Dean Lofthouse

A sign saying free woodchip help yourselves works for me. I never have a big pile. Weekends see it gone every time.

It's ok Dave, it starts of with really basic stuff and then moves onto advanced and compound rigging techniques, rigging forces and top wood removal. All in all it covers from beginners to advanced very comprehensively

One mans high wind is another mans Breeze

In the manual of mine it's ok up to 45. Problem is it doesn't say 45 what FPS or MPH If it's fps it's ok to 31 mph or 45MPH if in MPH Even 31 is quite a wind

I did markets for friday sat sun for 15 years and got absolutey peed off with people trying to barter. They think they are the first in the world to barter with someone when in reality every other punter tried it and we served 2 or 3 hundred people a day with 2 or 3 thousand a day walking past and looking. As a result I cannot stand to barter, I look at an item, I get a price in my head as to what it's worth, I then ask how much, if the price is on or below the price I have in mind I buy it if I need it. If it is way over I put it back down.

One of my faults is I never look at prices, I decide what I want and buy it.

Went onto www.treesource.co.uk when someone posted the link elsewhere. I was just bored at the weekend so decided to buy three books. Tree Climber Knot Book ISBN 3-9810417-1-2 Collins complete guide to British Trees ISBN 978-0-00-723685-5 The Art and Science of practical rigging. (ISA) All basic stuff but really informative and should be part of everyone tool kit Good site though for books

I'd have loved to have been sitting in the nice warm conservatory with a lovely mug of milky coffee watching you doing that Ben Nice work mate, especailly in such adverse conditions

Nowt wrong with that Pete. You could have left it till it was paper thin then got Skyhuck in to climb it I've had similar experiences with non climbing TO's, who have said nothing wrong with the tree/s this involved six sycamores / horsechestnuts / brown poles with a big green wavy thing ontop, whatever you want to call them.

Exactly what I was saying, use our tax more efficeintly. There's far too much wastage, what I can't understand here (and this will start a debate) is why some many people are sat at home claiming benefits when there are so many things need doing in the community, ie Cleaning graffiti, repairing vandalised walls, clearing litter, helping out the elderly, charities, you get the drift. I know someone who is better off than me, his wife claims invalidity, he is her carer, plus other things he claims. Doesn't need to work yet she wanders off down town to do the shopping. Pees me right off.

God point. But how can you be in business and be anomynous?? That would not be good business sense. You have got to advertise, perhaps website, signage an vehicles or yard.

Only at Leeds as well Craig http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/bedford-mj-mk-tk-4-x-4-hiab-3-way-tipper-no-swap-why_W0QQitemZ320257268387QQihZ011QQcategoryZ36799QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Exactly Jason. I've been saying this for years, I hear people winghing about the state of the NHS and Gov services and in the next breathe how they pay too much tax. One thing I would like to see is OUR money used more efficiently which would in itself probably reduce the need for higher taxation. I don't mind paying for a house for an MP to live in nearer to work provided that when that house is sold, all the money inc profit goes back into gov coffers. I draw the line at cookers, decorating and food, they are consumables and not investments

Just fresh juice Mozza and if it doesn't start you may have to take some covers off the carb to free the butterfly flaps which are there to allow fuel to pass one way only. If it doesn't start get a stihl because they start after a year in storage

I'm clearing up a huge Beech that fell over into a garden, coming to rest on a childrens playhouse. The children where in the garden at the time, this beech is about 5ft BDH I'll get some piccies next week.

Some people just don't fit in!! I have just got back from a Garden Party invite at such and such Hall (can't give name out) with a game of croquet on the hall gardens after. There were about 25 guests including big landowners, an oil baron, barristers, a big multi national company director, you get the picture, I turned up in my 130 defender armed with a paving rubber mallet over shoulder for the croquet game. These upper class do have a sense of humour :wave:

Just had smoked trout, slices of rare beef, esparagus dips, and tatties. With Strawberries, cream and macaroons for afters. Washed down with four bottles of ..........Bud. Pure class! :wave:

So true. I would imagine from what the police have told me that all the manhole / drain covers are owned by utility or LA s. If this is the case then they would dispose of any damaged covers via there own designated dealers and no private scrap collectors would have access to them without them being stolen.

This is the images of two cold callers who just walked up my drive and knocked on the back door and asked the wife if she had any scrap they could have. There is quite a bit of scrap hidden by the garage which they had spotted, so I have had to move it. She told them to go away unpolitely and they said words to the effect of " F me, you'd think we were theives or summat". Anyway, sometime after they had gone I noticed that a couple of drain covers had been stolen, one was exactly where they had parked their truck. I went to price a job and noticed cones all round the area marking missing manhole covers, one was in the middle of a main road. Doesn't bear thinking about what would have happened if a motorbike had hit it or it had ripped one of the front wheels off a car which then hit a lampost! These people want hanging IMO and the scrap dealers that are taking the gear want torturing and then hanging. The Police are coming up tonight for these photos which are a little grainy cos I took a photo of the monitor screen with my mobile, but it looks like a newish LDV tipper with a sweeping broom stuck in the corner post. BTW, these guys had a yorkshire accent.

Which is the one to buy Stihl HS81T or the HS81R One is for trimming the other for thicker more woody material. With us we get called in mainly for reductions and try to steer clear of hedge trimming unless is trimming which needs specail tackle that your average gardner can't take on. We are generally cutting through thumb sized material.

I've got signs at the end of the drive advertising Tree Surgery. Just the Signage "Tree Surgery" suggests there is at least, climbing gear, a chipper, chainsaws, hedge Trimmer etc etc etc on the premises. You will be already well known through local advertising, so pictures of your kit ( which you advertise to the world towing it behind your truck everyday) aren't going to make any difference. As you say Andy, complacency is your worst enemy, not the fact that the theives know what kit you have. I had two lads knocking at my back door yesterday, while another was by the garage eyeing all my scrap up. They asked the wife if we had any scrap, she told them to f off basically and they had a go at her, saying "you'd think we were theives or something". After they left and I got home, I went through the cctv and found where they had parked, what vehicle it was and it just turned out all the drain covers down the road had been taken within the last few hours. So I'm on alert for the next few weeks plus I've got the cops up this aft veiwing the cctv footage. But to be honest, pseudonyms and posting photos on here wont make an ounce of difference. What does is showing them you mean business when they do knock at your door. Last ones that knocked on my door got a right verbal abusing and told to @ off my drive in the next 5 seconds or else. Standing there staring at them wide eyed and twitching one eye, your shoulder and head also helps to show you mean business :wave:

I cancel work if it's raining, can't do with getting my gear wet :wave: I do it quite often, but my business plan is to charge a realistic day rate and only initailly book 3 days a week, you then have 2 days to shuffle jobs about then the customer isn't waiting more than a couple of days if you postpone the job for bad weather. If then you have a decent week with no rain or wind you can pull a job forward from the next week and fit 4 or 5 days in however much you feel you want to and in the process impress customers being extra prompt. If you charge low day rates and have to fit in five or six days a week to make it pay then at some point you are going to have to work in inclimant weather and take chances. I love tree work and climbing, but I don't see how anyone can enjoy it in the peeing down rain, slipping and sliding about ontop of branches getting yourself and your gear covered in black slime. My system works, I have decent up to date gear and am very busy, mostly repeat business. You are not rushed and can spend that extra time tidying up to leave a good impression. Low day rates, IMO, lead to rushing, working in bad weather, not being able to afford to replace gear when knackered. I know contract climbing is a different ball game and doesn't come under the above.

Nice one :icon14:

Hit the nail on the head there Chris

It was the same thing that shot me only I packed a plastic bag into it to keep moisture out, shot me from about 12" and badly bruised about five ribs, put a big hole in my T shirt and put me on my knees