How'd it go today?

Gosh Brett.. That could have gone real bad...
Just happy you are ok...
Hey Fiddler.. Welcome to the house mang...
I love little trees ... best money I ever make Paul.....

Cleaned up a couple downed live oaks today and slashed some more fire fuel. Mostly with the brushers and a pair of pruners. Basically maintaining what we have cleared on a property (cutting the new growth) and pushing his fire lines out some more each month..
Got a check in the mail and also some deliveries :)
Mostly just more stuff.. Files, biners, loop runners.. bla bla bla...
My sub I have been using ordered a couple things (rescue 8 and a couple screw biners) for use on her horse training.. She was so impressed by the control she had lowering some limbs over a roof that she thought she could adapt some of the stuff to her needs as a trainer. Hey what ever works ;)
 
Lost ANOTHER Forest Service bid. Third time in a row, 2nd time to the same company. The kicker is they are a recreational dive outfit. They beat my bid by 3 dollars per tree.
:evil: I swear next time I'm not going to drive down, clear the roads, and look at every unit, cause its a waste of time. I'm thinking I'll be looking at aerial photos next go round.
 
I wonder if you will have a shiner Brett? Welcome Fiddler. Better luck next time Wiley I had a fool around day today. Took my guys over to my cousin's to do his yard because my Uncle got married and the party is Saturday. Took my wife to babysit our grandson. Sharpened the teeth on my stump grinder, picked up my wife then had to drive out to my cousin's to retrieve my blower. I have a job in Fresno tomorrow removing 12 small fruitless pistachio trees from a median on Ashlan avenue to make room for the left turn lane into the new Walgreens drug store. The only trouble is it's a hour and a half drive down to there.
 
PCTREE said:
Hey Whiley, they were under by $3 a tree, ever wonder if they know someting you dont??:?
Click to expand...

That is what I am thinking. We quit bidding on work for the City of Marathon cause it is so obvious that someone was letting a certain company know what everyone's price was.

Brett, glad you are okay!
 
I quit bidding on city and county contracts a long time ago because the same unqualified, unprofessional, and uninsured company always gets the low bid. They do crap work year after year and still get the contract renewed. :?
 
Same here, Greg.

Dave, $3 out of how much per tree total?

Was that the same contract I looked over with you and Greg at the end of the WCGTG?
 
Burnham said:
Same here, Greg.

Dave, $3 out of how much per tree total?

Was that the same contract I looked over with you and Greg at the end of the WCGTG?
Click to expand...

Yes Burnham, it was the same one. it was a 635 tree total. I was at 32 per tree average, they came in right around 29 and change.
 
Humph...10 percent...that's probably in the ballpark of the profit percentage in the gov't estimate, which is of course proprietary information to Uncle Sam on each specific contract.

That's too bad, Dave. Tough to put in the effort on research for a sharp pencil bid, costs involved there for certain, and get nowhere.

When you worked for the Forest Circus, did you get into any contract admin work? If not, I'm happy to offer to help you take a closer look your process for generating bids, from a COR's perspective, if you wish. Not that bids necessarily have a lot in common with the gov't estimate :roll:.

Drop me a pm if you want.
 
OTGBOSTON said:
WOW.....I'd be too scared of losing my job or ending up in the clink on corruption charges to pull any of that chit. Florida must really be still on the old boy network :|:
Click to expand...

From what I've heard over the years, bribery and kickbacks are SOP around here. :X I won't play that game.
 
Today went a lot better than yesterday!:D

Climbed two trees today, looked at 2 bids with Dad, and I was groundman for the other climbers.

Also read that EAB is in our county now. Talked to a climbing buddy after I read it and he said he's found some already, and they also caught some in the traps they've been putting up. Looks like EAB is finally in Lexington, KY.
 
I did a kind of city job today. I was subbing for a landscaping company in Fresno. Everything went well except for a flat tire on the way home. It's about 70 miles away so I just took my pickup and trailer.
 
today was AWESOME. went to the dump first thing and unloaded the truck then picked up Patrick my helper, we went to the go cart track and spent about an hour on track in ten minute stints, what a riot. This video shows the dudes in shifter carts with engines of about 30HP, we had Klub carts which have about 6.5HP and patrick did one session with the 9HP cart. His best time in the 6.5hp cart was about 1:08, mine was consistent at around 1:13+. The shifter carts are turning in around 57 second laps, Patrick turned a 1:03+ in the 9HP cart. its a blast.

Costwise it was $50 for the first half hour, then a buck a minute pay as you go, we did 2 extra 10 minute sessions, the 9hp cart was $2 a minute. We got coupons for our next visit, 2 for 1 cart rentals :D

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/d5E76Vgv75Y&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/d5E76Vgv75Y&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
 
Today went well and on to the next set of jobs tomorrow. Katy dropped the boys off till about lunch time and brought lunch out for everyone. Kids had fun gallivanting all over the hills and dales with us as we cut trails all over a property. So we will be going back there for 3 days next month and every month till he says diffy. Already booked him through March.
Got payed and came home to the new compressor :) Just a lil 1 3/4 HP pancake but it should work better than what we had for just small shop stuff :D Once we get the bigger shop built I will buy a more serious piece of equipment.
 
Stephen, over 95% of my compressor use is with the air nozzle for blowing out air filters and cleaning saws. The pancake will work fine for you. :thumbup:
 
That's how I figure it Brian.... I do mostly the same as you. It is going to be when I start using impact wrenches on the trucks and trailers in the bigger shop we are going to build that I will need more compressor and tank storage.
 
Those shifter karts look like tons of fun!

We've got a couple of Porter-Cable pancakes at work. They are noisier'n hell, but they work very well. We leave on the job in all sorts of weather, and they keep on pumping.
 
I went too big today and broke my rigging spar. Oops. Fortunately, I had another block below it for just such an emergency. Unfortunately, the whole neighborhood was watching. So much for creating the illusion that I know what I am doing.
 
Speaking of breaking your rigging spar:
The aluminum guy completed replacing the crashed carport today. You guys remember my little 'incident' last week? I wrote a check for $1700 today to pay for my lesson. I would have preferred if the whole neighborhood had watched me screw up but no property damage. Embarrassment is cheap.
 
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