There are no typical ranch workamping duties. I’m sure every ranch is different. For starters there are all sorts of different types of ranches. And, there are ranches all over the country, that cover all sorts of terrain. I’ve really only been a workamper at Vickers Ranch. But I’m pretty sure about one thing. Of all the working ranches who hire workampers, I doubt there are any common typical ranch workamping duties.

Ranch Workamping Duties May Vary

While all workampers will have different ranch duties, one thing is certain. You will get dirty. You will work hard, and get sweaty. If you’re not used to such hard labor, you will ache at the end of the day. And when you put in that honest day’s work, you will feel very rewarded. And, you will likely get up and do it all over again. It, however, will likely be something completely different than the day before.

Your ranch workamping duties may include the use of heavy equipment. The heavier the better. But that doesn’t let you off the hook from al that hard labor. You will still become intimately familiar with a shovel, pick, rake, chainsaw and various other hand tools.

My first day back at my favorite ranch workamping job this summer, I fixed a toilet. No need for that picture. Luckily, It was just a broken seat, and we had a spare in the Ice House. Remind me to tell you the story about Paul running off to fix a running toilet one year. The Vickers still rented cabins back then. It should’ve been one of those famous five minute jobs. Half an hour later I see him headed that way in the backhoe. A backhoe to fix a leaky toilet? Yeah, like I said, the heavier the equipment the better.

But there I go digressing. Washing Jeeps is an almost daily duty for these ranch workampers. Though the Jeep rental business is down here in Lake City. The Vickers will likely make more money selling Jeeps at the end of the season. Give ’em a call if you’re interested in this cool 2014 Rhino!

I did mention a chainsaw. Cutting wood is just one of many different ranch workamping duties. But it is one likely common among all ranches. In a future post I’ll explain in more detail how cutting wood is so much more different than logging trees. I have some good video footage for that, so stay tuned. Or, subscribe here to get notified of all our updates.

Go cut some wood, they say. I say no problem.

Just one problem. It’s much easier to cut wood – or fall a tree – with a sharp chain, and well tuned saw. If you’re like many ranch workampers, one of your first ranch workamping duties may be to sharpen the chainsaw(s). More likely, it will be where you learn to do so.

Gettin’ the trees to the mill is only half the work. I may have told you the story about that wellhouse we built. One of our first years at the ranch, Paul and I fell a big ol’ Ponderosa Pine. The next year we milled it up. Another year or so later we built the sewer treatment facility building from that same tree. (Let me see if I can find that photo of the musketball I found inside it…)

There it is! Who is that kid? As it turns out, it was back in 2008. That was the year we first discovered that ranch workamping duties do indeed vary. And if you’re wondering how we found our best workamping job ever, I’ll tell you. We saw a listing in Workamper News. And, we are still subscribers today. Get complete details and promo code here.

Did I just digress again? Sorry. Anyway…another of my first ranch workamping duties this year was to help one of my favorite home owners fetch his favorite table. that’s the custom wood table I built for the McLaughlin cabin. Larry milled the wood. I finished the top and assembled it. Just another one of my creative ranch woodworking projects which people will be sure to enjoy for years to come. They will at least, if they stow their table away in storage every winter. It will be my pleasure to help get it out as one of my varied ranch workamping duties the following summer.

Just another day on the ranch…

Find your favorite ranch workamping job in Workamper News!

Coming Up: I’ll tell y’all what the Ice House is, and share photos of the new door I built. And maybe some more not so typical ranch workamping duties.