Gardenmac
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Everything posted by Gardenmac
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Just keep an eye on the batteries, as they take 6 of the cell type. You can get them cheap too if you have a Home and Bargain type store nearby. My lock is on the cage side of the trailer and I simply set it when I go in and turn it off when I move on to the next job. Some kids Knocked it the other day and it scared the S@*t out of them, but then again that might of been me armed with my Sandvik clearing axe responding to the alarm.
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Why not try BTCV and get it done as a task in the local programme? If you are interested I'm sure you go join in to learn how its done for the future. Thats what I did many year ago, was trained up by and old boy from Lancashire and then spent many weeks on National Tasks teaching others. Great work when it comes up.
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Good on ya mate. I hate having to go back to the customer and ask for more than originally quoted but sometimes its a must especially for the unforeseen such as your cracked post. Its a ball ache but sometimes it has to be done. Like the contingency plan, do you use a percentage of the overall fee or just add on x? Also if you don't end up using the contingency do you pass it on to the customer as a reduced fee?
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I've invested in a wheel clamp and hitch clamp for trailer as the glistening eyes where circling the other week. I've also bought an alarmed motion sensor lock that sends out a deafening shrill at the slightest movement of the trailer, really handy when working in the back gardens. (Pack of 2 Heavy Duty Steel Padlocks with Built-in Piercing Alarm £20 0n ebay)
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All good stuff.The guy who did the original work hasn't been asked back. I prefer to price reasonable and get repeat business and recommendations than price high and get 'one off' jobs.
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Sorry to hear that, your dog must be up for Arbor dog of the year. Try running a steel cable through the handles of all your machines and then lock them all together. Use a lock that has a built in panic/ movement sensor that can almost wake the dead. Locking them together means they have to move them all at once which is not possible. It would take them time to cut the cable and silence the tremble alarm. What these scumbags want is to be in and out as quick as possible.
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Thanks guy, interesting to see the range of opinion. Guess the difference is that I go to work to make a living not to make a killing. I'm lucky enough to enjoy what I do and as long as I make enough to cover the bills, make a small profit and keep customers happy then thats fine by me. I'll leave the big bucks to the big boys and hope they get the same satisfaction from the work they do. After all every day is a good day when you wake up stretch out your elbows and they aren't touching the satin lined wooden sides.
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Right on, thats exactly what I said to her. I can't see it being more than 2 hours max. ( Thats to take out the old ones, pick up the new ones on the way to the job and to simply slide them in to the recess in the concrete posts.). On a job this morning and the customer had bought a new panel 6x6 to go in between two existing posts. He asked if I could install it for him, it took no more than 5 minutes.
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Half time it is Steve. The lady told me she paid £550 for the guy to replace the panels. I was stunned absolutely stunned.
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Nearly fell over when she told me. It was higher than that Hodge.
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Not even close Matty
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Picked up a new customer today. Quoted for general garden tidy up, jet wash and to undertake regular maintenance- no problem. Young lady then asked me if I could replace 5 fence panels to match in with 5 new panels she had last year. The 5 new panels are 6 ft high feather edge. Now bearing in mind that the people who did last years replacement had to lift out the old panels and slide in the new ones. They had to collect the panels from a builders merchants 3 miles away and the panels cost no more than £20 each. No work to posts, no digging, levelling nothing else other than lift out the smaller panels and slide in the new ones...oh and to break up the old panels and take away. How much do you think they charged?
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As we all have our own little traits and ways of doing this straight forward task heres a link for you [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKGasOoKsCY]Installing a Fence - YouTube[/ame] simple enough really,I'm used to working these on my own and the hard part is shifting the gear into position after 8 or 9 posts and moving gravel boards into position it starts to get a bit knackering. hope this helps
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you can prop the posts using the rails, the hard part is the gravel boards are heavy buggers, and the 9ft posts aren't like timber ones. I have two jobs coming up, one is to replace 15 posts and panels with new and the other is an 8 panel fence with concrete posts and boards through a concrete base. All good fun, good luck and post some pics as you go.
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Not strictly tree related but countryside related
Gardenmac replied to Matthew Arnold's topic in Picture Forum
Good for you. For me it was a way of life and the best bit was working with like minded people and everyday being different. The real challenge was not letting the destruction and abuse the sites took overshadow the good bits. -
normally slide concrete gravel board into mortice on concrete post the same with the rail. you may need to shave a bit off the rails to fit the mortice in the post. Are you doing the close board or are they close board panels( ready made?). If you have to dig the holes ( not using an auger) then a pair of shov-holers and a good wrecking bar are a must.
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Not strictly tree related but countryside related
Gardenmac replied to Matthew Arnold's topic in Picture Forum
Great posts Matt, I spent 28 years managing urban fringe countryside, parks, play areas etc so I know how bad it can get. Love the good work you and your team are doing, well done mate. -
We used to have the same problem in one of our country parks until the rangers printed the car registrations in the local paper asking them to come forward because they'd won a prize.
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Work on an hour per post(hole dug post in and concreted), important to line up the gravel board before the next post. 6 ft fence plus gravel board =9ft post (allows 2ft in ground) Just in case you didn't know.
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These are on sale in Dobbies and they aren't cheap. The girl on the till said they are flying out.
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Any arbtalking veg growers in da house?
Gardenmac replied to Tony Croft aka hamadryad's topic in The Lounge
Made raised beds in wife's school for the kids to grow their own. Last year they won the regional 'Best School Garden' with Britain in Bloom. Beds made up from recycled scaffold boards. The kids love growing the pumpkins and strawberries, food all collected and cooked in the school kitchen. I'm there on Friday to till and turn over the beds ready for the next season, just invested in a Honda Tilly- great bit of kit that comes in handy for customers flower beds too. -
Just checked Leicester City Council, not sure if that's where you are based but they have CityStre atoz (http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council-services/ep/planning/maps) Allows you drill down to property level.
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I use mapinfo and if its work for the local council get the base map of them. Try looking on the council website as sometimes under the local development framework/ planning evidence they produce a mapping system for local residents. On the website Leicestershire County charge £25 for 6 copies of an urban site based map 1:1250 scale map at the Librarys
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Has any one had any dealing with a firm called ground controll
Gardenmac replied to lyons e's topic in General chat
Professional outfit headed up by Andy Sphinks, now part of UPM. Ground Control Group Apologies if you already have this -
Its being collected tomorrow and is on its way back to the manufacturer
