benedmonds

The guy we use for big stumps, is not busy. He's been doing it for years but always talking about giving up.

We had TPO'd Horse Chestnut with bleeding canker, I recomended fell but we only got permision to reduce.. We got to go back and fell it a year later as it just didn't recover. I rekon reducing is just going to stress the tree more. You do get paid twice however...

Would it be worth having a stolen post on this forum? We're a small industry with specialist kit, we might help catch some of the ... I'd check it before buying second hand stuff.

We hire in a grinder and man for bigger stumps. But you would be supprised how easy it is to dig out stumps under 10 inches. You need a sharp spike and some hard work. But as the minimum charge for grinding is £70-£80 if I set a groundy at it all day it's still cheaper! We've started digging out more stumps that normally we'd have got the grinder in. £ of us Dug out 20+ conifers last week, only small 3 -5 inches but had them out in half a day. We don't have to wait to get paid, we don't have to organise a visit for the stump guy it's easier.. I don't think a small grinder is worth it as presumably it won't be good enough for the big stuff and you can dig the small stuff.

A web site costs very little, mine ain't great, I've done nothing to it in ages but people do go and check it out. It got an average of 13 visits a day so far this month! Only 12% are from UK servers however and who can figure out the stats..? Most will probabbly be web bots etc... They do ensure that people can get a feel for you and know that you are not some fly by night co.. I don't know if many people are going to google tree work and find me, but yell.com is how I would look for a business and if I find one I'd like to see a bit more info about them. Yell.com is not cheap IMO..

????? RPA multistemmed trees: Tree with more then one stem arising below 1.5m above ground level basal diameter x10 (measured immediatly above root flare) Multiplyed by 10 not the widest stem at 1.5 x12

I also subscribe to the UKTC, and read much of it. IMO The trouble with many of the pen pushers/TO's is there are too many out who have been to college have have done lots of learning but don't live in the real world. Why else when I apply to reduce a protected tree 20% and only get permission to reduce it 17%..? Do they think I use a ruler and work it out... I'm going to do what I think is best for the tree any how. They also generally think the worst of us guys on the tools, probably because most guys (I'm sure any gals are better respected) on the tools, do know very little about tree biology. We are trying to earn a living by cutting trees so if a customer wants to fell a tree we get say OK. If they want to butcher it we can try to give advice but our income comes from satisfying the customer not the treescape. There are some good TO's out there, but I rekon most of them will have worked on the tools first..

Christreeroot - Bs5837 takes stem diameter at 1.5m. (Higher than the 1.2m DBH used by foresters) and the calculation for multiple stems is 10 x basal diameter above the root flare..

Hmmmm

Can I have an orange one if I win?

After all my bitchin about the PTI course I did (one of the early ones) I'm doing it again... I spoke with Dave Dowson of tree life about it (he wrote the course) and he told me to write to the AA and they've given me a discount to do it again. They want the course to be difficult, which is fair enough.. Hopefully I'll be pleased this time, I'll report back in July..

So no legal methods then.. It is one good thing about tree work you normaly only lose your time rather than if you have sold goods or used materials.. Which reminds me another builder owes me for stump grinding.. What is it with builders and developers! 90% of residential customers pay up straight away no bother, builders and developers need chasing and threats before payment! I've done a couple of BS5837 surveys recently and they've yet to pay up! If your report dosen't say exactly what they want they seem to think they don't have to pay!

It was over £500.. So a big enough lump.. It is slighty complicated in the fact that he was building my extension, he's not quite finished and I guess I probably owe him more than he owes canopy. Useless b@stard had loads of work, too much, he just couldn't run his business.. Blokes would turn up for 1 hr then drive accross town to another job. We had a door measured 3 times by 3 different blokes. I told him the size on the phone... We still haven't got the door!

Just looked up the pinin's stats Kerb Weight: 1280 kg. Towing Limit (kg): 1500 kg so I guess that 10 inch chipper is out of the question.. I don't think our transists with a full load would like it either come to think of it! Not if they came across a hill.

Did some tree work for a builder who never paid and has now gone bankrupt.. Where should I start trying to get the cash? Or should I just write it off?

The pinin is small, but we don't go off road much. It's mostly for quoting. It will pull our TW190 across a playing field and it often helps the transits on wet grass.. We've a 4wd tractor to use for any serious pulling..

I sometimes think I get more calls from people selling advertising than clients wanting work..

I've come to the conclusion for most domestic arb work the perfect vehicle is two 3.5 tonners... I know thats not what the link was about. But three men will, on most jobs easily fill two transits and still be overloaded.. Logs in one chip in the other. Switch them round, send one to tip. When ones in the shop you can still work.. It is much more versitle than running a 7.5 tonner, we've a huge tool box on one to try to stop us overloading it and we can keep two climbing kits, lowering ropes, 8 saws, hedge trimmer, blower and lunch. I don't know the cost of running a bigger rig I would imagine it's not twice that of a 3.5 but the added advantages of two vehicles makes it IMO worth the additional spend. Also you have lots of room for extra subbies on busy days. We also have a small 4x4 Mitzy Pinin which will tow the chipper of road and is good for quoting. Back to the first question, we've transits, they have been dependable.. not overly comfy, not fast, will get you up a hill with the chipper when loaded, just.. Will get stuck on the slightest wet grass, but good.

Method statement Risk assesment Health and safety policy Loler Coshh Insurance

When I started at Connick 8 or 9 years ago I had no experience diriving trucks or towing trailers. I'd towed a boat a handful of times in my landy. There were loads of young lads there who drove cabstars with 6 inch chippers every day. But I with my pre 97 licence and no experience got to drive the new canter with the big new chipper.. Navigating round Londons busy residential streeets... So there are firms out there who will give someone who doesn't have a clue a 20K chipper and truck..

For tree related fungi I've yet to come accross any book better than principles of tree hazard assessment and management by Lonsdale. Manual of wood Decays in trees, Weber and Mattheck, is also OK. Advice from the Fungi ID course at Tree Life was to use lots of different ones. I like google images, as you gett lots of different photo's. Some are not what they say they are but lots are pretty good.

We pay an estimate based on turnover each month. I guess at the end of the year we'll get a bill or a cheque.. Only just coming to the end of our first year paying the VAT so will soon see how it's worked out. Hoping to claim back for the chipper and truck we brought just previous to becoming Vat registered as you can claim for the previous 2 or 3 years on capital purchases over 2 or 3 grand.. Hopefuly the accountant will sort it!

Give him as much wood as he wants, it's worth bugger all. Same with the chip.. Even a small tree surgery business soon ends up with tons of it.

Has any one done the Morgage as I like the sound of it but it's not cheap..

If you are approaching the VAT threshold look into the Flat Rate scheme, we've discussed it on here before but you only pay 9% but still charge 17.5.. It still hurts, but not so bad. Going Vat registered really stings. It's fine for the comercial stuff good even, but if you do a lot of private, joe public doesn't care just wants the cheapest.. I've been working loads more but the bank balance doesn't seen to change! Also IMO it's worth paying monthly as you'll end up with a BIG bill at the end of the year. One positive side is when giving verbal quotes and the punter accepts a bit readily and you realise you've gone to low you can say plus VAT of course...