wjotner

I'm not keen on the idea of spending £500 on a metal box. I'm trying to see if I can find them cheaper or second hand somewhere, but i can't find much going online. Also, those larger side access tool boxes are too big for my small tipper body. I'm looking for something only half that height, basically enough for store a couple of chainsaws in.

So I need to add some tool storage space to my Landy tipper. I was thinking of a couple of under body boxes on either side between wheel arches. And another box on the front end of the body with side access. But I'm struggling to to find anywhere online that does side access tool boxes. Does anyone know a good place to get them from? Preferably used as new ones are really expensive. Thanks

So ended up buying that landy tipper. Got a decent price for it and it made it all the way from harrogate to sheffield without blowing up on the M1. So far, so good... Now i just gotta get rid of my transit.

Whata re the benefits of friction at top instead of bottom?

Experienced climber with CS30,31,38,39, chipper, first aid, CSCS, Arb Diploma level 3 With own tipper van, saws, light rigging gear, own insurance and can supply an extra man if needed as a bona-fide subbie. Looking for fill in days to work around Sheffield and North Derbyshire

Nice work with fixing up chippers. I'd love to do same but totally lack the skills, tools and space for that.

I already get a guy in for that on jobs that are big enough to pay for it. But it makes me less competitive on medium sized jobs.

Got your name written all over it Mitch

Yeah totally. I've worked with plenty of guys who don't know the difference between lopping and topping and proper reductions. That's why I suggested he should work with some experienced guys first. Thats where you do all your learning really, watching other peoples methods and techniques. Or even go work for someone else first and see how he finds it.

I totally agree that tickets alone don't make a decent arborist. But they should be a starting point. Plus, I'm not sure if you can get insured these days without the right tickets.

Disagree. Self taught tree surgeons produce stuff like this.

haha, F**k no. If i ever did that cliche stuff my wife would shoot me. And I'd be loading the gun.

Yeah I spoke to dealer leasing options. they're offering over £400 a month payments. Quite high for me right now. I'll be looking to hire chippers in when needed for now. I need to establish some relationships with people to hire though. I can get hold of decent chipper for decent price in Sheffield right now. But I'll be looking to hire around Matlock, Chesterfield areas in Derbyshire soon.

Once I've got my own defender, I'll probably want to do a lot of the stuff you've added on.

Those payments aren't bad actually, £240 a month is pretty doable. I'm not crazy about greenmechs, a TW230 would be the dream, but beggars can't be choosers. I'll pretty much take anything that runs.

The seller's not up for a PX as he think my van too old. But I might buy his Landy anyway as it's a decent price

Tree work is an completely different set of skills compared to any other work on the ground. There's the rope work, rigging work, judging the weight of limbs to be cut and strength of anchor points, using a chainsaw while hanging upside down without killing yourself or dropping the branch onto a glass roof. Not to mention developing an eye for reducing a large crowned tree properly takes a lot of practice. You should really work with more experienced climbers for a while and watch and learn rather than just jumping in as a lead climber with no one to teach/supervise you. A lot could go wrong. You should get some experienced subbie climbers in for a while, especially on bigger stuff.

How long were going chipperless for?

Not sure. I've checked a 230 would cost me about £450 a month, which is doable if I'm getting enough of my own work to pay for it. But not at that stage yet. I think a 160 is only 4k less in price.

Ha ha, fair point. I did really appreciate all the positive and negative comments. My mind wasn't completely made up before, but it is now. But I'll go into it with eyes open to the potential pitfalls of owning a Landy. I may well come to regret it, but so f**king what. Sometimes in life you gotta take some bleedin risks don't you, to get what you want. I switched careers completely from an office job to full time climbing less than 4 years ago. It was a total risk. But it was the best decision I ever made. So, thanks everyone for all your input, it's been genuinely helpful to get all the different opinions. Sign me up to the Loony Landy club.

I don't like MEWPS. I think they should be used as backup where climbing is too difficult or dangerous due to e.g a dead tree to dismantle or loads of awkward cutting over a building etc. I reckon over use of MEWPS will start to make climbers lazy and ineffective at climbing. Although they are nice and easy chogging down a pole.

To be honest. I get few off road jobs. But if I did, none of the options you mentioned would be doable in most situations. The other reasons I want a 4x4 is it's smaller and will fit on my drive. The transit is too long and too wide to fit and I can't park it nearby once I move house. I don't want a Mog as that would be EVEN bigger and be impossible to park on almost all of the domestic jobs I do. I want a 4x4 tipper because: It's more versatile, giving me more options for what jobs I can do. It's smaller so I can park outside my house and i can take it more places. A lot of the tip sites I use are inaccesible to my transit in bad weather (which in North of England is most of the time). Plus I'm getting rid of my car, and downsizing to a single vehicle, which means ,when I need to drive somewhere for non-work stuff, I haven't got to deal with driving my massive crewcab transit around and parking it. And I also, just really want a Landy (they're the sexiest trucks about IMO).

Excellent spot Al Cormack. Cheers. I've just contacted the seller about my van to see if he'd want it.

You are probably right. What other affordable alternatives are out there in the 4x4 market?

This is one of the attractions for me too. I fully expect to have to spend money on it over the years. The difference is, I'd rather have a vehicle that's worth looking after and giving some love to like a good old Landy, rather than a bleeding transit, which is not worth spending anything on other essentials to keep on road.