What do you guys pay your fallers per day? I know many are ton or MBF but we all try and adjust that to a day wage. I am at $425 for 6hrs and am being told that isn't enough. Is it just me or are the prices for experienced fallers skyrocketing...???
Holy crap I'm in the wrong gig!!!
Of course they're going up...everything else is. If you're on steep ground...yarder or helicopter...425 is a fair wage if the faller is running his own numbers. I will say that for that kind of money I'd want good work and production. We don't see a lot of busheling down here anymore. There are a lot of guys who claim to be fallers but good fallers are getting harder and harder to find. I've seen guys down here go with cheap fallers and the results were usually a disaster. Busted up logs, no lead, odd-ball lengths, broke down half the time, low production, and the usual "day after payday no shows". An old timer told me years ago..."Your crew shouldn't cost you money, your crew should make money for you". A good faller will make money for you in saved out timber, good lead for skidding, proper lengths, and he'll usually know how to hustle, too. That little bit of pay difference between a cheap bad faller and an expensive good one doesn't amount to much. And that little bit of difference is all you're really paying.
I agree Gologit. I have always been one of the top fallers in our area but due to numerous knee surgeries, ankle injuries and a couple bad discs I am no longer able to fall timber daily. I hire good, experienced guys yet I am constantly frustrated as they all seem slow. I had just under 18mbf fell & bucked in less than 4hrs yesterday and my hired hand had barely 20mbf in 6hrs. Am I expecting too much or is this really how it is now...??
How old are you? How many years of experience do you have? When I was in my mid 50s I could work circles around everybody younger than me. I had more years experience and knew all the short cuts. Now that I am in my 60s, they run circles around me. Now they know all the shortcuts and they have the experience. I am just as smart, but WAY slower.
I have 21 years experience and just under 40 years old.
Falling in some areas is seasonal so total work days/ year worked would vary. What do the oil pipe line fallers get? can$9K per month in one vid?