"so....hows bizness"

[Wagnaw]

Welcome to self employment Andrew!

Yup. Taxes, workmans comp, bills, payroll,... It just keeps adding up.

We actually have about two weeks worth of work we keep having to push back cause of the snow too, so keeping in touch with clients and all that takes time everyday. ...makes me wish I worked for someone else sometimes.

If I could just work and deal with clients I would be so happy, but dealing with all the managerial BS day to day wears on me.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Biz is nutz..
Got the taxes done and hardly owe shat. That felt good. Money that was billed out December rolled in just in time to pay stuff that always comes due about then. That again, felt good. Insurance companies and wild fire policies have really been making us money this year. Tree work has increased and taken more of a percentage of our work. This pays better for us and makes up for lost days due to weather and such that often hurt us in the past. We are more comfortable. I am not lax though. I keep taking on more and more of our repair and maintenance so offset expenses. Only hire sub labor when I absolutely need it. This keeps all our monies In house.
I am thankful we poured the labor effort in when we did to build the client base to a size that could drop by 50 percent and we could just down size to stay afloat. Lucky timing. Some planning.
Still looking ahead and planning equipment purchases. May have to put the Wraptor on hold for a while longer, but I have income coming in that will easily pay for it sooner than later. Kids are friggen expensive.. So was that dang rental last year
Have to buy a new oven/stove top now.. It kaput. Hated it anyway. Came with the house so you know it was a POS! So a convection oven is slated and should be on order shortly.
6 years ago, things breaking would of had to be held off fixing or borrow monies to replace them on short term. Now I just fix or replace them. That also.... feels good.

 

[Old Monkey]

I have just enough new jobs to mix in with the old jobs from fall that I am still trying to get done. As long as the weather cooperates, things are good for me. No one got laid off this winter, a first for me.

 

[squisher]

Winter's going well for me, but slowwwwwwwwwwwww payers is the name of the game around here.

 

[SkwerI]

Light but steady since going back to work. Nothing too strenuous but the calls keep trickling in. Today I spent all of 20 minutes peeling vines off a 3rd story eave for $200. Access was tight and the entire ordeal took about 45 minutes but I'm ok with that. I'll take one of those jobs every day.

 

[bill22]

its picking up for me, I have 5 days booked next week, a couple big removals that are waiting for a permit. I my tax return has been filed, so i guess all is good.

 

[thattreeguy]

fruit trees have saved my ass
otherwise id be on the sofa

 

[stig]

With Richard off in New Zealand and 2 logging contracts to fill + the occasional takedown job, I'm busier than a one legged man in an asskicking contest.
Anders took off for a week of snowboarding in the Austrian Alps yesterday, so I've had to borrow a faller from another company to help me out.
He starts tomorrow, felling large beechtrees. I sure hope he is any good at it.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

2 tree lengths tomorrow then ?

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Skwerl. Its the spelling.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Some here have mentioned how "cheap" our services are comparatively. When Dave was here, he seemed almost frustrated with our pricing.
Well here ya go! Upper right corner, front page.

 

[MasterBlaster]

"Holy thread bump, Batman!!!"

 

[Bodean]

Corporate is cheap, I started bidding against Arborwell, dang they cheap.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I swear I live in the Ozarks of California during the Dark Ages.

 

[Bodean]

You might.

 

[Bodean]

But its pretty and affordable.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

True that

 

[Altissimus]

....live in a Holler....yep

 

[Mick!]

Business is good, new iron has started paying its way, all good at the moment.
Like everyone though, I wish I was 10 years younger, then I'd take on the world!
I know I've already shown pics of this beauty but today it came up trumps again, forwarded these poplar and pine lumps across a lawn to where a lorry will pick them up.
Otherwise I would have had to ring it up and barrow it!

 

[flushcut]

Busy!

 

[squisher]

That looks sweet. I'd love a grapple for my Bota. The tines look like they might be prone to getting bent by an abusive operator, but that's from looking at pics over the interwebs. What's your take on it from using it?

 

[Husabud]

I'd say a quick weld of 1/4" steel between the tines would remedy any issues. Somewhere near the end.

 

[FireFighterZero]

Yeah, probably. I am used to a much heavier grapple for round bales. That looks more like a debris fork. Iron welded in between the teeth would be good, I figure you would not need the teeth to penetrate anything, just gather things. I suppose a careless operator could wreck anything. I know I have.

Looks good Mick. Most investments in iron (within reason) are investments in quality of life in later years.

 

[Dave Shepard]

I had a manure grapple from Bobcat years ago, on loan, that was very similar. It had 7 heavy tines, at least 2" diameter, and two independent grapples on top, like you see on many root grapples on the market today. I really liked it, but had to give it back. They are great for stabbing into a brush pile.

 

[Altissimus]

....some work to had here...better than it was.