Chris Harris

I'm the same, to were the two meet

I've just been reliably informed by my good lady that you must not wash with fabric conditioner apparently it damages the integrity of the trousers. Dont take the p*$$ its my mrs words not mine!:wave:

I'm about a once a week guy as well except when i'm particularly minging (normally due to my swamp infested yard at the mo). Mrs also makes me take them off by the front door so i dont bring any crap in!

As others have mentioned i think it can be different depending where you are, its worth a small phone call to the council to find out as i've worked on hedges that needed permission to work on.

Looks good mate:icon14:

When is it?

I agree! really comfy & durable, definitely the best trousers i've had. I would lend you mine to try on Jay if it were'nt for you being so lanky:wave:

IMO you should get an accountant to do your books there well worth the money. It will only cost you around the £250 mark (give or take) to get one & they will save you money (in theory). I used to do my own books but i got into such a mess with them that i just had to go down the accountant route & wished i'd done it way before. Its worth doing because they know all the different ways to make your profit not look so good so you end up paying less tax.

Call 01473 688466 and ask for Jane Hyde

Yeah, see you all in rehab!

I agree! I started out 2 years ago & done all of the above. If you have to go down the route of buying second hand kit like a chipper thats a bit tatty you can paint it up quite easily to make it look better. Thats what i did when i was a bit quiet when 1st started out. IMO image speaks volumes if you look the part look after your kit then customers will think that you will look after there trees. But obviusly knowledge of your subject out ways image, so if you know your stuff & look the part you should be ok. Ps also read alot you'll find alot of good extra info

My first top handle was an echo because i could'nt quite afford an 020 at the time & but i really rated the echo. It was'nt as powerful as the 020 but still had plenty of power. I got about 18months use out of it before part of it melted & diverted the oil flow onto the sprocket rather than the guide bar. I dont know about the models you've mentioned but from using the top handle i think there good.

Sounds ace! count me in please

Superb pictures, great job

Cheers for that mate, i've used nationwide before but only got a minimum of 1 weeks hire which was ok cause it was 3 weeks work but i'll give them another try:icon14:

Well yeah, theres always reasons why some trees should'nt be climbed & for the lack of something well hmmmm....the will to leave my wife & my 6month old baby early to visit the big scrap yard in the sky springs to mind. My experience is telling me that if there is a safer way of dealing with these trees then i should taking that option,IMO

The road is wide enough to take certain mewps & there working width & still give adequate room. For the trees they have been condemned, one with disease, power lines & Bt lines running underneath it & the other has great big stinking split down it. The job is big enough to warrant a mewp (cost wise) but unsure which route to take as for type of Mewp,as i know some are not road legal

I need a MEWP for a job for 2 days dismantling a couple of trees along side a road. Signing & lights will be used so one lane will be closed. I'm thinking of using a trailer mounted MEWP for the job but unsure of whether i can use it on the road. I've used many MEWPS before, mainly lorry mounted ones as i've done quite a bit of roadside tree work, but the firm i usaully use only hire out on a weekly cost basis, but theres a local firm that do day hire for the trailer MEWP which is alot cheaper. Does anyone know the legislation on this Cheers, Chris

Thats good mate, all you need to do is to record that test once a week. It dosent have to complicated just sign it off that you've checked that bit of kit & that its safe to use. All you need to do is then have it LOLER inspected every 6months. LOLER regs came into force in 1998 & it was to ensure that all lifting ops were properly planned using the correct equipment for the job. This also included periodic inspections of lifting gear to make sure they were up to scratch. All these regs were brought because of the high volume of accidents that were happening accros the whole lifting industry, of which arb falls into.So you can blame all the other cowboys in the different industrys not just our own. To be honest there's a low chance of being caught because of the so called "grey areas" involved & lack of knowledge or understanding. Some insurance companies will ask for LOLER reports while some wont. Councils will also ask for LOLER reports if your doing work for them.But as i said earlier if you have an accident the likelihood of being checked is high. Also by having it checked by an LOLER insp they might come accross something that you might think is safe (it opened my eyes when i did the course). I want to clarify something aswell,If something fails it does not mean your going to be reported. Only stuff that is obviously knackered & should of been binned ages ago.

I'll come over tomorrow with me silky & make a start:laugh:

Steve, if you ever need a hand with anything just give me a shout, if i'm not doing anything i'll be more than happy to help

I thought the same mate when i first got in touch with nfu, they said because its a towable object it can be covered under my commercial insurance. I asked the question of will it be covered if not attached to the truck and they said yes. Its worth looking into because its saved me around £700 by doing it this way

I've done the same mate, worked out a LOT cheaper doing it this way. All my insurance is with nfu there really good & cheap

To be honest mate most insurance firms haven't got a clue, how many actually ask if your even qualified to use a saw or even climb. its like anything its all ok untill it goes tits up and that is when you will get checked. If you have a bad accident your kit will be taken and gone over with a fine toothed comb as well as all your LOLER reports.

Having your kit LOLER inspected by an "competent person" means someone whos been trained in thorough examination of kit. As a LOLER inspector, i carry out my own LOLER inspections but every 3rd inspection i have it done by an external inspector this makes sure that i'm not being in favour of my own kit and that all my record keeping is all up to speed. The law states that you should not inspect kit in fear or favour. LOLER inspectors also have a duty to report any dangerous kit or kit that if used would cause death or serious injury to H&Se (but i'm hardly gonna climb around in something that i think is going to fail) so by having an external inspector every 2 or 3 inspec this is ok. A little reminder that all climbers, by law should be carrying out weekly recorded checks on there kit (this is the basic check you get shown on your climbing course). Climbing kit is then checked every 6months (LOLER Inspec) & rigging kit is checked every 12 months (LOLER Inspec). Sorry if this has been boring but hopefully helpful.