Shane

Just to make it absolutely clear - its not ME quoting £1000 per day - by the way he subs it ouot and pays the 'team' under £300 - so he's creaming off £700 + and he makes them put his board up. He's well known rouond here as a complete ####. But, like you say, he doesn't need many.

I did a job last year and never even spoke to or saw the client- it went like this.. Email via website - 'can you give me a price for grinding stump in front garden - address etc.' I emailed back to say I'd look at it next day and email price. Did all that and he agreed (via email) and said he'd transfer the money into my bank. Did the job, emailed him, happy reply from him and money was in my bank. Only paperwork was copy of emails for my accountant. Job done

If you quote for a job which looks horrible (for whatever reason) make that the one out of 3/4/5 you don't get by pricing very high. If nobody else fancies it you may still get it but you'll earn more to compensate for that hassle factor. Some folks on here have said on other threads that they price stupidly low for jobs they really want (especially lucrative timber). Never sell yourself short on pricing - be aware of how the market is going. I have an amount I 'want' to make each day but the price I quote per day is influenced by a) how much I want that job b) how full my order book is c) how I think the going rate is moving There may be many other ideas which folks apply but as long as you are getting work and earning enough to be happy then you're not far wrong. PS there's a bloke in Worthing who quotes on jobs based on making £1,000 a day for himself! And he gets work!

Put a long screw driver through the hole in the flywheel (to lock it in position), put an 18 inch extension tube on the half inch allen key then heave till your nose bleeds. Any less and I guarantee you will throw the teeth out at some point. Before I used this subtle approach I lost a few and actually shot a tooth through the 3mm curved casing around the flywheel! Try Westcon in Wimbourne, Dorset - they are one of the biggest suppliers.

I worked in a commercial laundry for a few weeks. Had to empty truck loads of 'soiled' (with everything) sheets by hand (no gloves or masks supplied) and load into a huge washing machine. It took 100 double sheets at a time. 100% humidity in there and 120 degrees f. That was in 1976 - Health and safety was new and nobody there knew about it. It was no fun but it paid the bills. Makes me appreciate how good even the awful days are in the arb industry. Like Tom says - there's always some work out there.

Having seen all the doom and gloom and feeling sympathy for those seeking arb work, if it hasn't already been posted somewhere.... What is the worst job (outside arb) you've ever had? Maybe this will help us all appreciate what we DO have and how fun our work is - even on bad days.

from the thread title I thought the pikeys were coming!

Usually when people start out in business they have no existing customers and need experience. The tendency is therefore to price low which leads to a high pick-up rate. After a while you then realise that costs/overheads are higher than you thought, and given that Mrs Miggins and all her friends always accept your quotes, you start to price higher. This will eventually lead to a drop in pick-up rate BUT as you get known the number of enquiries increases so you are still busy but earning more per day. There are many threads on here about what to charge - we all need to pay the bills but pricing is a delicate area. If the enquiry is via a recommendation as long as you are sensible you should get it. I've found that yellow pages enquiries are almost totally price dependent - you can improve your chances by turning up exactly on time to quote, not calling them 'mate' and being nice and knowledgable. I'd say I get 95% of recommendation quotes and about 30% from YP etc. Probably 90% from parish mag. Good luck - know where your success comes from.

Just chase it into the chipper

Have it checked by a solicitor. May cost a few quid but could save thousands... and you'll have the wording if you ever need it again.

Is that a waterproof membrane under the shingle? Maybe remove that lot and replace with well treated border for plants. What is the next door garden like below the tree.

I've had so many of these, especially lately. If people quibble about doing it quickly I now ask if they would be willing to pay more if we went over the estimated time? Better still for the last few weeks I do not give a time estimate, If it's going to be a half day I just say we'll get it done in well under a day - but we have to take the waste away and dispose of it AND pay for the disposal. My guidelines - price for a bit longer than you think - tell customer (if pushed) less duration than you think - explain that if it takes longer that's my problem because the price and the job are a contract. No hourly rates to be taken into account. You should not be punished for speed/efficiency but you should be rewarded with the agreed money for the agreed qualilty of work! Moral of the story - as all project managers say...'Manage expectations' If you can find a way to get the job done better/easier/quicker then good for you. I'm sure we've all negotiated with a neighbour (often in the next street) to get easier access so there we are Quality of job/pre agreed price - Time taken is soon forgotten by all parties.

This is a great idea, went to a half day fungifest organised by Arb Ass'n SE branch a few years back- enjoyed it greatly. Count me in

Didn't think Kent was big enough for that lot! your crew will die of boredom. To be more helpful - how close to planting location are they to be delivered? How far apart are they? What preparation? (fertilizer,micorizea stakes/ties etc) Multiply up and add contingency Good luck

If more light is an issue what about offering a crown lift and a overall thin? Better for tree, fewer cuts, less reactive growth. Agree with others - if they insist on a crap solution you may as well take their money, at least you've tried to tell them what can go wrong. Keep fighting the cause

He wouldn't need to be earthed if he bridged across two different phases! Assuming the wires are a 3 phase supply (when there are 4 wires spaced vertically) he would have enjoyed a voltage difference of 410v between two live phases or just 230 between any live phase and the earth wire. Don't ask why its 410 across two 230 v phases - It's a while since I finished my course.

Ebay seems better for sellers than for buyers. Many years ago I sold an old Husky 298 which did work but was a pig to start - I said that in the ad and still got over £300 for it. The prices for crappy saws astonish me - I rarely look on ebay except for a laugh. The last saw I bought second hand was a Stihl 076 (£100 from my local chainsaw shop - I saw it running first, have had it 4 years and never let me down). We all know the life a chainsaw can lead, why would we ever buy one without trying it first?

I would get the SAS to booby trap a chipper, then leave it just round the corner from some 'travelling fraternity' tradesmen and sit back and wait for a very loud BOOOOM

Legal wizz kids... please.. It has already been stated that the arisings MUST be offered to the tree owner. Fair enough it is the rightful property of the tree owner BUT if the owner declines your kind offer can you insist he takes it or must you dispose of it yourself. With some overhangs (especially long hedges of leylandii) this can be a costly part of the process.

I find the prussic-sliding gesture acompanied by a good hip thrust ususally gets things started.

Andy - I know we are in the real world and if you work for a firm with such attitudes you can only do so much, BUT if you are aware of the idea at least you can apply it on a personal level. Should we accept that a macho/fascist approach is OK in large companies? Is our acceptance that 'it needs to change' perpetuating it?

Following on from yet another tragic accident my little old brain was jolted into action. Please forgive me if you are already aware of what follows but, if it helps avoid just one accident then I make no apology. Back in the 70s I worked for in Health and Safety. There was a statistics model called 'The Pyramid' and it goes something like this (please stick with it and see if your own experiences support it)..... To analyse the cause of an accident - in a way that we can learn from it and reduce the likelihood of a repeat - is not always easy. Statistically speaking a single event is no sound basis for global changes (if it were we would all be sitting at home wrapped in cotton wool). To identify areas of improvement we need lots of events (I do not wish any bad event on anyone) - so I am not advocating more accidents to provide a sound basis for analysis BUT For every catastrophic accident there are dozens of 'bad' accidents. For every 'bad' accident there are hundreds of minor accidents. For every minor accident there are hundreds of near misses. The further down the pyramid you go - the more potential to identify problems BEFORE they move up the pyramid. Does everyone report all accidents regardless of how small (if I were a betting man....) On a personal level - if you just make a mental note of near misses and think about what you can do in the WAY you work - you reduce the likelihood of an event moving up the pyramid. We all have our moments - think pyramid. Please don't assume you are fireproof - how many of the poor peeps who we now mourn went out that morning fully expecting to go home that evening? All of them - just like we will tomorrow

Absolute tragedy! One is too many, recent months absolutely dreadful frequency. There is a vague idea I recall from years ago which may be of some use. If it helps prevent one accident it will have been worthwhile so I'll post a new thread for general comment.

One wee idea to help with the absolute basics..... The Newton got its name because it is the weight of a typical apple (not a bramley) like the one that fell on Isaac Newton's head when he was doing some formative pruning (not sitting beneath) his apple tree. The fat bloke down the pub told me this so it must be true! And if you do fall out of the tree and your rope snaps - fear not the fall will NOT hurt you just beware of the sudden stop at the bottom. And a philosophical gravity question for you clever bods... If you bore a straight tunnel through the centre of the earth and out the other side, assuming you were thermally insulated, if you jump down the tunnel would you oscillate in a yo yo manner until you eventually come to rest in the middle? And for you genius peeps - how long would all this take? Maybe we should get out and do some tree work...