Ty Korrigan

Thanks for re-enforcing what I was rather thinking.

I will evacuate the wood in rounds and offer it to the poor and needy for free if collected.

The chips... Well I always have a market for good clean chips.

Ta chaps.

Ty

Hello,

Just pricing up a job to fell 15 lombardy poplars in a large garden with good road side access.

I was just going to bring the wood back to my yard and give it to hard up people in our village.

However my potential client believes they are worth money.

I personally think any money gained will have to go on reparing the damage done to the garden by whatever machine may be used to extract the logs.

So my question is... How much per m3 is it worth?y

Thanks in advance.

Ty

I guy down the road from my mums house has spent the last four weekend re pollarding a good size weeping willow out side his house. Would have been a friday finish job for most of us here but he obviously wanted to do it himself, and he has now done it. All with a scaffold tower, ladders and a b&q chainsaw. Fair play to him, must have been a good challenge. My mum said she saw him one day with double disco legs whilst up his ladder!!

When in France...

Possibly the chainsaw capital of Europe.

Almost every one ones a saw and will have a go.

Its like some kind of weekend gallic rite to climb a tree in plimsoles smoking a gallois with half tank of muscadet swilling around in your head.

Brave bastards I say...

Ladies!

Put down your handbags and visit

http://www.toyota.au

These are the raw prawn mate!

4.8Litre Landcruisers...

How to import one of these babies....?

That...

Is just the stuff of nightmares and Frenchmen.

When I saw a co-worker standing in the hopper kicking lumps into the infeed rollers I decided I couldn't work with these idiots anymore.

I imagine there is a specialist company someplace responsible for cleaning up after such incidents.

I just wouldn't know where to begin if it was my own machine/employee

Imagine the effects on those who must pick up the pieces (no joke to be found here)

When my CS100 jams and one of use must crawl into the hopper to free it I always remove the keys...

Ty

Hello,

Here in French-ville-dans-le-merde lots of 'elageurs' work climbing on their own.

They carry their fuel aloft with them too.

These guys often harvest the branches of trees along the hedgerows leaving them for the farmer to clear up.

I've done a few jobs on my own but use a short rope so its clear of branches lying on it.

Much better working with my business partner/groundy/trainee climber.

Far more efficient, motivational, safer and professional.

I could employ a self employed groundy for say 120-150 per day but prefer to split the take with Seb who having a financial interest in the business works far above call of duty.

My advice to you...

Get a good loyal mate onboard and give him decent shares.

Ty

I may sell it now as I'm finding the 'teething problems' rather longer term.

Its the no brakes issue and the tendancy to sideways twist if not level.

Also that hydro delay is a pain.

It is sold for €3100 more plus vat in France than the U.K so shouldn't have a problem shifting it then with luck.

Ty

I agree Scottie...

I have experienced almost all of those problems too.

The lack of brakes.

The hydrostatic delay.

The pigging weight/balance.

The falling into a hole a twisting almost over.

Its a bastard in many ways but its my bastard until I find better!

Ty

Hello,

I almost bought a Danequipe recently.

The I saw a video of a Sidewinder in action and called up Global recycling to set up a demo at my parents U.K address.

I have doubt that the Danequipe is the equal to the Bandit in terms of quality and engineering.

I wanted badly to buy BRITISH but the easy pivot action of the Bandit won me over.

I'm small.

63Kg.

I can drive the Sidewinder anywhere and then...

Not that I would.

Operate it with my middle finger.

It really is that effortless.

I have worn my tiny frame to a shadow with ragging hire machines about but my shiny yellow sidewinder is worth every centime/sous/shekel/dime/groat...

Can't wait to upload our latest stumpgrind onto our website.

http://www.lejardinieranglais.com

p.s

sorry danequipe, I really am.

With the direction the U.K economy is headed,

Guys, welcome to the future

David Nash was a personal friend of Roger Deakin the author of 'Wildwood'

That's a book worth reading.

Nash also grows trees into living sculptures.

Ty

Oh I see your game you canny Scot!

Up and down the street filling neighbours wheely bins whilst they are at work...

Really, green waste disposal has come to that?

Ty

Sometimes...

I feel I give clients too much info.

I tell them just how I am going to do the job and where, what etc.

Then armed with this knowledge they don't get back to me and do the bloody job themselves.

I am trying to be more cautious with my information these days and try to weave in a little prediction of danger should amateurs armed with a yellow and black chainsaw make the attempt to have a go.

I've just changed blades for a new set after approx 25hours since we last turned the first set, what a difference!

I seem to slip into forgetting what fresh blades are like at times.

Tested them out on a 10cm diameter 3m length of fresh cut laurel, ripped it out of my hand and threw perfect regular chips, like a new machine again.

I'm pretty clinical about what gets fed into and by who but I find 20-25hours is a good period between changes.

A bugger is, I have just quoted on 2 jobs both mature Thuyia with a mass of drooping and curved branches.

Lots of prepping with the chipper saw before that lot can be fed through.

Still, might add an hour onto the total of each job but thats peanuts compared with buying a big new tow behind machine plus the convenience of being able to portage the CS100 almost anywhere and to be able to leave 90% of chip on site for the clients convenience.

Regards

Ty

I've just come back from a short bike ride as I was having drinks with neighbours when one pipes up

'I see Marie Paul has had her oaks cut down'

Both my business partner and I choked on our Martinis then I slipped away to pedal some 6km round trip to see if it was true.

It was.

Now this is the second confirmed job in a week lost to a mystery tree surgeon/git with a ladder and saw who is merely working for peanuts and 50% of the wood.

What hurts is that the clients didn't tell us but left it to others to get the word to us.

It happens in France too see...

The cause of your tendonitus isn't the lack of a girlfriend...

Hey!

I'm a Stihl man through and through!

I love using my Silky over my 200+192

In fact, I am going to upgrade to a Sugoi when I next place an order with Honey Bros.

Just find it amazing they can sell a saw for £89.

Later...

Ty

Hello, If any of you are crossing la manche soon for a holiday you may be interested in poping into Castorama which is B&Q in French.

They are selling a McAlister top handle for...

€109 = £89 or there abouts.

I took a photo on my android phone but I can't seem to upload it, sorry.

Ty

I was going to do that with a rivet but it wouldn't translate...

Ty

Hello,

This is a subject close to my heart.

I re-started my business offering tree work 18months ago.

With each client enquiry I not in my wee black book where they heard of me.

I also note the value of those quotes won or lost.

I've a series of adverts running on an ex-pat info web site.

The advertising cost is 3.75% of January's turnover.

Work directly won from these ads.

I'm going to place one in the Yellow pages next, measuring responses the same way.

I've a sign written van, glossy flyer, business card and a web site.

I'm hoping all this will lead to further word of mouth work which is also proving a real earner.

I take those tradesmen who pass work on out to lunch, thats quite normal here, very convivial.

Ty

I have to say that my little 100 is worth its weight in gold.

Once you are used to its ways it hardly ever blocks.

Holding onto material to slow the feed rate can really be tiring and dead wood... it hates it and I hate it.

Rattling, vibrating and whipping around, just plain nasty.

Mines got 60hours on the clock, I retro fitted one.

We always let it clear itself and give it a shake before turning it off.

I've one complaint.

Not enough proper tie down points.

We are looking to buy a bigger machine soon but this one is staying with us.

Far too usefull.

Ty

Hey, what number Thunderbird is that?

How the hell do you work in the afternoon after 4 courses?

I will admit to forgoing the cheese platter on a couple of days last week... BELCH!

Cheers Bro!

I do in fact have an old washing machine stored away.

I had wondered if using talc on the lines during work would unstick and dry the resin up.

Very frustrating and slightly embarrasing becoming almost stuck fast.

Ty

Hello,

We're on a weeks job in a 16thC manoir clearing storm damage and dismantling several radiata that overhang the gardens walls.

I've come to the end of my tether with a very sticky problem.

The resin, of which there is lots of, is simply making climbing a dangerous chore.

Yesterday ALL my prussiks and even my 2 flip lines rendered useless, glued tight so as I was unable to budge or at one point even open the knots to descend.

I clean the cords with neat alcohol after but really I need to find another solution.

Any experiences or suggestions?

Cheers

Ty