flatyre

Good point, but a certain local landscaping firm were given the job, who sub contracted it out as they don't have the staff or equipment to do the job themselves, how does that work?

Yeah forearms to get any Olive into bed, but no energy to do any think with her:blushing:

Never, I did a job yesterday, scraggly Hawthorne hedge along the back of a garden and 8 conifers running up the side. About two metres to come off them, it was on a bank so unable to use scaffolding and ladders meant you were right in the thick of it, don't like using a saw at head height up a ladder resting against flimsy hedging cutting a foot in front of your face. did the whole job with a silky, felt like I had achieved something afterwards, and burned off some of those Christmas chalories:thumbup: I never tackle anything without a silky in my pocket, its the cheapest yet most profitable saw I have ever owned.

Basically my local council demands that in order to be eligible to tender for council tree work you must have the full arsenal of equipment including a timber lorry. A firm recently turned up to reduce some council trees close to my house, no need for anything other than a saw and a chipper, certainly no sign of a logging lorry. Surely its about what you bring to the job, not what's sitting in your yard, and does it really matter if you own or rent the equipment. Does this sort of policy:confused1: discriminate against smaller companies, thus increasing the chasm between the big and smaller firms, giving the big firms the monopoly on council work?

yell.com will list your business and design a website for you, I paid £250 for the website, which was a fair price, also you can modify the site as often as you like for free, if you get it designed by a design firm they will charge you for any modifications no matter how small.

air rifle! quickest way to get a cat out of a tree:thumbup:

nice work there, nasty job!

Guys I don't want to argue with any of you, you have given me good advice during my time on the forum which I appreciate. I respect your opinions, and will assume things are tighter where you are. I can only base my opinions on what its like here, and over here the owners make big money, and wages for employees do not reflect the dangers of the job. some of the local firms send squads with vehicles and equipment over to England on a weekly basis, and the Irish sea is the most expensive stretch of water to cross, plus the cost of accommodation etc. so there must be enough profit to make it worthwile. if these employers head off to richer pastures I have no problem filling the void left by their departure. Again sorry for getting hot headed, I apologise.

Are those people not allowed to earn a crust too? if they paid for the certificates and insurances and equipment, should they not be entitled to have the profits of their own sweat go into their own pockets? Too many employers talk like the whole business should be split between them and a few select friends and no-one else is allowed a bite at the apple, banging on about the competition which they are part of. Like going on holiday and complaining about all the bloody tourists!

Is employing staff more hassle than its worth? Not trying to get any ones back up, apologies if I did, but round here climbers get as little as £80 a day and grounds men get £60. That's not a lot for operating such dangerous equipment at dangerous heights. And yes their employers all drive swanky big motors and live in swanky big houses, so no-one is going to tell me that such poor wages are a result of low profit margins. The simple fact is young lads like the game as its more exciting that sitting at a desk or stacking shelves in Tesco (both of whom pay more!) And will do it for peanuts which many employers take advantage of. But when like me you have a family to feed, excitement doesn't pay the bills, a decent wage that reflects the dangers of the job does.

when you've spent your whole working life busting your balls to make some other bast**d rich and getting paid minimum wage for the privilege, making a couple of hundred a day topping conifers for yourself is easy money. It's just as dangerous for an employed tree surgeon, but a lot less profitable! I know a lot of you guys are employers but I think its criminal what climbers and groundsmen get. Sorry but I've been there. Rant over:thumbup:

I'm welding up a new trailer at the moment, its 10x5 with a drive on tail gate and removable mesh sides and headboard. I'll be making a 16ft trailer with possible tilting abilities at a later stage, and when it's finished the 10x5 will be for my grass cutting run. I'm thinking of getting a cover made for it so I can keep all my mowers, strimmers etc in it when parked up for the winter. My old man has sail making equipment which could be used to sew very thick material, question is what material is thick enough and waterproof enough but can be hand sewn to make a decent cover?

I think sticking an extra few quid on for an emergency job is fine but considering tree work is well paid to start with I wouldn't stick the arm in. And if it got me some good work close to home i'd do the job for the regular price. I know what you guys are saying about staying home with the family which is what i'd do too if the diary was full, unfortunately it isn't so i'll take any work going. For any of you that do callout work, do you charge a set price or by the hour, do you just turn up, look at the mess and say "that'll be ££££ please" then invoice them.

They're certainly not short of money, have any of you noticed an upturn in work from churches due to stricter laws and insurances? Round here in the past churches would never have paid for work, over the last few years I've noticed more and more contractors cutting church grass and painting the railings.

Thanks for the reply Stephen, the estate I mentioned was owned by a notoriously tight fisted man who only had two working light bulbs in the whole manor. He passed away about a year ago and his cousin inherited the estate recently, by the looks of things the new owner is taking a bit more pride in the place and has just had the whole roof replaced, double glazing installed, and painted inside and out. Hopefully he hasn't spoken to anyone about the grounds with wanting to get the house in order first.

Sorry for another post, its raining here again so at home thinking ways to drum up more business. How do you guys feel about charging churches for tree work? personally I have a lot of faith just not in organised religions. So don't have any convictions about it. Round here all the main church denominations also own huge tracts of land which is rented out to farmers etc. So I see churches as businesses, and as such would not have any problem doing business with them. They might be a good source of work given that many have mature trees in the grounds. Traditionally a member of the congregation with access to a saw would have carried out any work required, but with ever tightening laws and insurances regarding public spaces, that might change creating business for professionals. Does anyone currently do work on church grounds, graveyards, vicarage/manse property and what's the general consensus/unwritten rules?

Hey folks there are a couple of small estates in my area whose grounds are in a poor state of maintenance. One particular estate borders a main road and drops debris onto it regularly. I would say its only a matter of time before whole trees start coming down. I'm going to introduce myself and offering my services as the nearest tree surgeon. What sort of money would you charge for out of hours callouts? And would it be worth drawing up a small information pack containing some basic information about the business, qualifications and insurances, yearly maintenance contracts, emergency work, etc. Just a few pages in a folder, professional looking or waste of time?

Hey buddy! What will chief Billy and the sandycove crew do without you Gordy?

Lots of variables to be considered. Prices vary greatly around the country, where are you? Also whats your target market? you can drum up plenty of business in a short period of time cutting small gardens at a fiver a pop, but you'll need to cut a lot of grass to make a decent wage and those type of customers are always looking for the cheapest gardener, as soon as someone appears on the scene offering to do cuts for £4.99 that's you blown out. Then there are the big money customers with much bigger gardens, more like miniature estates, that require a lot of time and many skills, grass cutting, hedge trimming, tree work, planting in spring and leaf blowing in autumn. There is good money here if you build up a number of these customers, draw up a contract to give them a day a week for a set yearly fee of £7000 ( just an example). Its harder and takes longer to get set up at this end of the property maintenance scale but worth it in the long run. You could always do both and drop the budget customers as the better work builds up.

Northern Ireland but am happy to pay for a courier.

as the title says I'm looking for a cheap top handle for occasional use. I don't do much climbing, and have a number of small saws for light work, but have a real hankering for a top handle. I have a couple of small but awkward jobs coming up and reckon a one hander might save me some time. I can't justify buying a new one, and 200t's go for a couple of hundred quid and are usually trashed. Has anyone got a cheaper but still reputable make like an echo or tanaka top handle kicking about that they would part with?

nice vid, enjoyed it too!

very good points being made, it is common place amongst many professions to exaggerate issues to instil a sense of fear which can be profited from. I think some mechanics are masters of this tactic. I'm sure many arborists have used the same trick to certain extents, but not necessarily for their own benefits. I'm sure many trees get felled while still in good health, which is wrong, but what about a tree showing signs of disease, old age, etc. it may have some life left in it but no-one can tell exactly when it will come down. Where do you draw the line between fear entrepreneurs and cautious advice. I dropped a letter into a would be customer yesterday, huge pine tree overhanging a notorious nasty little corner. A large section of crown had broken off and was caught up in the upper branches. The main limb of it was about a foot thick, completely dead just hanging there waiting for the next gale to bring it down onto the road. In the letter I offered to remove the limb for a fee as it may pose a threat to the passing traffic. Now some will call me a fear entrepreneur, but surely as skilled professionals with more experience in these situations than the general public, is it not our obligation to notify them of potential dangers and offer our services?

don't know, I couldn't give a damn about gardening, I'm a nature lover! Trees and natural stuff not manicured lawns and pansies.

It seems to be common knowledge that the 200t was a better machine that the 201t, but how does the 020t stack up?