Dbikeguy

Rescheduled a handful of jobs, reductions in the rain on certain species are horrible, slow and just no fun. Moved another couple due to water logged gardens and the fact the clean up would be a nightmare (think needing to jet wash mud off paths and driveway) and a couple for silly high winds (turning a cut and chuck job into needing rigging)
Customers don’t mind when you explain things. If they kick off they can happily go elsewhere as they will be the annoying ones during and after the job too

A sabre saw is also called a reciprocating saw very common 18 v tool made by all the tool manufacturers and carried by many thieves. Far smaller than disc cutter or bottles quiet and cuts most materials a disc cutter won’t including multilayers

Yup i’ve got the Dewalt Flexvolt one, with several demo and a rescue blade, it’s a great bit of kit but twice the size of a 4 1/2 disc cutter, slower through metal too. Yes it will cut through most materials but most of the thefts i hear about it’s a petrol stone saw,oxy or freezing the locks to smash them.
A fabric layer will stop most saw blades so if you wanted to you can create something multilayered.

A sabre saw with rescue blade would cut the sandwich as fast as a chainsaw and much quieter The only durable material left is reinforced concrete Battery tools have done us no favours 

Yup but how many criminals take that kit? most take oxy/acy bottles or a stone saw… that setup massively slows both of them.
It’s only storing chainsaws not the crown jewels! Taking reasonable precautions keeps the insurers happy. Tick all their boxes in writing too and then you get a pay out. If someone wants it they will find a way to get it.
Our security is to stop the chancers and semi prepared ones. Insurance stops the pros

Weld mesh and some box section, weld up a storage cage, make a sandwich of weldmesh, ply, weldmesh (disc cutters hate wood) multiple protected lock points (make sure bolt croppers and discs can’t access the padlocks) Days work and a few hundred quid in materials, can be custom sized to your space, shelves hooks etc.
Smokecloak or similar stops them from seeing too.
Game keeper blank shotgun triggers as a back up. Keep it looking less posh, tidy and fence off logs and chip so it’s less obvious.

Speak to your insurer and make sure you satisfy all their needs so if the worst happens they actually pay out

Judging by the number of dodgy trailer on the road, blowouts, none working lights etc this will just accelerate the need for a trailer mot type test. Modern cars are heavier and fancier traction control will help with keeping trailer under control, i don’t think it will suddenly see loads more people towing, i know plenty who have been towing over the limits without the license inc myself who can put a trailer wherever you want backwards, load it safely etc. Much like the training means you can do it safely on the day, if you only then use that skill once a year you have probably forgotten it anyway!

The fact they have fenced it means they have admitted its dangerous, the loose walling needs removing asap or fence moving to allow for falling bricks not to push the Heras over as it’s the land owner liable when someone gets hurt.
I think its 100 tree removal and rebuild the wall, too close and too high up, anything planted there will in the future cause the same. Should be an easy win with the council for removal too as removal of the wall or replacement wouldn’t be in keeping with the area.

Yup, trailer is on my drive,i rent a storage box that i stick the stump grinder and some other tools not used daily in. Logs go to local villagers in exchange for beer, cash etc and chip to a local farmer.

The company i hire plant off does nothing but moan about tracked dumpers being unreliable…. Ditch witch or similar narrow access loader with a bucket and grab would be on my list

Google - tree survey Nottingham

Several options appear - Canopy who you have contacted

https://www.4dtreesurvey.co.uk

It’s really rather simple.

You want someone to give you a survey on a neighbours tree to ascertain if it’s going to fall because it’s a big tree.

Lawn mower over it to chop
it up. most chipper don’t like just leaves…

Every other trade uses the customers toilet, so if i’m subbing to my sparky mate and we lay UFH we use the customers facilities (i never dry my hands on their towels though)
When doing joinery work (we build garden rooms and decks) i use their toilet. Should i not when in the same places with a chainsaw?

Obv if it’s a huge garden with a sensible discreet place i’d use that over taking boots etc off… Plus for a stinking no2 it’s drive off to a public loo

ice cold drinks when going into heatstroke can be bad for you if you down say a bottle, sipping is fine. A bottle of it can shock your system and it thinks you are becoming hyperthermic so sends blood to the stomach from
the extremities and most people pass out and throw up

Husky 550 with an 18” bar, love how fast it cuts pref on the narrower kerf bar and chain, pick that up over the 562 unless i need a longer bar

Ditto on R-tech, got down sold to a 180 as it will do what i need without paying for the higher power option.
Fast delivery and a nice machine.
Gonna add a spool gun for when my new hilux arrives and i convert it to Aussie style alloy back

Unless he didn’t tell the guys about a old covered pond they drove it into then it’s operator error, would you charge the client for the day if you broke down on the way to the job?
Maybe have a chat with your guys about starting to see an issue and stopping instead of carrying on and i assume beaching the machine needing a winch or crane out (£650 is a lot of recovery!)

Day rate work leaves too much open unless you have an excellent relationship with the client (i do day rate for 3 regulars, agreeing a day plan at the start of each day)

Suck it up i think for day 3, i wouldn’t be paying if you tried to charge me for your lads cock up working at my house.

I found it felt quite small inside when i drove once small windows maybe? Went well and was comfy.
Bought a Hilux though

Dewalt coil battery nailer for feather boards, think it’s advertised as a roofing nailer over here, great for cladding too.
Dewalt 1st fix fit 59-90mm nails.

Keep a nail pouch on your belt with some spare racks in, super easy to reload then.
Workmate just got the milwaukee 1st and by god it’s way heavier than my Dewalt

Storm damaged willow. A old mates brother, had a limb snap out could i go deal with that and fell the rest.
Looked at the picture (was a 40 min drive) looked to be about 12” that had snapped as the main leader, base looked to be about 24” max.
Price agreed, rocked you a few days later, one guy with me to find at least 35” main stem had failed, they had ‘to help me’ started cutting it up and stacking it ( i nearly set fire to it and left) No easy garden access without a 150m walk each way to get to the chipper.

Neighbour wanted the chip in ton bags, though that might speed things up.

Planned an easy day.
3 days, 4 chains on the 562, metal everywhere - why always willows?!
18 full bags of chip,
7 trailer and pickup loads of logs

Have never quoted off a picture since!

Restrictions lifting so people are thinking of going to the pub/holidays/friends etc

Weddings catching up from the last year - takes peoples money

Crap wet weather of late, less people in their gardens deciding said tree is blocking their sun.

Huge influx of new companies plus firms doing more full landscaping jobs and bigger ones, i’ve gone from getting decking and pergola enquiries to garden rooms (£2k to £20k job jump!)

Tree enquiries have quietened off but i’ve not chased them, more money in landscaping and less extra work (one quote not 5 for a week or mores work) diary fills faster doing 1-2wk long jobs

Less people on Furlough so less at home staring at the overgrown back garden...

Volume, the transits etc of this world will always beat a pickup.
I looked at defenders and bought a mk6 extra cab Hilux. At 6ft the def just wasn’t comfy.
Not worried about the maintenance etc at the start but now i’m busy i’m kinda glad my jap motor just works. The thought of getting home and having to fix stuff all the time would wear you down.

It holds enough for the work i do, tip sites are mostly local. Upgrading to a tipper trailer next so i can carry more chip/logs legally.
Will be tipper converting my mk9 when it finally arrives, for now it’s greedy boards and a fork to unload!

Polesaw and stay stood up, could even bend the shaft on one of the new electric models (only cables inside the fixed length model) to get horizontal cuts?

Of course we should be on that Paddy, I totally agree.
The problem is that the bottom feeders drag the price down and we all suffer.
 
The shitbags can’t compete on quality arb work, but a lot of what we do is pretty simple.
 
Medium sycamore takedown with a decent dropzone?
Easy day for 3 running 3 loads.
Are they going to take my £800 or the £450 bid by the new college boys who have had a new chipper for their birthday?
 
We will both leave a tidy site with everything gone.
 
The college boys haven’t got insurance yet, but it’s something they will definitely get round to.
 
The public are generally ignorant, they don’t give a toss.
The £450 wins all day.
 
Who can blame them?
Everyone likes saving money.
 
I’ve been doing this for a while and avoid the ‘cheapest quote wins’ bunch as best as I can, but it’s taken a long time.
 
I freely admit I was the college boy once as well.

You won’t win all the quotes but by building a reputation in your area you will win on that, i’ve won several bids where they just don’t trust the low ball quote to do a good job, several others where i’ve been the most expensive but could talk to the client and explain/answer questions.
So many tree guys rock up,
Hi,
That one over there?
£400 that
leave

You have to sell what you do ( im and ex sales rep so easy for me)

We do prob 35% tree work as we also do garden timber builds and garden rooms are filling a good chunk of the diary, the chippy i use gets £200 a day, comparable tool kit to me.
Tree guys, i have a climber i use at £130 but regularly over pay as he is good (he set his rate not me)
Basic grounds guy if they can use a saw at least to feed to chipper and undo a knot for rigging £100+

If matey boy the author went teamed up with a climber mate he could easily start his own setup so worth holding onto him.

It’s hard to move up the pay ranks and stay at the same firm, move companies, then you can jump pay groups not crawl by £1 an hour her £10 a day there.

It’s rumoured that Mitsubishi and Nissan pickups won’t be available new in the UK from early next year[emoji848]. That leaves only Ford, Toyota and Isuzu as choices for a new truck. I believe the Ssangyong Musso is also still available but possibly not for much longer?) , also with the possibility of the “French Grenadier” if that ever gets produced. They’re all over priced as it is so will be interesting to see how competitive the prices are with less competition? I think we know where the Grenadier prices will be!

VW amarok is coming back as a ford colab i am
told.

mitsubishi has left the uk market completely.

New Navarra is 2023

Ford rangers are having engine issues (look on a fB group for them) two mates now regret buying them..

Hilux has a min new order delivery date of Feb 22 now

DMax felt a bit plasticky but seems to review well.

I have a Hilux arriving in Oct to replace a mk6 hilux after much research

Show willing, maybe try and do some rec climbing in your free time.
Watch and learn when you can.
Read/watch videos to grasp the basics and ask when on the less time pressured jobs to try setting rigging etc

Hilux is so popular as the new ranger has ALL of the engine issues, merc X class, Navarra, Amarok all discontinued with no new models till 2023 i was told. Amarok is coming back as a ford colam?! Using the junk Ford engine not the V6.
i ordered an extra cab in March with delivery earliest Oct using NGO discounts was told the basc ngo etc ended on the 1st april...