Matthew Storrs
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Everything posted by Matthew Storrs
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Agreed, on the face of it it does sound a lot, unless there was something like having to break out old concrete/negotiation utilities etc, there would be quite a big price increase if it was 8ft high as they'd need at least 10 foot posts and plenty of concrete to stop it blowing over with that kind of height, check the specs and get another quote I'd say.
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Which model digger is it, as many weigh more their paper specs suggest, a quick hitch and 4ft grading bucket is 100kg etc. Tri axle would be nice but not sure there is anything that will take bigger than 2.5t legally. If you want maximum payload than Bateson trailers make a stripped down plant trailer which has a 2900kg payload.
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I thought the kx61-3 was 2600kg operating weight? That's was the specs say- I'm quite interested in this digger as it's lighter than my Tak tb125 which is borderline legal on my LM106. The Ifor LM106 I believe is the highest payload trailer that I for make- it weighs 620kg when flatbed mode with no sides,ramps or spare wheel. I use it to transport my 2.8t digger all the buckets and any thing else go in the back of the Landy and it sits nicely on the trailer, being short its pretty easy to get the load distribution right and iv never had snaking with it. If you have a lm106 with caged sides and ladder rack there are very few times I have ever needed anything bigger (apart from long timbers or pipes etc). I know if I had anything longer it would be a PITA to get into fields etc off tight Devon lanes and the like.
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Not necessarily a bad thing- especially on tippers, what's an extra 100-200kg if it has the build quality to back it up. The Nugent trailers I have seen at shows look really good- this would be my brand of choice if buying now - and that's coming from an owner of several ifor William's!
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On the face of it, charging by the hour seems to be fairest as everyone knows where they stand- for labour only this may particularly be the case and i think on long term jobs it can also be a good way. Where I have an issue with it is for jobs under a day, I know what I need to make a day to cover my costs and earn a living, if I go out to do a job by the hour with my digger, if I nail the job by 3pm the only person who is happy is the customer- for me there is no more time in the day to get to another job taking into consideration travel and loading up to eat- therefore I have not made enough in the day to cover costs. Also I spend half an hour in the yard before and after a job greasing up and loading the machine etc, I'm happy to do this 'for free' if I know I will be getting a days work but not to go and do some piddly little job for 2 hours somewhere unless it's conveniently en route to another job.
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I think it depends on how you charge in the first place, if you have made a point of charging x per hour then charging x whilst your sitting around having lunch may not sit well with customers. This is another reason why I prefer price per job- so there's no petty quibbling. At the worst if I am doing a days digger work it's X per day and that includes breaks- if the job takes hOur longer than the 'day' then I don't chArge more than my day rate and vis Verza. Personally I can't stand hour rates- it can get very petty and someone usually ends up feeling hard done by. I have 3 rates, 1- a small 1 hour type job that gets charged to include travelling, 2- a half day- which allows me to do another half day elsewhere, or 3 a full day- charged regardless of what time in the afternoon I'm finished be it 3 or 6pm.
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Conscientious objectors walling rebuild
Matthew Storrs replied to Matthew Storrs's topic in Landscaping
Agreed, iv just spent some time reading about the COs time at Dartmoor prison (not that they were actually prisoners). Sounds pretty grim with several of them dying from Pneumonia, no doubt from their excursions in the quarries Or wall building on the moor in grim winter weather etc. They had some skills I'll give them that, some of the still standing walls they did are to an incredibly high standard. Slightly disconcerting that I'm finding bits of bone (not to mention small glass bottles in amongst the wall, hopefully just sheep bones! -
Conscientious objectors walling rebuild
Matthew Storrs replied to Matthew Storrs's topic in Landscaping
Thanks, it really isn't the sort of walling you want to look too closely at, it's a job just to get digger in position without sinking a foot or 3. It's on Newtake land just outside prince town. About 100 meters left to do -
Conscientious objectors walling rebuild
Matthew Storrs replied to Matthew Storrs's topic in Landscaping
Few more -
Conscientious objectors walling rebuild
Matthew Storrs replied to Matthew Storrs's topic in Landscaping
Oh, did attach more pics, not sure what happened there -
Interesting (and awkward) walling job I'm on at the moment. Was built originally by conscies during 1st WW whilst they were staying at HMP Dartmoor. Many of the stones are between 500kg and 1 ton and I'm struggling a bit with my digger so God knows how they did it back then! Probably not the prettiest walling iv done- its mostly Peat bog and sitting water so not the easiest conditions to work in
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Mobile Sawmill- a good business to start?
Matthew Storrs replied to jh126473's topic in Milling Forum
Got to be a pretty small market really, might be fine as a sideline or even bit of a hobby to begin with, I just don't think there is either enough timber in the right situations to be viable against more commercial sawmills(ie non mobile) Beau I can think of a few Mobile saw millers on Dartmoor alone and I don't think anyone of them exactly consider it their main income.... Negetivity or realism- you choose! -
Excavator with grab hire
Matthew Storrs replied to the village idiot's topic in Forestry and Woodland management
It could be a good way of doing it, but even in the same weight class they can have different size pins and hydraulic couplings etc which could be annoying if you only are hiring for a day at a time. Most contractors have a thumb or grab with there machine now- not as fun but it may be easier to get an owner op in for the day... -
Different ways of looking at it I suppose. I don't charge for big kit unless it's being used and when I do I just add it to my base rate. That way it makes me more competetive on smaller jobs and if I haven't got enough days using the machine to pay for it then I probably shouldn't have it in the first place. All running costs are part of my base rate though.
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Is it the kubota u20 you are looking at by any chance?
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But what do you say when the customer asks how long it will take, they may just want to know how long you are going to be there for as they may have plans or something, and in any case if you charge £450 for a dismantle and then drop it and be gone in an hour they are going to think they have been ripped off anyway. Personally I'm pretty up straight with my customers with regards timings but only if they ask:thumbup1:
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I keep toying with the idea of a new truck, but threads like this make me realise why i always end up sticking with the 110 pickup. I get that a new truck is going to cost me 20k or so, but if i'm spending that kind of money I want to tow 3.5 ton daily and for it to be able to do so for 170,000 miles and still be doing it in 18 years time like my Landrover still is all whilst costing me b*gger all in repairs. AT the moment I just can't be convinced that any of the current offerings will do so, so I think i will just hold on till neccessity forces change.
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Why use Hydraulic oil then? is that just manufacturers reccomendation? I think i would just use bio chainsaw oil/veg oil, got to be better for you than hydraulic oil if your breathing it in...
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Hydraulic oil is nasty stuff to have on your skin let alone breath- Its pretty carcinogenic by all accounts (on internet!) Seems odd that it uses hydraulic oil to lube the chain- are you constantly topping up with the stuff? You'd think it would have a small tank for solely this purpose so its easy to top up with chaisaw oil etc leaving the hydraulic tank solely for hydraulic operations- or am i missing something.
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Porridge for me most mornings, got to be jumbo oats, soaked over night prior to cooking (NOT IN A MICROWAVE) and then lashings of either honey or maple syrup. keeps me going till Lunch no probs. Sometimes i make an egg fried rice dish in the mornings too.
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Building can potentially be mighty hard graft. The last few weeks I have taken 'time off' to do a landscaping job at home- involving mixing tons of concrete and laying 9" blocks and granite etc. working as a team of 3 this would be quite straightforward but on my own (and i do rather go hell for leather) keeping up with a constant mixer and pouring concreting laying blocks etc etc- proper knackard when I finish at 9pm! I worked in a quarry once in the sawing shed- trying to keep up with dumper loads of stone being poured into the shed all day and whilst being sprayed with freezing cold water was pretty hard work:thumbdown:
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When you say plant insurance do you mean to cover you for public liability doing digger work/ groundworks etc or to cover you for the actual machines. Trust insurance recently sorted me out a plan to cover all digger work up to 3 meters depth- it doesn't include any tree work or anything just groundworks and fencing etc. Hope that helps.
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Whilst this makes total sense, i find its a catch 22 situation. Our dog is 'funny' with other dogs particularly in the situation you descibe. I beleive left down to chance he would be far better off the lead. However I'd rather not take the risk of him damaging another dog so keep him on the lead when other dogs are around. The problem of course is that often the oncoming dog who isn't on a lead comes rushing up to him albeit playfully leaving our dog to take the fight path. What do you do really?
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Fair enough sentiment, but even the most docile labrador will have a snapping point, the times our collie has growled at our daughter has been soley due to us not being quick enough to prevent her pulling his fur, a dog has no other means of communication and likewise a 1 year old child can't be told. Its a situation that falls eniterly in our hands to prevent. We never leave them alone for a moment but any act of aggresion other than a provocated growl would be acted upon immediately.
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Eggs, sorry to hear this, Had he ever attacked anyone before this?. I only mention it as from the face of your post- if I ever stepped between 2 fighting dogs I would expect (in their momement of excitedness) to get bitten by one of them, I probably wouldn't have the dog put down for this reason alone, but perhaps in your case there is more to the story? We have a collie who has growled at our 1 year old daughter on a few occasions (always provoked when she might pull his fur or something). Its something that needs to be kept an eye on but hope it is not ever something that will ever manifest further than a growl.
