wattie

Hi All, Not sure about you guys but I only take two weeks off a year for a holiday, apart from the odd day fishing and at christmas. So 50 weeks work for 2 weeks off think I will have to review that. But today I am off with my gang for Two weeks of Sun,Sea, and sex!!!! well may be not the last one with four children in tow. But two weeks of fun with little ones playing in the pool lovely food and being spoilt makes the hard work worth it. Where do you guys go to kick back photos please. Here are a few photos of our holiday from April 2007. Look forward to reading all the new posts when I get back, then again that will take the rest of the year. Regards Wattie Happy Holiday.

Sorry got called away before I could edit. What I ment to say was in July I hired in a mewp for four jobs. Mainly where the tree was to decayed to climb, or one job we had to finish in half a day on at Saturday and we would not have done that without a bucket. We would like to own one but which machine would we buy!! I would expect if you had a machine you would make use of it on a more regular basis then hiring one in. Hope that makes sense. Regards Wattie

Morning David, Not that much it seems to be fits and starts. July I think For jobs mostly for trees you would not put a man up, one for speed of works which a sat tight spot need trees doing fast and get out of the way. I like them for the right job would like one but not sure I could go to buying one. Then again one you have one think you would use it more and more. Regards Wattie

Hi Lee, Just made this one easier upper canopy which cant be seen from the ground had no good anchor points and only took a few feet off. So not that easy to get this amount off with out the mewp usless you are stick insect. Would have a line of climbers wanting to climb this one lee could charge. The rest was lovely for a climber, climbed it before a few years back, also times money and all that even with the cost of the mewp price was right for the client anyway keep grounds man busy. Its was just expected by collage and council that we would use one!!! Regards Wattie

Sent four or five days in Sacramento city of trees I think they call it. Drove up from san fran to go to the TCIA tread fair. Was showen around but some good guys. The drive north was almost like drive through parts of England, green lush hillsides, but of course it was spring and I was told that it gets very hot and dry later in the year and you lose the green. Regards Wattie

Interest this I also belive that each job has its price but companies do not. We all have a rough Idea of what we should charge but how many have sat down and worked out they real costs. I have scaled down from four crews twelve men large depot etc etc. That was not due to a lack of work but the amount and work it takes to keep everyone happy and as Will bruch has said more men does not mean more profit he has done the same a me. Its just a hard game to make good profit but if we are all looking ahead and price right we will all make a living but we would all need to look at the out goings and reduce any wasted money spent, it is the little things that add up. I have found that our domestic work far outways any other type and is about 80% of our work now. Regards Wattie

Mick is still at eastwoods not retired far from it. spent time with him last week and doing a crane job for me next week. Has done a deal for the company but would not be eastwoods without him there. Lee I knew you would, know you do a lot of this your self. Regards Wattie

Any one like to put an age on it think the building is a clue. Property was a private house then was given over to be a navy collage and then down the line some the school. I do not know exact date but will aim to find out. Regards Wattie

Hi Mac, Yes to be honest not that bad,I had to be on the floor as the eyes for the shape and it was not to bad find it worse on the ground with them sometimes as the dust flys when branches hit the deck and you know what it is like when you chip. Makes me wonder if they as worse different times of the year. Regards Wattie

Hi David, There are a couple of good companies up there you could have at look at AA list. Regards Wattie

Thanks lovely job good client who I have looked after and given a very good service or the years that they changed the way they viewed the trees on site, used to get various quotes and pick cheapest - nice now like us like our work dont even have to quote do the work and invoice. Funny never notice the face but no just a strange wood formation thats all, like the graft!!!! Not sure what bucket but left hooker german I think good company we use called winners have to depot Essex and Liverpool worth a call if you need anything. Two set ups one to left and one in front, rear of tree did not need work as we carried out some safety works which required the rear to be pruned back. Know one partner very well and looks after me price wise as well. Regards Wattie

Ring Mick Dewhurst - Eastwood Tree Services Ltd Not many have done more in this line. Have you considered compacting and feeding as well Mick is the man to talk to about this. http://www.eastwoodtreeservices.co.uk

Hi all Just wanted to show you this rather nice London Plane we look after at a private school, it has taken almost a year to talk the LPA to agree for some light works. Had some limbs fail in the past but we did not want to reduce it but had to reduce some weight to some longer extending branches and balance not sure if you can see we have carried out some light thinning by the removal of sucker growth on the main branch structure. We carried out the works tuesday this week with the help of a 36mt MEWP. Hope you like the photos. Regards Wattie

Think they is some silly law about noise before 8 load of !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! if you ask me if your clients happy then go for it.

Hard to say but chainsaws and chippers at 7ish think you may get neighbours complaning. I have often wondered if we should do things the w3ay they do in spain work early stop around 1 or 2 have some down time some where cool and rest and start work againaround 4 until 7 or 8. Dont think my lads would be to pleased. anyway dont worry about tomorrow its is pissing down here but i am a few miles south of you. Regards Wattie

Well I fly 11 hours drove to Yosemite stood by the falls, drove a day to get to the valley below General Sherman a small town I think was called Three River Juction then a drive up and up and up every one in the back of the car felt sick lost count of the bends then in to the snow to the big boy, worth every min. However I live 30 mins to an hour away from Tower of london and all the sites and have not been for years as a day out just drove past for work. Its funny how whats on your doorstep gets forgotten. So get yourself up they my man. Enjoy PS where in CA are you Regards Wattie

88Man Think thats sounds about right for you at the moment, but can you get them to deliver and charge that to the job and spend your time on site.! Regards Wattie

This a good thread. Not work in the us but have help out a couple of times when I have been over there on visits. I was a member of the tcia and have been to the east and west coast three or four times. Took one of my lads each time and traveled with my best pal Mick Drewhurst, spent time travling around in a big four wheel drive and see sites that I belived I would never get to see. Went to San Fran twice and travel north and south ,Yosemite,been to see genarel sherman, and drive all the way to LA. We arranged on our trips to meet up with tree companies along the way and they welcomed us with open arms you know tree men of the world and all that. Seen new york, new England but think the stunning South Carolina and the drive down the big sur (coast road south of San Fran) will live with me the rest of my days. Great county,Great People, Big equipment love it. No photos until i get to the office but will have a look. Regards Wattie

Was a good price big stumps, landscaper had clear all round with a mini digger so running roots and had to ground deep to change levels. also good client likes the way we work and look after them, so yes not quoteing against anyone. Yes would be nice all the time but always make money when we sub it out. Thats why i am thinking of saling my 252 with only around 400 hours on it. Regards Wattie

I am back from my day out and I have to say that I did not think that this would have so much input, thanks for the interest. As others have said that the prices are all over the place just a litttle more info. The tree was bigger then it looks spead over the house etc, little room to drop so rigging would be required if not using a crane, however the road does not look it but it is busy so traffic lights would have been required for crane use , extra cost but yes quicker. £600 - £800 in my area would I not even think about doing this job for that, far easier work around here or that kind of price think you would have to go some to get this down and away in a day, but non of us know how each other works. To be honest dont think this client would have pay as little as that as he was on the ball and wanted the right price and had a price in mind.(Tell you in a bit) I do belive that so many comnpanies make very little profit by under saling themselves you must all know guys giving up or down sizeing due to mounting costs. £1600 would have been a nice price and I think we should all be aming around them figures to make the profit to be able to pay better wages update our equipment pay the bills and have pennies left over. Who will put there hand up and say they can find it hard to sometimes meet the wages, running costs vat etc. So a good pricing policy for a quality service for the hard and skillfull job we do must come first. The rest will fall into place. My Price after a good chat and good cup of tea and the client happy that he would been very keen to use us "IF WE WERE THE RIGHT PRICE" was £1300 plus vat. He wanted to spead £1000 plus vat and as you know we did not get the work. Dont know what it went for sorry. Thanks again for all the posts. Regards Wattie:001_cool:

Hi lads got to pop out family do but will get back to you later with more info but very interesting prices. Thanks for the interest. Regards Wattie

Hope this has down loaded

No sorry mate got call to help little one with shower and hair wash was resizing photos and run out of my ten min edit time will post in a bit. Thanks Wattie

Just as a matter of interest. Was asked to price dismantling this Beech (Please not did not get the job to be honest was quite plesed about that) Tried to talk them out of it as I belived that it was a very Inportant part of the street sceen and I had admired it for years. We carried out some light pruning work on it a few years ago. However new owners you all have heard it before, to big to much mess neighbours dont like it all the bullshit. So could not talk them out of it could not talk them into pruning and keeping it maintained and they wanted my price to take down. What I am interested in above all that is prices around the county. This was in a very nice area just on borders of North Kent South East London. As I said did not do it but its gone:thumbdown: Price based on; Down,Clear no Grinding. Thanks Regards Wattie

Dont buy one!!!!!!! Always had stump grinders from a Little David for those old enough to remberber them cutting wheel at the rear to desko and now Vermeer 252 nice machine, however I think unless you price the stump work as a sep issue and not a "part of the service we offer" then its hard to make good profit given the following. 1; May need Trailer 2; May need extra Van,pick up,lorry to tow it 3; Need to spend hours on the grinder sharping teeth if you dont just throw them away Between £1.25 and £2.25 per each 4; If above " yet another course" 5; May have issues getting rid of stump grinder waste. 6; Cost of machine to buy as most have money tied up in lots of machines most firms tend to buy one machine and hope it fits all they work. I have found over the years that yes you may not be able to arrange to get the stump ground out on the same day as the tree coming down and yes a bill does land on your desk. But with a good subbie who only carries out grinding who has various machines and forward plan it all works out and we make money Exarmple; Old client - We felled five conifers one holly Total £1900 plus vat no grinding - After a few mouths the garden was going to be landscaped and stumps in the way - Quoted £800 plus vat (pop in took mins to look at) subbed out the work which cost me £400.00. So given that I made £400 for almost nothing, where by if we did it Two men. Van Trailer. Wages,Fuel, running and buying cost of machine Would not have cleared £400.00 profit and lads where doing what they are good at the same time " Tree Work " and earning at the same time. A bit long winded Sorry lads:blushing: Regards wattie