Peter

If you need timber shifting in the future give me a shout Andy, I can usually fit it in with a couple of weeks notice. I cover anywhere outside the M25, on this side of London. Glad you got it done though.

I think there is an optimum stage in the lifecycle of a fence to hit it. Too new and it will splinter, too old and it will disintegrate. This one was just right, the panel bent in the middle and popped out with very minor damage. Forgot to get an after pic, but you really couldnt tell. Honest.

Not a fell, just a slightly too big top. I'd like to say I took the panel out and dropped it into the gap, but it actually happened the other way round.

I can guess who the company is to, anyone who wins in court against any company like that deserves congratulations. Well done Dave!

Get designing them then Dean. You'll make a fortune.

The Maximum Authorised Mass of the vehicle is 3.5tonnes, if you have a 3.5 tonne trailer the MAM of the combination is 7 tonnes. You dont want to tow a trailer heavier than 3.5 tonnes?

I used phenolic or film faced ply for mine, its the stuff they use for trailer floors. Looks good and wears well, cost me about £30 a sheet.

As far as VOSA are concerned, a chipper is a trailer. Depending on how you run your business, the load you carry is either waste removal, or haulage of valuable raw materials, so I dont really see how that applys, if you take the letter of the law. I do agree that tree surgeons should be able to use that exemption, as driving is not our main activity, however the law just isnt worded that way.

Really sorry Andy, there is no way I can make it this week or next. Hope you get something sorted.

This is the livestock exemption. This clearly cannot apply to log deliveries. "Vehicles that are used to carry live animals between a farm and a market or from a market to a slaughterhouse where the distance between the farm and the market or between the market and the slaughterhouse does not exceed 50 km." The only other exemptions that may be relevent to our industry are: "Vehicles used or hired without a driver by agricultural, horticultural, forestry, farming or fishery undertakings for carrying goods as part of their own entrepreneurial activity within a radius of 100 km from the base of the undertaking." and Vehicles or combinations of vehicles with a maximum permissible mass not exceeding 7.5 tonnes that are used: • for carrying materials, equipment or machinery for the driver’s use in the course of his work. These vehicles shall be used only within a 50 km radius of the base of the undertaking and on the condition that driving the vehicle does not constitute the driver’s main activity. Neither of which really fit the bill. Curious!

Thats interesting, I have always thought of the 441 as being fairly economical. Perhaps its just that its got a big tank and its gets loads done on a single fill up.

Ha, thanks, but I'm away all next week. I'll have a word with the guy i'm working with this week tomorrow and see what I can do.

Maybe to a giant! For regular sized wimps like me its quite heavy.

361 is twice the saw the 341 is. Especially if you run the .325 chain..... I am being slightly hypocritical here, as I go straight to the 441 for most stuff. I do however have a 254xp for special occasions, such as lots of small felling. I wouldnt care to lug the 441 round the woods all day.

What saw are you replacing? 441 is a nice saw, but it might be a tad heavy for an allrounder. I run mine with a 20" bar.

When is it coming down? I'm going away at the weekend, but I may be able to squeeze something in.......

Sweet, I would dearly love to take you up on that but its a bit too far and I'm a bit too busy this week.

Excellent firewood. Tends to have a very high moisture content when cut, hence the smoulding reputation. Dry it properly and it will burn very well.

And to think thats all on fire now.......

Yes you only need the tacho when towing. However, if you tow and therefore use the tacho on just one day in a week, you are obliged to record your drivers hours for the whole of that week, even if you dont tow again. The logical conclusion to that is, unless you know for sure your not going to tow all week on monday morning, then you had better keep drivers hours records anyway. I get what you are saying re use the tacho when you are towing and just throw the discs away, and yes you probably would get away with it. However falsifying drivers hours records is a serious offence.

Yes. If you get a digi tacho you need a digi drivers card as well, costs about £30 I think, and you will need to carry it even if you are using a analogue tacho that day. Overall, I would rather have an analogue, as the digi units make it very easy for VOSA to keep tabs on your every movement, and they dont really cut dont on paperwork. When I worked for a LA, a few years ago, they were just starting to get 3.5 tonners with tachos coming through on leasing plans. They also started making us keep proper drivers hours records for the 7.5 tonners.

Far be it from me to suggest that you might set the tacho to break when you are having a friendly cup of tea with a client. Assuming you are driving a 3.5 tonne vehicle, and towing a 1.5 tonne trailer, you fall under EU regs. Therefore, you can drive for 4.5 hours, then you need a 45 minute break, then you can drive another 4.5 hours, so thats 08.00-12.30 driving/work, 12.30-13.15 break, 13.15-17.45 driving/work. Working outside a 50km radius, so no exemption for only carrying tools and materials, so you need a tachograph.

Mmmm, handy. Nice thats its demountable too.

Under EU rules you can have a 13 hour day, but you have to get the breaks in the right places, and actually drive/work no more than 9 hours. So if you are sitting around somewhere for a few hours of that day, and you can record that as break, you should be fine. If 13 hour days arent long enough, if you know the rules well enough it is possible to have a 15 hour day, and work/drive no more than 10 hours, but you can only do that twice a week. Should be plenty for even the most battle hardened rep.

No. You must have 28 days worth of drivers hours records with you in the vehicle for inspection by a police officer or VOSA official. Btw, I know somone who have been stopped in a 7.5 tonner and immobilised by the side of the road for 24 hours for failing to comply with this. He only had 20 day worth, and the regs had changed a few months before he was stopped. Further to that, you or your employer if you are employed must keep the records safely for a further 12 months.