jose

That's a shame, this guy loves his tree. Would you recommend removal? Personally i would but never hurts to get a second opinion. Many thanks

Hi All Went and saw an acacia today with this growth at the base. The chap said that the fungi has only appeared in the last 3 days, before that there was nothing. As its come up it has pushed away the bark from the trunk. the bark sounds hollow on the side of the tree facing the camera, solid on the rear. I did notice growth staring from a root just below the surface on the other side of the tree as well. The owner said he has noticed that recently the tree appears to lean more ( away from the gravel / fungus side. The tree is next to a gravel driveway but otherwise open and very healthy looking. Any ideas on what it is would be much appreciated. Many thanks

Hi all I currently run about in a plain red estate car. I am at a stage now where i know i really should have a vehicle that i get sign written up as its good advertising when out and about. I am thinking to 2 routes. Do i get a pickup (ranger navara etc) or do i get an enclosed 4x4 (disco, pathfinder etc)? I dont do much off road driving these days if i can help it ( though it is always handy with winter coming and a wet field to store logs in). Mainly my thoughts are i dont have much need for a open back truck. The truck is more for portraying the "tree surgery " image that so many customers around my way seem to expect and also to have a good advertising board to promote my company. I have even been looking at land rovers (110 utility with twin cabs) but dont tell the landy lovers as i am normally one of the guys slating them! I do need 4 seats as i do have 2 kids to drive around aswell. Just after your thoughts please Many thanks

people have said to me i must have had a bad one. I wanted to love mine as i do think they look good and are great off road. But mine constantly broke down and we never abused ours, it was our only vehicle so if it broke we couldnt work. unfortunately it broke down so often we had to sell it as we were losing so many days which was equating to a serious amount of money! mine was a 130 single cab and this made it seem like an un heard of machine to most of the garages i took it to. I do sometime think about another one, but maybe if i could put a different engine and running gear in it to make it more reliable. Fuel it seemed to do the the same mpg full or empty, though to be honest i am on my 3rd truck since then and i never really notice much difference. when you have a box on the back with weight its not really very aero dynamic anyway

u will get 2 types of opinions on these. Those that love them and those that hate them. maybe a third actually. those that want to love them but cant bring themselves to as they have been let down by them so many times! They r great off road with out a doubt ( tires permitting). They project a good tree surgery image without a doubt. I had many people say 'got the right kit for the job there!' but unless you really need 4x4 a transit or such is better in so many ways. mine was the most unreliable vehicle i have ever had. U name it i changed it. Everybody says easy and cheap to fit and change parts. Maybe if your a seasoned mechanic who has a good knowledge of land rovers. I lost count of the number of garages i went to for the countless repairs i needed. Even went to a independent land rover specialist near me who would touch it (said its too much hassle and prefers Range rovers and discoveries). if you look at the land rovers up for sale most will have a extensive list of parts they have recently changed. Dont be fooled thinking that its sorted for ages, guaranteed that that list will continue to grow and probably not to far into the distance will start all over again. think wisely if you really need one or just want the look. bring on the fire from the LR lover now

Was digging around a stump just the other day, ithad grown through the fence so that came out so we could grind. Had a dig around to remove excess stones etc and for some reason i thought i would just go a little more. Came accross a 3-4inch power cable! Reckon i would have learnt to fly had i got that! the water works company had not layed it on their land as it meant digging up tarmac so the just ran it right up the fence line ! did a small stump yesterday and the virgin meadia cable i swear was like a spagettie string the way it snaked all over the lawn. lucky they layed it so shallow (1-2inches) an gentle tug pulled it out so i could tell where it was. Then i reburied it afterwards.

Cake board? ingenious! joking aside i only have about 3 weeks till the wedding so it may have to be a bit on the rougher side unfortunatly. Cool time to go hunt out a good log!

lol not me. I have not even seen the wife to be im afraid. Im not even invited! I do have a fair bit of Sycamore hanging about, maybe do a trial run see if they like it.

Hi All I have been asked to cut a log for a wedding cake to sit on. its going to be about 2ft diameter and about 4 inches deep roughly. Any got any advice for what would be best? Wet or dry? I have both. Anything that may be poisonous? Not sure if they plan to put anything under the cake or if they r going straight onto the wood? Maybe even options for a nice grain? Cheers for any advice. Jose

got a new shape movano, going well. it is rearwheel drive twin wheels. had a single wheel movano for a day and kept getting stuck on grass etc they r renaults to a large degree. mine even has renault stickers on many parts (ie fuel tank etc) lazy gits didnt even bother to remove these!

Great I will give them a call see if i cant drop in one day. Thanks for the recommendation

Hi All I am going over to Perth next month ( 21 August ) with a view to possible move out there next year. Was wondering of any local guys (to Perth) would mind if i came by and had a chat etc to see how things work out there? trying to start planning my trip a bit so i dont waste time wondering around aimlessly! Thank you very much. Jose

like the split headboard idea. i only got a small chipper so half the time its guess work to see where its at. Can this be opens from the side of the truck or do u need to climb in?

Hi all Yes it screams nightmare all over! not sure why the want to clear everything but thats the spec i was given. The site is where the wentworth staff used to be housed appraently, they are planning to build some monster house there. Word is the build time is 2 yrs!!! In all honesty i dont think they will go for it but if they do i dont want to have my pants pulled down for the next month! morooka with a boom and grapple- thats the kind of thing i was thinking to drag it up the bank. And maybe so kind of excavator with a grab to help maneuver it where needed. only tiny plus is that a lot can be straight felled.

Hi all Been asked to price to clear a section of ground. It's about a football field size. However it's on a slope , not big i would say the slope is 10 meters then the ground levels out. Problem is that it levels out into what is best described as a mine flood plane to a small stream. So my boots were sinking good in it. The company that owns the site came in with a mid sized digger which slid into the flood plain area and sank up to the cab! They had to bring in a 30t 360 to pull it out. So I believe that's why they have thought sod this lets sub it out. It involves felling mostly large Alders but ther is 1 big oak (2m plus girth) and another large ash. They want a price to remove all timber, chip stay on site or chip and leave timber in manageable size( for a digger). I reckon a 4man crew with machinery would take 2wks to do it but tbh I have not ever had to price something like this and thought I would ask if anybody has any advice. At the moment all I am thinking think of a large number, then double it, maybe double it again! Lol Ay thoughts, advice and especially advice on machinery would be greatly appreciated. The site is in Wentworth, just down from Ascot, Berkshire. Thank you

ok been chatting a bit and a option has been raise. SIL would sign over her share to myself providing the folowing: We get the company valued. What ever the value is 50% will be paid to my neice if and when the company should cease to trade. I will employ the SIL to do all accounts, tax returns etc. For this she would receive a monthly wage ( arguments sake £350 PCM). All other money generated she would have nothing to do with. This is not set in stone in any way and i will still be seeking professional advice. Cheers

thank you all for the advice. My brother didnt have life insurance. He was a bit fly by the seat of his pants kind of guy i guess, lifes knocks never held him back or down. I guess he proberly felt like this kind of thing just wouldnt happen to him! His wife use to help a bit with the accounts, but not in a big way. My brother use to do all the date input, invoicing etc himself and his wife would help him to have it correctly files in excel spread sheets. This was then sent to a independent accountant. My feelings are very much to try and buy her out of her share so to try and keep things clear and fair. i would hate for money to become a source of conflict between us. The company is only small, it was just the 2 of us with a subbie in occasionally work depending. We were trading as a partnership but tbh having a partnership will ( for want of a better word) never crossed our minds! In terms of contracts there are none. We get some repeat customers but they still get other quotes and go with the best prices most times. So i dont know how much value the name could command? We have always sold our bussiness so to speak through us, our personalities. The face to face time when quoting. The Name and equpiment really only requires money to achive which anybody could do i guess. It was only 3wks on sunday that he died, his funeral was on tuesday the 7th so yes we are all feeling emotional. But also i need to sort this out because as i understand it everything we have earned up till now if half his wifes, but if i carry on working and paying into this account then she will be entiteld to 50% of everything i am earning without my brothers help/input. As many have said i want to do fair by her but it cannot be at my families expense. She is still earning her own salary and will also get my brothers share of the money earned and also all equity of his property.

Definately need to get advice. We are not a limited company. Not only did I lose my brother I also lost a lead climber who also did a solid 50% of the quotations , admin etc! A major concern is that the recession seems to caught us up this yr, out earnings have dropped well over 50% (not our fauly really the company we subbed for lost their contract so we did by association). So where we did good last yr, we are down a lot but will the company be valued on last yrs takings? If so I am screwed!

Hi all. I very recently lost my brother and business partner In an motorcycle accident. Been a happy lucky going guy we never had anything in writing about if something should happen to one of us. We were so close that everything we did was 50 50 and work and finances etc were always fair without a shadow of doubt. Since he passed away without any will or partner ship directions his half of the company goes to his wife. Now i get alone well with her but I worry that I don't have the knowledge required to ensure that we both come out of this situation fairly. She is an accountant and tbh can baffle me with the lingo and her knowledge. She has suggested that the company pay her a monthly wage and also 50% of the annual net profit. She would not have a role in the day to day running apart from the odd hand to advise me on data input. I am thinking it would be better to buy her out of her half of the company. I am after advise on what's the best way to work out things like how to value the company etc. I am not looking to cheat or hide anything because she is family, my brother left a 8yr old, my niece whom I will do my best to help raise. I just want to be informed as I too have a wife and 2 kids and don't want anything stupid to ruin their relation ships with their aunt or cousin. All and any advice greatly appreciated!

Hi all really need a climber tomorrow. I know it's short notice but things have not played out as planned! It's in ASCOT, Berkshire. Really need someone with experience. I have a couple of poles to chog down. Please email me or phone me on 07867523823. Many thanks Jose

Thanks guys for all the kind words, I am lucky to have had fantastic support. Every day is a struggle but friends and family have been so good. I can't think about work yet but when I do I am sure I will be ok but if I get really stuck then its good to know that worse case I can call on a helping hand form you guys. Thank u all

Thank u all your words really mean a lot.

Thank you all. It's so sad and frustrating as we were 30 secs from his house. Blink of an eye and my world has been turned upside down.

99% of u dont know me but myself and my brother r both tree surgeons and i have been here a while. Just to let u know my brother was killed in a motorcycle crash this morning, leaving a child and wife behind. Please take care out there if you ride bikes and keep an eye out for bikers if you dont. He will be greatly missed by all that know him. thanks

i have done 11k already and its not bad, use to do a lot of miles going into london which tires you out. I cant knock it tbh. Land rover. Contrary to what most people say they r not reliable and cheap to fix unless you are a seasoned landy mechanic. I had a 130 as my first truck and ended up spending a fortune on replacing just about everything over a couple of years. I lost track of the number of garages i went to to get it fixed. The irony is that the ones claiming to be land rover specialists actually turned down the work, more interested in discoveryies and range rovers. Cost me loads of money and stranded me a number of times. And a friend had a new one ( now about 3 yrs old) and has been back numerous times and let him down repatedly. Only good thing is they r god off road.