What skillset makes for a good Groundie?

[Joe Newton]

4 hours ago, Mick Dempsey said:

It’s easy enough to say that, but when you start out on your own you’re only likely to get jobs on price, not on your impressive reputation or equipment.

 

There won’t be enough fat on the job to fork out £150 to an all singing and dancing climber to drag brash across a lawn, then £70 on mate from the pub makes good sense.

That bloke from the pub is going to be using your expensive chipper, won't be able to use a ground saw or run rigging without explanation, and will likely struggle to refuel a saw or adjust chain tension. A team of two decent climbers should easily be able to earn enough money in a day to covet their wages plus profit. 

[Steve Bullman]

1 hour ago, kimtree said:

Frankly

over here you are better off with brash stackers or in my case brash stacker and an articulated loader. Does less ground damage than numerous trips by hand anyhow. Not many yards i cant get into with a 1250mm wide loader

Hell on a good day i can do my own stacking from above too

 

Maybe there.  Over here its too wet to be running loaders over grass 90% of the time

[Mick Dempsey]

All of those problems are easily circumnavigated.

Sort your own saws out tension wise, get him to stack the brush, do your own lowering etc.

 

Your assertion that two climbers should make enough is true, but if there’s only a certain sum on the job, then (financially) two is too many.

 

Edited April 22, 2018 by Mick Dempsey

[Mick Dempsey]

2 minutes ago, Steve Bullman said:

Maybe there.  Over here its too wet to be running loaders over grass 90% of the time

Which is why I’ve just taken delivery of 22 of these, temporary road for lawns.

[Alex O]

Liking that nick, anything to make the job easier and with them will cut down the drag time. And now you have them you will look to incorporate them everywhere, Nice

[Alex O]

#Mick, auto correct [emoji849]

[skyhuck]

6 hours ago, Mick Dempsey said:

All of those problems are easily circumnavigated.

Sort your own saws out tension wise, get him to stack the brush, do your own lowering etc.

 

Your assertion that two climbers should make enough is true, but if there’s only a certain sum on the job, then (financially) two is too many.

 

Also, just because there is enough money in the job why would I want to reduce my profit, I’m constantly looking to increase it ?

[john p]

It’s also quite job dependent, a lot of my stuff is relatively small scale domestic so me and a £80 lad (who can use a saw, lets it run and doesn’t put the pitchfork through the chipper) are a profitable, happy unit. On other more complex jobs I call in the £120 super groundies/second climbers. Horses for courses.

[Mick Dempsey]

Exactamundo.

[Mark Bolam]

Perfect John.