JaySmith

Thanks, that's stags horn fungus isn't it? The viburnum it is on has died suddenly this growing season with no other signs

Can anybody id this please?

To be honest AA approval IMO would be the best way to go. When you still the costs down over 3 years it must work out to be £50 per month max. If you equate this to the work you may get from it then it has to be worth it. We've got lots of work from AA site, the biggest residential job I think was around £12k to start with followed by another £4 -£5k over the last few years. We were also working at a job today that was recommended to us by said client. When the storms hit we were working for an LA that could only use AAAC. I was a bit sceptical about the AA at first, however the more you learn and see how it can benefit you the better value it seems. Obviously we will never get to the stage where we all have to be AA reg like gas safe but the more people that get on board hopefully the more influence the AA will have and the more money that can put back into PR educating the public about using suitable contractors etc. For the record I only work for an AAAC and have no other attachment to the AA and there are plenty of other good non AA firms out there but the AAAC definitely opens doors. Go along to one of the talks that Paul does and see for yourself it's free and only costs a day's time

Doing mine with The Training Tree at Painshill, all good so far. You must be at Harlow then?

I think the standard of driving is getting worse, that coupled with the increase in road traffic only gives one outcome = more crashes. I'm currently wading through one of the biomechanics assignments at the mo. Who are you doing your lvl4 with?

I did my 41 and LOLER with Scott Fraser he is very good and goes into more detail/scenarios than just what the syllabus says you should know. Highly recommended

I was just looking at this table about an hour ago, are you doing your lvl 4 assignment on tree inspection by any chance too?! Unfortunately when somebody is hurt/killed by a tree it will always grab the headlines but you rarely hear about radon and lung cancer. Driving on the m25 at rush hour scares me more than any tree ever could!

Yeah as far as I could see the only problem would be with it not tending because the diameter is too small, but as others have said they are running 11mm give it a whirl and see how it runs. From my experience most of the mechanical devices tend better with the smaller diameter ropes as they feed through better

Manual says min is 11.5mm. You could try it low and see what it bites like if it works ok maybe back it up with a prussik as you go higher to start with. I find with the lock jack on some ropes you actually need the smaller 11/12 clutch to make it tend nicely although technically you should be using the larger 12/13.

In the AA book tree roots in the built environment there is a very small section that talks about manual excavation using air spading but doesn't tell you much and certainly nothing that you wouldn't already know. For reference its section 8.6.2 page 275 There is also a small bit under section 4.6.4 page 108. They also recommend looking at Nathenson and Jarabak 2001 which gives some info but also a list of other resources at the bottom so maybe worth a look. If you can't get hold of a copy of the book I'll scan the pages and email then to you if you like

Interesting project David. Have you looked in the AA book - Tree roots in the built environment or the NJUG doc?

Sssshhh didn't think anyone would notice!

I haven't used natural crotch since I first started out. For me using a pulley is a no brainer, it prolongs the life of the kit and also protects the tree, especially if you are reducing or pollarding. I believe it can also help (less experienced) groundies to understand how quickly to let a bit run/stop it if you use a pulley or block as no matter what the bark is like the rope goes at the same speed. Even if I'm doing a quick limb removal i'll always use a pulley as it only takes minute to install and as some of our rigging ropes cost hundreds of pounds you want to preserve their life span and get the maximum use for your money

So many variables, such as type of wood, is it full of metal, do they want them cut and split into 4inch pieces, have you got to barrow them up a hill etc. Logs by hand is hard graft and you could easily do 5l of fuel and a couple of litres of oil, not to mention a chain if it full of metal. Also area of the country can play a part but as rule down here i would think £130 - £160 per day is where I would aim to be. Best to have a look and give them a price based on how long you think it will take and your associated costs taken into account

Hedge trimathon, hadn't been done for a couple of years but came out alright

We have got two isuzu tippers, IMO they are the best trucks for arb. Thy are built like little lorries and not vans and the gearing on them is more suitable for towing and carrying large loads. We also have a transit and the difference between the two is massive. The only downside to isuzu is that the servicing and parts are dearer as you are paying 'lorry prices'. Overall wouldn't have anything else. There's quite a few threads on here about the isuzu's

I find your posts very informative and a lot of the topics you post about relate to my tech cert studies so please continue!

Summerfield books sell Coast Redwood -£46

Google provender nurseries in Swanley kent that's where we get our stuff. If they haven't got one on the stock lost they may be able to source it

Have you tried Orvis? They are always really helpful when I get stuff from them. There's also that country clothing shop in tenterden (can't remember the name) down your way who are good, not sure if they would do it or they may know somebody who could

Doesn't look that different to the current model. Looked on the mitsubishi website and they don't seem to list a new single can just the old shape. Mines getting serviced at the dealer next week and they let you drive the new model so might be rude not to!

Found this big London Plane today in a communal garden, pics really don't do it justice, big timber all the way up to around 70ft

Today's job, a 1-2m reduction on this Cedar. Tree had previously shed some limbs and a consultants report recommended the reduction with mewp.

When I did a similar thing through Capel Manor and the City of London everybody there had to be employed with a firm as opposed to self employed. I believe it had something to do with the funding aspect of the course and the fact that they get some of the tickets paid for - although this may have changed in recent years

That's it, sometimes people are happy to slate firms but I always try and be objective and fact full. After a shaky start Matthew pulled out all the stops and sorted us out. As you say service should be noted which is why I was happy to post what I did and fair play to Matthew for getting the machine sorted as quick as he did