Ty Korrigan

Morning, should be cycling really but I'm moving into a new flat in town. I do believe Stumpgrinder is down in the Charente Maritime. Its alot warmer below the Loire, Brittany is damn cold at times and in June we had near zero nights. Felling, well we shall see then. I'm selling the wood for fuel via an advert placed on Angloinfo, an expat forum for various region in France. Giving the chips away too. The thing about working in France is there are a limited number of expats who can now afford treework. The French can well afford it but getting fluent enough to make headway can take years. The 'tax' situation would make you go weak at the knees too... However, there is plenty of work near areas if higher population. I reckon Central Brittany is about overstocked with arborists, thats why I moved last year to Rennes and if I look back it only with a sigh of relief. Ty

I pay almost €50 for both sides of my CS100 blades but they are big at 30cm. I'm running a bandit hb20, its powerfull but needs level ground or its just plain dangerous. Ty

An orange one... Company colours! Seriously, hows it all going? I just won an 81 spruce fell 'n' grind from a second home owner here. He want more work after this lot too. Spent a day on 30 thuyias, soft 'n' easy, €350 cash for a regular client. Getting used to the machine and pricing. Best prices are small groups of inconvenient stumps. There, I can ramp up the price. I'm going to save all my used greenteeth up and when I reach 100 or so ask our local 'affutage' company for a price to sharpen them all, I've no time, none at all. Cheers Ty http://www.lejardinieranglais.com

Hello, I've done my sums, won the job but just wondered none the less.. A question for the esteemed panel.. How many plantation conifers of 30cm dbh may be felled by one man in a day? I've banked on 20...if not too hot. Cross cut to 1m lengths, all brash stacked for chipping. I'm clear felling a small badly managed plantation the grinding for a week after. Thank you in advance Ty

If we can park our vans on site, me wifes brothers and his mates will do it for the wood... Diddly diddly diddly its a pikies life for me!

Update... The big pop dismantle + grinding job I lost to a very large local company. From a source close to my 'lost' client. The winning firms price was bizzarely low. I put it down to more efficient machinery. During the course of the work they turned round and told the client that 'evacuation de dechets ne pas compris' in other words, removing the arisings was a further charge not included in the original quote! The stumps which where also priced chuffing low, have not been done as they underpriced the job and can't get a contractor to grind them out for the peanuts they will pay a subby. In short, my detailed quote was bested by a vague and false one. The client has been quoted as saying they regret their choice in hindsight. Ah...I'm reassured about my own estimating in the light of this. Ty

Hello, Our day rate (which is low so difficult to lower) plus 2 labourers plus a little extra chipper use. I calculate £24'600 £30k is acceptable less than £20k is just devalueing the industry. At the end of the day, I say go low. I must piss away a good half day a week on worthless quotes and another on the ones I win. Take quote chasing into account... Ty

Ah...I ache. Today, 1st tree job for a few weeks. Felling but not the job I wrote about before. Right in the centre of a village with all and sundry hoping we would drop a branch on something expensive. A neighbour came across when we were raking up and asked for our card. Suitably impressed with what he saw it seems. Turns out he is on the Conseil General (County Council) and will be in contact. Never know were it may go from here... Did I tell you I ache... Ty

Kangoo dci80 2003 Returns 60+mpg on long runs best was 72mpg with a tail wind unladen. Normally get 550miles per tank. I would replace it with a new style kangoo maxi but I must first invest in a pickup for the business. Everyone loves driving it and as Top gear said... Its the frenchiest car out there! Ty

I freely admit that recently that on the tree work front things have been lean since the end of March. Not that I've been slack for other work mind. We work as approved tradesmen for the French B+Q and have been flat out busy with erecting sheds, installing awnings and fitting gates. Now peoples thoughts are turning to trees again and we have just won a decent job. A plantation of 100 Picea abies 30cm dbh, fell and remove arisings and stumps. I've asked £48 per tree inc. stumps ground out. The arisings, hope to give away the chips, burn the nasty dead dry brash at night and sell the wood for fuel to the local Expat population. I was going to pick the brains of the forestry lot with regards to pricing but down there they all talk about 500acres and big gun machinery... Anyway, I'm happy with my pricing now and if I'm out it will be me not the team who will take the hit. I got a team of 3 trained saw users and a couple of neighbours boys to drag brash (out of danger zone ) We are going to camp on site for most of the week hopefully under with dry cool Breton nights around a fire of pine brash. The local estate agents are coming up trumps with all sorts of little garden and tree jobs whilst the local Mayor is still sitting on a week long stump grinding job we quoted for. So its all good and I've still my summer holidays to look forward too! Ty

£60k in fuel!? Do you leave it running of a night to keep the frost from Leicestershire? Aw seriously, thats a good vehicle. A question...Whats the advantage of an auto box? I see it is relaxing for my old mum with her gammy legs but how does it affect towing? Cheers Ty

Sorry Mark, My Damdsung can'y post smilies but just imagine me giving you a big...

Bolam...short for...git...

Now then... I've all the brochures and am currently on a mission to 'test drive' all makes but what I would like to ask is... Just which one is...the one! The pickup must also double as a family car so double cab and a degree of comfort. Landrover can do all but are they really that unreliable? plus they consume alot of fuel per 100km The rest of the field... Well above all I want reliability full stop. Then comes: Comfort Economy Towing Price Off road capability Terrible things brochures! Leading my eye towards leather seats and chrome trim... I can live without that but want aircon and 5 proper seats. Can you help me make up my mind please! Ty

Back again, A question about pulling away in low. During my test drive, I selected the low range and tried pulling away in first just on tickover, the engine stalled each time. Is this a feature or a fault? I have read many comments on other 4x4 forums (the zambia one makes a good read! ) but it it is still too early to tell the Amarok's faults.

Hello, Weird that, we were recently threatend with a civil action from a client who weeks ago asked us to remove the arisings from a laurel felling job. She wanted the wood back and only the very same wood would do! We offered her alternative wood but NO. So we dug around and found Madam is a malicious litigant whose pleasure it is to employ tradesmen then fight them to avoid paying the bill. She has however already paid us though so this must be an after thought on her behalf. Ty

I once cycle camped the entire length of the Stuart Highway. Today I was first back beating the next group by 1h30m in the Cholet 600km endurance cycle event. I'm proud today.

Hello, currently 30c here in Haut Bretagne AND its a national holiday!

I know the value of a man. I am one...after a fashion. My associates are just as hard working and valueable as I. I pay myself after business expenses the same as my 2 associates. I work with excellent men. I may generate business but my associates 'realise' it, or in plain English make it happen. Can't be doing with boss v worker issues.. So I don't employ. I 'associate' 3 individuals with their own tax liabilities. I calculate what each job is worth after expenses and each associate recieves a 'credit' This credit is paid by clients paying each in turn...get it? So each of use may be worth €150-250 per day depending on the job. Ty

I can't be bothered to read all the posts sorry. I pay my part-timer €150-€200 gross He is 61 with a life times experience and swings my 441 as though it was a feather. I pay him for the experience he brings to our outfit. He ain't no numpty, worth his weight is oak. Ty

Back again. Sorted. G.M put their exellent customer service into action and reinforced a reputation as a market leader. Say, Pete, do I have to read this out? Seriously, no messing, parts in post, mystery solved, rare occurance. Back to being the brilliant machine I invested in. I find G.M a genuinely decent company to deal with. A very happy customer. Next purchase, a 13-23 arborist with 15" alloys and a built in cafetiere... well I am in France after all! Ty

One of the guys in my cycle club just told me about a live ordenance found in side of a large conifer near Plelauf val Andre on the North Coast. The arb was being dismantled on the former site of a WW2 munitions store. The team who delt with it thought it likely that it had been hung or hidden in the tree on purpose. Every time I visit our local sawmill Monsewer Launay has another find to show me as he always passes a metal detector over the trunks before milling. I buy declassified trunks for firewood which are often those rejected by mills due to the presence of shrapnel and the like. The worst being wood from the Bretagne-Normandy breakout zones. Ty

Yes, its always a **** when something needs replacing. Personally, I never use anyone elses fuel mix in my saws and always mix the fuel myself for using exactly measured amounts, no guessing or adding a drop of oil for luck. To help myself pay for the expected and unexpected, I have several accounts for my business. Into one goes the clients cheque, then I transfer my salary into my cheque account, leaving the tax and social charges then transfer an amount for business costs into yet another. This way I never spend the money needed to run the business and always have enough to pay the social charges. I imagine trade must be lean in Central Brittany at the moment... Ty

What am I to believe..? Many reviews slag of the Ford. Based on 2 Ford ownerships I will run with the comments. Toyota come out well overall. Nissan Navarra reviews are acidic to the extreme! I'm in France so Isuzu or Ho Xhi Min 4x4 are not an option. So this week I test drove the Amarok from V.W Its a V.W. Small engine but 2litres developing 163hp. I only tow a 750kg chipper or an occasional trailer weight to 2.8t Very good m.p.g figures. Too soon to tell if it will be a mechanical disaster though I think not. Any experiences out there? Ty

Yes indeed... A poor translation of the 'cockchafer' into modern english is... Cock rubbing hard or a hard cock rubbing... To chafe is to rub agressively... And all this on a family forum! Ty