Trailoftears

Absolutely.Variety IS the thing-money should be secondary.Personally I'm happy whether mowing/erecting a shed/laying a patio/growing veg/designing a planting scheme/putting in a hundred hedging plants-its all good,a learning experience and above all it should be satisfying and fun-never lose sight of that I reckon.

If I was offering advice to young landscapers starting out now-buy a decent basic kit-chainsaw/hedge trimmer,b/cutter,mower,handheld blower etc.Dont get over excited with a big job-let the customer both buy and pay for materials-their risk-not yours.Get an interest-free credit card-you can buy more chainsaws -yehh.Buy a decent vehicle,and maintain it well.Try not to trade on debt (apart from buying machines on an interest-free cr.Card) 😉..look after your customers and build a good rep. Locally-word gets around-and you'll never need to advertise.Work hard-and above all-play hard.😎

I can see if you're hanging off ropes/manifold chainsaws supplied/heavy plant purchase/transport and supply etc,Then you are into serious costs,hourly rates etc.Thankfully thats not me.Even as a general landscaper,I decided no staff,no ride-on mowers/trailers,dedicated mower sheds etc.Its a bit 'keep it simple stoopid',in so far as you can of course.

If I pulled my finger out,I could gross £300 a day no drama .But I'd be weary,irritable and as much fun to live with as a ferret with its leg in a gin trap.Remember,this is a physical business,whatever sector you're in-you have to play the long game-not kill yourself in your twennies/firties.With age comes wisdom and sagacity 🙏

Its funny-I've been there/done that-40 odd years ago building up my business-I used to get SOO excited that I'd had my best ever week for earnings,set a new record for the week etc,etc.Where does that get you?-I'll tell you-burnout,divorce and a really f#ck off tax bill-wow,big deal.....

A few thoughts,Yes,I could make more money mowing 3 days a week than 5.5 days-which is what I do.However if all I did was follow machines around-well, I'd rather cut my leg off,thats simply NOT why I work in this sector.But I think my point is missed.For instance I charge one couple £140 a day-2 days a week 48 weeks a year,so they are paying north of a thousand pounds every 4 weeks into my account.I turn up at 9.45,commence work at ten til 1,then 45 mins for lunch and nattering.Back to work at 2 then at 4.30,Ill be sitting in their conservatory sipping tea.Also,I do loads of unnatended properties,some holiday homes,some rural farms/country houses.I'll give them an initial price for a mornings work-9.30-1.say £85.Initially that will take me 3 hours,after a few months, being reasonally quick and efficient-I'll be walking away in under 2 hrs.Even one off jobs which I quote fairly high-most people tend to tip me generously anyway.I set my own agenda/wrkloads generally,No one will see me before 10-4.30 I'm done.If its a stinky wet day-fine,radio 6 on/feet up/lager opened/good book dealt with.As long as housing/utility/food costs are met plus an exotic holiday when fancied plus as much draw/lager/ciggies as needed-that will do for me.Its not about headline earnings-its about quality of life and job satisfaction.Yes,money matters,but if thats all that drives you-you have a problem.

And slightly off topic if I was asked to take say,a foot off the side of an evergreen hedge and maybe a foot off the top of it too -I'd do it NOW,but due to the regs/advice you would have to do it a month earlier which means you are increasing the odds against radical re-working being successful-not moaning,but the odds get worse-we all remember the beast from the East I'm sure-and that was roughly now date-wise I think.

I've done a few e.gunnii's to that extent over the years,usually for owners who are ambivalent whether it lives or dies.They usually want it done because A:its too big B:I have to keep sweeping its dead leaves up... In theory,if done in early April with ideally some basal growth present-it shouldnt be a drama and I'd expect it to regrow well enough.Still,when you do radical reductions like this there are no guarantees.Look at last spring,zero rain for 63 days from the 5th of April on-again no guarantees/the future cant be seen etc.It does strike me the original untouched tree looks a tad seedy,but its hard to be sure from 1 piccy odd.A lot of stripling eucs gave up last spring due to a week of wicked east winds pre xmas followed by a week of -8 temps just for a week shortly after.The leaf canopy went completely silver even before the frost period.Some made an attempt to re-sprout from the youngish main trunks-then 60 odd dry days followed-game over...

Just as a reference point.Generally working on my own mainly.Mobile and v.well equipped with sundry machines-so locally travelling (which adds to costs).I charge a hybrid charging model-regular/loyal customers=£20 per hour/£120-£140 per day.Lawn mowing/hedge cutting jobs/rounds- always priced individually-FAR,Far more profitable than an hourly rate. Hope that helps

No need to put a negative slant on it,the fact remains I HAVE sold 2 chainsaws in under 3 months!And no-I didnt pass my maths exams at school ☹️

Interesting re: L&S/wartec/ghs.I've always found l&s to be excellent-and God forbid they ever go belly-up,it would be a great loss.I've also bought a lot of parts/bits from ghs/wartec-generally via Ebay.Usually decent enough/functional aftermarket stuff at fair prices.Reminds me of Oregon stock-its ok/does the job if you need to save a few bob or can't justify throwing silly money on oem parts for older machines.

I'm left with a slightly troubling mental picture of jaded crankshafts sipping a g&t on adjacent treatment beds at Champneys animatedly discussing whether to go with the bikini line wax treatment, or just stick with the cheaper eyebrow threading option.

Interesting post and it mirror's my thoughts and experiences in many ways.I had a v.reliable 038,but it was a handful re:not state of the art a.v. and a lot of huffing n puffing when starting it-but v.good at starting/running etc.It just wasn't a saw you'd stick in your groin area and flamboyantly pull on heavily (unless you had no wish for further offspring).So I bought an extremely clean lightly used 441.Which is light years ahead of the old 038 in many ways-excellent a.v/decomp valve etc.But not really a daily saw for me.So after making the classic mistake of buying a ms250 thinking 50cc/ok weight/good everday mid-range saw etc,etc then finding it was a crock of sh*t,I too bought a 261-which what I should have done in the first place 🙄.I gather the 400 is basically an 'improved/souped-up 362?Going forward it will be interesting to see if the magnesium/ceramic coated piston will expand within the pro saws?Also its too early to know about robustness/durability and so on.

Was that L&S re: no charge?

I HAVE sold two already this Year 😇 Tho I then replaced one of the ones I sold. Does that mean I really sold one 🤔😉

'Dont send them on a spa weekend',I like that-a lot 👏

I'm not feeling the love here chaps 🤭

Wow,cheap as chips,with excellent feedback history too.

Anyone got a working link to that part supplier on ebay?When I type it in,A firm that sells millions of car parts just comes up 🤔

No,no,no I've got a 261.I want a 241c.m.Dont make me stamp my feet/scream and scream till I make myself sick!

Noo,I meant a lightweight all round PRO saw.Is that one of those little placcy jobs you see in a retail box with see thru window at a main dealer shops at xmas-marketed at your 10 yr old son-realistic noises but totally harmless?

Ych a fi!

They remind me of my Spike Milligan legs tbh 😏

Thank you for the comments,and yes I must confess I have a 261 and also a 181 too. But I still WANT a 241.as I often tell my good lady when being queried yet again on why I'm buying yet another machine-I'm NOT wasting money-its an investment.

It is odd,its beautiful stuff to handle-friable,clean and near as dammit weed-free.Pre-sieved,its spot on for cell production. Also,another niche compost that would work-bracken compost for acid-lovers.I've always thought the very idea of a 'multi-purpose' compost is absolutely ludicrous.How on earth can it work for say,seed sowing/potting on young seedlings with low nutrient requirements,but on the other hand be suitable for mature stuff that needs the equivalent of J.I.no3-heavy nutrient level?The obvious answer is it can't-its simply not possible.Thats why the J.I.institute went to the trouble and research to develop 4 discrete products-seed/1/2 and 3 composts.