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benedmonds

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Everything posted by benedmonds

  1. benedmonds
    We have felled 2 redwood trees, one was standing dead for 7 years, the other 1 year. I guess much will go for firewood but shame not to mill some of it. Open to offers, but would rather one person takes it all. It is currently behind a 3.25cm wide gate, but if that is an issue we can move it outside (in 3m os shorter lengths). The dead one is currently cut into 3m sections (except the butt which was too heavy for our loader) the other is on the deck but yet to be cut up? Located NG11 ODH
  2. benedmonds
    Paying off other loans with it is a way to reduce costs and therefore better help you through these challenging times. So perfectly valid. Finance companies are going to lose a fair few customers too. There will as always be loads on unintended consequences.. We have built our business with very low levels of debt and that has meant we were in a good position to survive the current disaster. I have gone for the maximum we could get which once we pay off the current finance on the chipper will leave us with a decent chunk that we could use or just sit on..
  3. benedmonds
    If you have other finance, this is cheaper so could save you money. It is free for 12 months. If you are thinking about getting finance in the next 6 years, this is cheap and easy to get. But yes you do still have to pay it back so should be carefull.
  4. benedmonds
    bbls available till November.. I think..
  5. benedmonds
    bbls available till November.. I think..
  6. benedmonds
    Someone posted this on facebook, it would be nice if we had a UK version. https://www.tcia.org/TCIA/News/COVID-19/Tree-Care-Best-Practices-for-COVID-19.aspx Please try not to derail the thread,and if you have nothing constructive to say, start your own thread.... Anyone doing anything different/extra. We supply each van with water, handwash and paper towels Antibacterial cleaner and sanitiser for tools and vehicles Limit vehicles to 2 persons and face covering/mask worn Try to keep crews the same to minimise contact Insist packed lunches and drinks are brought from home (no shop/coffee stops) Recommend removing work clothes before entering home (especially if vulnerable members in household)
  7. benedmonds
    As arbs we run under the exemption so don't worry about the tacho's. Exemptions from EU law Some types of vehicle are exempt from EU rules. This means they come under GB domestic rules in the UK. The main types of exempt vehicle are: .... vehicles used by agricultural, horticultural, forestry, farming or fishery businesses for carrying goods within 100km of where the business is based or vehicles or combinations of vehicles with a maximum permissible weight of 7.5 tonnes or less that are used for carrying work equipment for the driver where the distance is less than 100km Drivers' hours: Exemptions from EU law - GOV.UK WWW.GOV.UK EU and GB domestic rules for drivers of goods vehicles and passenger-carrying vehicles
  8. benedmonds
    That is the first time time I have heard that, we have had an o licence for at least 10 years and never had any checks.
  9. benedmonds
    Is anyone thinking about doing this? I have checked my HP agreement and cannot see anything about early repayment fees? We have been given a payment holiday but our currently re paying about 3.5 percent on a chipper. Seems to make sense to use the BBL to pay that finance off or am I missing something?
  10. benedmonds
    There are climbers who do just that.. Come out of tree and sit in the truck.
  11. benedmonds
    Seriously.... You are supposed to be a team. Climbing is just one of the jobs and often not the most difficult.. When I was on the tools everyone pitched in till the job was done and I expect that from all my employees and freelancers unless really specialised (crane operator).
  12. benedmonds
    Rates vary and in my opinion £180-£200 would be very optimistic in the East midlands. There are teams around here of 2 guys with truck and chipper who work for £450 a day. It is also very dependant on your ability. I have had climbers who claimed 5 years experience who were rubbish.
  13. benedmonds
    I have always used hyperdermic syringe needles. Picked some up from a drug clinic decades ago when travelling and you were advised to take your own. First time they are sterile but subsequently just heat up with flame. You can actually cut around the splinter with them and also fish it out. Seen the plastic syringe hack but never used it.
  14. benedmonds
    I saw a company (on facebook I think) a few weeks back selling these and thought they were pointless. I might be changing my mind but after extensive googling I cannot find them anywhere. We are considering going back to works soon, can anyone help?
  15. benedmonds
    Be aware that some companies will not fill your tank if they have to climb a ladder..
  16. benedmonds
    Google photos brought up some photos of my tree platform from a few years back. Nothing amazing, stuck it on top of a small climbing wall I had made, next to a shed and, next to trees.. As said did not get much use.
  17. benedmonds
    I fitted a morso squirrel in my last house, it was a great little wood burner.
  18. benedmonds
    I don't want to knock your plans but if your experience is like mine and my business partners you will spend alot more time biulding it then the kids will ever spend in it.. Your kids might be different.. I brought a used Wendy house which I mounted on posts so didn't actually damage the tree, had a climbing wall around it and everything. They had some fun but not compared to the effort and expense I put in.. Same thing for the willow house.. Never used it.. Best value outdoor toy for us is the trampoline by a mile.. had it 7 years and still used any day it's dry..
  19. benedmonds
    Lots of directors pay the majority of there salary via dividends and There is lots of lobbying going on from small businesses groups. Hopefully there will be something to help now but we may find we end up paying for it in the future as they are likely to want to claw back the cash in the future..
  20. benedmonds
    I think the rules or restrictions have been made less onerous and you are allowed to do the minimum to keep the business going.. But if you are not doing invoiceable work who is going to know.. There are also quite a few business groups lobbying government to sort some help for directors who pay themselves via dividends.. So fingers crossed.
  21. benedmonds
    Our insurer did that last year, they also said that they could not split the PI/EL from our equipment. Changed their mind later and we have new for old from NFU which was cheaper.
  22. benedmonds
    Having a bit more time on my hands (arbcover has a 24 page form to fill in) than usual I have made the effort to look for competitive quotes this year. One thing that I have learnt is that the percentages you assign to different operations can make a BIG difference to the premium. "What percentage of payroll involves using a chainsaw in a tree? On the ground, with chainsaw? On ground without a chainsaw?" FFS? Annual cost last year with Trust was £4,400, this year quotes back so far: Trust: £5,797.12 But quickly reduced to £4,200 after telling them we have much cheaper, apparently by changing ratios.. Arborisk: £4,523.31 Treesurgeoninsurance £3,955.88 Lycetts: Not doing it any more Arbcover: yet to reply Towergate: £6,972.56 Coversure: yet to reply
  23. benedmonds
    For those of you after business advice during this nightmare. I recommend the Corona Business Advice group on facebook and linkedin. LinkedIn WWW.LINKEDIN.COM Some very useful information including a template for a furlough agreement. Discussions on the grants etc. Really useful especially the linkedin, which seems to only have information from people who know what they are talking about (unlike your average thread on here) This is a few days old but worth a watch if you are not up to speed with furlouging (who is)..
  24. benedmonds
    We are trying to figure this out... I am leaning towards the stay at home..
  25. benedmonds
    Do people pay different rates or overtime to freelancers depending on how long they work or excpect a day rate to be a day if that is 8.00 to 4.30 or 8.00 till 5.30?

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