Best legal vehicle combination

[wicklamulla]

Not completely relevant I know, but I had Western Power out this week to shut down an LV circuit for me. I was admiring their 15 plate Defender 110 utility van which is kitted out with fancy roof rack, winch, van racking, PTO for air and power tools etc and all manner of utility tools they require to carry out their work, the lad driving it said the total cost is 60k each which shocked me. He also put it on the weighbridge recently and it came in at 3900kg, so 400kg overloaded with him and his workmate in it.

[TIMON]

Just because we have bigger kit doesn't mean we can be more expensive than someone with smaller kit, the opposite in fact we are the same price and sometimes cheaper, only difference is we can do it quicker and more of the bigger jobs in a week/month.

 

A recent job we didn't get a look in on pricing took a local contracter one week to complete, we would of been half the price and had it completed in two days.

 

 

 

You don't double your price you double your workload and all the headache that comes with it.

 

 

 

We have another contractor near us who has mega kit, we can't touch him on price or productivity we are simply not efficient enough.

 

 

I don't disagree with you on pricing regards having a bigger set up. We've downsized a bit in the last year, sold the Mog and in the process of selling the pto chipper. We've always had 3.5t tippers and a TW 150 along with a smaller van or Hilux for the kit and quoting etc..

My point, really , was that it is usually the teams running lean with overloaded 3.5t set ups that quote at the cheaper end of the domestic market de-valuing the industry, so to speak.

 

 

Timon.

[Mick Dempsey]

"Devaluing the industry" snork!

 

 

Anyone cheaper than me is devaluing he industry, anyone more expensive is a rip off merchant giving us all a bad name.

[TIMON]

"Devaluing the industry" snork!

 

 

Anyone cheaper than me is devaluing he industry, anyone more expensive is a rip off merchant giving us all a bad name.

 

 

Not at all... I really value the firms that quote sky high expensive.....

 

 

Timon.

[Mick Dempsey]

Ha! Maybe they think you're the one doing the devaluing:001_smile:

[TIMON]

Ha! Maybe they think you're the one doing the devaluing:001_smile:

 

 

Touché mon ami! [emoji41]

 

 

Timon.

[eggsarascal]

It makes me giggle every time I read "devaluing the industry".

 

I work from home, my van and gear is bought and paid for, (yes it needs replacing and that gets priced into the job), I don't need to charge as much as a company with office staff, yards, workshops and the like.

 

I do my own maintenance and the missus does the office stuff.

 

I can still turn a decent coin.

 

Am I devaluing my industry?

[josharb87]

"Devaluing the industry" snork!

 

 

Anyone cheaper than me is devaluing he industry, anyone more expensive is a rip off merchant giving us all a bad name.

 

[Tom D]

Lol, I don't think it's as simple as some are cheap and some expensive, it's more that different setups are suited to different jobs. I often loose out on small takedowns and hedge work to transit and TW guys, but as soon as the DBH goes beyond about 18" we come out cheaper. And on site clearance work the transit guys are way off what we charge. I suspect that's just the way it is.

 

But it's not that we're more expensive on small jobs because we have bigger kit, it's because we don't work cheap. We weren't any cheaper when we had the transit and we aren't cheaper now. We charge the same for a job as we have been for years, we just get through it quicker. We want £650 for a day minimum for a squad, but there's guys out there offering the same for £350... yet in 15 years they haven't put us out of business...

[wicklamulla]

Lol, I don't think it's as simple as some are cheap and some expensive, it's more that different setups are suited to different jobs. I often loose out on small takedowns and hedge work to transit and TW guys, but as soon as the DBH goes beyond about 18" we come out cheaper. And on site clearance work the transit guys are way off what we charge. I suspect that's just the way it is.

 

But it's not that we're more expensive on small jobs because we have bigger kit, it's because we don't work cheap. We weren't any cheaper when we had the transit and we aren't cheaper now. We charge the same for a job as we have been for years, we just get through it quicker. We want £650 for a day minimum for a squad, but there's guys out there offering the same for £350... yet in 15 years they haven't put us out of business...

 

nail, hit and head.