Contract climber rate?

[Wwallace52590]

So this past weekend I got “hired” to “help” a guy with a couple tree jobs. I’m slow right now so I messaged some people I saw advertising tree services letting them know I could help them on saturdays and that I had my own equipment.

The guy showed up in a ford focus packing 2 saws in his trunk…. That’s it’s. We used all my equipment to do the jobs (ropes, pole saw, blower ect.) he paid me $200 and while I was kinda upset it was my fault for assuming I was going to be working for someone more experienced than me.

My question is what should I ask for next time, I’m sure this guy will call me again because he damn sure can’t do this stuff on his own, he has less experience than me (which is saying a lot I’m very green). I was thinking about asking for a split of the job but the I’d be waiting on him to get paid and I don’t know the guy that well. Should I just ask for a flat rate? Like 5-6 hundred bucks or something like that?

I know that’s a hard question to answer if it can be answered at all but any advice would be helpful.

 

[BlackBikeDave]

My tree company friend told me $400 to $700 a day as a contract climber. That's a day rate and not hourly. I'm currently looking for insurance so that I can get that money.
I have similiar story as I "helped" my friend, meaning "I did all the work", take down a good size black walnut in his front yard. Had to climb and piece it all down. All my equiptment, saws ropes and experience, gas to get there and back, ...etc..
Well 200 bucks and a shitty pizza afterwords and he got a great deal. Friend rate that is... Then of course he needed 2 bigger oaks taken down in his back yard which would have been easier for me and he paid some guy he barely knows 5 grand to just get them on the ground without even calling me just because the guy showed up at his house.
Yeah 200 bucks is 200 bucks but after all was said and done I think I got screwed outa more than 5 grand. Lesson Learned I promise you that and hopefully you learned from your experience too. When it comes to money there are no friends in business. Get the monies settled up front and take the guessing out so you know what you are working for. imho
Also do you have insurance?

 

[Wwallace52590]

My tree company friend told me $400 to $700 a day as a contract climber. That's a day rate and not hourly. I'm currently looking for insurance so that I can get that money.
I have similiar story as I "helped" my friend, meaning "I did all the work", take down a good size black walnut in his front yard. Had to climb and piece it all down. All my equiptment, saws ropes and experience, gas to get there and back, ...etc..
Well 200 bucks and a shitty pizza afterwords and he got a great deal. Friend rate that is... Then of course he needed 2 bigger oaks taken down in his back yard which would have been easier for me and he paid some guy he barely knows 5 grand to just get them on the ground without even calling me just because the guy showed up at his house.
Yeah 200 bucks is 200 bucks but after all was said and done I think I got screwed outa more than 5 grand. Lesson Learned I promise you that and hopefully you learned from your experience too. When it comes to money there are no friends in business. Get the monies settled up front and take the guessing out so you know what you are working for. imho
Also do you have insurance?

Not currently no, he said he did but i think that was a lie. My insurance for my lawncare is lapsing in about a month and im going to add tree work onto it.

 

[SeanKroll]

Don't expect any insurance coverage out of anyone except your legit boss or yourself.

 

[SeanKroll]

Contact climber rates are for experienced contract climbers who can handle a lot, often with the help of poorly trained general contractor's employees.

 

[Mick!]

You don’t need liability insurance, it’s on him.

As for how much he made on the job, it’s irrelevant ‘picker don’t ask the price of cotton’

 

[Wwallace52590]

You don’t need liability insurance, it’s on him.

As for how much he made on the job, it’s irrelevant ‘picker don’t ask the price of cotton’

Planning on getting insurance for myself anyway, and yea was more trying to get an idea of what I should ask for next time, as I’m almost positive I will hear from him next time he gets a job.

 

[Kaveman]

I won't put the boss on blast, because he pays me damned well hourly, and has taught me the proper MINIMUM DAY RATE for my area, which is $300. The market won't support much more than that, and yet it is willing to pay much more than that. The trick is falling between the two ideas. Don't short change yourself.

Also remember that 95% of accidents happen in the last two hours of an 8 hour day. So cut those hours out and call it quits for the day after 6 hours or less. Ta-daa, you've eliminated the risk for 95% of bad shit happening to YOU!

YOU LIVE ONCE, BE ALL THE WILLIAM YOU CAN BE!

 

[Wwallace52590]

I won't put the boss on blast, because he pays me damned well hourly, and has taught me the proper MINIMUM DAY RATE for my area, which is $300. The market won't support much more than that, and yet it is willing to pay much more than that. The trick is falling between the two ideas. Don't short change yourself.

Also remember that 95% of accidents happen in the last two hours of an 8 hour day. So cut those hours out and call it quits for the day after 6 hours or less. Ta-daa, you've eliminated the risk for 95% of bad shit happening to YOU!

YOU LIVE ONCE, BE ALL THE WILLIAM YOU CAN BE!

Haha yea right now my arms wouldn’t make it 8 hours, I made about 5 ascents of 40-50 before I started cramping up real bad, I finished what the guy had said to do when we were on the ground but the he decided he wanted one more small limb gone that would have took some doing on my part to get out to and I just told him flat out that my arms were shot and I wouldn’t be able to get out there. Just ended up taking the whole lead instead lol. I got some resistance bands and grip trainer things that should be here today so hopefully I’ll be able to remedy some of that. Weatherman says we bout to get snowed in so doubt I’ll be climbing tmrw like I wanted to.

 

[SeanKroll]

If your arms are so flamed, you probably should be climbing and working more with your legs.

A rope walker can be used to haul a heavy saw.

Use a pulley above you, as said.

Make friction and gravity work for you AMAP.

 

[Wwallace52590]

If your arms are so flamed, you probably should be climbing and working more with your legs.

A rope walker can be used to haul a heavy saw.

Use a pulley above you, as said.

Make friction and gravity work for you AMAP.

Was my first day climbing SRT, and I probably made it twice as long before cramping as I did the last job I did while climbing DRT. I have a foot and knee/chest ascender I just need to practice more I guess. Just the switch to single line atleast doubled the amount of time I was able to effectively work tho.

 

[SeanKroll]

Try to avoid gripping the rope when ropewalking... hold yourself upright with the rope. Propel with your legs.

Short steps.

Dial in your knee ascender length and bungee length/ power.

 

[chris_girard]

I get paid between $600-$800 dollars a day to contract climb. I carry both liability and workers comp on myself. I bring all my own equipment (both climbing and rigging) along with 40 years of experience in the business. I am also an ISA Certified Arborist, Master Rigger and can write legal wetland documents if required by the town and state for sensitive tree work along protected water bodies. Am I trying to brag? No, I just know what I can charge for a day rate. Kids these days who call themselves "contract climbers" a lot of times aren't worth half the price that they are asking for, don't have the insurance or the experience and are more a liability than an asset on the job. I know, I have worked with enough of them.

Also, if you are really going to be a good contract climber, go to work for someone first who can mentor you and teach you ESPECIALLY SRS (SRT for those of you who don't like the new verbiage). I was fortunate enough to realize and start using SRS/SRT over 30 years ago in tree care (all my techniques were at first from the caving/mountaineering world) and I helped to write and review the TCIA SRT BMP Manual for Tree Work. Most employers won't hire someone calling themselves a contract climber these days who can't climb using modern techniques, or they will and you will be paid accordingly, around $200-$300 tops. Besides being a contract climber myself, I also own and employ 3 other full-time climbers. I am proud to have been able to teach and mentor them over the years. They would certainly make great contract climbers, but I hope that they decide to stay with my company.

 

[SeanKroll]

'Contact climber' can mean an Ace or someone who can't put together a small company who works illegally. Many points in between.