wjotner

On 09/11/2017 at 19:43, Steve Bullman said:

Likewise.  If someone damages or breaks my stuff they get billed the full price of a brand new replacement

That sounds fair enough to me. It's interesting hearing different people's perspective on this kind of thing as what I suggested about paying for damaged or lost kit is just what I've been used to. 

I would ask though, should a small firm (as most tree surgery companies are) be expected to foot the bill when some idiot loses a saw on a job or drops one out of a tree? I think that would be a tough cost to bear when profit margins are so tight as it is.

Also, I'm not sure a subbie should have to bring his own lowering gear. That should be provided by the employer. But I know it doesn't always work that way. When i work as a subbie, some companies provide all equipment except climbing gear and PPE. Others expect me to bring my own top handle saw and, because their kit isn't great, I'll end up using some of my own rigging gear. I probably would bill them if they damaged that gear. But it hasn't happened yet, so not sure how I'd handle it.

I think if kit gets broken because the job was tough and something went wrong, or general wear and tear then fair enough thats on the company. But if stuff is gets stolen or broken because of workers being negligent about security or being careless, then it should cost them, or else how will they value the price of equipment. Every company I've worked for has had that policy.

If a subbie's kit get's damaged while working it'll have been his own fault as he should be the only person using it.

I wouldn't expect subbie's to provide their own equipment beyond climbing gear and PPE though. 

My idea is to have a weekly turnover target for your company (or team if you have more than 1 team). Any money earned by the teams over that target, they get a percentage bonus. That way, when your team works hard and ends up finishing a job early, but then get sent on to an extra job, they would then be rewarded for that hard work instead of feeling punished for it.

That way hopefully, they don't resent the boss making more money from the day when they've worked so hard, because now they're getting a cut of that extra money earned. 

But obviously, there will be days where a job overruns and others when stuff is finished early. So the bonus should be calculated on a weekly or monthly turnover target rather than daily.

Not sure about how to deal with broken or lost kit. It think if you have subbies, it should be deducted from their pay unless they can prove it wasn't their fault.

Hi Ashford, I've PM'd you. Give me a call to discuss. I'm based in Sheffield. Cheers, Will

Haha you've sussed my side line work.

So i've decided to go down the ally planks route for the sides with stainless steel corner pillars.

Now i can't decide how best to fasten the ally planks to the steel pillars. 

Will ally rivets be good enough or should i bolt them on?

On 20/10/2017 at 08:39, Nathanzac said:

I didn't think this was a reasonable wage. I'm not expecting the earth but I'm 35 and still have bills to pay. All I was after was £10ph. I done an 11.5 hr shift and earnt £94.87. He has a subbie that only has basic lantra saw qualification and chipper and is on £90 for a 9hr day

To be honest mate, I was 35 when i started as a tree surgeon. I had to start off on £70 a day, and i had rent, car to run and bills etc. When you start a career at the bottom, whatever age you are, you gotta take the hit. I've been doing the job 3 and half years now and get £120 a day. But to be honest ,I'd like to earn more. So I've started doing my own work with my own van so i can take home £200 a day or more. But that takes investment too.

Unfortunately in this industry, it's hard to make decent money without starting your own business. But everyone complains there's too many tree surgeon firms about. This is because it's difficult to make a good living working for other people unless you're a top, super fast climber on £150-200 a day. Which is diffcult to get outside of London.

If i could earn £160 a day, I probably wouldn't bother starting my own firm. But up here in Derbyshire, it's hard to find anyone who'd pay anywhere near that.

yep, i'm thinking i should just get some ally planks and bolt onto the transit. Trouble is i'm not much for DIY and don't have the tools or space. 

Cheers guys. All valid points. 

To be honest, i should really stick with a transit as i usually dont use a chipper (just brash down on back with chainsaw, so the capacity needs to be pretty big) as i don't have enough money or regular work to pay for a chipper just yet. But my transit is old, and in order to use with a chipper (which i need to do to grow my business) i need to get a decent chip box on it. Trouble is, every quote i get for building a chip box is higher than the value of the truck. 

So if i'm going to spend money on a van, then I'd rather it be one i think I'm gonna get a few years of use out of and won't depreciate as much in value. Plus i can't really afford to keep running my van and my car. If i get a pickup tipper, then i can use as a car and sell my 2 other vehicles.

But am I mad to use a smaller van?

I'm weighing up selling my transit tipper and getting a 4x4 pickup tipper.

So obviously, none of the pickups will be able to fit a chip box that can match a transit's capacity.

But which will fit the most. My assumption is that a Landy Defender 130 will be the biggest. But i hate driving defenders. Will a Ranger or L200 fit a decent size chip box?

yeah the floor of the bed is ok. Just had some welding done on a couple of holes. So hopefully just need ally sides bolted on.

Can anyone recommend a welder or decent bodyshop in Sheffield area?

Yeah, I'm gonna try to get a quote or two from some local welders. I'm not really the DIY, bodge it together myself type. So I'd have to pay someone to do it. I just want to get an idea of what I might have to pay someone to fit ally sides onto the tipper bed. 

The tipper bed is ok. So it's just a case of building onto it i reckon.

Thanks for your answers

I've decided after a lot of thought to keep my crewcab transit tipper. But the tipper body needs improving/replacing.

How much would you expect to pay to have a standard tipper body replaced/improved with aluminium sides, barn doors and chip roof? Does anyone think this can be done for less than £1500?

Not sure about greenmechs. The ones I've worked with don't pull as well as timberwolfs and forsts.

So i'm weighing up purchasing my first chipper. 

I want it to be economical, tough, 6inch feed and sub 750kg for towing.

I know Timberwolf 230 is a popular choice for good reason. And I'll probably end up getting it.

But I'm interested in considering the Forst ST6P. Its 6inch feed and sub750kg. It claims to be rugged etc. But it's a petrol engine. Has anyone had any experience with one of these? Can they put in a decent days work or are they for part-time tree surgeons?

I'd like to go the petrol route. The emissions will be cleaner, less smelly and hopefully cheaper to run and lightweight.

What do you lot reckon?

I got a Pulley saver recently. Makes a big difference in lack of friction. I can fly up a tree without straining myself now.

I agree about the prssic hitch for the pulley. It's an issue, but i prefer using ropes for friction rather than mechanisms, as i just can't see whats going on inside, so can't tell if it's gonna break. Thats why i picked it over the art rope guide. Paranoid probably.

Is it a bad idea to run a rope through a carabiner? Or is it just a personal thing?

 

 

 

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Just that the carabiner wouldn't provide same friction benefits as a pulley. Would be no better than just using a conventional ring cambium saver. Also, not sure about what how it might wear on the rope by running it over a single crab.

Meanwhile...

So i decided to by a PulleySaver and have put a small hole in end of my rope and tied some old throwline cord into a small loop through the hole. Now i can just hitch my retrieval ball to the loop and away I go.

Cheers for the suggestions chaps.

the hole in end of rope sounds like a good idea. Will definitely try that.

Have considered the choker joker but will still have problems when I use a pulley. Not keen on running rope over a caribiner.

ok, so my rope doesn't have a spliced eye on which i can securely tie a retrieval ball.

But I really want to get a more advanced cambium/friction saver device like a Pulley Saver or ART Rope guide. But these can't be retrieved with the old 'tie a knot in the end of your rope' technique, as only a retrieval ball can fit through.

So aside from having to buy a whole new expensive rope with a spliced eye. Does anyone have a useful solution to retrieving these devices from the ground without a ball in a spliced eye?

thanks

Some really helpful replies there guys, thanks.

The cocoons and twin ropeguides are probably a little pricey and complex for me right now. I'm still just climbing on Doubled rope with a hitchclimber. I reckon it would take some practice getting it right and I don't have the spare cash to experiment right now. But definitely one for the future.

Rich Rule's idea is a good one. And something I reckon i'd try out. The only problem might be coming down. If you come down on Ddrt system, you can't retrieve the SRT line. But you can't come down on the SRT line without burning through the Prussic. I guess I'd need a Rope Wrench or something on the SRT to deal with that?

What do you reckon?

Cheers

Ok, so I'm trying to find some info on how to set up the following:

I want to set and ascend on a Single Line. But I want to work off DdRT.

I want a setup where I basically have my Ddrt setup pre-anchored to the SRT line so that when I reach the the top, I can just sit back into the Ddrt and start working.

The advantage of this being the easier and quicker ascent and, if done correctly, the possibility of a moveable top anchor from which you can maybe use multiple re-directs, but still have the mechanical advantage of Ddrt while moving about within the canopy.

I've seen something about it on internet once before, but can't find it again. Has anyone ever tried this technique? And if so, what Pro's and Con's have you found?

Thanks

Will

Reliable, hard working, safe climber with cs30,31,38,39 tickets, level 3 arb diploma and nearly 3 years climbing experience, looking for part-time subbie climbing work around the Peak District, Stockport, South Yorkshire.

Have own climbing gear (and saws and tipper van if needed).

PM me if you'd like to chat or if you'd like me to email a CV.

Can anyone recommend a body shop that can fix up a tipper body (add new sides and weld floor) near Sheffield please?

ok, good to know. thanks

The Buxton site is for domestic use really, and my tipper van might be a give away that i'm trade. Though i may try there if desperate.

The one is Chesterfield is worth a try. thanks.