Mark Bolam

It won’t be the ones pricing doing the work in most cases Eggs. That easy one day tree won’t be easy anymore.

We would all like a safer industry, better paid, better recognised, better regulated, right? I’ve listened to whinging on here for a decade about plumbers, sparkies etc. earning more than us, but the fact is they are better trained. No one is Gas Safe after a month. No problem. Increase training times, raise standards. The problem is you will be competing against people who have no standards in the first place, and the HSE let them operate with impunity. A lot of domestic customers have no idea what treework costs. Why would they? We lose. I’ve spent tens of thousands of pounds over the years on training and insurance, and I sometimes wonder why I bothered. Buying a top handle without proof of competence? Ebay is your friend there. Any comment on that HSE? Travellers with flash signwritten trucks doing treework, no tickets, no insurance, top handles everywhere. Any comment on that HSE? Big companies underbidding tree maintenance contracts to balance the books then sending out young guys on £80/day to do medium takedowns the spreadsheet says are worth £120. Any comment on that HSE? Thought not. You’re not only ignorant, you’re spineless. [email protected] if you want to take it outside.

I think that there has been a bit of stick dished out unfairly on this thread, to the AA and Minty in particular, so I did a bit of research today.

I don’t see remote anchors as a problem when accessing SRT. You can route your line easily so you have plenty of backup from lower limbs if the top point were to fail. Experience and sound choices help, if we are still allowed to think.

Meanwhile every unqualified, unticketed, uninsured ‘mobile’ tree surgeon will be having a field day raping all the trees in the domestic sector. Perhaps HSE should look in that direction for a change?

Ash takedown with some zip line action over a garage roof. Rebel Danny Mac climbing only on one line! 98F34D48-684B-485A-A17E-2E8A7B2AD686.MP4

HSE have just confirmed you will have to wear two sets of spikes.

One extra rope.

Toppers work equally well on the ground Khriss. I surprised you don't know this.

Cheers for your input Ben, sorry I dragged you into this shitfest! Hope you’re well mate.

Good post Timon. I reckon ‘No Deal’ should be changed to ‘No Deal Yet’. There will always be a deal pretty quickly after we leave. That’s also business. When you’re trying to get a deal, to remove ‘No Deal’ as a fallback is suicidal. What a cowardly bunch of bastards these MP’s are. It’s disgraceful. And if I ever meet that prick Bercrow I will have a bruise on my forehead and he won’t have a nose left.

What's your take on all this @BenR?

Left today’s customer a piece of modern art because I didn’t want to nick his scaffold pole.

By far the best solution is to get a tipper.

There’s no need for the 2:1. Just chuck a strop round a bomber lower anchor with a crab on it and run your line through the crab.

That's exactly what I plan on doing. Kerrrchinnnng!

I would offer to fell them instead, which will look much nicer.

I feel guilty now, I think we’re being a bit hard on @Mark J.

Jesus you had me worried for a minute Stubby! Clint is the man. Bastards trick to put shite like that out, why do people do it? Morgan Freeman has died several times as well, another brilliant bloke you’d love to sit down and have a beer with.

That looks well handy. Any idea of the weight with an empty bin on?

Sorry about my joke mate, couldn't resist. I think judging on what you have said about multiple tip trips etc. you should just go for it. I'm downsizing now after running an overloaded 3.5 tonner for years, but if I was on my way up rather than down I'd go down the 7.5t route no question. The footprint of the vehicles isn't massively bigger for domestic drives etc. and as Ben says the trucks are built for the job a lot better. I think the O licence thing scares people off a bit, but as someone once said it can't be that difficult because scaffolders do it!

He then tries to pay with some vouchers and a kidney donor card. Which are at the bottom of his bag, of course.

You don’t want to be running a lager truck mate, it will end badly. I speak from experience.

Sad to hear this mate. RIP.

Surely you mean phallacy?