IronMike

Second vote for the 550 mk2. I got one and it’s been absolutely awesome. A major upgrade from the mk1 and just an all round weapon. Get one, you will not regret it! and if work are paying, get the xpg and enjoy warm hands!

Matilda Elizabeth Tyson arrived at 7.44am this morning weighing 8lbs 5oz! Mother and baby doing good, baby enjoying sleeping, pooing and feeding. Result! ?

Congratulations to all! My mrs is fit to drop any day soon, there must’ve been nowt on the tele box 9 months ago! ?

They are some I had made up matey. Did quite a few extra modifications, guarding on motors, cab guarding incase something comes backwards off the bunk, extra height on headstock of bunk, fine grade steel mesh on air vents to stop brash poking through, bonnet uprights to push brash away from cab, roof rack and finally bigger bolstor pins.

These little machines should never be underestimated! It's hard to tell from the photos but I had about 80 ton moved in the end of this wee site.

Biting the bullet WWW.FORESTRYJOURNAL.CO.UK Low Impact Forestry is a new company offering environmentally sensitive forestry services in North... Here is the happy moron!

I noticed this on your Instagram feed mate. I also took note of you distancing yourself from the tree work done there! I’m guessing it’s absolutely horrendous?!

I have got at least two jobs directly from interactions through Instagram. And I get loads of interest in the machine through there. I haven’t paid for a thing, it’s just grown by itself. I usually post a few photos or videos from the days work and folk generally seem to like it! On a side note, if you type in low impact forestry into google, my Facebook page is at the top of the results, and I’ve not paid anyone to help me do that.

I have always muddled through my own sole trader vat returns, but when I started the new business venture I decided I’m going to pay someone to do it who knew what they were doing. My accountant is making me as tax efficient as possible without breaking the rules, she has already come up with various ideas that are way beyond my knowledge. I literally hand her my receipts and invoices and she does the rest. I don’t mind paying as I don’t have the time, patience or knowledge! Plus she is rather attractive so this make the whole process a lot easier ?

Good stuff mate! Nice to see a fellow Logbullet operator in action!

I use Xero, and as many have said, main reason is my accountant does too. I have given them access to it, so they can do all the legwork. All I do is hand over any receipts and invoices, they tally everything else up and do all my calculations. Slightly off topic/derailment..... but what do folks pay their accountant per month for services rendered? Mine does pretty much everything for me, quarterly vat, corporation tax, directors wages, etc etc. I pay her just a shy over £100 per month. And my Xero subscription is about £28 per month.

A fella I’m working with this week has been lusting after exactly this set up near enough. Would you mind sharing cost of machine and grapple etc? Happy to do so over DM if you prefer. looks ace!

If you could manage to upload some photos to help that would be great. Without seeing it, it will be hard to know exactly what’s happening. It doesn’t sound good though I must admit, I’d imagine it may well need removed entirely, but there are many factors to consider such as proximity to buildings etc.

It's definitely a Grinder date that's gone wrong. Someone clearly tried to branch out and try something new but got left hanging by the other party.

I’m gutted lads! Just checked the calendar and I’m on holiday in (hopefully) sunny Cornwall that very week. So I’ll have to catch up with everyone in two years time ?

I’m definitely going! Probably be camping and having a few beers I’d imagine, be good to catch up with older friends and acquaintances and say greeting to new ones!

Some very valid points raised here gents. I think for me, low impact is all about the state of the site after you’ve finished. But as Eddie said, where do you stop? There are so many variables to it, and so many opinions on what a tidy job is or how it’s defined! In an ideal world (and to satisfy my OCD and my arb based background) I’d go through all my sites with a tracked chipper or a mulcher to remove the brash and make the place look neat and tidy. But nobody is every really going to want that! My machine is very good at what it does, i.e moving timber in tight, awkward spaces with minimal ground disruption for the most part. It can do other things to like leading out fencing materials on replanting sites, shifting gravel and aggregates with its clamshell inserts, process firewood in a yard (by holding lengths of timber whilst two people cut) etc etc. Having versatile kit or a brain that can see other opportunities is key. There are hundred of solutions to the issues/quandaries we face in arb and forestry. Nearly all of them have pros and cons, it’s making the best decision you can for the client, yourself from a business perspective and for the site going into the future.

I am keen for a skip chain for my 390 mate, let me know before you order anything as I could order some at same time.

A pal of mine approached me about coming to look at an “emergency” job that needed doing. We both sacrificed a half day to go look as it is a 2 hour drive away. Got there, checked it out, happy days. It would have been a days work for my machine and another mates digger with shear on, a long day but a day nonetheless. 500m of Hawthorn hedge to come out next to a canal, with no heavy plant allowed on embankment. So my mate put his price in and then got told the EA are going to do it. And they’ve said it’ll take them a week. Brilliant lads, well done! It’s an emergency we were told, it must get done immediately we were told, time is of the essence we were told. Ok, we’ll let someone take a week to do it rather than a day. Genius!

I’m going 5.175 ton.

In case anyone was interested..... This months edition of Forestry Journal has a nice 3 page article on my fledgling business! It was a pleasure to have the editor, John, down for a chat about the Logbullet. Im adopting the happy moron pose in the main photo, I’ve got the look absolutely nailed after so many years of practice ?

I’ve not had mine on piece work. I work on an hourly or day rate, if it’s done on piece or tonnage I think it’ll be difficult to make the numbers stack up whilst delivering a good service with a satisfactory and pleasing outcome. I think the job my wee machine does is so niche, that folk accept it has to be beneficial to both parties financially and that hourly/day is the best way to achieve this. You could pay less and get the job done but leave a mess, so ultimately I guess it’s a money talks and bullshit walks scenario.

Has anyone stopped to consider that the OP’s tree man might have whacked that price on it as he didn’t really want the job? I.e. I’ll price it silly so I don’t get it, and if I do get it I’ll bank a mega profit? Just speculating.

A good friend of mine has your initials, and has a firm called AW Tree Care. Simple and effective name, so you could go for AW Garden Maintenance perhaps?

Yes Don! A proper weapon!