Moral Earnings

[Tom D]

One thing I do know is, it is only in the last two years that I have learned what I need to earn, it took me 4 years to figure that out.

[shabz1978]

i don't personally believe that fifty grand a year is too much to expect for someone you describe. it only works out to 200 pounds per day. if i were to re take all of the tickets i have, it would probably cost eight grand. i could get a degree for that!! that plus the annual cost of running, it's savage. i'll easily spend a grand a year on trouser, boots and chains. that's before i even get off the ground.

 

 

we're seriously undervalued as an industry, but that's never going to change until public perception does. and i can't see that happening in a hurry.

[White Noise]

One thing I do know is, it is only in the last two years that I have learned what I need to earn, it took me 4 years to figure that out.

 

Ditto . Only every now and again I seem to under price a job or two . Ah well such is life .

[skyhuck]

i don't personally believe that fifty grand a year is too much to expect for someone you describe. it only works out to 200 pounds per day. if i were to re take all of the tickets i have, it would probably cost eight grand. i could get a degree for that!! that plus the annual cost of running, it's savage. i'll easily spend a grand a year on trouser, boots and chains. that's before i even get off the ground.

 

 

we're seriously undervalued as an industry, but that's never going to change until public perception does. and i can't see that happening in a hurry.

 

Running costs come out of your turnover, not your wage.

[skyhuck]

I don't understand why people think that job on watchdog was so cheap??

 

The "expert" said £150 to £200, the job was an hours work tops, I don't think thats bad.

 

Four jobs like that per day is £600 to £800 for two guys with chipper and pickup, good money in my book, you could even of charged £200 and sub out the stumps for £60.

 

As for earnings, I've had my best year ever this year, I turned over well over £100k with me and one man and feel the profit on that gives me a good standard of life

[nottstrees]

He won't be around for long though, once something like his van or chipper engine goes pop he wont have the money to fix it then he cant do the job. I REFUSE to work for just a wage, i give my rate for the job and thats it, i have to make a bit of profit plus a basic wage. Bumped into another local surgeon at the garage the other day, 51 plate tranny with knackered greedy boards, no sighn writing, knackered mid 90's chippit on the back and when i asked if he got a job we both quoted on he was smiling when he said yes, 5 30ft totally knackered pop pollards to take down in a nice garden and take away for 500 quid, there will be shite every where, no wonder they have knackered kit. I quoted £650 and the bloke said thats what i was expecting and a fair price!

 

that sounds like me if i am honest but what do you do when you hardly have any work on not sure what the answer to it all is it goes back to the other post too many at it hence lower and lower prices

[Dean Lofthouse]

that sounds like me if i am honest but what do you do when you hardly have any work on not sure what the answer to it all is it goes back to the other post too many at it hence lower and lower prices

 

I'm afraid if that happened round here I'd be going into something else, absolutely pointless running your gear into the ground only to get debted up to the eye balls when you need new kit.

 

I know round here gardeners (and by gardeners I mean hedge and grass cutters) are very thin on the ground and are commanding £60 per hour going round cutting grass, thats what I'd try , minimul kit and very little overheads.

 

I think thats one downside of this business and where most people (who run properly) fall flat, is the huge overheads are not getting covered properly

[Stephen Blair]

the business side of our job is the hard bit, cutting trees is easy for a tree cutter. if you are in a hole you dont keep digging

[nottstrees]

I'm afraid if that happened round here I'd be going into something else, absolutely pointless running your gear into the ground only to get debted up to the eye balls when you need new kit.

 

I know round here gardeners (and by gardeners I mean hedge and grass cutters) are very thin on the ground and are commanding £60 per hour going round cutting grass, thats what I'd try , minimul kit and very little overheads.

 

I think thats one downside of this business and where most people (who run properly) fall flat, is the huge overheads are not getting covered properly

 

i wish i could get that round here 60 pound an hour for gardeners i would of took it up ages ago. i know what your on about running your gear to the ground but not sure what to do, plod on or try some thing else but if you have been doing tree work for ages ?????

[Dean Lofthouse]

i wish i could get that round here 60 pound an hour for gardeners i would of took it up ages ago. i know what your on about running your gear to the ground but not sure what to do, plod on or try some thing else but if you have been doing tree work for ages ?????

 

What the gardener was doing who I spoke to was pulling up in a culdesac and doing three small lawns and a bit of trimming, his oppo was doing the lawn whilst he did the edging and trimming.

 

twenty minutes work on each house and the customers happily paid £20 each. He said he was still busy in winter turning over borders and pruning

 

I got talking to him because he pulled the mower out the back of a brand new VW motorhome, all I could think is I must be doing something wrong