CJM

I'm 28 and I feel I'm at the top of my game although I'm starting to feel aches and pains that I never felt 10 years ago and if I'm being honest it's only going to get worse, I feel the next 10 years will be in decline. I'll still be able to do the job but not everyday

Bad advice, your UTR has nothing to do with a cscs card

I was always under the impression that land cruisers were one of the best 4x4s hence the price of them really old ones command decent money. I was also told these vehicles can pull anything you put on the back of them including the moon

I don't have any advice for the op but I'm tempted to get 540 to replace my 201 it's 3 years old now and I can't afford to be without a top handle if it decides to break. I've tried the 540 and liked it but was always suspect of the build quality so I thought I'd wait a bit see if they stand the test of time. This isn't the first time I've heard them breaking very easily, maybe an old 200 as a back up will be my 2nd saw (probably 1st choice lol)

Forgot to mention if something did go wrong the HSE would tear you to pieces too

This is just daft why would you do it without a shutdown?? To make a few quid and risk you're business and climbers lives I'm presuming some of these guys will end up with a Darwin Award or a lack of business when the DNO fines you so much you'll need to sell you're house. I know I wouldn't want 1kv (probably 415v) coursing through me I also wouldn't like to rescue my mate with 1kv running through him too

One more thing the bonus scheme can't be based on individuals it has to be spread fairly. Some guy can be busting his knacker on a big tree dismantle and break even some other team could be felling little birches and flying through the work making loads of money if has to go into a pot and split equally. You could even give team leaders/charge hands a few % more for running and completing the job

No matter how much you get paid it's never enough we always want that little bit more. A bonus scheme helps that. Let's say you come out with £300 per week after tax and you don't have a bonus scheme that's all you're really getting nothing to look forward too other than the £300 per week on a Friday. Doing a bonus scheme means your employees will be happy at the end of the month when/if they get a bonus. It's a bonus so they're not relying on this money they can spend it on days out with wife and kids nights out etc. it keeps employees happy it also keeps families happy. It's a great thing to do if you can do it. Happy wives and kids makes a happy employee which then gives you more productivity. Honestly 90% of people I've worked with couldn't care less about early finishes it only means they can sit in the house and watch tv for an extra hour. Money makes the world go round and if it wasn't the case we'd all be sitting at home on the dole. Another note a bad bonus scheme can backfire so you need to have a happy medium. A quick example I've subbied for a guy who was offering his guys 10% of everything they made over £1k so if they made £1100 which is £100 over the £1k mark they'd get £10 which was split between 3 guys, would you want to bust you're balls to make your boss £1100 so he can reward you with £3.33??? I'll let you decide haha

I've worked for a company which paid you 30% of the profit made every month this was split between 8-10 lads and when you get an extra £100-£500 it's a great incentive to crack on and ring the office up for more jobs once you're finished

My opinion is it's fine to use a top handle on the ground for private and some commercial work like building sites, using one for the council or utilities is a big no no for a start if you cut yourself mistakes do happen you'll be sacked and you won't have a leg to stand on (my be literally) in an employment tribunal. I'd rather spend an extra 5 mins and either tie in or use a different tool. At the end of the day you work for the council you're in no big rush to make days money just take it easy and do as you're told by your supervisor don't mean to sound harsh but that's just the way it is with life sometimes

Haha I know but you'll always find some dirt hiding in the stem/bark and I find it takes the edge off the full chisel quicker than a semi chisel

Get a semi chisel chain or you'll be forever sharping a full chisel one trust me it loses it's edge so fast

Nope the rayco rg1635 & the tracked variant underpowered petrol machines

The rayco in question is probably the best rayco on the market here. I don't rate the others the 4 wheeled one and the tracked they're pretty pants if I'm being honest. I've never used the small predator but I've used both the big tracked ones and they're a cracking machine. Can you not get one on demo/hire??

I use the bog standard Buckingham spikes (green ones) and I love them, I tried the others ally bashlins etc and found them uncomfortable for me. I'm afraid its personal preference, I bet someone will come along and tell you Buckinghams are the most uncomfortable spikes ever. You need to have a go of them to decide really

£1000 per day

The chip will be a lot heavier than logs btw. I've been interested in one of these but I just couldn't find and reviews on them so I just didn't bother. Are they well built and how easy is it to tip without any tipping gear attached??

Arb/forestry/landscaping are exempt from cpc from wood deliveries you could argue that your job is to stack the wood

Brancepeth castle?? If so it's a hidden gem of a castle

Over priced, nice idea though

I try my best to get butt ends of brash facing the chipper, with timber that I can hand hold and throw 9/10 I cut all the way through and let the log rest on the stem and throw from there. Bigger bits of timber I gob it but treat it like a jump cut makes life so much easier when pushing it it off I use the same techniques when lowing. One more thing and this is my pet hate logs piled on top of brash it's just lazy unless the brash is been used as a brash mat

It would be an ideal back up saw, I'd give one ago because I'm an optimist haha

Yes, quite a few have been removed all for saftey reasons

That beech was knackered, I took it down last week

I loved watching that, that guy has some skills, I bet he'll have great crack at bait time too Oh yes he seems like a nutter also