New member after some advice-chipper and man viable business?

[AHPP]

Everyone’s a bloody tree surgeon. Go out for a drive at 08:00. Fuckers are everywhere. That and the fact that six inch chippers can be had from general hire shops. Supply and demand not in your favour.
Yeah, you could make it work but it’ll be hard and you won’t make much money. A niche machine is probably a better bet.

[jfc]

Hi Yeti,

 

I think you are gonna be very disappointed if you think you can clear £750 p/w. I would say a lot of guys on here don't earn that much, I certainly don't. A mate of mine with 15yr treework experience was running his own business and paying himself a salary of £120 a day (5days a week). My running costs are over 50% of turnover.

 

You are thinking of charging £250 a day. Chipper hire is about £100 a day (where I am anyway), plus fuel, then someone to feed it and drag brash £80.  About £60 less than you. What are you going to do with the chip btw?

 

Treeation's suggestion of getting experience is good advice. Keep quiet about planning on doing your own thing though, some bosses will drop you if they get to know that. Happened to me! I had enough experience to make it self employed.

 

Maybe have that as your plan, get some experience and then see if it is a goer then.

 

All the best,

 

jfc.

[devon TWiG]

As well as offering your self to other tree contractors you could also contact landscape contractors etc  and also seek your own jobs , simple felling , ground clearance etc and on occasions you could get jobs and hire in a climber , I am pretty sure if you were determined enough you could keep busy , but the maths may vary from your example ...

[Fredward]

I have done contracting with a chipper and truck, but mainly as a top up whilst my business was getting going (I'm a climber too). You can make alright money but I'd been around the industry and met a few people which helped. I was lucky to get a day a week to help fill the dairy. Most arborists are pretty well set up, for us buying the gear is probably the easiest part of the equation, finding the work and the staff is not so easy. Perhaps you'd be better to look at something a bit more niche. What about a large stump grinder or 12-18 inch chipper and HGV? Probably have to travel more for work but there are alot of transits and 6inch chippers around already.

[5 shires]

Listen yeti..you sound like you have made your mind up and you come over enthusiastic and want to make a go of it..so it's great seeking advice but you just need to get going as soon as you can and find a different angle then the next guy and stand out from the crowd..just have a plan B in case it blows up in your face and if it does last a year you have lived your dream but it didn't quite happen and you gave it your best shot,if it works great..what have you got to lose? We don't know cause we don't know your circumstances and us lot aren't really bothered to be honest.my advice to you is crack on and see what occurs.

[billpierce]

Once you have yet saw ticket why no ask for a few weeks work experience chipping for someone? Would be a good taster

[Yeti2018]

1 hour ago, Fredward said:

I have done contracting with a chipper and truck, but mainly as a top up whilst my business was getting going (I'm a climber too). You can make alright money but I'd been around the industry and met a few people which helped. I was lucky to get a day a week to help fill the dairy. Most arborists are pretty well set up, for us buying the gear is probably the easiest part of the equation, finding the work and the staff is not so easy. Perhaps you'd be better to look at something a bit more niche. What about a large stump grinder or 12-18 inch chipper and HGV? Probably have to travel more for work but there are alot of transits and 6inch chippers around already.

Many thanks for your advice. I was looking to buy a large chipper as I'm the type of guy who is in for a penny in for a pound. I wouldn't want to do things by halfs. In fact, as another poster has commented about me being set on doing this, my mind isn't made up yet and I have no burning desire to become a man and chipper etc. My problem lies in that I've been pretty lucky so far in life and pretty much winged it through so far doing various jobs/business of which I can't transfer any skills or I am not qualified to do anything specific. What I do have is an ability to purchase equipment/plant/vehicle and apply myself 100 per cent. I'm a very determined person. I lack guidance as my dad is an asshole and I'm mid 30s moving out of London to the coast where jobs are hard to come by for the best of time. What can I offer? Well, my word is my bond and I don't mess people around so as well as being enthusiastic and being supremely reliable, I am not a piss taker in life and have great people skills. What I'm after is investing in machinery etc of which I can operate and earn a living. So rather than starting out again learning new skills from the bottom, I want to buy myself into a niche whereby if I have certain equipment/machinery etc then I will be in demand by default where some people have plenty of skills and dreams but for one reason or another can't get in a position where they can buy the tools they need to make them achieve their ambitions etc. Basically, I've not got the experience or will to start over again from the bottom and I'm looking for a way in which allows me to earn decent money but not have to train over a certain number of years etc..

[Fredward]

If your not too interested in trees/hard graft and it's more about people, business, income, investment then I'd say stump grinding would suit the bill. I know more arborists who sub out stumps than chipping. Have a hunt around and see who's doing what close to where you want to set up.

[Yeti2018]

45 minutes ago, Fredward said:

If your not too interested in trees/hard graft and it's more about people, business, income, investment then I'd say stump grinding would suit the bill. I know more arborists who sub out stumps than chipping. Have a hunt around and see who's doing what close to where you want to set up.

I'd be more than happy to have a stump grinder as well so that I can offer more services...I'm happy to invest the money in the machines if they will pay for theirselves over the course of say 4 years 

[Mark Bolam]

I'd look at mini-loaders as well Yeti.

Possibly a bigger client base than chippers - landscapers and builders as well as arbs.