Groundies

[PeteB]

In some ways, I would liken a GOT to an old fashioned (now extinct) "Brickies Labourer". Doing all the other work to enable the skilled to lay bricks and blocks. The more that got laid, the more pay the Brickies got - the more the Labourer got. All about piece rate. A good mate (and former groundie for me) kept three brickies busy and got paid a third more than me, the Boss of a tree surgery company.

 

Same as climbers - some are good, some are mediocre and some ought to be encouraged to Sainsbury's to stack shelves. A good GOT is worth as much as a climber - I was a better groundy than climber and it worked well. I ran the business and kept the sites organised and the climbers were happy (I hope). Dont put them down unnecesssarily.

[Leyburn Lad]

this is all very old hat wanting fancy titles, when myself and friend left tech in the eighties we had a stint for about 6months as window cleaners or should I say Vision Technicains:001_tongue:

 

But seriously agood groundsman is worth his wieght in gold both when rigging but also when on reductions as a second pair of eyes

[Big 'Ammer]

But seriously agood groundsman is worth his wieght in gold both when rigging but also when on reductions as a second pair of eyes

 

I'll second that.

 

When you have a good groundman and your both on the same wavelength it makes the job so much easier as you anticipate each others moves.

 

Just being half a step in front having the right bit of kit or a rope ready for the climber before being asked, watching the other side of the tree and the nose of the bar when your slicing off a large section to save your changing position, even having the combi can there ready at the bottom of the tree because he could hear the top handle starting to run a bit lean, and lots of other small things make all the difference to a days work.

 

Plus he can even make sure you top the conifers off nice and level!

[Leyburn Lad]

But seriously agood groundsman is worth his wieght in gold both when rigging but also when on reductions as a second pair of eyes

 

I'll second that.

 

When you have a good groundman and your both on the same wavelength it makes the job so much easier as you anticipate each others moves.

 

Just being half a step in front having the right bit of kit or a rope ready for the climber before being asked' date=' watching the other side of the tree and the nose of the bar when your slicing off a large section to save your changing position, even having the combi can there ready at the bottom of the tree because he could hear the top handle starting to run a bit lean, and lots of other small things make all the difference to a days work.

 

Plus he can even make sure you top the conifers off nice and level![/quote']

 

and he remembers to put the oil cap back on your 0200 properly he should be knighted:001_tongue:

[David oakman]

pete b, the more they got laid, i like the sound of that job ha ha.

[Trav013]

But seriously agood groundsman is worth his wieght in gold :

 

If you gave one of the groundies I worked with in Oz the amount of his weight in gold he wouldnt come back to work, he wouldnt need too.

[MasterBlaster]

All I expect of a groundie is that they memorize this.

[gazf]

Ive always believed that to be a good grounds man you need to have done abit of climbing to understand what the climber has to do in the job and what he needs.

Doing that you start to understand how to read the climbers actions and you know whats coming next, that way you will start to be one step ahead.

[vduben]

i'm a woodcutter first and foremost.

 

I'm also a machineman, a climber, a GOT, a........

 

Jamie

exactly, there isnt many people who are just a climber,

im also a mechanic, welder and a rent boy on sundays,

as well as being a free bank for the missus

[Jason James Gairn]

There's the saying..the best groundie is a climber. this sometimes is the case, particularly when you have non vocational groundies who don't understand what the job entails. Most of the time the speed of the job is determined by the speed the the wood can be processed by the ground crew. Not always of course, but especially with take down jobs.

I dont think the opening comment is true universally, but have to say the best goundies I've had have been climbers or ex climbers. there has to be a lot of empathy between the two elements of the job, sometimes this has to be instinctive, almost telepathic. I hate having to shout from the top of the crown how to do the job on the ground. The best crews are pretty silent (other than the million db's comming from machinery) as everyone knows what to do.

I'd like to see the CS 45/46 (whichever it is) become a compulsory unit. I'd also like it to be very tough indeed to pass it.