Liam54

Thanks Dan - are you talking about Stuart’s 26hp solis? im personally looking at something a bit bigger , new Holland boomer 55 will lift 900kg load so loading trailers etc no problem. but if I could get away with a smaller machine I’d be all ears

Thanks for your feedback Stuart it’s appreciated - looks like a useful tool. I’m after something bigger that can lift an ibc cage full of wood 600kg aprox. do you transport that in a trailer ?

Thanks for your feedback dumper - out of interest what do you have ?

good evening all. i am looking at buying a machine to make life easier for my business which is typically domestic tree removal , and firewood. Right now the machine winning the race is a compact tractor (boomer 55). I’ve thought of avant, ditch witch etc, but the reason I like the idea of the compact tractor is that I can get it road registered, will drive it to local jobs to assist with work where it can (Most of my work is in a small village ) , the boomer is compact enough for my yard, wouldn’t need a second vehicle and trailer unlike with an avant/ditch witch, however it is only 2ton so could be towed to a job further away should I need that. what I’m posting this up for is to hear of anyone else running a similar tractor and to hear any negatives / reasons to reconsider a avant/ditch witch/ multione etc… i also hope that whatever it is I end up buying will increase the services I offer. lastly I am aware that a compact tractor won’t fit through a domestic gate, but neither will an avant upwards of the 420 which I wouldn’t want anyway as I’d prefer a larger model. I’m aware the tractor won’t be able to be used for every job. thanks all Liam

Any fence material suppliers in the South west / North Devon? Or any suppliers able to supply bulk quantities of 6 ft feather edge boards, rails, 4x4 posts and post crete?

Some really good bits of advice here thanks all. I agree finding a fence supplier is key to me growing as a business. On this occasion the customer specifically chose a panel they wanted and instructed I purchase it from TP. However I am now on the look out for a supplier. I am based in Barnstaple, north Devon. in regards to the auger only being useful on a digger - would it work well on a 1 ton digger or is it not heavy enough ? I am more than happy to dig holes by hand but I’m also more than happy to invest in some kit that will hopefully allow me to complete more work. I also do tree and gardening work where I could use the mini digger there. Not that keen on buying a digger that wouldn’t access most gardens so I’m really looking at mini diggers specifically if I was to invest. Thanks again 👍🏼

nice one looks great !

It takes the same amount of effort to attach a £24 panel as it does to attach a £100 panel, and the customer on this particular job has chosen a £100 panel so i am keen to give a fair price. I would feel like i am taking the piss to match labour costs with materials or am i missing something?

The reasoning behind the auger is to hopefully speed jobs up. 90% of the time i work alone so an auger to speed up fencing jobs might mean a 3 day job turns into a 2 day job. Which allows my business to get more jobs done.. I have a drainage shovel and a wrecking bar i currently use and it has done me well but i am sure there is a more efficient way of doing things for me personally.

Good evening, How much labour fees do people charge for constructing panel fencing with concrete posts and gravel boards? I started fencing last year after a mate wanted 6ft feather edge at his home and from there have constructed a few other fences, all of them being feather edged where i was advised off a local fencer to charge £65 per meter which includes the supply of materials plus the labour. I have now been approached to construct a 6ft panel fence which is 50m in length and has to be concrete post and gravel board. The panels are quite expensive that customer wants still waiting on a price from TP but they arent cheap. So my main question is how much labour fees do you typically charge? I read elsewhere £40 per panel. There will be two of us constructing the fence.. I am also looking at purchasing an auger, I am looking at the one man post hole by 'Digga' and i am also looking at a kangol with auger attachment / option to add other attachments. If any one has experience using this equipment would like to hear good and bad. Cheers Liam

Good evening – I am a qualified arborist living in Braunton, North Devon and I am hoping to sub contract out to a firm in the local area. I have the following tickets. NPTC - Cross cut maintenance, - Felling under 380 - Felling over 380 - Aerial climb / rescue - Aerial cutting + Free fall - Aerial Rigging - Wood Chipper. Lantra - Brush Cutter - Pole Saw First Aid + Forestry ticket. Currently have Level 3 certificate in forestry and arb. Just started diploma. I am also booked on to Aerial tree pruning at the end of September, as well as MEWP course date TBC. I have all my own climbing kit, Rigging kit, saws, plus other tools which may be of use from winches to jacks etc.. I have my own van plus trailer. I also have a Green Mech CS100 if you need a small chipper to access tight spots etc.. I am keen and will turn up on time. If ever you have a job on where you require a climber please do not hesitate to get in touch. I run my own gardening and fencing business but can make that work around climbing work. Thanks for your time liam.

Hi - currently a few months into a new business venture. Subbying out to other firms gaining experience whilst taking on my own work here and there. immediate future sees me remove 25+ leyland hedges. I need a chipper. Also have a few other jobs in the future which will require a chipper rather than a load of trips to the land fill. chipper must be small enough to fit in my trailer as I have a small van for tools and trailer for waste. So a towable chipper is out the question. CS100 looks great but it’s more expensive than other small Chippers. Anyone got any advice? Is the CS100 a no brainer when it comes to small chippers ? Anyone selling one? I can get one for £4800 including vat. also - anyone put leylandi through a small chipper? Was it straight forward or lots of snags? thanks in advance Liam

Any work available in the south west? Barnstaple based. I have 31,32,38,39.

Thanks dan - currently in the process of contacting firms. I’m also looking at getting my utility tickets. Has anyone reading this thread got any experience in utility line surveying?

Thanks - hopefully I can get some work prior to actually getting out. At least i’ll have some experience that way. Something worth mentioning - I have a camper van which i’m happy to travel around the uk and park up close to the job. Although I’m living in north Devon I’m fairly mobile.