jfc
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Everything posted by jfc
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My favourite dram, and fancy glasses.
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Sorry to hear there's no raffle this year, totally understand it must be a whole lotta extra work. Enjoy your xmas, as best you can steve.
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There are benefits of being self employed, you can write off all you kit against any money you make. You used to be able to back date it too, so any work related tools or training can be taken off your tax bill.
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Wool socks (merino) are good for me. You can get multi packs from go outdoors pretty cheap. Better than synthetic as they dont smell! Avoid cotton sock as they get damp and eventually cold. You can also get thermal inserts that reflect heat back to your foot rather than going into the boot rubber. All the best with it.
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Scots pine, between a rock and a hard place!
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New member after some advice-chipper and man viable business?
jfc replied to Yeti2018's topic in General chat
Hi Yeti, I think you are gonna be very disappointed if you think you can clear £750 p/w. I would say a lot of guys on here don't earn that much, I certainly don't. A mate of mine with 15yr treework experience was running his own business and paying himself a salary of £120 a day (5days a week). My running costs are over 50% of turnover. You are thinking of charging £250 a day. Chipper hire is about £100 a day (where I am anyway), plus fuel, then someone to feed it and drag brash £80. About £60 less than you. What are you going to do with the chip btw? Treeation's suggestion of getting experience is good advice. Keep quiet about planning on doing your own thing though, some bosses will drop you if they get to know that. Happened to me! I had enough experience to make it self employed. Maybe have that as your plan, get some experience and then see if it is a goer then. All the best, jfc. -
Just got an email today from Treesource - this book and another by Lonsdale have been re-printed, get them while you can. http://mailchi.mp/treesource/treesource-newsletter-new-books-spring-1713309?e=94c8024050 Anyone want to buy Steve's copy of the old edition? jan.
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Hi Tony, I am not trying to question your knowledge/experience it is just advice so you don't put yourself in a vulnerable position. If it was me I would quote him for all of those options but clearly state that without an inspection/tree report you cannot advise which would be best. jan.
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tree forks Scotland - Arb' Association talks..or lack there of..
jfc replied to ArbMish's topic in Training & education
Hi steve, Completed the survey. One point to raise is the distance willing to travel, I had to put anywhere because the distances are not relevant to scotland. Edinburgh is 60 miles away for me, and that is the closest event I have ever seen. 100 miles to glasgow, which is still relatively close, in scottish terms. I did go down to wokingham for bti training but that took 3 days. So I wouldn't be keen to do that often. If I were only prepared to travel 40miles from home I would never attend anything! Cheers, Jan. -
I would probably be looking for someone more qualified/insured to make that decision re management. Are you insured to give this advice, ie professional liability insurance? If you recomend a reduction and it still fails you could be liable.
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tree forks Scotland - Arb' Association talks..or lack there of..
jfc replied to ArbMish's topic in Training & education
The course in stirling was fully booked up. I wanted to go but was too late. So there is demand up here! Duncan slaters talk in the botanics last year was very well attended too. -
Re Paul's comment about making a useful process. I try to get the guy that works with me to help write them and identify risks and measures to address them - to help him understand RA and the measures we put in place. However his engagement with it is limited! I keep trying to encourage him be more aware of risks etc, he still has a way to go in that area.
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I use a generic risk assessment RA for using saws etc, think it was off the AA site. Then do a written site specific one as needed, ie tree is very near a house. In the specific one I would state stuff like lowering limbs rather than freefall, cutting small sections that can be easy handled in the tree etc.
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I think you will find there is lots of info posted here on how to price jobs, not necessarily stump grinding. Very few folk will give you an exact figure, and that's because it is commercially sensitve. Do you want to post your rates so all your competitors know them? Also take any specific figures with a pinch of salt maybe! As has been said before; pricing depends on your overheads (fuel, insurance, vehicle costs, wear and tear, tip fees, phone bills, website, advertising, it goes on and on etc), plus what you want to earn a day. Hope that explains why people don't give exact figures.
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Cuillin ridge is nuts and not a walk, there are several sections of proper climbing. It took us 2 days, had a miserable wet bivvy about a third of the way along. The next day it cleared up and we had a fab finish to the ridge. My mate's book Scotland's Mountain Ridges by dan bailey has a great description and photos (some ugly looking climbers in some of them though, me included)!
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I will be going with the Cubs to the local parade. My daughter is going to be flag bearer for the Scouts this year. Our marching must look terrible to the veterans present!
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Rope is Fly, teufelberger I think.
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my set up.
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I also found I had to watch which hole I clip the end of the rope in, think I use the top hole now (rather than middle). This was because it was interfering with the vt and causing it not to lock.
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I love my hh setup, use it all the time. I was using a hh and vt on 13mm marlow gecko. I had to play around with the number of wraps round the rope and braids to get it just right. I now use a smaller diameter rope but use 3 wraps and 3 braids, rather than 4 wraps. What rope are you using?
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I see plenty of sparrowhawks when I am working. Lots of buzzards and the occasional sea eagle here in fife.
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I think there will be too many hoops to jump through, I am a sole trader and don't have policies on this or that, which I guess you would be looking for. I also went down the Trusted Trader route, whereby the local Trading Standards vet you and check you are not an unscrupulous trader. I know it doesn't check the quality of my work but it counts for something and works, and only cost £100 p.a. I am an AA associate member btw.
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Vauxhall meriva, tonne bags and an aldi chainsaw! Very small trees and garden tidy ups. Things have changed a lot in 3yrs.
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Thanks for that, I have a mate in peebles who could pick stuff up for me. Will see if I can find a bargain!
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Here's mine, with the river Tay in the background.
