Rupe

Oh, ok, I have not seen any like that I dont think, there was one recently where the question really was silly and the were lots of funny answers which were all deserved. But some really wont succeed and if they think the answers are on the internet then that just confirms that they wont succeed. And Arbtalk is here for whatever the members choose, but I agree downright rudeness is a bit un called for, I'll try harder to keep quiet! Who are the "formidable arbs"? I have never met any of them here?

Do you know when you look at buying a vehicle you can tell by the wear on the pedals if the mileage is genuine? Well, I have found all my well used 026 have cracked and broken along the back handle, the bit that pretect you if the chain whips off is often broken. Its unlikly anyone would ever replace that part so its a good way to see how much work the saw has done. No point in looking at bar wear if its got a new bar on!! So if that parts all neat and tidy (and not brand spanking new) then it will have had an easier life, and with new PP and would snap his hand off, I'm after the very same thing myself at the moment.

I read the OP this morning and have been thinking about it all day, I agree with everything said above about how hard it is and how hard you have to work long hours etc etc. but the OP was about arbtalk being there to give advice and encouragement for newbies and startups. I dont wholly agree with that, Arbtalk is there for whatever its members want to talk about (within decency guidleines) and there is no requirement for anybody to encourage others if they dont want to, and mostly with arbs you will just get the bitter truth, some facts, a bit of banter and some BS. So the majority come in here to let of steam, have some banter and chat about the work that we all do, and get advice here and there. If newbies want to come in and ask how to price jobs, and what sort of wages can they command in day one of a job they haven't got yet, then thats fine, but the rest of us are under no obligation to be all nice and reassuring with them. There are too many "fully qualified" tree surgeons (by that I mean CS31-39 done last week) for the amount of work available and the training providers do not do enough IMO to be honest to youngsters with less than average hope of getting a job. The pass rate on climbing courses is way too high IMO and maybe it IS down to arbtalkers to do a bit of weeding out. The kind of ignorance and stubborness required to ignore the negative comments on here is exactly the type of personality required to get on this industry, anyone feeling deflated by less than perfect input from AT has no chance anyway.

I still think you should do nothing, you have nothing to defend yourself against, the article is not saying you have done anything wrong. Counting logs, worrying about weight and size of logs is a pointless excercise for a man with little else to do with his time. He has not looked into the calorific value of the wood which is actually the most important thing. He mentioned all the costs of storing, splitting delivering etc but he forgot to add PROFIT!! The stuff he was getting from the mod could have been anyold crap and unseasoned, so has cost him a lot more than your load IMO. All he has really done is highlight the fact that there is no standards when buying wood, a "load" is not a fixed amount and you cant buy it by weight because wet wood would weigh more (so you would get less by the ton). Just see what happens when he runs out, that will be interesting!!!!!!

I have loads of customers who use me again and again as well, and I rarely quote and we rarely discuss money, but I didn't get any of them through advertising and a remember able or catchy name won't get them either.

I think his article is about how logs delivered and split for you are not as cheap as they were, and so people should consider this before installing wood burners unless they have their own supply. I don't think the article is about an unscrupulous log dealer ripping people off. He has not said he has paid too much to you for crap wood, all he has said is that it's expensive when you get someone else to do the work for you. We all know that and most intelligent folk now that too!! Don't worry about it, the weather will have more effect on your sales than this Sad git!!

And the next time (if there is one) that those people want a tree job done they will just get loads of quotes again and the cheapest will get it.

You need to scan it at higher res, its not the size thats a problem its the resolution, most have a setting so you can upgrade it, 300dpi would be enough. Unless that is Arbtalk is shrinking it like it does with photos, in which case you would have to e mail people the original photo of the document. I would like to read it, I think it will probably show more of his misunderstaning of what a legitimate business is all about, but I can see already that it coudl be damaging to you.

10 minutes more like!

Ignore that, the switch wires could of course have gone into the cab, the fact they are cut does not mean there isnt a switch somewhere in the cab!

Looking at the picture I would guess that the cut wires include the switch wires, so its unlikly there will be a switch in the cab that does nothing, so all you have there is the large red and black ones bring power direct off the batter, then the four cut ones are power for the winch (or whatever) and two switch wires to control the "whatever" . The box by the battery will be a fuse, and as that is already disconnected it would be totally safe to removed the whole lot and bin it, or ebay it, someone will want it!

It looks to me like a power supply that might have run some equipment in the back of the truck in a previous life. Quite high powered stuff like hydraulics. Im guessing the truck was never a tipper but did it ever have a winch fitted there? A winch for pulling in motorbikes/quads would be my guess, or a boat onto a trailer.

Yes, I get you now. Its all gettign too complicated!

I was thinking that about mine aswell! I hope they are not Mediums!! even a Large is pushing my luck these days!

I propose a retro T shirt wearing day, for the friday, the oldest comp T shirts you have! Craig will win of course, but there should be plenty of old ones out there unless you all ruined them at work! ( I ruined some but still have a huge box full!)

Ok, I thought you were one of the few who does get it, but your sentence that I highlighted above is confusing. It emplies that EL might cover the work that someone you hire in does for you, and that is not the case. I think, from what you have explained that you have it well covered in terms of PL, and a policy that allows you to get in climbers with PL to cover the bit that they do which you are not insured for. The EL bit is up to you but its interesting that that is the only bit which is actually a legal requirement.

Will be the 10year anniversary of my first comp Craig!

Pedroski!!! I thought you had a good understanding of this!!!!!!!!!! EL does not cover you for the risk "he" may cause to a third party! EL is for your liabilty to him only, so you dont need it unless he injures himself. (by law you need it if you are employign him, but in your example where he is in charge then you dont) So if you hire in a "subbie" then his PL might cover damage to a third party where he is the person in charge of the works that he is qulaified for (i.e the works that you have got him in for), but that does not mean you dont need EL to cover him because EL a completely different thing to PL anyway!!!!!! You dont need EL becaue EL will NEVER cover any damge a hired in person or employee or subbie or whatever does to a third party!!!!!!!!! EL is employers liabilty ( to the person hired in) not employeeeees liabilty (to a third party)

I agree, but the OP is talking about garden maintenance and his clients dont require him to have PL so these things need to be considered before paying out on policies you dont have to have.

Decide how high your risk to a third party really is before you pay for insurance that you wont use. If you accept that any damge to property has to be paid for be yourself, and that you have the power to ensure that your client doesnt get injured and that you are not posing a risk to the public then insurance is not that important. If your clients dont ask for it, and your not trying to win contracts that need it then, again, its not highly important. If you need peace of mind then it can be good for that.

Get a forestry contractign company in to assess the timber value and do a deal with them, they do all the hard work and you get a % or the timber value which will probably be the same as your profit from firewood after loads of hardwork and hours. In the meantime your free to go get a job so you are making money twice.

I think for tree work they are reassured about PL definatly. The broken greenhouse is often used as an example but if and when this ever happens it would be paid for out of pocket or knocked off the bill. Most excesses on PL are quite high (mines 800 I believe) so thats quite a lot of damage to a greenhouse! So most customers know that even without any insurance the damage to the greenhouse is covered cos they wont pay the bill!! PL is for a lot more than damage to property, yet everyone thinks thats what it is, its actually to cover your liabilty towards a third party.

That is most customers understanding of what insurance is. i.e. for yourself. Especially if you are gardening they are unlikly to see the need for any other form of insurance. Might be best not to tell them your not insured if its causing confusion, and when you get your insurance dont bother telling them that either (unless they ask) as it implies that you NEED insurance, i.e. that you are a liability of some sort. Get the insurance for you piece of mind though if you want. And personal accident insurance that covers out of work aswell is never a bad thing.

I figured you were typing the same day so it couldnt have been bad, didnt bother reading it all TBH! Muppet!!

What mozza said! You are not in a position yet to set your own fees, take what your offered.