Jonny69

Dean, before you put a new chain on check the wear on the cassette and chainrings as worn `hooked` teeth wil bugger a new chain very quickly, think of it like putting new chipper knives in without setting the anvil. You can do it but not ideal, and it will work but just not as good as it could. Take some close upish photos of the teeth if you are not sure. Bottom bracket wise, not sure if they are square taper, isis or external bearings. Either take it apart and post some photos or go down and get friendly with a local bike shop + if you chat for long enough they will tell you the good spots to ride at locally, just use a bit of nouse as usually people like to keep the good ones secret.

The shoes have a special metal thing (cleat) that screws to the bottom of them, this allows you you clip to the pedals by pushing down. By twisting your heel out they release you. Couple if advantages, you cant slip a pedal so no ruined shins from spiky pedals and you can pedal more smoothly in a full circle. Also when you are confident on them they are better for techy climbs like the ones in the peaks. I am not a fan of the Shimano SPD style of clipless pedal as I find they have very little float and tend to clog with mud. Crank Brothers Egg Beater Triple Ti - 279.99 - SBR Sports I run the eggbeaters and although the triple tis are expensive they are quality and light. The cheaper ones all have the same mechanism and are just as good, only a bit heavier. Helmet is a Giro E2 Giro E2 2008 Helmet Silver / White I think mine is a special edition orange as I have never seen anybody with one the same, it is very good helmet for me. However I would go and get one from a shop as everyone has a different shaped head. The Giro Xen seems to be a popular helmet if you have a bigish head and also comes in some snazzy colour schemes. Living in the North definately has its benifits and although I am only about 1hr and a bit away from the Peak District I would still like to live up near the North York moors or the Lake district. If you want to do some proper rides I can point you in the direction of some forums where they have group meet rides round near you, definately worth going out in the hills with some more experienced people the first few times in case you have any problems.

Dean, Get yourself some `proper` shoes and pedals, you will never look back, I have got the Crank brothers ones and they are excellent. Saddle wise I run a Tune Speedneedle carbon saddle (literally a piece of carbon) which looks very painful but is actually very comfy because the carbon moulds to your ass. Also light because I am sad about things like the weight of my bike. Below: Just about to climb 1000 vertical M in one climb up towards the mer du glace in Chamonix as proof that carbon saddles are comfy. Below: Proof that Spd pedals and superlight xc bikes dont slow you down. Get out there and ride. Btw where are you based in the country?

I have met Dave just the once and have heard a little about him through other people. Enough to know he is certainly not a gypo. Maybe not perfect (I dont know him well enough to comment) But I feel that placing a comment like that about someones business on a public forum without any factual evidence is not cricket. I am based in a village in north Northamptonshire. How about you?

Any justification for this comment?

It is fine that you have a formula that works for you, but because others do it differently does not mean they are wrong. I will certianly have all the answers when (if) I retire to a Villa in sardinia and then I will have fiscal proof I have been doing something right:001_smile: Oh and I also hate doing conifer hedges which is part of the reason I am not cheap on them, means I get less to do and the ones I do get pay well = win, win.

You make it sound as if we are mercenary assasins looking for extra danger money. The way I do it topping conifers is significantly more dangerous (personal injury) than climbing 'proper' trees, however that is beside the point. You give a service and they pay what you ask, it is simple. Accountants dont get danger money, well some do:sneaky2:! They are paid because of their expertise, it has nothing to do with a continued exposure to papercuts. BTW I charge (and get) the same money for hedge cutting as I do treework. Oh and could you define "true value" as you seem to have all the answers? As far as I am concerned your value is what someone is willing to pay.

Quote: Originally Posted by Monkeyd View Post "To add a little balance, my team is LA, we have our own 28m MEWP, and it comes out approximately 6 times a year." Monkeyd, How this can be justified by any council or business is beyond me. Even if you pay £500 per day to hire it will still be vastly cheaper to hire than to own one. Added to that you will have that advantage of utilising a specific mewp (truck, trailer, tracked, self propelled) of any size for the job, instead of using a very large machine all the time. Surely that pleases the HSE and the taxpayer? Dean, could you explain to me how a (from what I have read of your posts) small company similar to mine manages to justify an expensive item like a MEWP if it is only used for 6 jobs a year? I am not being critical of your decision to own one:001_smile:, just trying to assess how the numbers work out? Thanks. Jonathan

Snap, though I also have a hinge on mine now too so I can drive into/through garages. It makes life so easy. We Put 18cm3 through it on one job this week and shoveled 4 spades of chip up from around the trailer (before it was about 50% in the trailer and the rest all over the garden).

hmmmm, no prizes for guessing who stole those then.

Cheers! So anyone any idea if they are available in the UK?

http://http://www.banditchippers.com/index.php?option=com_models&task=view&itemId=15&lineId=29&modelId=44 One of these made to comply with UK towing regs. I have thought about how to put one together but it always comes up very expensive. Anybody got one similar?

Hi, I have a warranty list as long as your arm which is being done in the new year, fortunately they give me a disco 3 with a towbar when it goes in for repair, though they will not be happy when it goes back stinking of fuel, oil and wood chip. Does anybody else have a problem with theirs only firing on three cylinders for abou 10 seconds after a cold start up (2.4 TDCI)? Cheers. Jonathan

I also have the 65xl with the funny draw bar that can go on a 7.5 ton lorry. My hitch looks exactly like this http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Indespension-triplelock-trailer-coupling-head-3500kg_W0QQitemZ290232085810QQihZ019QQcategoryZ36632QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Came with all of the fixings, the rubber collar, two keys etc. Ready to bolt on. Yim, I had not considered the cynical view of this of course. I am now certain this is the reason they fit non lockable hitches to chippers. My question related to the chipper being stolen off the truck (Parked, at traffic lights or otherwise) and the insurers response if this was to occur? Anybody know?? or I am going to ring them on tuesday out of curiosity.

I just had my bandit fitted with a lockable Indepension hitch. When I took it in the mechanic did not think it was a standard size but I persuaded him to let me fit one anyway, just to see (He was slightly on edge as it was 16:45 and I could tell he wanted to get off). Just go in with some 19mm spanners and have a go at fitting it yourself in the carpark. Though I did need a 1/2 inch breaker bar to get to original hitch off. What does puzzle me is how they justify selling a £15,000 (or whatever they are) machine and then scrimp an extra £30 on a lockable hitch. Anybody know if the insurance is valid or void if the chipper was pinched off the truck with a non-lockable hitch on it?

Hand Ascenders http://www.caversconnection.com/proddetail.asp?prod=as20&from=52 = No binding.

Leave it and wait for an accident. I would be very interested in the outcome of the following court case.

There are wires bolted to clip into for fall arrest, however I am fairly sure the guy with the helemt cam on never used them. Very impressive though, especially the way he walks round the guy with the backpack on at 2:15. Forgot this link, always a good one for sweaty palms [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heIiGX3__Qg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heIiGX3__Qg[/ame]

I actually meant Taxodium distichum (Swamp Cypress), they are excellent in wet areas. They produce pneumatophores which allow the roots to absorb oxygen when an area lies wet for long periods.

Taxodium?

telhol. You have the wrong end of the sitck. It is nothing to do with contractors. Basically, it is to do with inspection frequency of public and roadside trees. There was a huge thread on the UKTC about this. Very interesting reading and opinons from many people with lots of different agendas. If anything it is likely that a higher rate of tree inspection will lead to an increase in tree maintenance works. This will mean you may have more work, not less. However this sentance "Duty holders should not be encouraged to fell or prune trees unnecessarily." is indicative that the HSE do not want every highway and public park tree in the country on its side as a way of the "Duty holder" entirely mitgating the risk. Jonathan

Hatton had better win. I had £50 on that when the odds were still good. All of Hattons opponents say after the fight "I did not realise he punched that hard" (or similar) hopefully Mayweather has misjudged his ability too. Also what happened about the Mayweather, De la Hoya fight. I thought he had retired after that because of his hands hurting or something? What has changed.

madmatt, What is the 110 hi-cap. I have heard that it is very easy to remove the body, fit a high side tipper and you are good to go. Are these not 3.5 ton? Also if you have a new 07my 130 chassis cab with steelies and a chip body fitted you are looking at about 25'000 +vat which is not too bad considering the re-sale values of tipper 130s are very silly. Getting hold of a 130 chassis cab is probably going to be your problem. Jonathan

The new Isuzu is fully tachoable. That is one of Isuzus main selling features. Also remember the Hilux can only pull 2.25t so can really only be described as a toy towing vehicle. My Uncles Nissans pull extremly well and I think they are the most powerful of the lot. Definatly test drive the Isuzu rodeo as I heard heard from a few they are very good. Also the Ranger and the Rodeo are cheap compared to the Nissan. Jonathan

There is a whole thread on UKTC which is a very interesting read. Though it mainly concentrated on whose fault the mis-identification of the tree was. The Laquer tree has been re-classified once (maybe twice). It is now Toxicodendron vernicifluum, I think its name previously was Rhus verniciflua. However I could have got these mixed up, I believe it depends which book you look in. http://www.henriettesherbal.com/pictures/p14/pages/toxicodendron-vernicifluum-1.htm