Things I wish My Groundie hadn't done.......

OutofMytree

Groundies.... Can't do without 'em! On the other hand, there are times when you wonder wth am I gonna do about this! So 'fess up. What's your favourite "omg why did I hire this guy?!?!?!?!" story.

Let me start the ball rolling. Left groundie on site to finish off a job. He packs up the truck and drives it home. As we all know, reversing a truck is something of an art form, especially when the chipper cannot be seen until it turns.


That was my fence.... I have put that truck down the driveway about 800 times without incident..... and yes the neighbour has painted his side of the fence a different colour and yes the local suppliers are all out of that sort of fencing for 3 weeks and yes the neighbours dog is demented and is sure to break out and eat my children.

We refer to things "dealt with" by my groundie as having been "adamised". We have an increasing collection of rakes, brooms and shovels that have been through this process. None of them are ever the same.



I know I am not alone here.... Post your stories and don't forget the photo's...

OutofMytree

Oops. Lets try this again shall we!

One adamised fence.

arborjockey

1 no 2 no 3 aluminum scoop shovels in the chipper 1 day 50.00 bucks a pop. the groundy drove a new white cadalac to work. that should have been alarm # 1. he went to school with the boss so he had a golden pass

newguy18

Had one guy stand under a limb while i was sawing away,no shocker just stupid.No pics just fond memories of making him pee himself when i threw it down beside him.

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Jeff Darby

Me l'm a groundie,l'm trained in aerial recue,also trained in first aid.

l know all the knots used in every day tree work and why and how the climber is doing what his does to a point where l can near on anticipate what our climber is about to ask for next.

Now having said this, l have witnessed some silly groundies with no to little idea of whats going on and frankly they are a liability and a accident just waiting to happen.

One of silly things l have seen was a young groundie walk under the branch l was lowering down at the critical moment,but l literally picked him up under one arm and controled the load with the other.Need less to say he was thanked for his time and paid up that night.

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ArborealTerror

As the aforementioned groundie I would like to submit in my defense that the shovel was probably termite affected and the fence jumped out at me!!!

OK so a couple of bits and pieces get busted occassionally. But I don't hear anyone complaining on a daily basis when I bust my a55 to keep the ground clear.

newguy18

A little hard work is nothing to complain about,hell until 3 weeks ago 90 percent of the time i was the climber and the ground crew.Never busted a tool or property doing it either.

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Eric Frei

It's when you cut the lowering rope or the climbing rope you'll be in deep shit! That there is one of my biggest fears, at $500 for a good lowering rope with spliced eye I dont want it cut, EVER.

How's your punctuality and appearance? Do you wash before work? Are you early or late? Do you think for yourself and anticipate movement or have to be continually prodded like some dumb assed sheep?

I think everyone relates to the groundie that is only interested in the ground. Seldom looks up, wouldn't know what a tangled lifeline or lowering rope was. I've had plenty of times been stuck coz some dumb log is on my lifeline .... doodum dee ditty, they'll never notice that.

Mutes are another one that drives me nuts. They may look but bloody hell, they dont say anything, like Oh, your lowering ropes twisted with your lifeline hang on while I fix it, nah, they just look at you like a stunned mullet and when a piece goes skew whiff they bust their ass and yours trying to get it to the ground. Mutes, you got a god damned gob, use it!

I do a lot of work on my own these days, sometimes even surprise myself what I do on my own, getting used to it.

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ArborealTerror

First an embarrising confession. I did put a saw onto a hauling rope once. No not a really expensive one but I still felt like an idiot. Especially because I am a rope nazi most of the time.

To answer your questions. I am the first at work 99% of the time - including the boss. I am as ugly as a camels ar5e, but most of our customers don't begin violently vomiting when they lay their eyes on me. I am clean, in full uniform, with all PPE. I am the leading hand so I think for myself and other groundcrew. I am the prodder, not the prodee.

I am starting a climbing course this month.

I am definately not mute. I ask questions about everything I am not sure about. Most of the time there is a good answer but a couple of times the climber has modified the plan.

Yes I occasionally break things when I am being a little too enthusiastic.

Do I get the job?

Eric Frei

Nope, around here if you dont shower in the morning you stink!

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ArborealTerror

Mate, you live in the tropics. What makes you think the shower makes a difference!

Eric Frei

touche'

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StrictlyPalms

shower? Isn't that what the afternoon rains are for? Soap on a rope clips nicely to the belt with a biner.

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Orlando, Florida USA

Q.Q.

I agree, it's amazing how much work you can get done be yourself.
But for the big jobs,out here I don't have much to choose from.I try too pick older people around 45, to my mate down the road who's 65,they just seem to have more go and sense.

But for the groundie one.
Wishing he hadn't triped on that elusive twigg while keeping weight on a branch,you know that branch over the pailing fence.

Where are we going with the young people of today???.

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arborjockey

go terror go. let me be the 1st to say that ur on the rite track.. quote me (if I have any say on a crew)....i will always take a good g.m. over a great climber

FlashD

I've seen some groundies do a lot of stupid stuff. We currently have this guy that works for us (thinks he knows everything there is to know... you know the type?) that constantly walks under me while I'm cutting. I used to yell at him every time he did it, but that got old. Now I let the chainsaw and falling limbs speak for me. I figure if he gets hit, he didn't learn well enough.

The one thing that really disgusts me, though, is that we have this contract climber working with us now, who also happens to do audits for other climbing crews and teach safe climbing and rigging techniques to tree crews, he cut a brand new bull line not once, but twice in one day. Very same day, he tied on to a limb to cut and lower it, then proceded to cut below the line so the limb just fell and the line stayed tied up in the tree. He just kinda looked at it and said "Oops, that doesn't work." He's a pretty scary guy to ground for.

newguy18

I always rig from up top,i just don't trust my brother in critical situations.

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FlashD

That previously mentioned contract climber.... just yesterday he managed to cut the wooden handle of our polesaw with his chainsaw. He're pretty amazing.

newguy18

Genuis,my brother wants me to teach him the ropes of climbing,told me today while in walmart.I guess we'll see how long he decides to stick with it.

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Therrin

What I wouldn't give for just ONE good groundie.

Hired a guy... his first day.. Shows up to the job without having eaten anything. I told him, hell, I'd have picked him up a burger or something if he TOLD me. So naturally, after an hour or so worth of work he was completely spent.

Same guy, was "backing" me into a not so tight spot and gave me a "keep on comin, all clear, straight back" Right into the h.o.'s horse trailer. $550 in damages. And that's not including my taillight assembly which is still busted out cuz I couldn't afford to replace it after having paid for the horse trailer door.
When I asked him WTF he was looking at and why he said to keep comin back he said "well I wasnt looking there"

#*(*&$()#@*#@&!!!! WHAT???? ARGH! I fired him that night.


Had one guy who thought he knew from the ground where the stuff was gonna land better than I did, so when I yelled down "BACK UP!" he just waved me off. So I yelled down BACK THE F*CK UP!!! and he still waved me off. Told me later he heard me just didn't see the point in my reasoning.

When I dropped it it landed about 4 feet from him, and well past him even. The look on his face made me think he pissed himself, but he still gave me trouble even after that so he too went the way of the Dodo.


Damn kids. Wait! The first guy was like 35! EEk!

newguy18

The guy i mentioned earlier was in his early 50's,he also tried to tell me how to climb and how to rig.I guess its true,everyone's an expert in our field.

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southsoundtree

[QUOTE=ArborealTerror;39436]First an embarrising confession. I did put a saw onto a hauling rope once. No not a really expensive one but I still felt like an idiot. Especially because I am a rope nazi most of the time.


Do you mean that you put the saw on the rope, as in cutting it?

Or do people use a designated line for pulling up the saw due to its sharp teeth.


General question (sorry if this is straying from the thread), does anyone use a lightweight line as a pull-up to the climber rope, say 1/4"?

I've been pruning in some very tall trees, about 145' and transfering via friction saver from tree to tree, so my climbline doesn't reach to the ground. In order to pull up gear, and ensure that the line will make it back for more gear (if needed), I had to pull up the whole weight of the rope plus equipment. In big wall aid rock climbing people will sometimes use a lightweight line to pull up more gear. My biceps and shoulders are flamed out from it.

Anyone use this, or is it just too much hassle.

newguy18

sometimes i'll use my tag line for retrieveing tools and gear,refueling the saw etc.

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ArborealTerror

Yes, by hauling rope I mean one used to give direction to a stick or branch during its fall, as opposed to holding the weight or for climbing)

145' Damn!!! I'm not suprised your shoulders and biceps are flamed. Spontaneous combustion is a real possibility.

newguy18

alot of the slash pines here are about 150' tall but thankfully when i do them i usually remove them.

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OutofMytree

Sigh. Yet another adamised hand tool.



I offered to insert the rake handle into one of his bodily orifices and it wasnt his ear

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newguy18

Shane's real good at not cutting ropes or breaking tools,if he's not sure about how to use it he asks me and he does what i tell him,hes learned that i know whats gonna happen and how to do it so he and listens to me.He's only confident in useing my 192t for cutting stuff up,my 51 husky scares him so he won't use it.I told him he needs to save up and buy a small saw of his own,cause one day he'll be climbing.

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old schooler

ArborealTerror

You let your groundie use a top handle for ground cutting???

newguy18

Its the only saw hes confident to use,the other two kind of intimidate him and yes i do,he keeps both hands on it at all times,snaps the brake before setting it down,doesn't cut with the tip,and shuts it off when hes done.He stays safe with it,and i don't see a big deal with it,i do it to.

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