TIMON

Nice one 5shires! I ended up doing 10 in the end and landed 6! All in all a reasonable day Got another 10 tomorrow ..... Would much rather be in the trees but.. No quotes no trees!!

Hi Sean, Thanks for this.... Both cavities are in the main stem quite low down. What about a heavy pollard to rebalance? Thanks for your help mate! Timon

Pics of the willow...

Just looked at this willow. Where previous limbs have been removed large cavities have formed and there is fungi in there. (See pics) The bark is very soft around the cavities. Customer wants to save the tree. On the lower cavity the decay has reached to about 40% of the stem. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks

I'll be going to look at 12 potential jobs today in the Birmingham area today. Some smallish jobs I:e hedges etc.. Some large jobs, dismantles and big conifer removals. I have to try and keep two x 3 man teams going which we seem to manage. I'm hoping to have a good day and hoping I get my prices right. I'm not an expert at species etc..and only been climbing 6 months. (Hence the "new guy" tag) so I look at the job as a whole... Access, time it will take, how much to remove etc.. It's a fine balancing act remaining competitive but wanting to build value into our business and not undermine the going rate for qualified tree teams.

FLAT bar type flails that should read.

Hi Rob We had a scagg 36" flail mower it had the fat bar type flails on it so it mulched what it was cutting. Little or no raking up afterwards.Walk behind 16hp. Wheels were driven by hydraulic pumps. It would fly through chest high brambles etc.. But also cut grass to an acceptable level and even leave stripes. Probably the most versatile mowing machine there is. IMO. Thanks, Ti

Yes....... Quite new to climbing as well, but getting faster and better all the time. Just blitzed a job in 3 hrs I thought would have taken all day. Last week we did a big conifer job that took 2 days longer to finish than we expected. Be encouraged!! You have to start somewhere. As a team we learned more from the job we got wrong than from the one we did quick. All the best mate Ti

Hi Paul We're coming to the Winchester one End of September. Thanks Timon

Hi Paul , We're definitely up for it. Great idea. Thanks Timon (Betel)

My wife and I have just read this post and are hurting with you mate.... We suffered our second miscarriage two weeks ago and are trying to pick up the pieces of our lives. At 49 and 48 years old it's unlikely we'll get pregnant again. We have no other kids. The one thing that gives us hope is that we will one day be reunited with our loved ones(even the the little ones we've yet to meet) in heaven where God will wipe away every tear. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Timon and Lynne

There's 4 of us about to do our CPS. We take turns to do the trips to Europe and use it occasionally in the uk. Furniture to charity shops etc.. The CPS training will be costly for the 4 of us (and inconvenient! ) By the way thanks for your previous help and advice with our mog questions!!

Buying furniture to restore and sell in our shops.

Hi I drive to Europe in a 7.5 ton a couple of times a year. Our o licence is a full one. Our lorry is parked up most of the time. Does that mean I don't need a cpc in sept. ?? Thanks.

Hi Chris, Just to clarify. I did my operators licence a couple of years ago and the info I have given is what I was told on the course to the best of my ability. We bought a 7,5ton truck and I found out that I needed an ops licence even though I already had the 7.5ton entitlement. In September the law will change again and anyone who drives one commercially needs a cps. Concerning the 6 wk checks there is a sliding scale i.e: a lorry that is only used a couple of days a week in "light" work can be tested less frequently than every 6 wks. A lorry used daily in heavy work situations such as a quarry tipper can be required to be tested more frequently up to every 4 weeks. Having said that the rules are changing all the time and it is hard to keep up.... I'm pretty certain that a tacho is required regardless of distance and mileage. I remember before I went on my ops course I had been told many different things about 7.5 rules by many different people and a lot of the advice I was given turned out to be incorrect due to changes in the law. Best to find out from VOSA what applies to you, Thanks mate Ti

Hi Chris, Yes to all the above... You will need to take CPS training before September (not sure exact date..but best to book in now before the rush) All road vehicles above 3.5 tons require a tacho. You will need to carry out checks every 6 weeks on your vehicle. You will also need to hold an operators licence. Check with VOSA for exact details. Didn't realise an iveco was so heavy. Our landscaping teams use the equivalent transit crew cab tippers which weigh 2.6 tons unladen. We were always overweight when our tree team used them even without the chipper. We were going to go the 7.5ton route but decided to get a mog. Agricultural registered. Zero road tax No tacho Car licence ok No ops licence or cps required (We do carry out six week checks and run on white diesel due to road use though) Hope this helps Ti

Love my Haix air power gold. Had no risk climbers before. These are MUCH better... They have softened up nicely but still give good support. Very comfy and waterproof. Some say they are a bit on the soft side for spikes. Had them 8 months now and still in great nick. Will get another pair unless someone shows me something better. Thanks

Agreed mate, I've had my 30/31 for about 6 years and my 38/39 for about 6 months. The more I work (and read this forum! ), I realise I haven't even scratched the surface.....,,,

Westbrook agricultural supplies ltd. Hermongers Ln . Rudgwick. West Sussex. RH12 3AH.

Betel uk. Saved my life, I was a heroin addict for 20 years... Written off by society and everyone else including my family (understandably given the hell I put them through). Desperately wanted to change my life. Came to Betel 8 years ago and with their help have remained completely clean. Now work full time with Betel. I run a centre with up to 18 guys in various stages of recovery. Also run a tree surgery business that provides income for the charity. Also met my lovely wife through Betel and am now happily married living a clean productive life, helping others overcome addiction issues. ( did I mention we also do treework? :)) Residents enter free of charge and work in Betel businesses to help pay for their own recovery. Residents don't claim benefits and we receive no government funding. I am just one of many who have been helped by this charity.. Passed my CS 30/31 & CS 38/39 while in Betel We manage to raise about 85-90% of our running cost through our charitable businesses. The rest we rely on donations. Thanks for considering us! Timon

49 in a couple of weeks........ Outwardly perishing but, inwardly being renewed..

Gill fingerless climbing gloves... Good protection.... Excellent grip and good dexterity being fingerless.. I try not to wear them in conifers 'cos they get very dirty. Bit pricey but I love them.

Hi Steve , Massive splash back!! Enclosed system has to be the way forward!! (And a Mitsubishi like that to do quotes in!!) Ti

Hi Riggerbear, Here are a couple of photos of the work our guy did on the cab... We were on the verge of get a replacement cab unit, all the corners were shot, the wheel arches had gone and the floor was just galv sheets covering the virtually non existent floor... We're well chuffed with the work done.. Drives great and is a great tool to have.. I checked out the previous firms website... There replacement mog looks amazing !! along with the rest of their fleet... Tried to PM these photos to you through this app but couldn't. Cheers mate Timon

mog envy!!!! :)