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benedmonds

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Everything posted by benedmonds

  1. My local council just emailed it to me.. Shame it wasn't a couple of months back after I went to great effort to do my own!
  2. My favorite was the ten minute rant over the phone complaing about sawdust on the car and how rude the worker had been. "I don't want him to get the sack, but" I didn't tell him that it had been me he'd been abusing even though I'd remained polite on both occasions. "I'll come and have a look at your car sir and give him a stern telling off..... *****!"
  3. We've found with our tractor a bucket for chip and a set of tines for lifting logs and brash is fine. We've a heavy duty grab that we've used once, been sat in the yard for the last year. If you get the tines under the logs and tip it back you don't need to grab them, same with brash. It could be that the ex farmer who operates the tractor is quite skilled in the opperation, but never bothered with a grab. Worth having a quich change mechanism.
  4. benedmonds

    Day Rate

    It' great being the boss, you just rake it in....
  5. I don't think the council in question have their own arboriculturist. I also think it was the developer that was fined not a contractor. To that developer the fine is peanuts. It is interesting to note that the fines in these cases are not split 50:50 to the land owner and contractor and that it's the developer who gets hit with the biggest part of the fine. Not a reason to do unsanctioned works on protected trees, but it is reasuring to note that the tree firm doing works is unlikely to get stung for the sort of money that the developer will. I've had my rights read a couple of times, once felling small stuff in a conservation area and once when a TPO had been put on over the weekend. Also been threatened with court over taking down a dangerous tree, they aint very friendly. It is worrying but makes me feel better knowing that my side of the fine is more likely to be around the £1-2K mark then the £10-20K.
  6. benedmonds

    Day Rate

    I aim for £450-£550, for general stuff with a 3 man team, but more if there is lots of waste or it is difficult work. Often find multiple small jobs can earn you much, much more per day that big orrible take downs.
  7. You would struggle to make any money round me at the pay rates some of you guys are suggesting. To win council work round here you can charge 350-500 a day for a 3 man team. Two climbers at £150 and a groundy at £100, doesn't leave much to pay for everything else. Subbies might be able to demand higher rates but employees get training, holiday and sick pay and paid when there's no work so are going to be paid alot less. My fulltime groundy is on £55 a day basic if we are doing well he'll get a cash bonus. We have a subbie groundie who is as good as any you could find £60 a day. Subbie climbers £100 or £120 a day. As to paying groundies the same as climbers, don't talk daft.... It takes years of experience and training to climb well, you can get a pretty decent groundy trained in a couple of weeks. We also sometimes get groundies for free for up to 4 days a week for 12weeks (in theory)! Some unemployment thing, not the most reliable but can help dragging. We've had 5 now. first lasted a couple of days, second is still with us 2 years, third also only lasted days, 4th a couple of weeks with some sick in the middle as he hurt his wrist and the current a few days so far but he's also missed a few..?
  8. I thought if any one could work that out it would be you.. How many m3 do you get in one of your arctics? They were 27-30 tons can't you work it out from that?
  9. If you are getting a 441, get the heated grips, I was getting tingling fingers from our old 044 and 046, since getting the 441 with heated handles I've not had a problem.
  10. My sister in law is visiting with her baby which doesn't sleep, but crys lots.. One of my 3 kids generally wakes at some time but this child is a banshee. Been wearing green peltors, but have to sleep on your back!
  11. any organism that lives on dead organic matter
  12. My Petzl got run over by a tractor last week, got a Stein, I prefer it to the petzl. I'm not convinced by the visor but giving it a go and it seems pretty good, just see how long it lasts. The peltor ear defendors are not as good as snapping in place as the sordins on my petzl but I'll live with that. Everyone will also take the mik if you have a visor... Get the Stein IMO
  13. Have any of you used ezsniper, "places your eBay bid in the last seconds of the auction so you aren't outbid. This is called sniping and it really improves your chances of winning. If you want to check it out go to: http://www.ezsniper.com/?refuser=benedmonds They even offer a free trial, so there is nothing to lose." Brilliant! If you do register, PLEASE put benedmonds refered you as I'll get 5 free snipes!
  14. Messed up my fungi ident... got two wrong which is 20% of the marks.. Seeing dry fungi is not the same as the pics in the book. You need 70% overall to pass and I'm not that great in exams.... I passed both the survey bits at the 70%, even after getting marked down for not specifying to grind out the stumps...? Don't know why that's required? I'm only a bit bitter..

  15. Not mine but we have this when we need. We've got a log grab for the loader, but it's so heavy we never use it, so if anyone wants one..
  16. I took 2 of mine and 4 of thier cousins last week. Under 2 is a bit young for much of the stuff, but still worth a visit. They do get bored of you checking out the name plates on all the trees... http://www.kew.org/education/cc.html
  17. They look like the Armillaria I saw on a lime earlier in the year. http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=3884
  18. I have done "A Practitioner's Guide to Visual Tree Assessment" It is a good day. I don't think it has anything to do with becoming a QTRA user. Just run by the same guys, although I guess you would use VTA in QTRA. Goes over VTA and using a hammer, deffinetly worth doing before you do the AA PTI.
  19. From Arbtalk contact I've got - One subbie climber (still on the eye out for any local climbers, derby/nottingham) 160 tons of poplar chipped A first aid course an address of a decent local chainsaw shop A new engine in a dead chipper (Waiting on that) + lots of advice A great resource
  20. I got a honda FRV, 07 plate 9,500 miles on the clock book price about £10,500 paid £8,500. It was over £20,000 18 months ago, it's a Honda with 18 months dealler warranty remaining. It's a great car if you want a six seater with room for a dog. I also wouldn't worry as much about MPG's unless you do a lot of miles. Found a web site which works out what you pay in fuel, compared what it would cost in the 2l petrol FRV compared to my old 1.9l diesel berlingo. Assuming milage of 7000, its only going to cost me an extra £150 odd quid a year for fuel.
  21. How long a pole can you manage?
  22. benedmonds

    Poles

    What are the best poles out there? We had a Silky Hayauchi 6.3m Pole Saw which were great, but since having ground staff who keep leaving them in the drop zone and swinging off them they no longer telescope.. Need to be robust but aluminium fine.
  23. Do you need to have a stiched eye friction cord or can you tie your own? If so what termination knot would you use. Double fishermans? Or should that be a triple fishermans?
  24. Does any one know of a good 1 day course or anyone who will run a course. I don't want the full 4 day. I want a course that will deal with the sort of stuff we are likely to come across at work, less bothered with choking and heart attacks which most non specialist Red cross and St Johns tend to dwell on. I've 4 or 5 blokes I want to put through.

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