Chips55

Good morning All,

As the day looms closer for moving to Hungary I searched any threads for the above topic but got nothing.

In England when I wanted some heavy work done in my garden I usually found a willing someone from the neighbouring farms to come with his tractor and pull out a tree or reposition one or lob down the tree tops etc. for a few pounds and sometime more than a few.

Is it the same in Hungary?....has anyone encountered this. Do they have renting shops for renting cultivators or semi heavy specialised agricultural machines or equipment?

In my head I am repositioning some mid size trees already but wonder how will it be done and who can help etc.

Peter_in_Hungary

Hi
There are hire shops that hire out cultivators and other garden/building equipment although chain saws are sometimes difficult to get as it's too easy to damage either the hirer or the saw!! There is usually someone who 'does' with their tractor but this you will find out easier once you are resident and can ask the locals. Around my area (Tapolca) a JCB with driver is about 17 - 20 pounds / hour. Getting a man to do casual labour is getting harder to find (around here anyway) but when you can find someone then it's about 15 - 20 pounds / day. Again around here!

wolfi

In our village near Hévíz there are several "freelancers" doing this kind of work, so you should probably just ask around too - just be careful that you get someone recommended by a trusted person. Too often people are careless, unscrupulous etc - after all some think that you're a rich foreigner ...
It's good to build up a network of people you can work with, whether it's gardening our works in/on the house. Do you have someone who speaks Hungarian to help you?

Chips55

Thanks Peter for the information and yes Wolfie my wife is Slovak of Hungarian origin so I should be ok.

I am ( or rather will be ) near Mosonmagyaróvar so will ask around, it is a rural area so there should be plenty of tractors and diggers around.

wolfi

Chips55, from experience I can tell you that having a partner who knows the language is a big plus!
Have a good time in Hungary!

fidobsa

If you were nearer you could borrow my rotovator. I brought it with me from UK but never find time to use it.

Chips55

Thanks Fidobsa for the thought.

I thought of bringing as much as I can with me too but the more I look into it, it seems like the tools are cheaper there or in Slovakia than the M.E.

Some less used tools are cheaper here for some reason.

I was intrigued about an earlier thread that mentioned that grinders and chain saws are good thing to purchase abroad as I can see many professional centres in Slovakia and Hungary for these tools. I bought the grinder but buying the chainsaw has to wait as a good service centre is invaluable to have so knowing your retailers is a good idea.

fidobsa

There is a theory that places like Hungary are supplied with lower spec. or slightly defective goods that would get rejected by more fussy retailers in UK, Germany etc. There could be some truth in this as I have certainly had more trouble with stuff I bought in Hungary. Items that have failed after a few weeks include an electric chainsaw, an SDS electric drill, several low energy light bulbs, a light switch and a shower head. Some plumbing fittings like the traps for double bowl sinks leak from day one due to the poor quality seals they use.

My Honda strimmer went wrong a week or so ago, worn bevel gears in the angle drive gearbox. It looked at one point as though I would have to pay 230 Euros for a new gearbox so I was pricing up new machines. They did seem to be cheaper in Hungary than UK for the same model of Honda ( I prefer the Honda as it's 4 stroke). I eventually managed to dismantle the gearbox and have ordered just the new bevel gears from an online Honda specialist in Hungary.

Chips55

Thanks for that. So it is not just the price to consider but the origin. I am sure most of the tools here are from India or such anyway and there is where the picture gets more complicated...lol.
I was surprised at the difference in a Dewalt item once until I found it is from there. Dewalt.in, but it is working fine anyway.

Has anyone got experience with shipping these items as part of your household if you are coming from outside the EU to settle in Hungary?

Do they really have to look used to avoid being taxed.

scrubbedexpat0105

What Wolfi said. I have had locals do work for me for ridiculously little money, but I wouldn't have been able to find them myself without local contacts or a knowledge of the language.

Chips55

Thanks again. Let us hope for a nice bunch on neighbours and contacts then Watchpost.

wolfi

Not too much OT:

Sometimes we have family or friends as guests (in a separate apartment) and the neighbour's wife helps with the cleaning - she is very happy to get 1000 HUF per hour for real professional work.

scot47

Linguistic ability is the key to survival. Some Anglos never really grasp that ! "Shout at them loud enough and wave a handful of fivers."

fidobsa

In the case of Hungary, fivers are the smallest coin, worth just over a penny!

Chips55

Maybe Scot is talking about British fivers.
I get the idea anyway.