Kev Stephenson

I was talking to the Stihl guys at the AA show at the weekend and yes all new saws from the last 3 months or so have this fitted. It was also stated that in some circumstances this kit could be fitted under warranty, especially to very early saws.

Northern Ireland - no bother. I did it last year and it was a pure paperwork exercise. Southern Ireland, wouldn't know - sorry

Yes, going Friday back same day

I bought a used machine (3 ish years old, ex demo/test bed) that came with 30 days on the engine and 6 months on the rest. 5 1/2 months in I had a pretty major problem that was met with an apology and a we will fix that for you sir, here's a loan machine. Yes I may have paid a few quid more than a private sale but that warranty saved me a fortune. Buying from a dealer I would want at least a month on any machine, nearer 6 months on something fairly new and business critical. Unless that is you are buying someone's trade in at trade price before it goes through the dealers workshop then it's sold as seen.

I don't see what you mean about the new machines blocking. I have had a quadchip for 18 months now and NEVER had a blockage. Friday we did a take down on a weeping willow in monsoon conditions and although some of the really green stuff didn't quite make the back of the truck it never blocked. I have never chipped anything wetter.

Even at screwfix prices it works out at less than 2p per nail including the gas. On a 20m section of 6ft feather edge fence with each lath nailed 6 times you are looking at just under £20 in nails/gas. Hardly kills the job even using the official paslode nails. I can easily do 1000 nails on a single battery. An air nailer would be good (cheaper) but then you need a portable compressor and access to electric to run the compressor then the damned thing is on a hose all day. I don't see the advantage over a paslode other than saving maybe a penny a nail (50p a meter on a 6ft fence). You could save money on buying a paslode copy but then we don't all run Ryobi chainsaws for reason.

Paslode IM350

If you are selling to the end user as fuel then it's 5% If you are selling to someone who will resell or further process then it's 20%

I have a contact that gives me work on his various development sites who is in need of presentable woodchip to re-mulch about 400 square meters of communal beds at one of his sites. He would be willing to pay a few quid a load for the right stuff. I know he should have been asking a few weeks ago before everything leafed up but I have only had the call from him tonight. Is there anyone in or around the area who could help? Thanks in advance Kevin

Very very rough calc per meter 1 post per 2 meters at £7 =£3.50 2 bags postcrete per post =£4.00 3m of rail =£3.00 10 lats @80p each =£8.00 nails =£0.50 Total materials/meter =£21.00 Prices probably shown slightly high but if you want to fence at £4 per meter then fill your boots. I would say 2 men doing 25 meters in a day is really good going so that's £50 each.

Feather edge at 6ft, 4x4 posts you would be looking in the region of £50 / meter plus £100 for the gate done and finished

Surely you are not saying that is an installed price!! I can get nearer £60 / meter for double sided installed at 1.8m

Height? By slatted do you mean 4" upright laths with say a 2" gap? How level is the ground and what is the digging like? Spec for the gate? Your post is like saying how much to cut a tree down, its a big one.

Guarantee him 3 days a week at £60 per day and give pro rata holidays to match this. Any days he works for you over this pay at £66 per day effectively buying any surplus holidays which he would have accrued had he been contracted to more than the 3 days. For him he know he is getting a minimum of £180 (less any tax) a week He still gets some paid holiday (which you can dictate, e.g. a 2 week xmas shutdown) You only need to give 3 days a week but have in place the ability to give more and you both know where you are with respect to holidays etc. Have in place a defined time frame for letting him know when he is working, e.g. You will know by Friday how many days we are doing next week. This gives him the chance to earn elsewhere if needed. State in the contract that you have first refusal of his time (subject to the agreed notice period). You also need some sort of cancellation policy. If you have told him it's 5 days next week and come Tuesday you know you will finish the weeks work by Thursday, what do you do with regards to work on the Friday.

I do similar but a couple of days a week the kids go to breakfast and after school club so I can put a proper day in on the trees. I just can't do enough to justify a days wage between 9 and 3, some jobs take longer and having the afterschool club means I am not tied to exactly 3.15 to pick them up. I packed in a shift managers job on a chemical works on really good money to play with trees so I could have the necessary time with the kids.

Just the one Ian plus subbies. Every holiday the employee has off I either have to take the day off, use subbies or go hedging/logging on my own. Those holidays cost the company a lot more than just the wage for the day.

Legally you have to give 5.6 weeks off per year, if you work 5 days a week that's 28 days. This is a minimum and you could give more. You can legally state when those holidays must be taken. For example the company can state they have a 2 week Christmas shutdown and a 2 week summer shutdown and the company owner can hold any remaining holidays to be used at their discretion. The notice period required for these holidays should be stated in the contract. I personally give 28 days holiday and state the bank holidays must be covered by the holiday allowance plus a 2 week Christmas shutdown. The remaining are at the employees discretion but must be booked with 2 weeks minimum notice. Unpaid leave is also allowed as is building up holidays by working weekends if wanted.

Virgin have admitted it is cheaper for them to come out and do the odd repair than to do each job properly in the first place. I hit a cable with the stump grinder a couple of years ago that was only about 3" down, called them up and the van was with me before I had finished grinding. I stayed to watch the repair and even this was left only about 4" down. Time and motion study taken to the extreme if you ask me.

With 90 cube is it not worth talking to someone like stobarts to come and collect. Chip straight into the artic?

Just don't offer him pies, Pete did a week for me and I have never seen a man put so many pies away in one day.

I have a fleet policy through a broker underwritten by lycetts. Costs about £1k for a discovery 3 and a defender 130 tipper. Photos of the defender were sent to the broker along with a mods list (winch, suspension, minor engine mods, rear tipping box body). Copies of these were returned to me signed as proof they know what they are insuring. Discovery has 4 named drivers and full business use, defender is any driver when used in connection with the business.

It matters massively what vehicle you have for company car tax. A cheap car with really low emissions cost 3 parts of f' all in tax, something like a discovery 3 or 4 is hundreds a month. It is also based on cost when new not actual cost so a 10 year old discovery 3 could cost more than a more efficient brand new discovery 4. My missus has a brand new BMW X1 which is about £200 per month in tax

Yes, it was with some of his pay out he bought my truck then went further north for a new chipper

There certainly is!! Last October I sold a transit to Minotaur off here that was still sign written as Stephenson Tree Services. He made me a promise he would remove the signing as soon as he got it home as I didn't have time due to other work commitments. However I kept getting calls fro miles away for quotes as someone had seen the van. It went to Kent, 200+ miles from me. I messaged him asking for him to remove the signing and I haven't heard anything for a couple of months. Could he have sold it on still signed up?

If I could go gardening at £500/day for a 2 man team I'm selling my chipper!! Be realistic, £100-150 max per man plus your costs if you are on day rate. I am quite sure you won't be paying your assistant the full £100-150 so you will be pocketing some of that to cover the running of your vehicle. At £150 a day I would expect you running around like loonies all day. It sounds like you are looking to use a public (i.e. no trade waste) tip so no costs there, are you insured included employers. Would you pay £500 for 2 blokes to trim your hedge and cut the grass?