Today's Posts

Said before... they can have some of our rain... Quite scary if they are talking about the UK as well - 'wild fires' always reported as a thing far far away (Spain, Australia, California) - the UK isn't set up to deal with wild fires.

For your first season it is unlikely that they will be dried suitably (or at least for the beginning of the winter), so you might want to buy some in... for this year... Get some this summer, split, stacked to dry ready for next winter (2026-27), and you should be away. Similar to Stubby, put a listing on the tip sites, and click the button 'Happy to pay' - it might make your site stand out from others around you... That doesn't mean you'll be paying for all your logs though, some people are happy to tip for free (the finances can make that work, less driving for them, perhaps a shorter day, or no second day on the job with local tipping, no council tip fees and so on). If you are new to wood burners don't get hung up about 'kiln dried oak' only - all wood burns, even softwoods. Back to the local firms - the more you can do yourself, the less they need to do, the happier they will be to tip. Some people are set up at home with saws, axes, splitters (plus safety kit), some don't - if you are happy to cut and split wood (can be therapeutic hitting things with an axe) - you'll get more. For the tip sites, note that anyone local to you will probably have tip arrangements in place, people they know, a yard or whatever, but those working locally to you but from outside their usual area are more likely to look for a tip site... but there will will fewer working in your are - so don't expect your drive to be full of logs 52 weeks of the year (I reckon I get 1 or 2 loads a year). One good thing about tree surgeons is they typically have a liveried van with a phone number on, are not quiet when they are working, you can spot them driving about - take a note of the number and give them a call direct (try to avoid times they are up a tree!) - that can work, or at least make an introduction. Likewise a lunchtime / morning cuppa walk can locate any chainsaws working within earshot (not quiet things)... divert your walk in their direction - can see who it is from their van, and if you get a chance a friendly "do you have somewhere to tip that" might also get results.

Philosophical question - can robots worry?

That's the cynics view. There are some good schemes out there. Do your research & look for independent audits & accounts. One of the charities recently purchased an area of rough grassland near us. Now planted with native broadleaves & looking good so far despite the drier than average weather this year.

We have a nice GreenMech Quadchip 160 for sale. £7,500 + VAT. Ok it won't perform like an ST6 or TW230 but it has the benefit of a turntable.

Good Morning Everyone.

Have you looked at looping steel cable round the stem with vertical timber spreader bars under the cable? Save a lot of hassle drilling then, has worked well on trees that previously would have had rods or been drilled and cabled. Or Treeworker will sell you very high MBS dyneema bracing material if you want a static splice- able set up that is stronger than any normal Gefa, cobra or marlow braids.

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with my non tipping trailer for hedge cuttings i would put a tarp down then about a foot of cuttings then another tarp and so on then 2 of us could pull each tarp off in turn. an old waggon driver i new used a double wagon hitch to get extra pull don't know how he did it i had problems doing one even after been shown several times

thanks for all the replies... and encouragement!!

I keep meaning to put a steel biner on my SRT rope end. Sometimes feel uneasy about sideloading when I'm choking. The weight might be nice for throwing it ahead too.

This⬆️ Or a Makita 40v battery saw, with 1/4. Basically most things with a 1/4" chain

Unusual for what appears to be Meripilus both in colour and the fact that it is attached to the actual stem, rather than roots. It's not obvious in the photos as my camera hasn't rendered the colour very accurately, but the bodies were quite a dark brown, more so than any I have seen before. If it wasn't for the spore bearing surfaces, I'd have thought it was something else.

100% recommend, like Mark I’ve told plenty of people to call them. The more tipper conversions I see the more I appreciate how good a job they did on mine, proper nice guys too.

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Remember that quote I told you about for the urbanite incomer to the nice village? He walked me round his new garden, huffing and puffing and throwing his arms up in the air at the stupidity of whoever had planted these trees, just all over the place. That'd be the planet, sir. I hope he runs out of money before he astroturfs the whole thing. A shame I didn't get the job because it would have been a nice job but good I didn't get it because then, to the rest of the people in the nice village, I'd be the arsehole tree surgeon who did the trees for that arsehole Londoner.

If you've been out 3.5 years does that mean you are beyond the ELCAS scope? Shame if so, if not then seek out a trainer who understands the system, there are a few around. The one near me does, but it's too far for you probably. It would help you if you could do basic CS30/31 chainsaw yourself, which is one week. It makes you much more useful on site and more likely someone to take you on, I think. This is the basic ticket, you then need time being shown how to work efficiently in a job, which is the real training. Otherwise, there's the route of larger companies - utility sector seems to be constantly short of staff and they have training budgets. I wouldn't want to stay there myself, but at least you get a wage and get some experience while you work out what you do want to do. On the other hand tramping across fields in the rain might really suit you and remind you of good times in the army. It takes all sorts.

I'm in a similar situation, though only about 2 acres in total. I ended up with an ancient Yanmar YM1600 tractor and a topper - does a good job keeping the paddock under control and will cut most things (long grass, scrub, bracken higher than the tractor) if you don't try to go too fast. It doesn't leave a neat, lawn like finish though. (Might do if I cut more regularly, but probably not even then). I have a Honda petrol mower to cut and collect the lawn. Tractor also carries things, tows things, harrows things... (Harrowing helps keep grass healthy). And it could do more - log splitters, little digger attachments etc. The only issues with the tractor are that it's quite brutal, tricky to maneouvre in confined spaces and is a bit hairy on steep slopes, which I have lots of. The front wheels came off the ground once as I was carrying a load of logs up a narrow slope, and I had to eject - that was scary, and I was lucky. I now unlatch the rear wheel breaks and use them to steer in this situation. If you get a tractor I'd suggest a more modern one with roll cage.