Andy Collins

Let me be clear, I do not condone obesity, it can be helped (generally) with simple lifestyle changes, as can most things. Giving it a blue badge and saying it's ok, it doesn't matter will not help the person, educating them will. How many XXXL people do you see coming out of McDonalds with an XL big whopper with large fries and aside of onion rings, but it's ok cos they have a diet coke? This nation is becoming a joke, we are lucky we are still wealthy enough to afford them the support, they wouldn't get it in many other countries. I have dealt with a serious condition, and the following consequences, and indeed sitting here now due to issues related to it, but I made huge changes in my lifestyle to get myself fit and well enough to get back to work and do a job I enjoy, it is always possible...with effort.

RIP Wally. I first met him back in the early 80s as part of the Suffolk trust for Nature Conservstion training team, a lifetime ago now. A great instructor, mentor and an inspiration. One of the people who made my life all the richer, and a pleasure to have known, albeit some time ago. Condolences to all those far closer than I.

And give them food banks and they'll be able to afford to get an iPhone, have sky and the biggest latest TV systems. The root of the problem is this country is idleness, so long as someone else does everything for them they won't have too. My friends wife sorts food banks locally, and what a joke it's become!! They even pick and choose what they want, and complain if they only like a certain brand. This country is going backwards fast, and it's not the migrant workers causing this, it's the pathetic British people who can't help themselves get off their own backsides. No wonder we're a joke in the rest of the world. If a tubby Tubster wants to make a recovery, they are quite able, eat less, work harder and watch the pounds fall away, or if it's really bad, have a gastric band fitted. I have no time nor sympathy for the obese, or the idle.

Clients neighbour had a 4year old thoroughbred die of this a few weeks ago. They've kept horses for 30years without a problem prior to this. The PM showed a vast number of keys in the digestive system of the horse. Now the crux of the matter, is this good reason to fell in a conservation area? I have (at my clients) 7 mature sycamores of up to 4feet dbh, they are looking to fell them due to proven risk (neighbours horse) to their own horses, of EAM. The client is a trained equine vet as well, so knows her facts re: EAM. I have, for now, clearly marked all sycamores so the horses can be kept clear of the heaviest fall area, while we establish a plan of action. They've raked mown and cleared as many seeds as possible beneath the trees to minimise the risk for now. But this is going to be an on going issue.

Really? They charge for a controlled fire call out? I've never heard that one. I know two firefighters and they've never mentioned it. I know they charge for chimney fires, but that's it. Maybe a regional thing, firefighters are an emergency service, not a police service, they cannot enforce anything, only advise. There is a lot of myth about what we can and can't do in this country, just get on with the job, be sensible and safe in the way you do it.

I have a different theory about Ash. Yes it burns well in most conditions, I've never had a problem with greener ash, (cut/split say a month previously). But my theory about the firewood poem is for a different reason. Way back in time, woodlands were traditionally planted on waste land, unsuited to arable crops, wetland etc. Now even back then, people knew a little about marketing, after all they still needed a return from a crop even if it was on wasteland. Why not write a poem about the virtues of your product, something simple folk would easily remember. Of course since then, other timbers with different uses came to the fore ie bat willows as new markets opened up with the advent of sports, vehicles needing boards (poplar) and so on. Just a thought. Ash grows well on rotation, renewable energy, more bites of the same cherry, and has many uses other than just timber, so a clever promotion makes sense (to me).

free days??? :lol:

Why do you wish to be self-employed? What are your future aims and ambitions? Why do you think you'll be better off self-employed? What plans do you have if your health takes a turn for the worst, or you get an injury, say a knackered shoulder that just won't fix? How will you feed your family without regular income? These are more of a test than how quickly you can climb, or send or fell, the pressure to earn when you hurt is real pressure. Don't get me wrong, I'm a working tree cutter, I'm self-employed and I love most of the job some of the time. If I was employed, I would have been let go by now (health reasons) but I'm my own boss and I work to suit myself. Just make sure you can. And good luck if that's what you decide.

Clean builders bags Mick, and a bungee or two keeps the worst of weather out of it, one over feed chute, one over engine. Had the JoBo out quite a bit lately, did one job op that a large local company reckoned couldn't be done as access was a bit muddy I don't care, I got the £££s admittedly I wouldn't want to try and get a trailed chipper in there.

A statutory nuisance must not be caused, but likewise it has to be a reported nuisance. If it's not reported/recorded, it hasn't happened. I have many many fires on sites, I always check the wind direction, inform neighbours, check for washing before lighting etc. I've never rang the Fire Service and I've never had them come out yet. You can burn up to ten tonnes of green waste in any one day. Do not burn plastics, tyres or other that will produce black smoke, very bad. Yet there is a local chap who strips leccy wire and burns off the plastic, he's been fined once in maybe 15 years, he is operating illegally and causes a real nuisance to his neighbours, total fine was less than £1k, worth the risk you might say. He just ignores the law and enforcement agencies. In the OPs case, he is not responsible for the fire, that's the clients responsibility, so I wouldn't even worry.

Agree with above, the Electric shift was diabolical, would fail so many times, and a known fault apparently. I changed several in the life of my bike, before I finally got sick if it and got a manual shift again.

I've seen a woodland where a dumper was used for extraction, looked like the Somme. I've used a quad (Honda 500) and logging arch and it's very efficient at moving timber to ride side. It depends on the application, I've worked woodland sites that are too wet for heavier tractor machinery, quads just float over the surface, and if they bog in you just winch them out to save surface damage. A quad can also turn very much tighter than bigger tractors, weaving between trees can be very handy.

IMO employed staff can be monthly/salaried, not a problem. S/E subbies, well if you want them to come back next week you need to keep them paid, they have no ties to you, other than £££s. For anyone to wait 90days, in this day and age is just a retrograde step, it's up to those after the tender to get this sorted for once and for all, even the government stated a while back that 90day contracts were detrimental to the economy. If no one took on the terms, then the terms would be made more attractive to potential workers.

Nice to see we are in your thoughts during the day, when you wake in the night

Best of luck with your new start and well done for sticking in there. This can be the greatest career in the world, every day is different and generally every day is a learning day. Some days will be pure crap, others won't, take the rough with the smooth.

The thing that makes this forum thing work is our independence from all official bodies. Yes, we're involved and talk to them (and them to us) and it's a happy balance I think. The Arb Asscn has recognised this forums input in the industry with an award for what we do for the industry as a whole, which was good. But who are we to judge others work? Who would do the judging? Without bias or favour. No this is a forum for discussing tree work and associated industries, and that's all it is.

The best non -protective waterproof jacket I have is the Clark cut and climb jacket. Click on the side banner for a link to their site. It's a very good jacket and actually keeps you dry!!

These discussions on pay always end up going down the same route A while back, I was working for a company and we had three very good efficient teams. Each groundie/climber worked well as a team, turned over good coin. After a while, the boss thought that it would be a good idea to split each good team and pair them off with new staff respectively, to double his income. The idea being each good reliable staff member would bring on the newbies. It didn't really work, each new one was just not cut from the same cloth, it dragged down the others and it ended up being changed back. Not every one is as capable, or as willing to make a good effort for a company, not everyone is a team player. Pay (IMO) should reflect the ability to gel into a team, each (climber/groundie) brings a different set of skills and strengths to a team, the right combination will reap rewards and this can be reflected in their pay.

I've had a JoBeau M300 for 4 years or so, and I rate it. It's easy to change the blades, which turn over so you have two sides. Engine is the H onda GX range, which is very reliable and simple to maintain. Others have had the Greenmech micros, and I haven't heard anyone complain. It is a niche machine it's not a big chipper with all that comes with a big chipper.

The trouble is, insurance companies can insist of proof of competence before insuring you, the same as a client could and should ask for proof of competence before hiring you. It's nothing to do with the law, it's risk management, it's nothing to do with how good the tickets are or if theyre handed out like sweeties or not. A benchmark is required, they're what we've got to prove that we have reached a basic standard of training in our field. What do you really want to hear from this thread? That it's fine not to spend money on tickets and just go out hacking your way around the countryside. I'm sure the majority of the membership would never advocate that, given their own personal expense to get tickets, and as a representative forum of the industry, we could not condone untrained and unqualified operations in a professional capacity. Of course, what is done in the privacy of you own land is a different matter. Or maybe someone is trying to get an unprofessional response so he can say look this is what really happens in the industry beneath the "professional" facade.

+ 1 the only hedgerows to be aware of are ancient hedgerows. I have dropped a courteous email to the TO in sensitive con areas to inform him in case people get arsey, but that's as far as it needs to go. PS, do check that no trees in a hedgerow are protected, never come across it yet but who knows? No applicable in Johns query though.

I used to mock these silly little chippers at the APF and the AA shows when they were first out. I now own a JoBeau M300 and have used it for the last 4years, it's far more efficient than you imagine, and you don't pay people to walk about all day to the chipper. Yes it's a niche machine, if it fits into your business model then get one, if not don't. I've used chippers up to 12", and in my experience the bigger the chipper the further.the drag (on domestics).

How do you judge a tradesman these days? I'd rarely check his tickets,scout badge or anything else. I'd ask someone else who'd use them if they'd recommend, if they liked and trusted them, if they clean up and care about the jobs they do. Word of mouth. It's always worked like that, yes rogue traders do con people, look the part and so on, but let's face it they only last so long in an area before moving on. I've known local trades for the last 30-40yrs, I know the ones to avoid and the ones to use, the ones I trust 100% and the ones not to touch with a barge pole, and likewise as a trade, people know me and have me in. I got asked for my tickets, and proof of insurance for a pub job the other day, first time in nearly ten years, bloke didn't even read them or check me out with the insurance company, which I invited him to do. People just don't care unless something goes wrong.

Hardly constructive Huck, and based on many past posts on this very forum I think I can see where AHPP is coming from. However, I do agree that what other way would a client/insurer have of checking you have everything in order? Ok, it's not a perfect system, I know a "climber" who spent three years doing Arb at college, at tax payers expense, who weighed then about 26stone, he couldn't get off the ground (by his own admittance) yet he qualified as a climber, complete with AR ticket! But it is the system we have, and we need some kind of benchmark, a starting point. AHPP, how would you know a good climbing arborist from a poor tree hack when he turns up at the door to quote for you? What would you ask for to convince you he was what he said he was? If his tickets are meaningless, you would surely doubt his insurance cover also? If you are cutting trees etc for clients, how do you convince them you are competent to do so?

In many cases, if you're not satisfied with your pay and conditions, do something about it, move on or ask for more pay. You must also take into consideration what else you do get as well as pay. Supplied ppe, regular training updates and so forth all make for a better package. Likewise, what you offer them for your money should be taken into account, are you a good team player, it's 4pm and there's two hours work left do you offer to stay and finish or do you have to get to the bank etc? I spoke to a friend yesterday who is struggling to get minimum wage, he's gradually being replaced with cheaper migrant and student labour, but he is a very difficult character, if he feels "put out" he works to rule, or even refuses to turn out for work, hardly helps himself IMO. There are many sides to earning money, and how much is the right amount, everything else is regulated, tested and logged down in reams of paperwork, yet pay seems to be a repetitive issue on here.