Rupe

I don't think I've got space for a 100L tank! Certainly can't go bigger than that! I was hoping a powerfull enough one would do it, but I guess it would always be on and therefore quite load as it will be in a shipping container! So belt drives are quieter thats good advice. It will mostly be for cleaning stuff really, checking tyre pressures and some work although I've been advised that cordless impact guns are just as good! Since space is a problem I'm thinking 3hp 50-100ltrs should do it.

Having finally got electricity installed in my storage unit its time for a decent compressor. I have a tiny hobbies thing in my shed at home which will just about blow out an air filter but only just! I want to be able to have two or three outlets at once for air filter cleaning, but I also want to be able to drive impact tools etc as well. I won't be doing any spraying so thats not important but I do want to get enough power for every other possible need. THere seems to be a huge jump in prices, I'm looking at 50L 2hp for about 200 quid, then it jumps to 320 ish for same capacity but 3hp. After that prices rise with the size of the tank but the power remains at 3hp. I'm guessing I would need a 3hp but not necessarily a huge tank? Any advice welcome. Northern tool do the Sealey range and you get e bunch of free(cheapo) tools with each one, other than that I've looked in Halfords and the draper catalogue. They are all pretty much the same but as I know nothing I'm open to suggestion!

My '95 M reg just passed another MOT.!!

Its good stuff! Will actually water proof your chainsaw trousers too, but it wears off under friction so not much point!

Ok, that link won't go direct to the product. Try searching for Tech Wash/TX Direct pack

Gore tex is the best but expensive so I would agree ex army is the way forward. After that, any waterproof clothing can be cleaned and reproofed using special cleansers. Goretex is more sophisticated than these cleansers so even though they would work, the goretex would never be quite the same as when it was new. Generally the crud of tree work is the demise for goretex, even though its a good product. I use Northface Hy-vent. Cheaper than goretex and not quite as good, which is perfect, as I can wash and reproof it as much as I like. After a hard day whne its all grimy and mucky I can have it washed and ready to go by the morning. These products work well on Stihl Hyflex too. http://tinyurl.com/2bl5uz

I had monday off and then worked tuesday wednesday and managed toi get everything done without getting wet. We had to rush as the storm clouds were all around but didn't let rip until 3.30 ish. Then we looked at the forecast and cancelled our hedgetrimming job. I spent two days inside building my new workshop which in a way is an investment for the future. LIfe's too short to work in weather like that. No one needs the money that much and the damage it does to your kit and your enthusiasm is considerable. Also, what kind of risk assessment would allow anyone to climb in that weather? Defeats the object of having a risk assessment if after you've covered everything else you say "well if we don't work we don't get paid so lets just do it anyway" Next week is looking better and all me kit is still clean and dry!

Perci are you in france? Are you French? A customer of mine needs to find an arborist in the South west somewhere. He offered my the job and then mentioned powerlines! Its bad enough sorting that kind of thing in the Uk!

A lot of touristy type shops in london do vat free sales. you have to show a passport and flight booking just like you would at a duty free shop. Honey Brothers would know that they don't need to charge vat

Not had one yet!

Another way of looking at it is this you charge 50 for a load of wood and 5% of that is vat but its hidden, the customer doesn't know and so thats good. At the end of the quarter the proffits in our business are low so you will wish that 50 was yours but then you get a vat bill! What I charge including vat is what I should be getting without vat but its not so the govn get what should be my profits. The customer pays 500 without questioning vat or no vat. Thats great but I want them to pay me 500 not 425.53

Some how it doesn't seem to work like that. Thats why I say lets discuss it in two years. I wouldn't be vat registered by choice. Firewoodman is right when he said "i just know i would pay more vat to mr darling than he will give me back and wont pay me for the accounting i will have to do or colleting of money." It true, you collect 1000 but spend 200 so you give away 800 (which wasn't yours I agree) but you get nothing for doing so. I get a bill from my bookeeper of about 100 every quarter so its not worth it. If you are doing all the paperwork yourself then good for you. I wouldn't/couldn't

For customers who I think won't like it, or for older types who may like things to be simple, I just quote including vat. If I'm more expensive then fine but they just get a quote and don't realise some of it is vat. The invoice will then have a lesser amount plus vat equalling the quote so no worries. In shops everything just has a price but we all know vat is there and we never question it. Tree work doesn't have to be any different.

No its not a problem, but its just not that great either!

All right, fair point I apologise. Didn't mean to generalise but i guess that is how it sounded. I just think though if someone is running a normal tree bussiness they would be vat registered. For those who aren't good on you if you can stay that way then fair enough, I don't like the hassle of it. Steve lets discuss this in two years time, we'll see how you feel about VAT then!

I boarded some Acacia up for a customer. They wanted to keep it, but not sure what for yet. They had plenty of space to store it and otherwise it would only go for firewood. I charged them day rate of £150 as I had never used it before then. It is slow but got it all done in a day. Thats 150 on a saturday that I would otherwise not have got!

Your right steve, you should be refunded but it all works out the same in the end. You collect and spend some and give the rest to them! If you don't get a refund then you just keep the next quarters vat. No gain either way except cash flow. Customers should be getting extra benefit from paying Vat as a none vat company is not a company. The threshold is so low that anyone not charging VAT must be dodgy!! I know we all started out not charging vat and we were not dodgy but generally thats a good argument to make to your customers.

This site is very usefull...... http://www.tbruk.com/index.html?lang=en-uk&target=d1036.html

Don't know about fitting but this looks good

Whats a VAT refund? Why are you owed a refund, have you spent out on a load of stuff? Have you just gone vat registered and are claiming for the last however many years worth of VAT spent? If so I doubt you'll get a refund, you get it through the vat you will now be collecting, you keep that instead of handing it over, thats your refund!

It's a crime not to own one!! For the money they are excellent, buy direct though, why should e bay get your money!

Hey, I think it has been Jon Turnbulls year too! Euro champ and 5th in the worlds!!

Ah, that makes sense now! Good sports all round.

Well done Jess!!! About time!

Nearly always go home and think about it, I actually usually over price if asked on the spot. If I go home and think about what other jobs we have done similar or what other jobs we may have in the area I can think about how I can fit two jobs into a day or three jobs into two days and then how I would need to price it to make up what I need. It usually works out cheaper when I think about it. You have to be firm though, if you win the job and the customer says yes but it has to be done in week X, then you say no I'm planning to fit in with another job nearby on week Y. Be in charge! I write quotes out as word documents on headed paper which is saved into the computer. That can be posted or better still e mailed, then they can repley by e mail thus saving further conversations on the phone when they go over the whole thing again and discuss the neighbours cat etc!! Express details carefully. All reductions thinings etc should be approximate. Trees removed should be to ground level so that the customer can't complain that the stump is still there etc. If you've gone into a lot of detail on the day you could write "as discussed" but make sure you didn't actually discuss that you were going to stack all the wood in the shed 1/4 mile away!