steve

Yes he is :) have you felt the heat these covers build up when on the roller ? amazing .... Steve

I reckon a pool with a cover used properly will give +4 c on a pool that is not covered. Steve

me! what size? Steve

15€ an hour - ah good old black work! If you have some kit (decent) you wont be charging by the hour, but by the cut. That way, everyone knows how much its going to cost - if you know what you are doing then you can work out how long its going to take, then add a bit for 'emergencies' - if you cock up the origional price then tough, next time you will get it right - I have customers paying 400€/month for pool and grass cutting - thats all year round. Could do with a few more though! (Oh, and we only cut every 2 weeks unless its around the pool and looking untidy) Steve

good point - the op will have to come south! Steve

[quote user="crossy67"]There is loads and loads of info on the Auto Entrepreneur (AE) system that would suit you for setting up business as a "handy man". Make a cup of tea, get comfortable and start reading. Good luck.[:)] [/quote] OK, legaly, you cannot cut grass or do any gardening as a pro under AE. You have to register with MSA as gardening/grass cutting is classed as agricultural. We came over 9 years ago and set up as gardeners, and now have a very sucsessful company, cutting grass and cleaning pools for a living. We have a couple of change overs too, but only as the clients really want us to do it, and no one else. We have French, English, Dutch, German and a couple of yanks as clients and cover a 40km distance from home. It an be done, its bloomin hard work and 50% of your earnings will go to MSA to pay for medical/pension etc. Then if you earn enough, you pay tax. Get the right kit (bring it with you!) and there is work out there for it, you just have to find it. Steve

Dont know about that one but I have a similar thing resting in my barn that I havent used for 6 years..........going cheap if your interested! - I use either my tractor & flail or strimmers now. Steve

Try kippin in bed with wife, 3 labs and an occasional cat...........warm in winter for sure! Steve

Where are you for a start? What sort of ground is it - rock/ soft ? Always get at least 3 quotes and talk to local maintenance people - they should be able to recommend who not to use! Steve

its reliable enough and he uses it almost every day & has just about all the impliments possible - this weeks project was a new shredder for the backof it! "" HP isnt a lot - it will only give 18/19HP for the PTO Steve

Neighbour has one (ck22) and he says its a bit underpowered - (he used to work for a dealer too!) I have just bought a Mitsubishi 25HP 4x4 from Halle Au Tract, and the guy could not have been more helpful and honest. If you want more info on him, give me a PM Cheers Steve

Ha ha! I admit this only once - I like to get my lines as straight as possible when cutting and have thought about fitting a digital compass to my bonnet :( Steve

hear hear (put your price up as well) :) We do pool and garden on a different day - the renters are aware of this and can chose to go out or not while I cut the grass/clean the pool. We do 'try' and get the pools done just before they are due in, as there is nothing worse than a dead frog at the bottom! Steve

The mower is a Kubota G21 pro with 500 litre collection box - cuts & collects upto 3000m sq an hour - over 500 or so hours now and perfectly reliable - just changed oil and filter ready for this year. We also use Stihl strimmers and everything else 2 stroke is sthil so mix is the same which makes life easier! We had Mcbolloch etc and it only lasts a season, so you get what you pay for. Steve

The best small mower I had was a John Deere, it pays to buy something 17HP + (mine had a kawasaki engine.) I now have a Kubota with 500l grass collecter - lists at about 12k now I think, but worth every penny - 500hrs+ and touch wood, nothing seriously has gone wrong - just about to change blades/oil/filter ready for start of season. Steve

Good morning everyone :) Le chef does 2 changeovers - one on a Saturday, another on a Wednesday - min 25€/hr + TVA. A 'normal' changeover will be 4 hrs or there abouts. If the renters have left it in a crap state then we phone the owner to let them know (so they can dock it from security deposit) - The only really bad one was 12 students who were still in bed at 10 am, the time they should have gone! They had a party the night before........I had to go help finish of after my pools, total was around 8hrs! (note - no more students!) But other than that its not been too bad. As was said, its all based on trust. As far as gardening goes, yes we have some expensive kit but it does a great job :) Steve

how big an area is there to be cut? Steve

its not enough - our minimum is 25€/hr + TVA.However for grass cutting we charge per job as we have good kit. So if someone is charging 17/hr and takes 4 hrs to a job I take 1 hr to do, my 25€/hr is cheap..........3000sq/hr cut/collected & dumped. + strimming etc. (depending on terrain and length of grass etc) Steve

Why cant I see my post pictures? Yes he is a beauty! and yes, they all have red collars, not the huge great chain:) 'proud' Steve

i give up! Sorry steve

[IMG]http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r247/stevelowe/PICT0011.jpg[/IMG]

Well it worked in preview! Steve

[URL=http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r247/stevelowe/?action=view¤t=PICT0011.jpg][IMG]http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r247/stevelowe/th_PICT0011.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Well done! Here is another just after showing his handsome head! Steve

We have 2 1/2 labs - 1 really small and petite, one lab mixed with a hunting hound - sleek and fast and our new boy (2 now) Danny who is absolutely huge! 45kg and not an ounce of fat. He is a failed guide dog (hip score) and is a gentle giant. His head looks like the head of a mastiff ! BTW he has green lipped mussel extract for his hips and its working miracles If I knew how to post a photo I would Steve

Assuming grass is knee / thigh high, and you have about 3000sqm, that would take me around 1.5 - 2 hrs to cut and collect, leaving cuttings there in a nice neat pile in the corner. Cost, around 100€ + TVA (but I am in The Dordogne and would charge travelling there and back! Hope this helps Steve