Contractors and gateways....

[FonterraFarmer]

OK , a question on contractors and gateways, now I've had a few strainers and posts broken over the years, but have always worked on the basis, that if a strainer is broken, then 99%of the time , the gateway is too small, and as a result its the owners responsibility to ensure that all gateways are sized accordingly as to not impeed access for contractors and or uneccessarily waste time.
So the question is, if said gateway is inadequate or too small for access and requires alteration to the fenceline to widen the gateway to prevent damage to the contractors tractor or machinery, who should pay for it? Would one expect the property owner or would it be fair for the contractor to pay?
Now my specific example is on a property down the road ,where I buy standing hay, now apart from limited access, and only having gateways at only the back of the paddocks, nothing at the front, is the fact that these gateways are only 10 feet wide!!!, ffs how do you get a 3m wide baler and tractor through a 10 foot gateway?
Now on the invoice its noted that two gateways are "damaged" and requires repair, now I'll repair said damage but buggered if I'll make the gateway 10 or 12 feet ,be more like 14-16 feet wide.
Now if the expectation of "You break it , you fix it", imagine if on the same property , your hay making equipment gets damaged say by some timber, concrete or disused boat trailer burried in the grass, who should pay for the repair as a result of the owners negligence?

 

[rusty]

Nearly all my gateways are 15 feet wide now, got a couple that are 20 feet double gates of a narrow road. Not had a gateway damaged for years by a contractor, can't say the same about my own employees unfortunately!
I would say it's your responsibility to make the gates wide enough.

 

[7610 super q]

Quite often it's the ' awkward ' angle of approach, rather than the width.

 

[milkloss]

Surely it is something to be discussed when pricing the job or taken into account if buying the grass? Shouldn't really be trying to squeeze gear through a hole you know is too small to be fair.

 

[FonterraFarmer]

Quite often it's the ' awkward ' angle of approach, rather than the width.

Nothing to do with it being slippery and off camber...

 

[FonterraFarmer]

Nearly all my gateways are 15 feet wide now, got a couple that are 20 feet double gates of a narrow road. Not had a gateway damaged for years by a contractor, can't say the same about my own employees unfortunately!
I would say it's your responsibility to make the gates wide enough.

As discussed with the "contractor", hence nongate hanging strainer removed, the irony is that the property owner is a contractor too and in the same situation, would knock out the posts or just cut the adjoining fence!

 

[Tarw Coch]

As discussed with the "contractor", hence nongate hanging strainer removed, the irony is that the property owner is a contractor too and in the same situation, would knock out the posts or just cut the adjoining fence!

Ahhh, sounds like you're using the wrong contractor.

 

[7610 super q]

Quite often it's the ' awkward ' angle of approach, rather than the width.

Double entendre alert

 

[YorkshireAndrew]

Double entendre alert

I thought that when I read it - I may need therapy . [emoji19]

 

[milkloss]

I thought that when I read it - I may need therapy . [emoji19]

Over to the ooh thread and sort yourself out

 

[YorkshireAndrew]

Over to the ooh thread and sort yourself out

Never heard of it . [emoji10]

 

[7610 super q]

Ah yes, the ability to look at soft porn, whilst pretending to be on TFF.

 

[KMA]

Seen it from both sides, IMO the owner's (farmer's) responsibility to sort out access to the fields also their responsibility to make sure the fields are clear of stobs, stone, old Landrover wheel rims and other assorted debris.

I had all my field gates at least 14' wide and usually had a sleeved post and rail thing at the closing end that could be lifted out for the couple of times a year it was needed. Didn't stop the odd fetus hitting things though

 

[FonterraFarmer]

Ahhh, sounds like you're using the wrong contractor.

Nothing wrong with the contractor, but in this day and age , one would expect a property owner to have gateway suitable for access for all machinery that you would expect to use said gateways, 10 foot gateways might have been OK in the 50's , but that was 65 years ago.

 

[Tarw Coch]

Nothing wrong with the contractor, but in this day and age , one would expect a property owner to have gateway suitable for access for all machinery that you would expect to use said gateways, 10 foot gateways might have been OK in the 50's , but that was 65 years ago.

But if the guy you are renting off is also a contractor would there be the same issues if he was doing the work?

You also have a choice, if the land isn't suitable for the sort of farming/machinery you want to use you don't have to take it. I have looked at land with poor fences/small gates in the past and walked away because it's too much hassle.

 

[dolf_lundgren]

I agree with that, why start the job if the gate was too narrow? Surely better to point it out at the start and if the owner refuses to widen it then agree that you think it is too narrow, you will try not to hit it but not guaranteeing it. Usually that would be enough to get them to change it.

No point having the argument after the event. If you took the job on I owuld assume you were happy you could do it without causing damage. How wide the gate should be is irrelevant after you have leveled it.

 

[joe soapy]

Just accept it as a fact of life that contractors are duty bound to hit at least 1 post per job