Domino

Basically - Sally asks Rob (tree surgeon) to remove a tree, then Sally asks John (guy who appears on the internet that no one has ever met) to get Rob to tell tell John everything about himself and his business and how he intends to remove the tree, so that John can then relay that back to Sally. It's like a joke with no punchline.

Ah, thank god, it's not just me this irritates then 😀

Can we all please tell these people to 'do one'. I have a long established commercial client that has signed up to an SSIP scheme to have all their contractors checked out and registered with this total non entity organisation that both offer and do absolutely nothing. It really is important to make a stand against all this type of self imposed red tape. It only carries on because people don't stand up to it, and in turn makes everything more expensive and boring and wastes time. I'm sure there are those who disagree, but keep it to yourself. Thanks.

It's become upon the house owner , for whatever reason, to remove these trees. Respect their decision and move on. The concerns noted are unlikely to occur and there's nothing that can't be resolved in any case. In fact, you have noted there is possibly already root invasion and therefore removal and stump treatment seems the most sensible course of action.

The main thing to know and take into account here is - if the Beech is as old as you say (looks to be more or less correct) then its' possibly over mature and therefore you will likely pay for it to be removed at some point. This will be costly and should be discussed when considering your offer. In line with this, it would be advisable to get a suitably qualified consultant to complete a survey so you have a good idea of general condition, potential hazards and life span. Hope that helps.

Sorry - just looked properly! So there is a road, well it depends on the level of risk you're willing to take. Personally I'd go traffic control, fully rigged dismantle, possibly access platform, and charge accordingly. The other option is to go all forestry on it, use a suitable winch and pull her back over, if you've got the right gear and experience, and the luxury of space of course!

Yes, it's definitely telecoms cable (ex BT engineer). There are 'joint user poles' in the network too, but it's always telecoms that piggy back off power poles, and they don't have steps. It does look like it could be overhead fibre as the joints on the pole are circular, can't be certain though, such things were way after my time. As for the tree - get a climber in for the day (assuming you don't climb) and cut and chuck around the cable?? Assuming there's not a road there or other targets I can't see.

Oh thank god...welcome to the land of reliable motoring

Hedge mong is a troll........I do like the name though.

I love this guy....reminds me of the Vespian days. How wonderfully innocent you are if don't twig this 😀, everyone does realise this is a troll right????

Wow, that's an amazing setup, simply stunning, I can only dream of such things...I bow down to you're immense setup and knowledge oh great one! You seem to be totally missing point matey....I do tree surgery, hence the forum title, not mowing for a living. Our two Avant loaders earn their keep moving timber/brash/chip as well as running digger attachments, cone splitters, flails, cement mixers to name but a few. My point was using existing equipment to make an income when tree work is quiet...do you get that, or is it too complicated??

Just get on absolutely fine with it to be honest my friend. An Avant is just in a different league for maneuverability on small sites and perfect visibility being up front vs trailing behind, so not sure what you're on about there. Wild flower meadow mowing is all about adjusting heights across the whole area and limiting compaction which are the real benefits of the avant in that situation. Yes I agree a standard compact tractor setup for traditional mowing would be better suited, but that's not what I am being asked to do. Regarding cost, a weeks hire on standard flail or collector flail is pretty reasonable.

If everyone lowers their prices and spends money on SEO that'll fix it for everyone.......oh, hang on a minute 😀 In answer to the original question - yes things seem to be increasingly competitive in my area, which is a competition I'm not happy to partake in, much to my demise possibly. Using existing machinery in other areas to bump up income is a solution...flail mowing with the Avant seems quite sort after, and meadow mowing with the collector flail (rented attachments) is getting popular amongst the well healed folk who enjoy such indulgences. Only thing is finding the clients in a slightly different sector can be challenging. Best of luck.

The best approach in these situations is diplomacy in the form of high level fibs. For example tell them Chris Packham's done the habitat survey and signed it all off good to go, Sunak's reviewed the tree works application done a site visit and granted consent, and finally Thunberg coming along next week to plant a million standards in the field just over there sir/madam - works every time.