Sequoia

We carry out TR6 on a GD 84. I have extended the threaded bar that holds the tailgate ramp otherwise the chipper will sit too far forward and the tongue is too heavy so you ruin the jockey wheel thread.

I agree with a lot of what you say Ty, but not this. Where do tired climbers go after hanging up the harness? There will be some who have just the right temperament to quote jobs, maintain kit and now and then join the site team if they are missing a groundie. And you won't have to pay them any more than a lead climber as you allow them to stay in the industry but not muller his body.

I sympathise with you. I have worked for some truly awful people in the past and I hope that those experiences have made me a better employer now. My first day at work as a tender 16 year old, the boss (who I was properly intimidated by as he was the reincarnation of Desperate Dan) turned to me and said 'right Matt, you might as well f*ck off now'. I wasn't sure whether to return the next day or if that was my marching orders!

Are needles in pairs and darker than Scots? Austrian, at a guess.

Good rescue Steve. On many other trees those pegs would not cause a problem but as you know (otherwise you wouldn't have created this post) Beech will struggle to active dormant buds, so the likelihood is multiple dead pegs and future points of decay. However, I watched a team doing something similar to the whole crown of a mature Beech in Midhurst a good 10-12 years ago and after struggling for 3-4 years, it now looks great. I had written it off, but it defied all I had been taught.

In terms of structuring a company, I have mulled over various options, and put some in to practice with varying degrees of success (mostly poor!) Let's play devils advocate. The raw reality is that my staff and LOSC do not want to work that hours that I do. And when they are not taking 'an entrepreneurial risk' why should they get a share of the profits? The boss is saddled with the finance of kit. He takes the hit when equipment is broken/stolen/lost. When a particularly arduous job which has taken lots of planning comes to an end, your head is immediately into the next job. There is concern about continuity of work and your good health continuing and ultra-planning before taking holidays. Is everyone still entitled to the profits??

We are getting slightly off topic, but it's still interesting. With regards to paying LOSC more money, it can make total sense. It is no exaggeration to say that some climbers are twice the speed of others, with good results and no breakages - these guys are worth £180+ a day, surely. For run of the mill work where your Average Joe is adequate, then £120 should suffice (I know this is low as a wage, but until the industry wakes up to what the rest of the world is charging........)

Try Lycetts on 01483 489291

...may I ask what part you had in it's making? I left school at 16 after a free but adequate education and did an apprenticeship in Forestry which led me to Arb 7 years later and then took advantage of an amazing infrastructure to set up and run a successful (little) business which has allowed me to buy a house and raise a family. I have not 'built' Britain. I have taken advantage of it. I have had the HUGE fortune to be born on the right lump of rock on the planet. Without that fortune I would very likely be some other country's refugee.

Nail technician. Car washers. Shop assistants. Taxi drivers. Do you think these are the aspirational jobs to which those people aspired? Or is there a chance that these are proud, educated and moral folk who refuse to sit lazily round taking handouts. These are vulnerable, desperate people at the sharp end of your views. In their shoes, I would turn to creative ways to improve my life and that may well involve crime. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you are a tradesman who's skills are in demand, (whether or not you own it) there is a roof over your head, you never have to worry where the next meal is coming from, you are not politically persecuted, you (clearly) enjoy freedom of speech and have access to the best free health service on the planet. I admire that you have strongly-held views.....but how about targeting the super-wealthy who put lots of resources towards ensuring they pay less tax than you do, or the foreign owned property in the UK that is permanently empty, travellers who nick our saws and chippers with immunity from Police intervention, tax-beneficial schemes that only the rich can afford to take advantage of etc. I'm sure if we met face to face, you would come across as a very decent chap. I think that you are at the end of a queue to join some far-right group, and i'd like to pluck you from the line and encourage you to add some empathy to your outlook, before they become too entrenched.

How many cat skeletons have you seen up trees? They all come down in the end. But that doesn't cut much ice with the owners. I have had 4 'rescues'. 2 were successful, one jumped and the fourth was hilarious. The cat was sat on the first limb of a Douglas Fir at about 10 metres. I didn't have a throw line so used a bunch knot to gain access. Unfortunately the bunch knot hit the cat square on the flank, sending it to the ground where it promptly recovered and ran away. I didn't charge her as I was too busy stifling laughter.

Dear Canoehead, I don't know your name, but you remind me of a chap called Richard Proenneke who is the subject of a book called One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey. Like you, he was a true craftsman with impeccable eye for detail, the sort of chap I wish I was, but fall oh-so-short. Let me have your address and I shall send you a copy and I hope that it will, in some way, inspire you to get up and carry on through what is arguably a complete tragedy for you and your wife. I really feel for you mate.

I'm really enjoying this topic and there have been loads of interesting perspectives (and gripes!). With regards to start-ups, weren't we all there once? I know that it gets tiresome seeing new companies spring up with shiny kit (and low day rates), but in 1999 that was me. And I priced low to get as much work and experience as I could and didn't make a profit for 2 years. But I also didn't have any time off, was pretty knackered a lot of the time, often demoralised, spent Saturdays trying to fill the following week with work, didn't have a network of great subbies, jobs that I'd priced poorly would overrun and cost me dearly.......I don't think life is much different for today's start-ups. And I wouldn't be in their shoes for all the kit in Honey Brothers. Good luck to you all.

Yes, you are correct. I don't have DD equipment so assessment was made from VTA. I try not to be alarmist with clients, but wasn't prepared to risk PI insurance on this one.

The fungus is harmless, possibly even beneficial so don't be concerned by that. Bracket fungus on the stem are positive indicators of internal decay (I appreciate that Armillaria is not bracket) and there don't appear to be any. The old pruning wounds may warrant further inverstigation and on the 2nd and 3rd pictures there is some black staining that may be an indicator of something sinister.

You can see the extent of decay here.

I have had to replace the solenoid on a year old 261. I was told that it was a wear part. As to what it does, it is essentially an electronic valve that sits on the back of the carb and electrically monitors the throttle. It is the reason we can no longer adjust the carb to keep the ruddy thing running sweetly.....

Here's a Lime with K. deusta that we took down 3 years ago. We made the decision to fell as K. deusta is a difficult one to assess, being such a small fruit body. And being a low union this close to a building just added to the anxiety. The weight of this tree was 38 tonnes - 2 lorry loads to get off site + 4 chip boxes.

VW's struggle with weight. Some don't even have 3.5 tonne GVW so your payload is minimal. Transit are now expensive and the turning circle is poor. We have Isuzu Grafters and are now looking at an Isuzu 7.5 tonner. The Grafter is a basic vehicle but with a good solid 3 litre engine and a 7 tonne Gross Train Weight so you can drag big chippers and MEWP's that a Transit can't.

I'd say smoking is a bigger stigma now than tattoos. No one seem surprised by tattoos anymore, yet some of our clients never encounter smokers (until they meet us!) None of my guys have tattoos above kneckline or on their hands.

Hi Gary, Unless you are using a root spade, then ground anchors won't work as the root ball will have been too disturbed through digging and won't be compact enough, hence Marc's suggestion of over-head guying. It is also worth padding the stem to protect it against the digger arm.

Maybe FSI should be called RSI - nothing gets my carpel tunnel going like a pedestrian grinder. After many years with a Dosko I have just bought a Predator 50 with remote control and it can squeeze through a 31" gap. I'm really pleased with it, and now all I get at the end of a days grinding is slightly agitated that I haven't burnt enough calories.

Euc is great firewood, but as stated already a bugger to split when seasoned. Be aware that Euc seasons rapidly - ie in 5-6 weeks it will turn to iron so get splitting now. Burn in a stove or you're neighbours will be making tea for the fire fighters!

We have a lucas mill and are based in Hampshire. Very busy at the moment though, looking end of June for availability.

I am haggling over a stand of Yew at the moment. There are 5 very good logs and the ones I had from this estate 10 years ago were beautiful. Usual problem is the owner has over-valued standing timber and so not viable yet. What is the time scale as it will be at least a year till these can be kilned after milling?