dogman

Thank you, so no good on lawns then ?. Rob

I've been looking at these, anyone use one/recommend a make ?. The billy goat little billy with hose, was the one that i was interested in, its a known make, & that model will go easily through gateways to rear gardens, a big consideration for me. Would appreciate your thoughts, Regards, Rob

I've a 3 trees on a site i work on, that are also lifting the block paving, i would like to offer a solution to the company, so i'm interested in this. Rob

About 7yrs ago, i was pruning an ash tree in my inlaws back garden, when a neighbour asked me what i was doing, i told her "i'm pruning this tree". She then went on that it shelterd her/their greenhouse etc..Told her that is was'nt her tree, that it belonged to the people who's garden it was, & their choice was to prune it slightly, to keep it under control(it was a bit wild)as the previous occupant had'nt botherd with it. She told me the previous owner of the property had said it would'nt be touched, i told her previous owner was dead, so that verbal agreement did'nt count. At this poing i was getting realy fed up with her, & asked her to go away & leave me alone(as polite as that), Then she threw a curve ball at me & said "my husbands on the council". I'd had enough & replied, "good, get him to come & enter my f******g bins then !". This was friday, 0900 monday morning a nosy parker from the council turned up to "check" the tree, their words, we have to check, as you can't trust these itinerant tree workers " !. The inlaws being the nice folks they are never said anything to her. Rob

I only started trading this year & have only had one refuse to pay. I told her my hourly rate, which she agreed to, & i did one & a half hrs work, which she was more than happy with, & asked me to go back the following week for a full day, so i rather foolishly said pay me next week & put it all on one check, as she had no cash & was low on cheques at the time The next week i was at a customers round the corner who had recomended me to her, who told me she did'nt want me to go back as i was to expensive. Rob

I've got a treebusta, which as you all know has a low exit height. I transport it around in a toyota hiace van. I can get a builders bag full of chippings & the treebusta in the van. I've now started to hire a trailer(£20 all in). As i mostly work alone i chip into builders bag then empty that into the trailer. The reason for doing it this way is the trailers are only 8 x 4 & not wide enough for my chipper, & only single axle, but cheap to hire, & means i don't have to store it. Rob

Thanks Steve, appreciate the advice, glad i did'nt make a tool box out of them now !. Just got to find someone who wants them... Regards, Rob

I did mention these in another thread, but today i went to the wood yard(woodlines, Grantham) to get an 8 x 4 sheet of ply, & took one of these planks i got recently with me to see if they could tell me what it is. They said it was elm. So, some questions if i may gents. Are elm planks(if indeed his identification is correct) common ?, & are they worth anything ?, i have a dozen, & they measure approx, 1500 mm long x 295 mm wide x 17mm thick, & are over 12yrs old, the age, is known by how long the current occupiers of the house who's loft i cleared had been there, ie the planks were there when they moved in 12yrs ago. All guess's welcome, i can't do technowizardry pic posting but could send pics to mobiles Regards, Rob

One would suit me, thank you very much !. Rob

I've done some work around Alma park. Anyone who's out this way wants the partial reg i have please pm me. The injuries that dogs suffer as a result of this is not pleasant, & sometimes as a owner you won't notice for a couple of days, if its gone down the throat. Rob

Hi Folks, it was a white transit tipper & the partial reg that i got was passed on to the police. Dean, where abouts in Grantham is your place ?. Regarding dogs, they will steal it, or as soon as it barks pour bleach or other caustic agent in its eyes/down it throat, then clear & come back in a weeks time when they then know your dog is gone/dead or disabled. Rob

I was working in the village of Long Bennington this morning, which is about half way between Grantham & Newark, & had my treebusta on the verge, i was only 6/7 yards away, but out of sight in a hedge(you know how you do..). I heard a diesel vehicle approaching & looked up & saw the "scrapman" 2 up in his transit pickup, they did a double take at my kit slowed down, looked for me but did'nt see me. They then went about a 100yds & turned round, there was no need for them to do so, then came back, by this time i'd got to the back of the van & got the pick handle out & stepped out into view, they then drove off, so if you are in the area please be careful. Rob

Try putting a 35mm film cannister on the end of the tail then using tape/plaster to hold it in place, this is a very effective way of protecting the tail end. BE WARNED do not use elastic bands to hold the tape in place, as these can easily work their way int to the fur & be forgotton about, & kill off the end of the tail. Also when she wags her tail against you leg it will be like some one hitting you with a stick !. Rob

Talking of celebs, my lads just spent a few hours in the company of & escorting Katherine Jenkins around camp Bastion. Rob

There has been in the past, other mowers of this style, though i've never seen one, the question of bicycle powerd mowers used to come up in the cycling press every now & then. I'd like to try one, but i suppose you would need a fairly large garden, as most urban lawns would make turning very difficult. Rob

I've got secaturs & loppers by Wolf, they are excelent. Wicks have a very good quality basic range, i have the hoe(love a cheap ho'...)& rake, very good for the money, £4 for the hoe £8 for the rake. My shovel was dads 30+yrs old, my spade & fork i got as wedding presents !, 31yrs ago, they are both boots branded. Rob

I've got the "storm kettle", which is the same as a kelly just a different make. The one i have is the F1 which gives enough for one man size brew of 500ml, & as i work on my own(sheds a silent tear)is ok for me. I prefer hexxy blocks in it as they are easier to get going & stay lit, i do find the fire bowl a bit on the small size. I've just made a collar to sit inside the fire bowl, so i can cook on it, not tried it yet though. Rob

Lol !, yep mini chippers can get anywere ! Rob

Having seen some of the fat kids that get on them at skeggy, pulling a few branches would seem like a holiday !. Joking aside, they are a beast of burden that seems to be abused in a lot of cultures. Rob

Making my "treebusta" look a bit small & pathetic !, but as has been said, chute off & it goes in the back of the hiace, & at 2ft wide goes pretty much where i want it to. Rob

Lol !, i realise that, just giving my experience of it. All though i do feel that in most cases abroad, it seems that everything is already down/flat & firemen/medics/ builders/miners/sparkies/plumbers are the guys that are needed first off. Mabe an organised team that could respond in the UK would be an idea ?. Just my thoughts & observations. Rob

Can't help with contacts, but i was approached by a guy who was setting up a dog team to work for the red cross, we would then attend disaster zones & search for survivors/bodies. I'm interested, but it does mean dropping everything at a moments notice, not heard anythig for a couple of months now. Rob

Political corectness, having just retired from an enviroment, that when i joined was a "mans world", & having seen it slither into the murky world of "PC", I understand how you feel. However, you can't do right in these circumstances. They can join in, even start banter, then stop & complain about others, & management have to act. Don't intereract with these people, keep conversations brief, & instructions concise, & do not tell anyone else not to talk/joke etc with them or you face allegations of bullying, its a nightmare, & can ruin an effective team. Rob

Thanks folks, looks like i was right. Don't mind doing a couple of little things, but this was a bit much. Rob

"While youre here, can you just..." What do you normaly say ?. I arrived at a job this morning, to remove a small conifer & a couple of bushes, to be met a pile of cuttings/branches hacked off every other bush in the garden, that needed chipping. I was going to charge £75/80 for the work i was intending to do, which would of been a builders bag of chippings. The pile they'd left doubled that, i did'nt quite double the price, but did charge more. And got to cut next doors grass, so not a bad day realy. Rob