doobin

That’s some messy welding.

Tax burden on profits are pretty much the same whatever way you go.

Did you buy it back from the insurance then? There’s your starting point.

You guys are too good at this!

You wouldn't generally run an agitator until you are needing to pump it. Individual farms may have different circumstances however.

Judging by what other firms quoted to do some stumps recently, the recession is a long way off in Surrey! I don't think that's actually the case, I think it will hit very hard and very quick, just folk don't realise yet. Two large stumps, around 3 ft each. Took me two hours on site including drinking coffee and then I went on to another job. I went in at £250+VAT just to get the job in order to test the PTO grinder on the alpine. Not the sort of thing one can test at the yard. Normally I'd guess around £350 for the lot? I'm new to grinding and there seems to be a lot of money in it. I made £550+vat by 2PM with the second job so I was happy with that, plus the grinder worked a treat. Nearest quote for the first two stumps was £450, a bloke a mile up the road wanted £960 plus VAT! Even if spending all day with a pedestrian grinder that's stupid money. People don't realise that this boom is all down to mortgage rates. Just as soon as your average Surrey house has to remortgage the £1m balance at 6% rather than 1%, that's £50K per year that they will not be spending in their garden. It's coming.

Use of petrol tools powered by pump petrol is perfectly acceptable practise and has been for years. Currently anyone trying to sue you for being asked to drive a lawnmower filled up at Tesco’s is on a hiding to nothing.

Makes a pretty pokey self propelled grinder. Comfy to operate too.

Some people are claiming that's the case, but overall I'm not so sure. It's a noticeable uptick.

4 sleepers, just holding back the edge of the pond. I'd usually use a duck anchor if possible, simply as it negates any leverage from the length of the post. However, in your example, I'd say it's very unlikely to push over. To push over, a wall needs sideways loading, commonly from wet clay that's been dug and then backfilled. In most other substrates, almost all the force is downwards into the underlying strata. Three or four sleepers high is bugger all, and 4ft steel ipnto virgin ground will hold a lot. The RSJs I replaced in that pond job were leaning, but had been for years. When I pulled them up they were barely a foot into the clay! At the end of the day, if Williams customer is specifying the wall, all he needs to do it buy/hire a post knocker for his digger, turn up and get paid!

My 8.4 with extra counterweights is happy with a bag on the forks, and will boom out all the way without lifting a wheel so long as the steering is straight. Being able to comfortably handle a bulk bag was my main requirement when shopping, and on balance, I'm happy with it. I never need more lift capacity for what I'm doing. It seems to max out at around 1.2t, so an 800kg bulk bag (with the arm high to position the forks through the bag loops) is towards the top of the working range but never feels sketchy unless on a cross slope.

I've noticed a large uptick in kit for sale. Things like secondhand loaders, which are normally pretty rare.

You won’t be able to upgrade a 3.5t van to larger. But iveco in particular do vans up to around 6.5t

You’ll knock ‘em in enough to hold with a digger and post knocker. Did these a couple weeks back but I was surprised how much resistance I had on them into the clay. Went back and fetched the loader with the p180 but still on got them down a foot more than the 100kg knocker. Plenty enough to hold the bank back however, and like dumper says, you can always add a ground anchor to the top if you can’t knock them far enough down. Vibration may well work better but a vibration unit is a bit specialist, digger posts knockers are everywhere. Just go slow and make adjustments in good time.

You are referring to the great PPI (payment protection insurance) scandal.

A decent set of bluetooth headphones have been a game changer for me. It's easy (and often a welcome distraction) to talk a job through with a customer whilst having both hands on the joysticks.

Depression more like!

Almost the same thing though isn't it. My heart always sinks when a secretary says 'yes, what do you want to know/how can I help' in relation to a technical query of any kind. Invariably, they don't know shit, and it's just a total waste of everyone's time.

A photo of the door open would help. The first thing I'd try would be a very small bit of plastic or alloy beading stuck above at a shallow angle and covering the door and then a few inches. It's most likely just rain running down the side panels and then into the crack between the door and the body. A piece of beading on the floor just inside the door might also have the same effect of keeping the runoff out of the compartment.

It's really obvious when a firm is using a vitual secretary, and I don't think it's a good look.

OP's widow- if you're reading this, can I have his motorbike? @EdGreen

Agree on the liability front, you can go Ltd whenever you like though.

The real benefit is the limited liability. There’s not much in it if anything as regards tax benefits, especially with corporation tax due to rise.

It’s not grey at all should you actually try to claim.