What do you think?

[Ian Flatters]

jo public dont care if you have a 50k rig or an astra with a boot full of cony, they want to know when and how much, chippers are amazing pieces of kit, but you must have to do a lot of snedding or extra cutting in the tree or have pices sitting on the deck until you get down if your groundie hasnt got a saw ticket. A broken down van at the side of the road with a huge chipper on the back doesnt look very good either. Why dont you demo a micro chipper, if you are a small team then they are perfect.

 

Are they any good? do you only use it on small backgarden jobs where the client wants to keep the chippngs?

[arbaholic]

jo public dont care if you have a 50k rig or an astra with a boot full of cony, they want to know when and how much, chippers are amazing pieces of kit, but you must have to do a lot of snedding or extra cutting in the tree or have pices sitting on the deck until you get down if your groundie hasnt got a saw ticket. A broken down van at the side of the road with a huge chipper on the back doesnt look very good either. Why dont you demo a micro chipper, if you are a small team then they are perfect.

 

That chipper is much to small and I want the chippings in th back of the truck. I can see where it would be usefull but its not what i need. So you think that somebody who approches a van and chipper combination would definitly approach somebody loading the boot of their astra aswell? Im not sure I agree.

 

"but you must have to do a lot of snedding or extra cutting in the tree or have pices sitting on the deck until you get down if your groundie hasnt got a saw ticket"

 

 

Not atal. I cut and hold for a good percentage of my climbing. Anything that does need to be cut up can be done by the groundie with a silky saw or put to one side until i come down. If its a big job I bring in somebody who is qualified to use a saw but for 90% of my work I only need a labourer and get on fine.

 

By your comments you would think that the chipper is an absolute monster. Well its not. Its just abit heavier then whats ideal.

[Kev Stephenson]

No, it is that straightforward.

 

 

It is possible to claim exemption from using a tachograph, but it doesnt free you of an obligation to keep drivers hours records. Besides, if you dont know exactly what exemption you fall under, you are going to look a bit silly.

 

I am continually amazed at the level of ignorance surrounding drivers hours and driver licensing. All the info is out there, and very easy to find.

 

The excemption

"Vehicles with a maximum permissible weight of not more than 7.5 tonne carrying material or equipment for the driver's use in the course of his work within a 50 kilometre radius of the place where the vehicle is normally based, provided that driving the vehicle does not constitute the driver's main activity"

 

Log selling should be done on tacho as you are carrying goods (reward)

 

So it does appear there is am element of distance and hire/reward!!!!

[Peter]

I would imagine that most tree surgeons are claiming that exemption, albeit unwittingly. I would be interested to know how woodchip, logs, and sweepings constitute "material or equipment for the driver's use in the course of his work" though.

 

Perhaps you intend to reassemble the tree once you get back to the yard?

 

How often do you go outside 50km from your base? Its not very far really, I would estimate I go over that several times a week.

[Stephen Blair]

i have filed the back of an astra with conny and i have also turned up to jobs in over a 100k worth of kit. i have used huge chippers, i have sned into trucks and trailers, what i do know is what my bank balance would be doing depending on what kit i had and what staff i used at the time, and i know the set up i have just now is the most profitable and my work hasnt really changed in the last 12 years. i know what a 2 tonne chipper looks like, 2 tonne. and for a transit it is more than twice what i would want to tow. Chippers take up a lot of time and maintenance and can break down or go blunt and get tangled up with junk. a big empty space in the back of a van doesnt, you adapt to what you have. whether its demolishing huge trees and then attacking it with 8 guys and lifting kit, or disecting it in the tree, then coming down, mashing in the van and then climbing back up to get on with the blocking down. You know best, its your work, your way.

[Kev Stephenson]

I would imagine that most tree surgeons are claiming that exemption, albeit unwittingly. I would be interested to know how woodchip, logs, and sweepings constitute "material or equipment for the driver's use in the course of his work" though.

 

Perhaps you intend to reassemble the tree once you get back to the yard?.

 

No but I do intend to use the stuff to make mulch or store and eventually split for firewood. Therefore I am transporting for my work and not for a direct reward. If I were to then transport the mulch or logs for reward i would need a tacho

 

How often do you go outside 50km from your base? Its not very far really, I would estimate I go over that several times a week.

 

Once a year maybe, it is very rare I go more than 20km from base but then I work in my locality for myself whereas you are a contract climber working with a number of companies all covering slightly different areas

[Peter]

As far as i know any truck over 3500kgs requires a operatrs licence (tachographs) and any trucks trailer/chipper weighing over 750kgs requires trailer test (except pre 97 licences)? that was my understanding? So if your truck weighs 1500kgs and you have a 750kgs chippper you can only carry 1250kgs inc load,tools, passengers and fuel?

 

So many things wrong with that I dont even know where to start

 

Any vehicle over 3500kg MAM needs operators licence, and tachograph.

 

Any vehicle and trailer combination over 3500kg Maximum Authorised Mass requires a tachigraph.

 

A category B licence holder may drive a 3500kg MAM vehicle and tow a trailer of 750kg MAM, giving a total MAM of 4250kg.

 

If you passed your car (B) test before 01/01/97, then you will have additional categories on your licence, including BE, for towing trailers with vehicles up to 3500kg MAM.

 

You can check any of that info out for yourself, dont take my word for it.

[arbaholic]

i have filed the back of an astra with conny and i have also turned up to jobs in over a 100k worth of kit. i have used huge chippers, i have sned into trucks and trailers, what i do know is what my bank balance would be doing depending on what kit i had and what staff i used at the time, and i know the set up i have just now is the most profitable and my work hasnt really changed in the last 12 years. i know what a 2 tonne chipper looks like, 2 tonne. and for a transit it is more than twice what i would want to tow. Chippers take up a lot of time and maintenance and can break down or go blunt and get tangled up with junk. a big empty space in the back of a van doesnt, you adapt to what you have. whether its demolishing huge trees and then attacking it with 8 guys and lifting kit, or disecting it in the tree, then coming down, mashing in the van and then climbing back up to get on with the blocking down. You know best, its your work, your way.

 

Fair enough! If the wills there then you`ll make it work whatever your circumstances

[Mark Bolam]

I'm pretty sure, because my Transit is a 3.5 tonner, I can carry 3.5 tonnes of wood in it.

 

And I obviously don't need a tachograph because they are for lorry drivers.

[Peter]

I'm pretty sure, because my Transit is a 3.5 tonner, I can carry 3.5 tonnes of wood in it.

 

And I obviously don't need a tachograph because they are for lorry drivers.