Yorkshireman

interesting and, too many here ,who clearly see this as a very bizarre stance , to mitigate impact users could prehold stock of consumables as this does support breakdowns , we run Stihl across our both our contracting and training businesses however , I will closely monitor the impacts going forward, especially given the recent and marked improvements made in comparible brands issues for many contributors across the 3 threads currently on the forum, seem focussed especially there is an issue of dealer location & proximity to the operational users as this a detraction, In doing this, does Stihl have in place sufficent geographic network of dealers ?? as users will take into consideration the costs in time & money to travel to & from the dealer i.e. is it cost effective or prohibative ? and does the dealer have sufficent resource and stock levels ? Stihl dealers in my exprience have over the years become more and more isolated with a select few dealers holding a disproportionate slice of the market due to the ease in access of Web orders ,there volume allows them to be more and more competitive ,thereby putting presure on those local dealers whose stock commitment and presence & even the dealers viability has been put in jeapordy due to market forces. many support the stance in relation to machinery sales , and this in my opinion should be promoted especially for hand held or pole chainsaws and others such powered equipment as there are multiple factors re the user awareness of factors which can cause serious injury or medical implication if used in correctly or poorly maintained. though I revert to the issue of dealer location accessibilty and cost implication however when national supermarkets or diy retailers can retail items equaly dangerous I doubt this will have any lasting effect , recent events where an old chap killed him self attempting to get firewood is a sobering reflection of this .. I am aware that there are moves across Europe calling to ban Chainsaws , therefore perhaps this is Stihls attempt to mitigate these calls.. though I seriously doubt that restricting access to replacement parts for already purchased equipment will have the desired effect , particularly relevant to those items that are required for the safe operation of that equipment. Iain

Hello Ian welcome to the forum Iain

no worries , were all liable to make the odd mistake ,, I should know:thumbup:

Cheers Buddy , thats very much appreciated . And yes its well worth checking out the other features but I I still like mine the best.... lol

NPTC is still valid , Fisa , Forestry commision are bringing in a requiremnt to retrain every 5 years for FC works

Here you go Paul see attachments . I'll pop em on an email incase this doesnt work

Hi Okay if you are doing anything for work , & that can be a source of income to you and your farmbusiness Ie being a farmer you come under a host of rules and regulations statutory and otherwise as its work related Perhaps a clear answer would be to ask your insurers what their position is .. lots of people are competent thorugh experience BUT the important part is how do you evidence that competance the easiest is through formal training and or just being assessed ,, you could always argue you know what your doing because you've dont it for years.. that can always be challenged and in the event of a claim on your actions for damage or injury then its either you & or your business or your buisness insurer that the claim would come up against , so if you dont want to personally pay out if it goes wrong where your insurer doesnt play ball then I'd read your insurance policy documents terms etc and get their position on it in writting if you are doing works for others as NFU and others might limit your farm policy to farm work only and then even if you are trained you wont be covered as its not in the scope of the policy cover or if its too much of a headache stay doing your own stuff and leave others to fend for themselves espeically if the income doesnt cover the cost of additional off farm insurance & or the extra training they would want you to do

Hi folks I am pleased if not somewhat astounded that the company I began in 2000 with a 5k bank loan has grown in such a way that it has been featured in an Industry magazine http://www.forestryjournal.co.uk/eA-home/ WOW a double page entry in the spring edition of EssentialArb http://www.OakdaleLtd.com EssentialArb is a great niche magazine with really good input and coverage of the industry here in the UK Thanks to Margaret & here team

Hello Firstly you mention that you are using the chainsaw at home on your own timber ? is your action or ommition likely to effect anyone else ? , likehood of harm or damage or injury ? If not and you arent selling the timber then I doubt you need to train under legislation however if you are dealing with a chainsaw and a tractor winch and trees which maybe blown down , it is wise to make sure you know what you are doing , as if you get it wrong the injury potential to YOU could be massive So when you say "am I covered" , it depends on what you mean by that Iain

through all of this I cant escape the thought that the HSE intervention fee has been put into place for a reason , perhaps not to diswade poor practice but in the same way as speed cameras were used a cash cow . if you cant use the carrot then its time for the stick

heres one of our trucks

Cat scanner with a depth mode is good & I would advise a genny especially where you are doing urban street / open space trees as the kit may not detect street light cable etc when not energised ..... also go on the one day operator course , because if you use it and you are not qual'd your liab insurers might look for the easy way out

yep what he said ,

Lol , sort of , usually works out that the climbers get up the tree to do stuff to keep the groundies busy then while they are doing that, you get your flask attached to your rope haul it up the tree and brew up in the tree,

no probs good luck

ce compliant basic PPe , chainsaw trousers, c/saw boots, helmet either ground or aerial . first aid kit & a strong metal flask for your brew's

good luck , its a shame your not further North or I could have offered some time for you

Hello Tim Welcome to the Forum .. lots of useful information in the threads . if your not sure use the Search tab ,, the questions will in the main be answered Mod to Civ isnt as hard a transfer as you might think , I did it I'm ex Raf loads of positives about ex forces guys , try to go for the commercial sector as these firms are in the main at the forefront of Arb . I'd try ringing a few firms its much better than an email or letter , as they can get overlooked , ring them up and politley tell them your tale & what you hope to do , what you can offer , your drive & enthusiasm ,personal commitment , physical fitness , good communicator , vehicle driver , machinery capabilities, & if they would consider you ,and if so what qualitys they are looking for & what industry quals or experience they look for ? ! , then go for it , get the quals at a training centre , To get experience you can offer to do free days for good firms, you'll learn more than you can from just a training experience, as you probably know from the Job, once you've passed out / finished your training thats when the real learning starts all the best Iain

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A Fair point & well presented

remain calm and dont rush ,, talk your self through it ,, assessors are mindful of exam nerves, we've all been there if you not sure what the question is !! ask the assessor it to re phrase it .. good luck Iain

Safety is paramount , underpinning knowledge is a close second , You can explain the context of the operation to the assessor as though you werehis instructor , so prior to arrival on site I would ensure I had checked for ,,,, Ca Tpo sssi on arrrival I would assess habitat , risk and do an assessment taking into account ,,, birds bats badgers . footpaths access over head service , then establish a emergency rescue info on a risk assessment ,putting it into place via written risk assessment and put into place the control measures to ensure you control risk ,, ie signs then you'd look at the terrain and establish a work plan with collegues I would then look at the selected trees their neighbours establish issues and plan accordingly , then ... fell them using appropriate selection of cuts to do this i Would using my chainsaw once checked and wearing the correct ppe .... perform cuts to make a felling cut that matches the trees dynamic and choosen felling direction taking into account wind or other variables ......

Yep Im a member and I havent used it to step anywhere, as It does what it says on the tin if your interested speak to Mark Chester [email protected] whilst historically this was for a time lost at sea as an effective vehicle Mark has in the last 2 years made some significant improvements and its well worth a look Iain