deezyboy

That’s a good wage for someone with a saw 👍🏼 Hopefully someone replies soon mate.

Spent the evening browsing for an allisport full width intercooler for my 300tdi and nobody has one in stock, have allisport stopped trading or do they only make to order? alternatively does anyone have any reviews on the airtec intercoolers? cheers

Yes, I have now rung and set it up with a local accountant, they are going to do my self assessment as well as VAT and they can get me a cheaper subscription to quickbooks etc ??

I know it isn’t the smartest move, but I rightly or wrongly still view myself as a ‘small guy’ so up until now have been trying to streamline costs (I appreciate that they often save you what they cost you, but I’m stubborn) but yes, it is the rolling 12 months which has caught me out. I am currently fine but will go over with the very next invoice that I send. Am am I right in thinking that I don’t have to charge vat until the first day of the second month, ie: if I register in December 2020 then not collect vat until 1st Jan 2021? This way my current jobs pending to be carried out in December and work that I haven’t invoiced for yet, should be unaffected to avoid charging customers extra/forking out the VAT difference from my own pocket.

I will also be getting an accountant tomorrow, as well ?

Agreed, I’m also sat here now working it out. I think ultimately unless i’m Clever I will end up with a bit of a bill to pay. I think I am going to have to contact everyone and see if they would consider paying the extra even though they are not obligated too.

Evening all, im crap at paperwork, and just sat down this evening and worked out that by some miracle I have managed to realise before it happens, that rolling from December 2019- December 2020 I am actually going to cross the VAT threshold. I will register to go VAT registered this week. How does this effect jobs that I priced and won in November and have booked in for January etc? Do I need to contact them all and explain/ apologise that the bill will be increasing (for private customers anyway) its a bit daunting as a fair bit of my work is private residents but I’ve got to take it as a compliment I suppose.... I don’t have any problems paying the other tradesman I use VAT, so I hope my customers don’t either. thanks

+1 for smaller skidsteer, I also have an opico skidster, the old version of a Sherpa. It will drag brash, conifer, timber all day long and is so small and light that you can literally drive it over the customers flowerbed and they wouldn’t notice. And I do that quite often too....

Mornin’ looking into my first mewp, and the biggest issue that I have found is the price difference in a tidy used cabstar mounted 20m and a tidy tracked unit. for considerably less money you can buy a 20m vehicle unit, whilst you are talking at least another 15k for a tidy tracked unit, with possibly only a 17/18m lift. currently stuck pondering whether the bigger reach, less accessible mewp would be better or whether to splash out on a machine that would be able to access a lot more trees, but is substantially more expensive? inappreciate that what ever I buy will be too small, wide etc for every scenario out there and will not be perfect. Currentlt swinging towards the tracked unit though as I already own a cabstar and they are horrific on even wet tarmac for off-road use, garden trees etc. thanks

I found this too, mine broke during lockdown when it was 3 months old.... it then spent the next 3 months in the local machinery place (where I bought it) where they spent weeks and weeks waiting for parts to be shipped for it

Morning all, Rainy day means a day sat behind the laptop again. I have been pondering for a while now (light halfheartedly) with regards to becoming arb approved, the pros and cons, and always assumed it was miles out of my reach, however after a mediocre local company (no names mentioned) passed it recently it shows that quite clearly the practical and quality of work side of the assessment isn't out of my reach, just possibly the paperwork and handing them over my money side! My question, with some companies now not 'bothering' to renew when their approval expires, apart from those who use it to aid commercial tenders etc, how useful is it to have in 2020? A couple of big companies where I am have every council gig tied up nicely on an un-matchable price basis so I don't think that is a future possibility, either. I'm not mocking the AA scheme or trying to undervalue it either, I'm always looking to achieve new goals and purely looking for whether it is a big step worth taking for a small company?

I think thats the main reason a lot of us went to Bicton, wasnt it? I dont think it was for the arb... felling in clinton devon plantations. Climbing 100ft trees around the arboretum. nobby clarke offroading the college ldv minibuses up through the forestry racks etc Nobby ran it when i was there in 2011 and he did the best he could with the management and budget etc etc that he had. Ultimately it wasn't great but i left with a group of mates who still meet up now, my basic tickets and a hatred of cheap cider from the local post office.

Hi Mate, where are you based please? thanks, Ben

Evening Gents, I am on the look out for a self employed climber/groundsman for regular work (4/5 days a week) carrying out arb work in South Devon, Ivybridge + Kingsbridge area predominantly. for asap start. All tickets needed, as well as the usual ppe and basic tools although the rest can be supplied. Ideally someone happy to muck in and climb and ground as well as the odd hedging and general tree related activity. South Hams Arborists if you want to facebook/google/stalk us first. 07814376119, cheers

Ok thanks. So unfortunately it looks like employing is a last resort effectively for a small business, due to the costs etc? As annoying and problematic as it is, a one off cost to pay a subbies invoice as required far outweighs the total bills involved with employing

Morning all, Currently in a situation where my full time, self employed (yes i know that shouldn't have been done) guy is leaving next week and I need to find a full time guy to cover and replace him. Ideally I would carry on down the self employed route but nobody wants this for less then £160 a day which is do-able for nice tree days, but we also do a bit of odds and sods and log splitting etc where it isn't quite as doable, so I am now having to look down the line of a PAYE roll to cover all bases and have a guy in every day (1 less thing for me to worry about) This is quite a big jump for my little business so just looking for advice, realistic fee's and costs so that i can gauge how sustainable it would be. I've read elsewhere on this forum that i need to budget 4X their annual pay cheque in terms of training, PPE, Holiday pay, sick pay etc.... all of which I receive none ? As cheesey as it sounds but my mum is a qualified accountant so she can help me/volunteer to do admin and paperwork to an extent, but just looking for recent and updated charges and costs to help my decision. Thanks, Ben

The only cunt in that situation, would be you.

Sorry if this is the wrong place. i ran past a place on my run near Ivybridge, South Devon with a nice looking saw mill and a Land Rover marked ‘Devon sawmill’ but it was parked too far away to get his contact details. i am trying to find someone that may know of, or have their contact details as have a few big stems which need recovery and milling. Thanks

Got caught out by a magazine for the fire department a few years ago, they tried to debit my account 7 tines but only achieved it once, strangely though I asked for my money back and they obliged. I got contacted a few years ago by a similar sounding schools publication, and now anyone that contacts me with regards to a magazine or advert gets told where to go, especially yell ??

Filling in the air gaps ?

I have an opico skidster and it’s pretty ancient (comes with cool retro 80’s decals) I ebayed it on a whim locally for 3.5k and it came with a range of attachments which are handy but I must admit that I’ve never used. Post auger, cement mixer, fencing tools, log splitter came with it but I need to replace the ram seals. Being only a metre wide, yeah it’s no avant but it only comes out she shred rarely when we have a large takedown or drag but it saves the day. Bought a log grab from kelfri which works but has broken several times due to cheap metal, and the actual grab itself bent last week after a solid day of grabbing and carrying brash piles stacked with a tree shear to the chipper. I have the long ‘dangling’ grab which is handy as you can manually rotate it depending on what you need and I also have the upclose, ‘fixed’ grab for what I call ‘Vermeer style’ grabbing, which I mainly use for grabbing and ripping out hedge removals etc once cut. the ram seals went on the kelfri grab which is by far the weakest component of the entire machine, the actual machine will lift anything with enough guys stood on the back for ballast, and with a Honda Diesel engine, it’s smokey but does the trick. Also used it to empty out horse stables etc with the buckets (muck grab is on the Christmas list) like someone above said, it’s no avant but it doesn’t cost me a monthly finance bill and when it comes out on a job we are always pretty surprised and the guys are much appreciative of it loading the wood for them.

self employed climber/ groundsman needed in south devon. Ivybridge area but work throughout south devon, plymouth and cornwall. Ideally a climber but happy to chat if you just have groundsman tickets. Can take you on several days a week and can be flexible to suit around you. www.southhamsarborists.co.uk Feel free to give me a call on 07814376119. cheers, Ben.

Nearly a year on from my previous post and things are a lot better. Unfortunately my relationship did break down, due to treating my ex as a crutch to hold myself up during the bad times. This was what kickstarted my counselling sessions once a week which I have always previously dismissed and failed to understand the importance. They have immensely helped me and I recommend them to any person in a similar situation where they are struggling to cope by them self. Taken up running, get some podcasts on the go and out the door to completely switch off from trees and focus on myself. troublesome/stressful subbies I got rid of, any ongoing hidden issues with staff or admin etc were corrected or dealt with. I knew that things had to change in order for me to carry on running this business. I am no longer stressed daily, in fact I am so relaxed that I fail to book work in and organise basic things.... but I am enjoying the arb industry again and looking forward to a busy winter!

Used nothing but Aspen now for about three years and love it, I too hiss when a subbie comes near me with a 2 stroke saw as I now notice the fumes far more then before. When my 26 month 560 blew up they said they’d never seen such a cleanly burning saw before. One thing though, I have a husky 538 strimmer (or something) which I have run on aspen since new and I’ve had to have the fuel lines replaced, and now the fuel primer bubble has cracked and split. I can’t explain why as the saws and trimmers love it but the strimmer runs like a stihl (poorly)