How'd it go today?
- Thread starter MasterBlaster
- Start date
- Replies 87K
- Views 4M
A few days off so working on my 97' F350 4x4, it had "death wobble" (when hit a bump/pot hole in road steering would go back and forth like crazy)...found out it was my panhard/trac bar right behind front axle, bushing fell apart, pressed out old put in new problem solved, $25 dollar fix....now the 12 bolt rear axle is another story....bad diff bearings, dropping it off at end of week $$ ouch!
Tucker943
Bamboo Plantation Owner
Got an offer that I cant refuse. I'll be living down on the main line outside of Philly 3 days a week until late winter, early next spring. My uncle is a subcontractor on a government project in the dumps of Philly. Taking down crap trees growing up against row homes. But the money is big, hence why he puts up with the headache of being involved. Anyways, I was made an offer to get involved, as a climber, not as another business. But the net take home I was offered was one that I absolutely wont ignore. I'll net more per day as a climber, then I net from my own business here in rural PA. So, My week will be split between climbing in Philly and running my own company here at home. The timing is right. I only keep one guy with me full time right now and he has a second job. If I cut him back to a few days a week, he will probably be relieved to be able to come up for air. Juggling the two situations will probably burn me out hard but I've got the bug to pay off some bank notes in a hurry and buy a brand new chipper and used mini. If I keep my focus, and push through a brutal half a year, I can own all my current company trucks.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #35,954
Dang! Rawk on! 
Tucker943
Bamboo Plantation Owner
It sounds promising...... but I suspect Im going to burn out pretty hard and have to push myself hard to stay focused.
woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
It does sound hectic, but good luck, hope it goes as you hope for.
Sounds good! Maybe it wont be too bad cuz youll be working with yo uncle and it will be gov't work so maybe there will be no push push pace so you won't get burned out and youll have energy for both ventures.
Treework with your uncle in bad Philly hoods?? I'm expecting alot of good stories outa this one!
Treework with your uncle in bad Philly hoods?? I'm expecting alot of good stories outa this one!
woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
Some interesting stats on Philly. Crime rates are generally down which makes property values go up. Some areas require caution for sure, be careful.
Tucker943
Bamboo Plantation Owner
Cory, it will be push push. The work is paid out by dollars per inch dbh. Its pure production based work. Most trees are small. Less then 40 feet. But the name of the game is to add up those inches. Hence why a 29 year old climber like myself is highly desirable. Gotta have a young man around that has the fire in his butt to go up down, up down, up down.
My uncle has been working this contract a few days a week and was uneasy at first about the areas that the work is getting done in. I brought it up yesterday and asked how that has played out so far. He said the people in the bad neighborhoods have been nothing less then awesome so far. Said they've been very cooperative, grateful, and polite. Not all the work is in bad hoods, but a good bit of it is. A lot of it is trimming limbs back from the row homes and the only way to get the brush out is from the tree, tossed onto the roof, and carried across the roof and thrown out onto the streets. Its a hassle.
On a different note, I was working along a street today and clearing a high, and rather long hedgerow along a sidewalk. maybe 140 feet long. Kept chipping and moving the truck up 10 feet at a time. Needless to say when we were finished, the whole street needed to be raked and blown off along that 140 foot stretch. here comes a street sweeper bopping along. The kind that sprays water down and has the big brushes that whisk the pavement and vacuum the street crap up. The driver takes aim at all my mess and just cruises right through it. Threw me a thumbs up and drove away. There wasn't a leaf to be had on the street when he was done. Some people are awesome. Talk about one working class dude looking out for another.
My uncle has been working this contract a few days a week and was uneasy at first about the areas that the work is getting done in. I brought it up yesterday and asked how that has played out so far. He said the people in the bad neighborhoods have been nothing less then awesome so far. Said they've been very cooperative, grateful, and polite. Not all the work is in bad hoods, but a good bit of it is. A lot of it is trimming limbs back from the row homes and the only way to get the brush out is from the tree, tossed onto the roof, and carried across the roof and thrown out onto the streets. Its a hassle.
On a different note, I was working along a street today and clearing a high, and rather long hedgerow along a sidewalk. maybe 140 feet long. Kept chipping and moving the truck up 10 feet at a time. Needless to say when we were finished, the whole street needed to be raked and blown off along that 140 foot stretch. here comes a street sweeper bopping along. The kind that sprays water down and has the big brushes that whisk the pavement and vacuum the street crap up. The driver takes aim at all my mess and just cruises right through it. Threw me a thumbs up and drove away. There wasn't a leaf to be had on the street when he was done. Some people are awesome. Talk about one working class dude looking out for another.
Dave Shepard
Square peg, round world.
That's awesome. Now all the big tree companies will have to buy there own street sweepers.
Tucker943
Bamboo Plantation Owner
The dude wasn't even sweeping the street I was on. He came down another block and spotted me and hung a quick left to come hook me up. Then vanished into the horizon...... Like a dream.
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
Sticky mess.................
Chris, just be careful man. Accidents happen when we get too stressed and tired. Keep sharp on your game and don't wear yourself down.
Chris, just be careful man. Accidents happen when we get too stressed and tired. Keep sharp on your game and don't wear yourself down.
Tucker943
Bamboo Plantation Owner
Oh I'll hunt my face off this fall. I don't care whats on the board. That's the whole reason Im self employed.
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
Yes, a Wraptor would take some of the stress out of it for certain.
Tucker943
Bamboo Plantation Owner
Maybe that's something to think about because the idea Im getting is 8 hours of climbing every day. I don't do that very often and when I do it trashes me.
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
A job like that will pay for it in spades.
If you can get lines set ahead of the climber in each tree... Even more so.
If you can get lines set ahead of the climber in each tree... Even more so.
Arborkeith
TreeHouser
Careful on those gubment jobs. They try and short inches, or short something somewhere
woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
Looking forward to some reports. Not often we get news about climbing in and around a big bad town like Philly. Try not to look in windows.
flushcut
TreeHouser
Wrecked a storm damaged Eastern White Pine, today.
Everything I've got is stuck together :roll:
... even got sap on the lens ...
Bummer, but that is one badass action shot.
Tucker943
Bamboo Plantation Owner
I don't have any skin in the game. Nothing to be careful about. That's between the gov't and the contractor. Im just a dumb climber. If money stops coming down the line, I stop climbing and am not out loads of money that I have invested into it.
SouthSoundTree
Treehouser
Paid by the inch -- -------------------------->WRAPTOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!
rangerdanger
TreeHouser
Damn what a week. Last Friday our stumper sheared some U-joints. Tuesday the 3500 had a fuel pump failure. Got it back today, they had to clear the lines as well. Take it too the job, load up the trailer, start it up and it dies. Suspected air leak or broken gasket somewhere, supposed to have it fixed by the am.
Then to add insult to injury our drive shaft on the chip truck broke today. This just isn't our week. Hoping for a smoother next week, starting a 5 day removal project tomorrow. Stage the brush for the chip truck Monday.
Then to add insult to injury our drive shaft on the chip truck broke today. This just isn't our week. Hoping for a smoother next week, starting a 5 day removal project tomorrow. Stage the brush for the chip truck Monday.
Similar threads
