]

Ive worked and climbed several times when it's been (-20,-25 celcius)out, It's not fun and job generally take a little bit longer.The chippers ive used were brush bandits and they will not start usually unless there kept inside a heated building, we used to leave the chipper running all day when it's been that cold out though. Just the life of living in ontario

 

[1savagehunter]

Is this a Canadian site or what ???

Well nice to see you all here.

 

[thejdman04]

We worked outside on some -5 below -30 below windchill thats cold enough for me.

 

[capetrees]

I've never stayed home due to the cold. I've left the equipment home but did the grunt work and labor. It's the heat I can't stand.

 

[gr8scott72]

I've never stayed home due to the cold. I've left the equipment home but did the grunt work and labor. It's the heat I can't stand.

Yuk. Not me. Give me triple digits and 60% humidity thank you!

 

[BC WetCoast]

After about 12" of snow (huge amount for us) and below freezing temperature, the pineapple express came through. 5 degrees celcius and 1.5" of rain. It's easier to work in colder dry air than this stuff. However, we work in all weather and had to take a tree off a roof today.

 

[summit583guy]

''BC West Coast'' who do you work for and where? I recently moved here from ontario and work out of surrey,langley area for the city of surrey

 

[ASEMASTER]

city union

clames that when it hits -10 you now have inclimate weather even for the equipment , the breakage is just not worth doing the jobs, even water breaks, they will have to wait.

 

[JONSEREDFAN6069]

-30c wich is around -25f is where i draw the limit. uncomfortable but dress a little warmer thats all. the work gots ta get done.

 

[custom8726]

We did a crane job last week in 6 degree weather before the windshield. It was also snowing with some freezing rain. Not a fun day but we got it done. I prefer Not to work when its below 16 degrees or so for a high. Even at 16 you are usually fighting with the diesels to start and the feed wheels of the chipper freezing, and the hydrolics taking 45 minutes to work properly, etc, etc.. Last year I spent alot of my winter in Costa Rica, Hawai, and vegas, now a year later and my first baby boy born, I am working in the cold so mom can stay home. Worth while trade IMHO though...

 

[jomoco]

I dislike working when its over 90-95 with high humidity.
Of course, I still work but I hate every moment. Plenty of leaf blower cooldowns.. I say shoving the nozzle up your pant leg when your sweating rivers with a major case of swamparse is incentive to keep trucking.

As far as cold.. theres no set quit temperature for me. I guess when stuff doesnt work & starts breaking its time to go home.

Frozen ground is the only reason some projects get done IE golf courses..
Lakesides another good example, though when I was working for bartlett we had a lakeside job we were using a canoe on.. right up untill swimming proved to be the better idea.

Interesting take Mick.

I was acting general foreman/demolition climber running two crews at the China Lake Naval Jet Fighter training base in CA removing about 100 trees and staying in a motel. This is a bit southwest of Inyo county in the Mojave desert.

Temps climbed to over 105 almost everyday and as the foreman I made the call to wuss out everyday at about 10:30am and run for the motel airconditioning along with the crew of 10 men. We would return at about 2:00pm and work till dusk.

If every other outdoor contractor on the base didn't do the same thing we did I might have more profound wuss like regrets!

Those kinda temps are very dangerous, and known to kill even to the locals there.

jomoco

 

[hokiewheeler]

I don't own my own business and I'm not currently doing tree work. Having said that, when I was, my least favorite to work in was mid 30s and rain. I'll take just about anything else. I've worked when it was so hot the sweat was pouring down my hard hat and so cold I had 4 layers of clothes on. As long as I'm dry I'm fine. An old equipment operator told me that the first rain drop is an act of god, the second one is your own darn fault - I tend to agree. I had a hydro line let go on a chipper on me once and kind of ruined the day. The power co got pissed and left and hooked the juice back up and we had to call off the crane. That was an expensive hose. It was in the 40s and rainy. Another time, we were workin on a Saturday in late November and the guy runnin the knuckle boom swung a log into a hard line on the outrigger and busted it - pourin rain in the 30s. We were never called back there, I just hope all the oil the truck puked out didn't kill the client's front yard. Rain tends to slow things way down and put everybody in a bad mood. I was the groundy on tree jobs and preferred it that way. I've been up a couple times and don't like climbin.

 

[ChiHD]

I was wondering at what temperature do you stay home.the main concern is the wear and tear on equipment.Temps on equipment never reach the operating temp and start blowing motors hydraulic lines crack bearings in the feed rollers snap.Just wondering what temps do you call it quits.

Never, I love the cold and my equipment is designed to work in the cold. only girls cry about this/

 

[treeclimber101]

Never, I love the cold and my equipment is designed to work in the cold. only girls cry about this/

if i walk outside and i feel a breeze on my #### i go back in the house and go back to bed

 

[TreeTopKid]

i'm not real keen on 90 and above or much humidity but i'll still work.i'll take the cold over the extreme heat any day.i also prefer frozen ground to work on.my only complaint with the cold is waiting on hydraulics.

25 deg F - 100 deg F. There's plenty of bars for when it's over a 100 down here. always choose a bar with umbrellas!

 

[scott t]

The coldest we have worked is -40 the hottest is around 115 in Florida

 

[buzz sawyer]

I walked about a mile to work (family business) one morning when it was -20F.
That was about 30 years ago. Hasn't gotten that cold here since, but I'd do it again.

My favorite time to split firewood is when it's hot - 90+. Can't explain it, just feels good.