Forum

Replies

• 

  Chris Auld May 12, 2011 at 9:26pm

  I dont think its really necessary for any formal training, im sure a few hours practice in your yard should do the job.
• PRO

  Brian www.mibservices.co.uk May 12, 2011 at 9:46pm

  "A few hours training in your yard"  ????? NO WAY. These are potentially very dangerous machines and easily tipped.

  I would go with a formal training course, diggers in confined spaces ie gardens + inexperienced operator = insurance claim to property or worse, an employee or customer being hurt. These are not toys and require a good level of skill and understanding to use safely. For domestic works a NPORS training course would be sufficient, if you want to get work on construction developments then they have to be CPCS trained and ticketed.

   
• 

  Fenland Fencing May 13, 2011 at 8:22am

  I feel a LJN training course being organised....

   

  I'm sure there are quite a few of us who could either 1) do with some formal training or 2) need a refresher to ensure bad habits havent crept in.

   

  SO........any takers

   

  Cambridge fencing
• PRO

  Gary RK May 13, 2011 at 8:35am

  Would be good.

   

  I've looked at training at it goes from one extreme to the other with most courses centred on the construction industy and large equipment. It would be nice to find some aimed at the smaller contractor (both in size and machinery).

   

  Even if it was 'NVQ/Practical' based to just show basic competence and ability...
  
  Fenland Fencing said:

  I feel a LJN training course being organised....

   

  I'm sure there are quite a few of us who could either 1) do with some formal training or 2) need a refresher to ensure bad habits havent crept in.

   

  SO........any takers

   

  Cambridge fencing
• 

  Fenland Fencing May 13, 2011 at 9:12am

  I'm probably in the same boat as you Gary.

   

  We dont do much 'site' work although we are carded if we wished to.

   

  But we do use small diggers (<1.5t) in various situations, thus it would be great to have some basic qualification without having to be a CSCS carded digger operator.
• 

  Craig McGibbon May 13, 2011 at 9:41pm

  I've been looking for a mini digger training course recently without much luck... Maybe interested in a LJN event / course on subject...
• 

  Lawncare-4u.co.uk May 14, 2011 at 12:51am

  do it yourself .  the boss/ controller drives the mini-digger !

   

  www.gardens4u.co.uk
• PRO

  Phil Voice May 14, 2011 at 8:46am

  I telephoned a major manufacturer of mini excavators yesterday as part of our Creating Landscapes' sales drive.

   

  I'd already picked up on this and a previous discussion about digger training and I thought, what a good idea for a digger manufacturer to sponsor a training day using their demo machines and we try to get as many landscapers to attend as possible.

   

  Sadly, the person I spoke to was so negative that it felt he'd given up on his own prospects, let alone those of the company he was marketing for.

   

  I was just a few words into the conversation and the shutters came up. It seemed this person had a well rehearsed response but what amazed me was how quickly they'd made their decision.

   

  I got more than frustrated when this person - after I told them I thought they were being rude - stated that landscapers were not important target markets to them. 'We attend Saltex but it's just to show our face because it's the hire market we're pitching at.'

   

  There was an inference that most of the visitors at Saltex (as far as they were concerned) were holiday makers on a jolly rather than serious buyers. They went' on to say 'we bung The Landscaper and Landscape and Amenity some editorial but the landscaping industry is a waste of our time.

   

  Perversly, this person said that 'we are still in a recession, you know' as if to say marketing was risk rather than an opportunity.

   

  Save to say, I never got an opportunity to suggest the training day.
• PRO

  Gary RK May 14, 2011 at 8:50pm

  What we need is : http://www.diggerland.com/  :-0)
• PRO

  Brian www.mibservices.co.uk May 15, 2011 at 2:10pm

  LJN could better serve its members by approaching a national plant training provider to discuss a discounted course for members. Digger operation isn't learnt from a days training from a manufacturer. I done my CPCS over 10 tonnes tracked excavator training two years ago and it was a two week with 2 hours classroom and 5 hours machine training for 10 solid days and cost over 2 grand. I am doing my NVQ blue ticket assessment in August this year at a further cost of £700.00.
  Granted not everyone needs this level of training for their own business needs so there is also the NPORS course which is not as intense, and mostly concentrates on the operation and safe handling of the machine and is not as H & S strict as the CPCS course, but it's still a weeks training course, but a lot cheaper and probably much more in keeping with the needs of the network members.
  Mini-diggers are more unstable and much more easily tipped than the big machines and shouldn't be taken as machines you can learn in a day. A formal NPORS course would serve LJN members best in my opinion.
  
  
  
  
  Philip Voice said:

  I telephoned a major manufacturer of mini excavators yesterday as part of our Creating Landscapes' sales drive.

   

  I'd already picked up on this and a previous discussion about digger training and I thought, what a good idea for a digger manufacturer to sponsor a training day using their demo machines and we try to get as many landscapers to attend as possible.

   

  Sadly, the person I spoke to was so negative that it felt he'd given up on his own prospects, let alone those of the company he was marketing for.

   

  I was just a few words into the conversation and the shutters came up. It seemed this person had a well rehearsed response but what amazed me was how quickly they'd made their decision.

   

  I got more than frustrated when this person - after I told them I thought they were being rude - stated that landscapers were not important target markets to them. 'We attend Saltex but it's just to show our face because it's the hire market we're pitching at.'

   

  There was an inference that most of the visitors at Saltex (as far as they were concerned) were holiday makers on a jolly rather than serious buyers. They went' on to say 'we bung The Landscaper and Landscape and Amenity some editorial but the landscaping industry is a waste of our time.

   

  Perversly, this person said that 'we are still in a recession, you know' as if to say marketing was risk rather than an opportunity.

   

  Save to say, I never got an opportunity to suggest the training day.