Tom D

11 hours ago, Mike Hill said:

My crane runs off the tractor Matty,similar sized crane to yours and same sized tractor.

 

Its pretty fast and powerful

 

 

Same with mine, pressure relief blows off so it must be making pressure.

2 minutes ago, woodwizzard said:

NIMBY and busy bodies! Yes, some are a bit like that, but I like the fact that some people care for and are concerned about wildlife. Better than not giving a shite surely.

You could say concerned Neighbour if you like. The important thing is that if you have done things properly and recorded your checks then you have a document that you can show to any interested parties.

It’s really not that hard to check before hand  and if you do discover something then inform the client and go back another time. If you can’t afford to do this then you didn’t have enough money on the job.

All our staff have bat awareness training, (two of them are licensed bat handlers) and I believe that pre start checks for wildlife are part of the basic tree climbing course.  It can be annoying if some NIMBY attempts to use ecological issues to prevent work taking place, but if you have done a proper check and recorded it you have a document that you can show to any busy bodies..... Plus you can charge the client extra for the document if you like...

Radials are much nicer on the road and they have better traction too, however cross plys are much tougher, especially in the side walls. It depends where you are using it, in domestic arb I’d go radials, but for forestry and site work crossplys.

I’ll check.

I will probably be selling an 8" ducker front mount in the next couple of weeks, it’s a din plate mount... comes with reverse box etc.. I just need to get it’s replacement sorted out first..

Transformer welders are more reliable than inverter, but they're big and heavy. If its staying in the workshop then look at the Oxford range of migs. The 180amp one is under £500 and its quality stuff.  I'm about to get the 240 amp one I think.

The law regarding these type of issues is the same both sides of the border. And there is only one UK HMRC.

regarding your PLI, all insurance policies have small print. If you don’t like yours try another insurer!

If one of your conditions is no subby cover then that’s that. I was referring to the industry definition of what a subby actually is. Most policies won’t cover subbys, that’s the point of them being subbys... they have their own insurance. This is why it’s really important who is directing who on site, if you tell your subby to do something and it goes wrong whose fault is it? Whose insurance are you claiming on? That’s why subbys must work unsupervised in order to qualify as bona fide.   Ie, " there’s the tree, I’ll be back at 4:00, see you later" 
 

The fact is on 90% of tree jobs someone should have EL cover, and when you think about how much were charging it’s a drop in the ocean to get it... I don’t know why so many try and get away without it. 

Just to add....

it is the responsibility of the business to check and evaluate its subcontractors, this is why you often have to fill out a subcontractor pack before you can work with larger firms. We ask subbys to do it. If we didn’t and a Subby cocked up we could still be held liable...

We have 12 staff and use a number of subbys so I have a pretty good grasp of the PAYE and insurance situation these days.

The first thing to know is that the HMRC definition of a genuine Subcontractor and the Insurance Industry definition of a bona fide Subcontractor are different so It would be possible to be one and not the other.

So the HMRC definition would be someone who works for a number of different employers an invoices them directly. They are not concerned with the type of work that they do.

The insurance Industry definition has more to do with the nature of the management of the subby. For a subby to be bona fide in insurance terms he must work or be capable of working under his own direction likely using his own tools and equipment. 

So scenario 1:

Dave works for John 5 days a week all year. Dave has all his own kit and he is in charge when on site, John sends a groundie to work with Dave. John doesn't need to be on site, Dave will get the job done....

In this scenario Dave is a bona fide subcontractor in the eyes of the insurance industry, so john could get away with not having EL Cover and Dave could have his own policy providing John didn't 'employ' anyone else. 

In the eyes of HMRC however Dave is not a subcontractor, he should be employed by john since he doesn't work anywhere else.

Scenario 2: Dave Works for John 2 days a week, he works for Bill the rest of the time. Dave has his own saw and climbing kit but he works under the supervision of John, they work together as a team all day.

Dave is a genuine subby in the eyes of HMRC.

He is not a subby in the eyes of the insurance industry. John needs to have EL insurance.

Scenario 3:

Dave works for John 2 days a week, he works for Bill the rest of the time. Dave has all his own kit and he is in charge when on site, John sends a groundie to work with Dave. John doesn't need to be on site, Dave will get the job done....

Dave is a genuine subby in the eyes of HMRC and the insurance Industry.

We’re running one in Scotland in the spring.. not quite what you’re looking for but there you go!

I had an old single roller entec, it was quite good actually..

14 hours ago, jfc said:

Hi Tom, I hope it's a busy edin/Borders office, not a ...'bust' one!

Well spotted!

TD Tree & Land Services are looking for two arborists to join our busy Edinburgh / Borders based team.

Requirements:

Punctual and personable

Experienced climber capable of tackling trees of any size and choosing the appropriate method to carry out the task. (a minimum of two years climbing experience)

A good understanding of tree biology and how to prune a tree to a high standard.

A can do attitude.

Pre requisite qualifications: (NPTC)

Chainsaw and small fell

Tree climbing and aerial rescue

Chainsaw from a rope and harness

Driving license

(we will consider an exceptional 'groundie' with no climbing qualifications but we'd prefer a qualified climber)

Desirable qualifications: (NPTC)

Rigging / Dismantling

Pruning

Assisted fell

Wood chipper

Powered pole pruner

Large tree felling

Windblow

We would also welcome anyone with formal academic qualifications such as AA Tech or Foundation Degree

What we're offering.

Salary around £20- 24k plus bonuses and additional rates for weekend or night working.

£750 p/a PPE / kit allowance.

The opportunity to work for an Arb Assoc Approved company where you will be encouraged to gain new skills, training will be provided in areas where you are wanting to improve.

We have an excellent suite of equipment including tractors with cranes and Unimog with HIAB as well as the usual vans and chippers, all our climbers can get the climbing equipment that they want or need on the company (you choose the kit you want to climb with). 

We also have a consultancy and ecology division and we would encourage climbers who wish to pursue a career in this direction in the future to gain new skills and be ready to work as a consultant when it's time to hang the spikes up.

Please apply by emailing [email protected] with your CV or a brief intro and leave your number, we'll call you.

DO NOT REPLY TO THIS THREAD AND EXPECT A CALL. you may ask questions below but you'll get a quicker response by email.

Thanks for that, seems good.

has a one got one?

Anyone used one? How do they rate?

I am particularly interested in how easy it is to haul out the cable and also how the pulling power compares to other winches of the same rating.

I think the regs are that there has to be 300mm of hearth in front of the stove and 150mm from any combustible surface. 

On the form I just filled out there was an option to apply having only a current account. That with RBS, Nat West will be the same...

This is what my bank sent me...

·         Available to existing customers (with a business current account) for amounts between £2k and £50k

·         Borrowing is limited to 25% of turnover (subject to a maximum loan size of £50k)

·         The first 12 months are interest free

·         The duration of the loan is 6 years with a 12 month Capital Repayment Holiday

·         After 12 months, the customer pays a fixed interest rate of 2.5% (the interest rate is determined by the Government and consistent across all BBLS accredited lenders)

·         There are no fees

·         The facility is unsecured but the borrower is fully liable for repayment of the loan. The bank (not the borrower) benefits from a 100% Government Guarantee

·         The customer confirms their eligibility through a range of declarations and attestations embedded into the application process.

Careful, this is 2.5% flat rate not APR.  2.5 flat rate is more like 5% APR.

I was quoted 2.49% flat rate by a finance broker a few weeks ago.  I'd still be going for one of these as its no payments for 12 months...

Just saying...

My new pup.. 5 months old now.

We will be prepared to offer a re-location package to anyone who is moving from another part of the country.

bump

TD Tree & Land Services have a vacancy for an experienced arborist in our busy Edinburgh Team. 

Requirements:

Punctual and personable

Experienced climber capable of tackling trees of any size and choosing the appropriate method to carry out the task. (a minimum of two years climbing experience)

A good understanding of tree biology and how to prune a tree to a high standard.

A can do attitude.

Pre requisite qualifications: (NPTC)

Chainsaw and small fell

Tree climbing and aerial rescue

Chainsaw from a rope and harness

Driving license

Desirable qualifications: (NPTC)

Rigging / Dismantling

Pruning

Assisted fell

Wood chipper

Powered pole pruner

Large tree felling

Windblow

We would also welcome anyone with formal academic qualifications such as AA Tech or Foundation Degree

What we're offering.

Salary around £24k plus bonuses and additional rates for weekend or night working.

The opportunity to work for an Arb Assoc Approved company where you will be encouraged to gain new skills, training will be provided in areas where you are wanting to improve.

We have an excellent suite of equipment including tractors with cranes and Unimog with HIAB as well as the usual vans and chippers, all our climbers can get the climbing equipment that they want or need on the company (you choose the kit you want to climb with). 

We also have a consultancy and ecology division and we would encourage climbers who wish to pursue a career in this direction in the future to gain new skills and be ready to work as a consultant when it's time to hang the spikes up.

Please apply by emailing [email protected] with your CV or a brief intro and leave your number, we'll call you.

DO NOT REPLY TO THIS THREAD AND EXPECT A CALL. you may ask questions below but you'll get a quicker response by email.

I’ve recently started making a few handles and scales, it’s quite rewarding...