Vespasian

Did the same last year, or the year before?.. Took me three hrs to get through it, better than reading a book .

I used to find myself reading these sorts of stories with seething contempt for american attitudes to gun ownership, then a few days later it'd be acceptance.. Acceptance that nothing is ever gonna get Americans to change their gun laws.. and so, these days I tend to look at these events as acts of nature as best I can.. The price you pay to keep the laws you have... getting sad, getting annoyed ain't gonna make no difference no way.. read the story, move on to the next one.. they don't care, why should we?.

What about a couple of these dogs. not sure if they'll be sitting next to the fire, might find em cuddling up to a wall socket mind..

Thanks for that Timon, I was worried I might never see it...

Theres nothing dangerous about crossing Bolton, whats dangerous is making me cross Bolton twice to get my money.. Funny story about Ramsbottom now you mention it.. I only ever did one job there and that was years ago.. the fella I did the job for said his next door neighbor wanted my address.. recound I'd cut a couple of his bushes down so as to make it easier on me to cut the customers tree down.. Well they were sort of in the way getting on my nerves..

I thought it went without saying that you get paid when the jobs done, unless you say otherwise.. Mind you, depends on how faraway the job is for me.. if its round the corner I wouldn't give a monkeys if I got paid straight away, if I had to cross town, well I wouldn't be happy..

Says you, who thinks a rip off merchant ain't doin nothing wrong.. What a clown..

What are you on about, I have Public liability insurance.. I've no idea what it covers but I'm sure it covers more than tree felling.. And don't you think your making something of an assumption?. inability to do a job.. I ain't crashed a tree onto any car yet..

Tickle Pink Martin95, (may I call you Martin?.) that I got a mention..

Is it not?, only if I was a judge its exactly how I'd look at the problem.. and if I think along those lines, so would a judge... I'm sure of it.

Put a hole in the roof?.. don't remember a hole, I do remember a branch hitting the shed roof because this fella I was doin the tree for insisted I do it his way.. I tried to tell him but he wouldn't have it.. And you're right, I have no training with a chainsaw on the ground or up in the air.. and I don't suppose theres ever going to be a problem with Ariel Rescue. I work alone for the most part.. I've had branches fall and bounce back at me on a ladder mind.. you can't account for a bad bounce.. that happened once with a pair of hedge trimmers, that was a sight, to throw your hedge cutters out the way only to see em work their way back with menaces. And another thing, I used to free climb tree's and tie myself in with a ratchet strap, now I've got all the gear theres even less chance of something going amiss... bear in mind that I wouldn't even touch about 70% of the tree's your likely doing.. my rule of thumb is, can I get this job done in two trips or less.. anything over and I don't want to know...

Yea well its how people think.. its how a judge would go about apportioning liabilities. putting aside insurance and what covered or not. If a judge was to ruminate on the issue he'd think along the same lines as I've put it on here..

Yes but, you'd have to consider the tree to begin with if you built something under it, be that tree perfectly sound or otherwise... On the other hand the tree owner would have to think carefully about keeping his tree if an extension was being built under it..

If you had no idea the said tree was likely to come down then both you and the wife would be paid out.. If on the other hand you knew it was likely to fall on either car, you'd be questioned as to your own duty of care.. or negligence would you not?... Would you leave a bicycle under a dodgy tree? I suspect it wouldn't matter would it. would you leave a thirty thousand car under a dodgy tree, I'd say not.. does a tree owner have a duty of care?.. yes.. but what if he has no reason to suspect his tree is in danger of falling down..

errr, good point.. I suppose it comes down to value,, I put a green house up and its my look out if the tree falls on it, you put a house under a tree and its the tree owner who gets to get worried...

Funny thing is I came across this just last night while looking at powered barrows on ebay.. the first thing that I thought about are the batteries.. how long will they last.. how many recharges before you have to bin em..

Well that did cross my mind as well, its your land so you can do what you want on it.. which is true.. but what would you say if someone put a greenhouse up under a dodgy looking tree?... wouldn't you say he was asking for it if the tree smashed his greenhouse at a later date?.. the idea would surely come into a judges deliberations if he was asked make a judgment on financial penalties..

Perhaps Fred Dibnah's approach might be a solution. I was watching a vid of him showing how to get ladders up a mill chimney, fascinating how he did it.. Knock a couple of spikes into tree, tie ladders off and the ladders ain't goin nowhere if they get hit by a falling limb. tempted to try it out on my next job to be honest..

well the ladder was put up for comic effect Mr Bolam

I've not had no accident to date, and even if I did I'd put it down to me. never made an insurance claim neither and don't intend too. again if I break it I pay for it.. personal injuries?, if I get caught its down to me, tough tities is what I say I'll deal with the consequences in my own way.. I'm as livid as the next man when idiots cost me money on insurance, especially as I don't intend to claim on it myself.. I insure my van third party just to make me careful, and live by my own code of conduct.. even if someone crashes into me, I pay.. So yea, I won't cost you or other tree surgeons a penny more than you pay.. and its not like I'm out cutting tree's down everyday.. sometimes I can go for months without chopping off a branch...

Damn thats scary.. Now, taking on something as plainly dangerous as that is a different kettle of fish. we're not talking a piddling job here are we.. Considering the set up time, the element of danger involved were talking good money for taking on that thing.. If there was a way, I'd set the charges at the stump and run like hell.. damn the other tree's round abouts..

As far as the customer is concerned you might well turn up with an axe and chop it down for all they care.. you buy your equipment to save time, thats it.. you don't buy it and then demand a customer pays for it, you buy it so you can become efficient. all the better to compete against your rivals.. How much time does having a woodchipper you paid thousand for save this fella having two stems felled and left on the ground?.. None. your point is mute..

All laws are based on fairness ,in this case the question might be posed who had what first, the tree or the shed. If the tree was there first its beholden on the shed owner to take into account any future damage from the tree.. if the tree owner planted after the shed, then its beholden on him take into account any future damage the tree might do.. Then theres the frivolous complaint.. how much damage to the shed?.. Then there the fact a landowner can if he wishes ameliorate any damage from encroaching tree's by having a legal right to cut back limbs to a boundary. Basically, it looks like it might be a case of the shed owner getting his hands in his own pocket and not trying claim off insurance.. or going round to his neighbors and plead for help in costs.. good luck with that..