Phone lines and felling around them.

[GarethM]

1 minute ago, Donnie said:

How do you mean?

Woodland maintenance work is hard work, especially if you're flying at it and clearing the ground.

 

I do my own and it's utterly backbreaking and that's without mulching or chipping, I roll everything into the stream to rot down and give the bluebells a chance.

[Donnie]

9 minutes ago, GarethM said:

Woodland maintenance work is hard work, especially if you're flying at it and clearing the ground.

 

I do my own and it's utterly backbreaking and that's without mulching or chipping, I roll everything into the stream to rot down and give the bluebells a chance.

Again, I’m used to forestry rates which is also back breaking type of stuff. I’d imagine this kind of job to be not as hard? Not sure if I am selling myself short but I don’t want to come across as very steep in price either when I am trying to get more work out of the place. 
 

They are also keen on having me split the logs with my road towable, mulch/strim the woodland and fell any small saplings. 

Edited September 8 by Donnie

[GarethM]

I bet they are at that day rate 😉

[Donnie]

4 minutes ago, GarethM said:

I bet they are at that day rate 😉

Not on Sunday please mate…… don’t.  😂

[Dan Maynard]

I guess like a lot of people starting out I underestimated my overheads and lacked confidence to charge enough. Some of my earlier customers got a real bargain but I got experience, so no regrets. One old chap I still work for at the same rate, hedges and odd tree but he's 92 I can't put it up now.

 

Comparison is the thief of joy, I'd say if you're making a steady 250 without all the driving of forestry then you're happy , they're happy , you're making progress in your aims. You can do a pile of work at that rate, it's low risk if truly day rate rather than priced up jobs.

 

Once you've done a year or two of your own jobs you can assess machinery replacement and maintenance cost, breakdowns, insurance etc. I guess you'll want to put it up a bit but you have to decide whether to start investing in machinery etc or just keep it small and work with other people if you needed a chipper or whatever.

[slack ma girdle]

On 07/09/2024 at 13:30, Donnie said:

I’ve a small woodland to clear up and it looks like such a good job and for what seems like a really sound woman. 
 

There is a phone line running alongside the fence line, there is a tree blown/half blown parallell to the fence/phone line that I would likely to get out. 
 

A few trees that are blown towards the powerline that the tops may clip them when I take them down. 
 

I’m insured to fell around this sort of thing, but I am wondering the best way to get this one away from the line. Scared it will clip the line on its way down when I fell it with the lean. 
 

 

Has anyone ever caught a line and how much did it cost?

Generally with BT lines we undo them from the top of the pole and drop the line. Fell or dismantle the tree and reassemble. If the line gets broken get the customer to ring BT to report a fault. We won't do this if the line is supplying loads of houses.

Power lines always have a yellow sign warning of death on them.

[Donnie]

9 hours ago, slack ma girdle said:

Generally with BT lines we undo them from the top of the pole and drop the line. Fell or dismantle the tree and reassemble. If the line gets broken get the customer to ring BT to report a fault. We won't do this if the line is supplying loads of houses.

Power lines always have a yellow sign warning of death on them.

If anything the line will be going to the farm at the end of a dead end road. 

[Steven P]

Just a thought, if the tree is hung up and over the line - power line or BT - won't they come and clear it if you tell them of problem? Not sure on this one and if there is a charge to the land owner.

 

As above, the pole owner generally leaves a mark on it - BT I have seen carved in and electrical as above with the danger of death notices.

[Spruce Pirate]

Call yourself a woodcutter?  Just get if felled! 😂

[Mark Bolam]

1 hour ago, Steven P said:

Just a thought, if the tree is hung up and over the line - power line or BT - won't they come and clear it if you tell them of problem? Not sure on this one and if there is a charge to the land owner.

 

As above, the pole owner generally leaves a mark on it - BT I have seen carved in and electrical as above with the danger of death notices.

 

Power company would, BT definitely won’t.

They are the most unhelpful company on the planet.