AdamL

Private tree surgery/ general work company have three vacancies.

Any one interested please comment for more info.

Based Tenterden/Cranbrook area of Kent but working all over.

They're potato boxes with reinforced floors. We dry the wood in them then tip them into a pickup to deliver.

Good idea, good set up !

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

We normally cut hardwood so it's much slower unless you do long stuff. Most of our sales are 9inch hardwood and that averages about 4-5 cube an hour.

 

 

 

By the time we've moved boxes around and done other stuff we rarely do a full day cutting so it's normally 20 cube a day. On the rare times we hire out the processor and cut non stop we've done 20-30 tons in an 8 hour day.

You storing/ delivering it in fruit bins? They look like fruit bins to me [emoji16]

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

[emoji1317]

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Going back to earlier posts, if I got back in the game so to speak, my winter months are covered, I have work from November till end of April time, so 6 months. It's only another 6 months that I need to find work. Grass cutting, hedges and some tree clearances etc. Not confident enough to do landscape gardening yet as in paving and fences! But that ain't too bad right? Only 6 months work to find?

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Thanks guys, I had a Renault kangoo before years ago. Very good motor. Didn't need to tow anything though. What's the tax on one? £125?

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Hi all,

I have a bog standard car at the moment, if I make the jump and start my own business what should I be looking at. I prune orchards in the winter months and it can be sticky sometimes with no 4x4 but that's not too much of an issue as most places do have proper tracks.

My business would be garden work with garden waste clearance and tree waste. Wondered about a van to store all tools in, but then a 4x4 and a trailer would be good for clearance too.

Also want the cheapest running cost option [emoji849]

Any ideas?

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Nothing in particular to gardening/tree work if you already have nptcs.

 

 

 

Insurance - Employer's Liability (Public Liability advisable)

 

Waste Carrier's License (no cost if just moving green waste)

 

PPE, first aid kit etc

 

Register as self employed with HMRC

 

 

 

They are the only legal requirements I can think of.

 

 

 

If trees are being climbed there should be someone on the ground who can rescue.

Quality! Thankyou. Obv employee insurance is only if I employ someone ?

That's the biggest problem, I would be on the ground but don't have rescue

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Hi guys

Anyone found a decent outdoors radio that is preferably DAB but small enough to fit in pockets !

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Would someone be able to do a quick list of everything needed starting up a business in garden/tree maintenance. E.g insurance, waste tickets etc etc

 

Just a bullet point list is fine if you can [emoji15][emoji16]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Pleeeeeease [emoji7]

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

My wife is a vet and we give our calmex from vets. Works well.

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Would someone be able to do a quick list of everything needed starting up a business in garden/tree maintenance. E.g insurance, waste tickets etc etc

Just a bullet point list is fine if you can [emoji15][emoji16]

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Not if I have No experience of climbing no! Lol not a clue how to tie a knot to climb etc

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Surely the farm your on has tress that need cutting down or have fallen down that can be used for firewood, that's how we started, also I dare say some of your fruit trees die, always cut them up aswell, fruit wood makes nice firewood especially cherry imo

Yes the manager of the farm spends all his time doing that for his benefit [emoji12] so no left overs lol.

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Ok agree with others then that buying in cordwood and selling on would be difficult to make profit on.

 

Interested in the fruit work because have a fruit farm and skilled pruners are hard to come by. We are a way off but might be able to put some work your way on our farm if short of work in the winter

Ooo where about are you? I'm Canterbury area

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Is it true if you have a climber working for you, the person on the ground (me) has to be qualified to get up the tree if there is an accident?

If so this could be a massive cost lol

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Agree with people that it is very tight to make profit especially with a log splitter and chainsaw but still think it could be worth a go if your circumstances are good. You have to start somewhere and who is to say you can't turn it into something successful. I noticed your photo is a fruit farm and you said your a farmer in your original post. Do you own this farm?

I am self employed working on the fruit farm 80% of the year and then I go pruning fruit trees in the winter months for another farm. No I don't own the farm.

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

I have a Vauxhall Astra hatchback, any chance that can tow a decent trailer?

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

What's the going rate for a grass cutter now a days?

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Morning Adam.

 

 

 

I don't mean to rain on your parade twice in your first two questions but, doing an artic load of timber with just a saw and splitter is bloody hard work for little return. I had a processor, tractor loader and still found I wasn't making a decent profit.

 

 

 

If you look at folk on Arbtalk that do make good money from logs they have got many 10's of thousands of pounds worth of gear to reduce handling and incress through put.

 

 

 

You said in your other post that you want to start garden work, I think this would be the way to go. Get a trailer to tow behind your car, a mower, strimmer, hedge cutter, and what other bits you need and off you go. You'll get paid at the end of each job, so should always have a few quid to keep things moving.

 

 

 

Also you won't be sat with a pile of timber that probably won't be ready for sale until winter 2017.

What sort of yearly income do you think I can get doing gardens and garden clearance etc with odd tree jobs thrown in.

Will driving between jobs be a bad factor, for example charging an hourly rate yet half the day spent driving a lot of miles and realising I've only raked in £80 while used x amount of fuel?

Love this forum it's so good [emoji1360]

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Morning Adam.

 

 

 

I don't mean to rain on your parade twice in your first two questions but, doing an artic load of timber with just a saw and splitter is bloody hard work for little return. I had a processor, tractor loader and still found I wasn't making a decent profit.

 

 

 

If you look at folk on Arbtalk that do make good money from logs they have got many 10's of thousands of pounds worth of gear to reduce handling and incress through put.

 

 

 

You said in your other post that you want to start garden work, I think this would be the way to go. Get a trailer to tow behind your car, a mower, strimmer, hedge cutter, and what other bits you need and off you go. You'll get paid at the end of each job, so should always have a few quid to keep things moving.

 

 

 

Also you won't be sat with a pile of timber that probably won't be ready for sale until winter 2017.

No problem mate that's what I want, someone to say how it is! That's what I was thinking, it's gonna take me a month if Sunday's to even prepare a decent load of logs for say 3 deliveries lol. Just testing all areas [emoji16]

Thankyou

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

We're pretty much the same as lancer said, we pay £58 + vat a ton delivered in but if you're using an axe and chainsaw you might be able to get lower quality cheaper stuff.

 

Then we get around 1.8cubic meters from a ton which we deliver in a loose load for £120 (location dependant for others) If you're not already it's worth getting vat registered as you'll be able to claim back more than you charge.

Thankyou. Is business going well for you?

Obviously the wood will need to stand for a year so I will have a whole year of no income while possibly paying out to rent some land for the wood. Just working out if it's worth while.

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Hi mate. To give you a rough idea. You are looking at paying £55 per tonne for hardwood delivered currently. This does fluctuate depending on location in the country. We usually calculate that a 26 tonne load will give us 45 loose cubic metres of split logs. Worth being aware if you buy green beech or oak that it will be less. So in terms of what you will make just multiply 45 by your sale price and remember that if selling to end user it will have 5% vat on it. Good luck and let us know if you have any other questions

Thankyou, so a round profit of £4K?

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Put this on wood lots you'll get endless calls from wood turners etc. I sold a LOT about 5 years ago on there!!

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Yeah, plus when the kids are older you've got cheap labour.

My son was 10+ before he was strong enough to pull-start a chainsaw but up until then they'll have to just use a axe.

Pmsl. Four finger Freddie is good on the axe!!

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk