Topcat

We took down an elm at a pub which used to be an old coaching inn. It was next to the road so we started at 6am,by 8am all the top was off and we thought we would have the butt down, disc up and in the pub by noon. Turned out to be the "shooting tree". for centuries, criminals had been stood against the tree and shot. The lead shot we found got bigger as you cut deeper in the butt, right back to the old musket balls the size of marbles. We eventually got away at 8pm well knacked and all a bit spooked.

Having been in this game for a good few years the subject of a trade body that REALLY represents ALL the industry is well worthy of discussion. I thought I had joined one,the AA back in the 80's.Paid my membership,went through the contractors scheme and got approved and ended up on the Nothern branch committee. Then I realised that I only remained approved if I paid to go in their little book every year. All the meetings I went to had very little to do with getting your gear out,climbing and real tree work, more politics,paper pushing and who's who in the Arb club. So I also joined the NAA, great but never seem to take off,this side of the pond and so came Delga and the ISA. A lot more down to earth for the contractor/worker. Then you start to think what you really want from trade body? Someone to come along and check up on your gear and work.....no or check how new your van and chipper are......no How to deal with your clients and run your business.......no Why do the people think that they need to approve us in the first place and list us into categories. Surley thats why we go to college and or spend a small fortune on NPTC/Loler. your qualifications and experience should be what counts. Take Arbtalk. 2796 members across all age groups.Juniors getting into the job,through to top climbers and Arb officers. one man bands up to big co's and we all discuss jobs,give advice where we can and even offer to lend a hand on one anothers jobs.The site is proving a real winner,are we becomming a group/society/guild, it feels like it to me. On the other hand the AA (and I use as an example,not to have a dig) over 2000 members, only a hand full of app consultants and I just counted 188 app contractors. After 40 yrs is that the best they can do? if it is then that must prove their thinking is wrong. They may represent the industry but the numbers show they do not represent the majority. For years I have heard people shout about how we need to promote the arb industry. How are people going to take us seriously when our own organisations don't take us seriously. It's obvious from previous comments that there is this them and us or celebrity status, we've heard it all jobs for the boys. Whilst I am the first to agree that bridges need to be put in place within the industry I do not think another guild based on approval schemes is the way forward. If something could be set up that could mirrow the feeling that Arbtalk has generated, helping people out,meetings,legal advice,sharing info etc,that could be a winner.If members felt they were actually getting some benefit I bet no's would soon grow and you could soon have a voice in the industry.

Just got a big Beech take down job( £4k) The council have said the tree is dangerous and must come down asap. It's in the beer garden but over a road and if it fell would wipe out a house or two. The highways dept are insisting on a payment for road closure of £330 and £49 for a permit to use the crane on the highway. I've paid only once in 20 odd years but that job was booked 6 wks in advance. Never paid before in this sort of case. Luckily the planning dept is going to give a grant to cover the payment to the highways dept. Feel sorry for the lanlord who's only been in the pub for two years and the brewery are just been tight. Just wondered what other councils charged,if anything. We now have to apply for a permit and pay £49 just to use a mewp on any council road within the ring road. Crazy.....

Son nagged and nagged for one,so he got it xmas morning. I had it back in bits and in the box by dinner. First shot went half way through yellow pages book. Second one was at a target against the fence.It went through the target and the fence,the horses water bath was at the other side of fence where they were drinking. Luckily the two horses stand about 4' high so it missed. Hate to think what could happen if you got a few lads playing around with one. Bought him a push and pop air pistle instead. He can just about hit a 6'x6' fence panel at 5 yards but he still thinks he's rambo..lol

well I was going to get a quote but Trust have just given me a NCD and the policy is £200 cheaper than last year. So happy to stay with them. All my other insurance is with NFU and when I have asked in the past they will quote but to many restrictions and get out clauses. Not to sure about all the offices quoting different info, only time will tell,when someone as a claim (accident not theft etc)

not working in York...first time I have got past first page in last 2 days.

Paid just to get it on the ground. The client cleared up in half hour with his teleporter and tractors straight on to a fire.

There was a busy A road to on side, house (kids nursery to the other) fences and carpark elsewhere. Did'nt you see rouge traders last week...I had to talk the job up to get top dollar..LOL

Close but not close enough...lol.......in that wind would you have give a s**t.

And a bit more [ame] [/ame]

Tree had to come down at any cost. So I got me spikes out. Not bad for a near fifty year old.Even if I do say so myself. [ame] [/ame]

yes. but the 2006 version,need to upgrade. Good system until something like this crops up. Tried ringing one of the associate's a cpl year back. Even he had to ring them to sort the problem out for me.

Steve...it goes on as a fixed asset account but you must open a corresponding depreciating account with a fixed % that you want to apply,25% usually for vechiles. At the tax year end the system then deducts 25% from the value of the fixed asset and the new value is set for next year.It will show the new figure on the balance sheet and your P & L is adjusted to show a write down for said asset.....hope that helps

Don't like doing them but since xmas they have brought us in about £10k and at the moment there's not much else about on the private side. Did a load last week which sounds very much like these. Spiky stems in the middle all cut at different height,get scratched to hell. Head down and stick at it.

At leats no one got hurt (But if they continue in that vain it won't be long). Would have liked to see more of the cavity, it looked a fair size. If the tree was not comming down why did they let them work on it knowing they were going to hack it?, defeated the object of the programme.A little later they stopped the guys from laying tarmac before they knacked the drive. One very good point though.If they knew the guys were endangering themselves,who would have been responsible to the H & S if he had slipped with that blunt saw and cut himself? The BBC as employer? Crazy to let/put people in danger.They could have let them loose on felling a small Elder etc

we have this "position statement" and Exemption notification copied and laminated. It stays in the mog together with letters from HM customs regarding our use of cherry diesel. Last multi agency check (about 4 weeks ago) no problem. Apart from plod been peed off when he thought he had the driver for no licence,insurance etc....left hand drive ...derrrrr

Hope the guy is ok. Remember falling about 8' out of a cherry into a bed of roses. It was'nt the fall that hurt it was getting out of the roses. Me back looked like I'd spent the night with a wild woman....I wish

It happens...last week we were doing 70' conifers reduce down to 20'. Guys had been on the job for 3 days taking down a scyamore and lifting one....with bow saws and working off ladders. 2 guys £200 each a day,all the brash was left attached to heavy wood and just stacked,and all 4' stubs with tear's on the lift. They bottled the conifers. Took me 1/2 hour to climb sycamore and remove all stubs while lads chipped all brash from their work. We got £1200 and for another £200 would have done all the job. Overall they paid a grand more to have their trees fecked. Dipsticks...lol

Well done, good job and never the best places with so many targets and people can get so upset,. Graveyards not my favorite place..Last time we used a mewp, back wheel went over a grave which collapsed and we needed a plank to stick under it.Found a funny shaped piece of wood at the back of church,it turned out to be the grave diggers template...whoops. He never realised when he was asking us if we had seen it that we had just fed it through chipper to hide our wrong doings..lol. Of course most on here would have held there hands up.

Been in YP since I started in the 80's and get a mixture of work.Tried Yell.com and got very little. I find that a lot of retired folk still use the phone books and not PC's and at times like this they are the ones that have a bit put by for rainy days. Bit like xmas time when drops off,usually the calls come in from the older folk not worried to much about cash. I find we get our name passed on a lot from the gardeners at uni's and hospitals etc. Always try and give the gardeners the odd day dragging brash at wkends,that way they feel they are helping themselves by helping us.

would YOU try and rob a bank there with a sawn off. Thats whats needed over here, look at the job,come up with a solution and get job done....love to see their method statements and risk asessments.though...lol

Cheers guy's.. The son now wants a car like deans, A better gun than his air rifle, so he can kill Bamby, A lurcher. He wants to go to Tree college because he now thinks tree surgery is the best job in the world.

up here they have been paying £1.90 a cube for syc and £1. 60 for ash, collected at road side.

Seems like fair money for the job Mick. Money's better in your a/c. Just got back from pricing 12 x 60' leylandii, reduce to 25', only 1 mile away so went in at £800 gave me job straight away. Apparently other guy at £450 went up first tree today and bottled it...lol. Another guy went at 1pm at wanted £1300. It's only a days work, climb, rope, pull and can get mog right under trees. All wood to stay in lenghts on site, 3 load chip away.