Ty Korrigan

Har har har! It went for 505 quid! Weird, I couldn't see a chain brake either...?

They are very 'popular' around here at the moment and no wonder with these published rates. Their market is purely the Ex-pats who are really feeling the pinch since the fall of the pound against the euro. I find the French are better payers all round.

Dear Sir, I have a very 'serious' question. I wish to know the typical per hour running costs of your TW125 as I'm about to make a 'serious' financial commitment and wish to price my future work with this in mind. Regards Ty

Hello there, For any-one interested in business life in France, whilst googling around I came across this business operating in my neck of the woods. http://www.brittanytreesurgeon.com Interesting part about it is that they publish their day rates. How do these rates compare with the U.K? Worth bearing in mind that the tax rate here is more than 48.5% of profit after an automatic 40% allowance for business costs. This means that the 2 person day rate of 375euros is 109 tax leaving 266euros with which to pay costs and 2 wages Set the earnings against the French minimum wage of around 8.84euros Ty

Hi, Had my Stihl about 2 weeks and so far it has earned good money for me. I stand on my new Henchman and lop the tops off of nasty mature hedges with it and clear drive ways of overhanging skinny branches. Saves me time loads of time all round and makes me more competitive. I tossed up between the saw kit for my km85 combi which would have been a great saving but wanted the flexibility of the telescopic pole. Takes some getting used to though, makes my arms ache alot and I have to think hard about not getting it pinched (in the tree not by pikies:001_tongue:) I shall buy the angled head next time I'm back in the U.K. which my improve my cuts. Ty

Hello, Any ideas on cost of the magneto for a Stihl KM100? Thanks Ty

Per m3 how much do chips weigh?

Gurt great fellas they are! The boughs literally dripping with these huge hazelnuts and yet when opened in front of a roaring fire... They contain no meat. Empty except for some dust. Now some have a small worm hole yet others without said hole still have no meat. What goes? Whats denying me my nuts! Any ideas?

I did agency work for a week strimming the verges of St Malo for a council contractor in 2008. It rained all week too. I had to strip off all my kit and wash in disinfectant before going to lunch or home. So foul when it hits your face... even with a visor and specs on... I also hate having to weed where cats go...

IF... you had an unstoppable nose bleed... Could you sniff the stuff?

Why though... did Mr Bullman edit Geoffs poem...? A man not known for bad language:confused1:

A local neer-do-well expat Brit near us has decided to buy a chainsaw (I'm going to get me a really big pro saw that will do everything) and offer himself on the black as a 'treework'. Reckons he is going to buy a cherrypicker and work from that. I can't wait, I really can't... Might send him a sachet of Celox and a safety pin.

Er... Sex. Yup. I'm doing a tree for a lovely French woman for a good meal and a jump. RAAAHHH! Tax that one Sarkosy!

Hello all. I'm fairly new to pricing tree work. Because I'm new I'm also not say 'up to speed'. However... I have looked into my costings and know how much I need to make every hour. The percieved value of the work is important. I climb trees for far more than I cut grass. If a customer is happy with the price/quality of work balance then thats what is important at the end of the day. Too cheap and I feel that I may become a busy fool and de-value the work. Too expensive... well I'm already there with the hard up Brit ex-pats. I grossed 160euros for 1 hours climbing which was 1h45min total including cleaning up from a French guy who was over the moon with my price and service. However, I quoted 1200euros for a take down of a large Horse Chestnut overhanging a phone line and two houses and was told firmly by the British client that in her opinion 300euros per day was an obscene amount of money to charge in this economic climate. Yet I full well know her hubby and son charge 160euros cash for D.I.Y/ plastering and cutting grass! Would she talk that way to a solicitor or doctor...? I know my base rate and won't go below it, though the more effort and risk involved the greater the price I ask.

Hello, As some may have read, I'm in Bretagne, France. Normally, I'm a gardener looking after second homes and whatever comes my way. Rather than employ tree surgeons here and lose out on work, I took some time out to retrain in '08 and now offer tree services along with my 'collaborator' who acts as my bad tempered groundsman. (good cop bad cop..) I did try working for 2 French companies to gain some experience but sadly realised very fast that nothing was to be learned there. So I decided to go back to trading under my old name and also under the umbrella of my collaborator. We cut grass one week and do hedges, trees and other stuff the next. Rained hard recently so we started our winter project early. A manor house, clearing its grounds ready for the builders. All burn on site and 400euros a day for 2 men with cash paid to a U.K bank from Saudi. Some good climbing to be had and alot of felling which I love as I'm always trying for the perfect cut. With the pound falling against the euro, times are tough out here but we still get the work coming in although we have dropped our prices when dealing with retired folk as they really are feeling the pinch. I may be 40 and too old to ever be a fast climber but I'm much younger in terms of fitness levels. I feel safe in the tree and enjoy the work immensely and wish I'd done this 20years ago. However, I also wish I had done some time with a really good firm so as to build up on my experience first. Ah well... who would employ a 40 year old 10 week tree surgeon eh...? Better off going it for myself.

ISC Capstan.

Alright... I know I don't have alot of experience yet and have alot to learn blah blah blah... However, I won't stop me from asking. This flying capstan thingy that comes with my lowering kit. How 'best' to attach it by the whoopie sling? Are there any good links that I have missed in my googling or even a book about lowering and rigging that I can buy? Thanks chaps.

Now then... May I ask the learned ones of this parish the following question? How much does it cost you to earn a pound? Or... If you grossed 100 pounds, how much goes in material business costs. (ie) equipment, assurances and all the little stuff. Not included are employees costs. Thank you in advance and I hope I have expressed myself sufficiently well to be clear. Ty Korrigan

Whay hay! Well I'm nearly offically up and running here. Been working 'clandestine' for a few weeks as registering here is a long process. I must register with the Chamber of trades (Chambre de Metiers) Pay 400euros+ to attend a 5 day business course in boring business French. Possibly have my certificates officialy translated to prove my self. The government allows me as a 'micro B.I.C entreprise' an automatic allowance of 40% for costs. Then takes 48.5% of the profit in 'social charges' So... I earn 100 euros, am allowed 40 euros against costs leaving 60 euros to divided between Sarkosy (48.5%= 29.1euros) leaving me with 30.9euros to feed myself with. Therefore, I must minimise costs and take as much cash as I dare. I am only required to keep a basic accounting ledger. I have won several one and 2 day jobs, big hedges, a couple of non technical take downs and the chance to quote for what may be a 7 day stint clearing the grounds of a manoir renovation ready for the builders. Not needed a chipper yet as have burned or stacked the arisings on site or made a few trips to the local tip for very little money charged! Today, I visited the owners of a property with a mature horse chestnut that has a large cavity just below where the branches meet. It has a heavy lean towards 2 houses and a phone line. In fact a whole lot of hazards overhung by large heavy branches. I priced the take down at 1150euros as I thought a 2 day stint with climber and groundsman and a M.E.W.P to help deal with some tricky branches. I'm maxed out at 5 hours climbing a day at current fitness levels. The lowest price was 400euros but the owners didn't like the chaps attitude. Me, well I'm over priced. I know I could climb for less than the 300 euros but I cut grass for 200+ per day so why climb for that...? My grounds man WOULD work for 150 instead of 200 but he is worth his weight in gold to me. I'm not to disapointed not to get this job as there are many Brits over here very hard up since the plunge of the Sterling and fall in the value of their pensions. Still, I am going to make another offer to this client as they proposed to pay cash. I could dispense with the M.E.W.P and just grit my teeth and walk those dodgy branches I suppose... P.S... We have an amazing Indian summer here!

Thanks for all that Chaps Will post some more from La Belle France soon....

Helo there, I have a quote to put in for the felling of a mature horse chestnut, heavily weighted on one side with long branches. It has an 8ft stem with a large cavity from an old tear out wound that faces away from the direction of all the branches. Sadly, I can't see any fruiting bodies to make an I.D. Could any-one here please relate to me their experiences of working with these trees as I am aware the wood is some what fragile. Thanks in advance for your responses

Hello all, I have a job ahead where I am to fell several very skinny Sycamores leaning from a low bank hard towards a lane and over phone and electric cables. These are too thin to climb and other than hire a MEWP I am a loss how to dismantle them safely. I could get a line over into the crown and pull them back away from the lane and cables but which cut to use? I wish to avoid a barberschair situation. The stems are very small diameter indeed yet around 16m in height. Thanks in advance.

I'm pretty sure that TNT stump removal was part of the 10week course at Merrist back in the '70's... Or was that just another joke I fell for...

Can you get a cream for that...?