How'd it go today?

[rbtree]

Roger, good to see you more active again.

Can you post a picture of your capstan mod, and tell what lines you are using with it? I haven't gotten a lot of use out of mine, but it has been good to have.

Sure, Sean! But, it's in my storage unit.....so it won't get stolen, like the wraptor and so much else... check my post on Evan's big cottonwood thread.

 

[Fiddler]

New saddle came from TreeStuff today. Couple pair of gloves in the box was a bonus, plus the discount I got 'bout paid for shipping. I can already tell I'm gonna love this saddle (Ergovation). Nice upgrade from my basic floating D yet still familiar.

Snowing about 1"/hour here..glad I had the day off.

 

[rbtree]

A bit of a blow......

Yesterday's wind blew in some work. This Mukilteo fir took out the neighbor's deck, but only a corner of the roof overhang. Its cleanup will be quick and easy. Will try to yard the stump back into the hole with a 2-1 with our 19k spectra line, using the chip truck on asphalt. Can rig redirect up 20 feet in a fir, if needed. This will make the stump grind easier. Then I sold three more fir removals, which will need the sticks craned out. Crane bill will be low. Logs close to 3000 board feet. The fallen tree will do a little minor lawn damage when we yard it out.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

We had some work come from that wind at a past customer's house. An uprooted, but leaning to the open tree, and a couple removals.

 

[woodworkingboy]

i'd like to put a saw into that, ain't got sheet here....

 

[MasterBlaster]

Nice log!!!

 

[woodworkingboy]

Last snow like this, they say was a hundred years ago. Digging myself out and helping other people. My neighbor's greenhouses were smashed, just like around fifteen years ago. He's got enough troubles.

 

[Fiddler]

I can relate Jay. Sorry to hear about your neighbor.

I think I've spent more time clearing snow than cutting trees this Winter.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Gets old, doesn't it Dave. I guess that generally the worst part is that anything but the main roads are in terrible shape. The town just isn't prepared for so much snow.

 

[Fiddler]

yep, gettin' old. Hope I make it out to where they've plowed.....oh.....county just filled in my drive as I'm typing....don't know if I'll even get out this am now. I'll try ramming through as I have to leave here pretty quick..wish me luck...

 

[MasterBlaster]

Punch through it!!!

 

[Cobleskill]

Aye aye, captain.

Winter sucks. Pretty sometimes, but it still sucks.

 

[Cobleskill]

Speaking of pretty, the ice caves that got a lot of national news coverage in Wisconsin-we have our own version on Lake Erie not far from Buffalo.

I remember ice forming on the shore of Lake Ontario when I was a teenager. That hardly ever happens because it is so deep. My bud and I ventured out and it had formed ice volcanoes. Water would shoot up and keep making it higher. Pretty but dangerous.

 

[cory]

That sounds cool.

I read the Lakes are 88% ice covered this year, which is more than normal.

 

[Al Smith]

Pot lickers from the cable company had the bright idea of raising the rates .I called them up and squawked at them .Got it lowered plus gained a couple movie channels in the process .Ya gotsta speak up every so often .

 

[Fiddler]

Punch through it!!!

Couple of runs back & forth and got to the road.
Got to the job and no on e there.

Went to gas station and bought fuel for skidder & Warmed it up. Boss showed w/bobcat and we cleared out a couple trails and landing.

Cut a few trees after asking land owner to leave woods. turn around a couple trees later; I'm about to trip a tree and notice someone is walking behind me about 30' with saw in their hand.....it's the kid who is supposed to be running the skidder...showed at 3pm this afternoon. I can't believe he didn't get sent back home. The cutter who had been running skidder started cutting and kid started skidding. production all but stopped right there.

I'd about run out of patience for the day and went home. Waved to the Boss (sitting in his truck) as I drove away.

Not a happy day.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Beer-thirty!!!

 

[Dave Shepard]

That sounds like a really tough situation. I used to work for a guy and every day was a battle. A friend that used to work for him as well once said that he had one or two guys working for him and seven or eight working against.

I spent the day puttering around the mill yard, with a quick trip over to NY to pick up the chains for the log skidder. They need a little work, but that's OK, I don't have $1500 for a new set. The skidder doesn't like trying to chew through 2 1/2' snow drifts.

 

[Fiddler]

Ha! Working against hits it right on the head!

I keep hearing about chains here but we keep plowing for now...

I just kinda lost my patience. Couldn't see getting paid to stand around and didn't want to bury the skidder with just a couple hours 'til dark. If he had lights on it I might have taken a small break to cool down, then gone to a different section and dropped trees until dark.

I'm kind of embarrassed over losing my patience like that but I have a really hard time with all the standing around and doing nothing I'm seeing.

 

[Dave Shepard]

You guys don't run chains? Are you in some sort of tropical part of Michigan without snow? If you don't have chains, you aren't going to get much done in deep snow.

 

[woodworkingboy]

There is something about the word, "Chains".

 

[Fiddler]

Dave, Ya you got that right! I don't understand it, but I'm not running things.

Thought this gig might work out well but I may just go back to topping for him when needed. I'm getting very frustrated and will probably have an in-depth talk with the boss tomorrow. Heard he wasn't too happy I left without talking to him, then again, it wasn't a good time for me to talk...

 

[woodworkingboy]

Things seemed to start out on such a good note for you, Dave, everybody happy. I think I can understand the frustration. Almost seems like the boss has drifted away from his original attitude, or some personality complications with him going on.

 

[Fiddler]

I get along with the Boss fine Jay. Just don't understand/agree with a lot of how a lot of things are done. People standing around not doing anything for hours, theft, full crew missing work for two days to save $50 on a tire, people coming in when they please (or not).

Lanny is a great guy and we've been friends for many years, but I can't honestly see how he even stays in business. I can't understand the tolerance for tardiness, dishonesty, lack of work ethics, etc. I have about zero tolerance for this stuff.

I'm certainly not in the upper echelon of tree workers but I've run my own businesses successfully for over 35 years now as well as worked for both great and terrible/incompetent supervisors as an employee. I have some idea of what generally works and what doesn't and I feel I'm just seeing more of what doesn't work being put into practice here.

I have a lot of respect for someone running things their own way and will probably never say any of this when I talk to him tomorrow, I don't know...

 

[woodworkingboy]

Tough situation. Seems like a lot would have to change to make the thing run right. Strange that those aspects that you mention aren't a priority to rectify for the boss. Seeing standing around really catches your eye if you have been in business for yourself.