Gunns Contractors Ltd

[TiltyShaun]

Thanks, I'm based in North Hampshire.

I really enjoy what I'm doing right now, and if you cant put the hours in when you're in your 30's when can you. I have a big mortgage to pay and if I can get that down then I can back off the gas a bit. The last few years I've always been of the mindset that it will all go wrong at some point with the economy so keep your head down and earn while we can. But that day for various reasons doesn't seem to have come yet. So onwards we work!
But this year I want to have periods of intense work broken up by some time off for other things I enjoy - rather than just working every hour and not having any fun. Already got a few trips away planned and some gigs too so putting the plan in place before the work takes over!

Diary management is down to you. We have just got back from our week on the slopes. Have all ready got a summer week booked. Trying to work out what we are doing around daughters half term in Feb. might just be a weekend with friends or a short trip to Belgium. If you don’t make the plans, in my experience it doesn’t happen as work takes over!!

 

[DaveDCB]

In my young 20s I did a 4 year stint with no break / holidays etc, just muddled on, didn’t really care as I loved it! But kids change everything, you want to work more to give them more, but really all they need is you! No more weekends or late nights, normally I’m back in for 5pm(unless it’s a dire requirement)
Once you have learnt to say NO it becomes a lot easier - folk can wait

 

[Giles]

Great setup Ollie and some cracking work, tennis courts are mint love the unified yellow fleet. Bowsers is smart addition do you leave that on site full of white?

I struggle with the work life balance but having a tough mrs helps lol she won’t settle for no holidays haha

 

[Tintan28]

Great setup Ollie and some cracking work, tennis courts are mint love the unified yellow fleet. Bowsers is smart addition do you leave that on site full of white?

I struggle with the work life balance but having a tough mrs helps lol she won’t settle for no holidays haha

The all yellow fleet strikes me of there being a condition or two afoot! Tidy though!
I was wondering about the bowser also. Not often I’d need a few hundred litres on site & most pertinent is the security issue, but they would be handy at times & they go pretty cheap at Euros.
A Mrs & kid definitely has tightened up my hours & loosened my holiday belts! Dad & then Me always played rugby & I now manage a side so Saturdays in the winter are taken! Never considered the half days some builders do on a Saturday that worthwhile anyways by the time you get started & packed up?

 

[6feetdown]

The all yellow fleet strikes me of there being a condition or two afoot! Tidy though!
I was wondering about the bowser also. Not often I’d need a few hundred litres on site & most pertinent is the security issue, but they would be handy at times & they go pretty cheap at Euros.
A Mrs & kid definitely has tightened up my hours & loosened my holiday belts! Dad & then Me always played rugby & I now manage a side so Saturdays in the winter are taken! Never considered the half days some builders do on a Saturday that worthwhile anyways by the time you get started & packed up?

If you've got ops on a Saturday you have to be there as in my experience they treat it as an easy few hrs pay

 

[Simon edwards]

I always find Saturdays productive as there are few interuptions,usually a very good shift,would rather just not do too many anymore.

 

[hiluxman]

I always find Saturdays productive as there are few interuptions,usually a very good shift,would rather just not do too many anymore.

I try to not plan a job in for Saturday but use it as an over run for anything that doesn't get done in the week. I only made that decision about 18mths/2 years ago and definitely feel better for it.

Usually when I do work Saturday I'm on my own too, so go in, smash it out and on the way home.

 

[6feetdown]

I try to not plan a job in for Saturday but use it as an over run for anything that doesn't get done in the week. I only made that decision about 18mths/2 years ago and definitely feel better for it.

Usually when I do work Saturday I'm on my own too, so go in, smash it out and on the way home.

I used to work nearly every Saturday and realised after a long time it had become a habit, still do them usually paperwork but try not every weekend

 

[V8Druid]

used to open Saturdays for those that couldn't get to us in the week and if the need was there, had the guys in Saturdays too, but knocked it on the head several years 'fore I stopped ... just didn't pay in the end .. maybe one in four was busy, where as they used to be manic every weekend ... think ppl just CBA on their days off or too busy with the mundane shopping ... either way it gave me more time for me (but usually ended up in work catching up with what I hadn't gotten done in the weekdays)

 

[Mogman]

I just piss about in the yard Saturday morning then home for 12.00

Thinking about it I spend most of my time ‘pissing about in the yard

 

[V8Druid]

used to open Saturdays for those that couldn't get to us in the week and if the need was there, had the guys in Saturdays too, but knocked it on the head several years 'fore I stopped ... just didn't pay in the end .. maybe one in four was busy, where as they used to be manic every weekend ... think ppl just CBA on their days off or too busy with the mundane shopping ... either way it gave me more time for me (but usually ended up in work catching up with what I hadn't gotten done in the weekdays)

or doing my own projects with the gates and doors locked

I just piss about in the yard Saturday

Thinking about it I spend most of my time ‘pissing about in the yard

 

[DaveDCB]

You need them few hours every week just pissing around, that’s when all the important jobs get done

 

[Furniss]

Its the v early mornings that win the day - everything seems to go so much better than chasing your arse.

 

[Mogman]

Its the v early mornings that win the day - everything seems to go so much better than chasing your arse.

Yes a hour in the morning is worth two in the afternoon

 

[Gunners]

Nice bit of variety the last few weeks. Been on hire to a landscape contractor on a huge job, doing various bits and getting an entrance edged and based up. Screw piles are for the gate post foundations to anchor them in better. Had a tracked Avant hired in for some serious irrigation trenching! The 3cx has been out with the breaker on this job too. Forklift pic is a choose your weapon kinda thing - had 3 lorry loads of trees delivered that day and it was all hands to the deck to get them turned around. We then spent the last 2 weeks planting said trees up and down some quite steep slopes with a long reach machine which was my idea.... Never driven one before and haven't driven anything over 8t in years! Sadly, this machine wasn't setup right, didn't have extra counterweight for a start which didn't make it very enjoyable, but made it work, and another job successfully completed for a contractor who was happy to take my suggestions on board and it think it worked out well.
Due back there in a couple of weeks to start the next phase of the project.

 

[DaveDCB]

Neat idea on the screw piling gate pillar foundations.. must be some monster gates to require that though??

 

[Giles]

Lovely variety of work and machines,

Shows the respect ppl have for you getting the job done on high end prestigious work.

Why not 3m3 for each gate post?

 

[Gunners]

March was a month of mostly rain from what I remember, making it hard to keep things tidy on jobs. Started off removing old cricket net foundations and replacing with new deeper nets. The 3cx made light work of pulling these lumps out the ground! Then excavated 22 new 1mx1m square holes for the new foundations.... tedious work.
Then back to the huge landscape project for some more fun in the mud with a terrible Kobelco - possibly the worst machine I've driven in years for many reasons. I don't really like the U50 Kubota but it would run rings around the SK50.
Then I was invited on a Kubota day trying their new telehandler and loader range out, I'm starting to get more of these opportunities now and its great fun to chat machines for a day with like minded people. These are basically Giant machines branded with Kubota logos and I think they will sell well now they have the Kubota dealer backup behind them - some of these mini loaders are brilliant, well worth a look for those thinking about an Avant loader but don't need the aux hydraulic flow the Avant's can do. Similar lift capacity from these Kubota's for a lot less money.
Then a few pics from Sweden where I finally got to go to the Engcon factory after the facebook competition I won last year. And went snowmobiling too - what a trip! If you ever get the chance to go, I'd say it justifies the price tag of a tilty for sure And what they are working on behind the scenes that I couldn't film is brilliant - look forward to that being released in the next few months, but it did raise the question about how much tech can we reliably put on an excavator before it causes more trouble than its worth when out in the field. There's benefits to it for sure, but also something to be said for keeping things simple (and cheaper) when you maybe don't need the all singing all dancing setups.

 

[Gunners]

April saw me refurbing a gravel driveway, something I'd previously have done with my 3t but took the backhoe and smashed it out in half the time. Spread the shingle with the front bucket and started to realise how productive using a larger machine can be if you can fit it on the job.
Then dug a swimming pool for a mate of mine, tried out my crusher bucket on some of the as dug crush I saved - its early days on the crusher bucket, I am working out the best way to use it before I put up too much about the pro's and con's because there are both for sure.
Next was a play with a KX60 with tilty and the recent Engcon dig day - some machine that! So much better than the hire spec U50's - I'd have no issues buying a KX60 if I was in the market.
The 8026 has seen a few hours this month on some finishing works around two new builds, back there next week actually to carry on that work.
Then it was back on the backhoe for a few days running some new services into a piece of land. Again, the bigger machine made digging much faster than my 3t in some pretty hard ground for around here. Not the biggest job with the most room but I made it work. Also pulled a tree out of a river as a "can you just".
Then off to the Greenshields JCB round of the X series operator competition where somehow I managed to get in the top 3 and score myself a place in the final.... There's some much better operators below my name on that board - but it was luck to get two good times back to back as you couldn't pick your best time from each challenge and put them together - it had to be sequential! Anyway, no doubt Ill get thrashed at the final in June

 

[diggerjones]

Your up against Jesus in the jcb challenge, good look with that