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Thanks Chris, i kinda thought that brush clearing, brambles etc, hedge trimming and small trees would be a small start. Although i'd be trained, i wasn't intending on taking on work any bigger than this. Unless i was able to support other teams doing it.

 

Sorry, I misunderstood - thought you were wanting everything on the list before you started :001_smile:

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Thanks Chris, i kinda thought that brush clearing, brambles etc, hedge trimming and small trees would be a small start. Although i'd be trained, i wasn't intending on taking on work any bigger than this. Unless i was able to support other teams doing it.

 

there isnt enough work to be picky with your jobs..

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30,31,38,39 are enough, then all you need is experience And lots of it. I your serious go and work for someone else first and learn how everything works and get an idea on pricing. Spending 20k on kit and training for an industry you know nothing of would not be wise.

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Disregarding the fact you should just get experience and work up to it slowly.... (i cannot stress enough how much experience outweighs the NPTC tickets. They really are a bare minimum.) here are my suggestions for your questions:

 

CS 40 and 41 are not really necessary, reductions and felling techniques should come with experience and 39 really. 32 is not required either, 31 is enough.

 

I would drop the brush cutter for a blower. the stihl KM tool is good, can be a long handle hedge trimmer, pole saw, etc etc. You don't really need a strimmer or brush cutter unless you want to undertake grounds maintenance work. Blower is essential though.

 

You might be better off starting with just a transit, stacking and cutting stuff in there, maybe get a trailer too. A chipper is a massive investment, a big risk if you aren't sure that you are going to be a successful business in the next 5 years or so (or even like the job).

 

Regarding groundsmen, you hire them in as and when. If you get a regular one, you are supposed to employ them on the books really, but you can usually get around it and just subcontract the same person regularly. Don't bother with agencies, just ask around and put an add in a paper or even on this forum. There is no way you can undertake any sort of serious aerial work without a groundsman (or two!) Either way, you will need employers liability (in addition to the public liability insurance that is recommended)

 

Re lifting big timber? Cut it up smaller. If you want to move big stuff, get an arb trolley or hire a HIAB lorry. Personally i don't see the massive advantage of those tiny loaders, they aren't big enough for timber that is worth milling. I guess its down to what kind of jobs you are getting.

 

Re stump grinding? If you cant dig it up, recommend someone else to do it until you can afford to buy your own. Its not necessary from the start, and plenty of people can do it after you are done.

 

I would say start small, see what kind of work you get most. If you get more hedge work, get some nice ladders and a long pole trimmer.

 

If you get big dismantles, you will need additional big saws, heavy rigging equipment and provisions for moving lots of timber.

 

if you get loads of small fruit tree pruning jobs, just get a pickup truck, a trailer and a small saw. Hop up with a silky and earn yourself some money to get gear for the bigger stuff.

 

Spending all that money on training (you're looking at 5k+ for your list), the vehicle, a chipper, the saws, the climbing kit.... There is no way that can really work, you would go bust in the first year, have to sell all the gear, and be at a massive loss. As i said before, and everyone is saying, you need experience first.

 

Tree surgery is almost like the board game othello. "A minute to learn, a lifetime to master, and hopefully you wont lose any limbs playing"

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In reality it's a toss of a coin. You may well find your enthusiasm and initial investment carries you far enough to establish a business. The flipside is you get no work and crash and burn.

 

I did my ground CS tickets in '99. Over the years I've plodded through my own stuff, learning as I go, pollarding, rigging out, clear fell, coppicing, pruning, reductions, over the last few years more aerial stuff since I managed to get a couple of friends who enjoy doing the groundie thing.... I have several grand's worth of stuff, 5 saws [at the moment!], climbing & light rigging gear, no chipper, but various tractors, trailers and loaders from the farm.

 

But I still really only do it as a 'hobby', I work in an office and do the trees at weekends or take time off to do bigger jobs. And I NEED to do my tree work otherwise, like you have found, I'd go stir crazy. But as much as I'd love to I couldn't jump into it full time, I have a mortgage and expensive wife, children and taste.

 

If you can afford to take the risk, do it. Better to regret doing something than not doing something. But be wary, there are very experienced, hard working tree surgeons out there who struggle every day and find they can't earn what they should.

It's big investment for low return in many cases.

 

But I'm envious [most of the time] of anyone who makes a living doing it.... And being totally honest, if I was in your position I'd do what you're proposing, I wouldn't go work for someone else for 60 quid a day...:001_smile:

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