PeteB

My GreenMech tow tug, a Hyundai IX35 looks like it got written off on Saturday. My first serious car crash on the highway since I passed my test back in 1982. And that gets up my nose - especially as it was my fault..... I was driving up the M42, about 4 car lengths behind an Audi and it unaccountably braked hard. I did too but the inevitable happened and I hit them hard enough to set off the bags and smash the front up. Thankfully, no one was hurt in either car - I did ask three times whether they wanted the emergency services, they declined. I did find it odd that they braked sharply, and that the lady driver sat in hers - visibly distraught, and saying "I'm sorry, so sorry". I've been around long enough to know that it is always the rear cars fault and there are no excuses - but I am left with a sense of unease that I may have been in a "crash for cash" scam - although to do that on a motorway at speed is tantamount to attempted murder... Another lesson learnt is that, despite having recovery cover etc, they will recover your car to a storage facility but the occupants get dumped at the nearest point of safety and you have to complete your journey at your own cost or call on favourable friends etc to come and collect you.... I liked that car too....would tow 2000kgs, capable across country and in snowy conditions etc, comfortable, economical, good dealers etc....shame. It did 117k miles since October 2011 without complaint. The garage lads have said that it is rare for a car which has had the bags goe off to get repaired as a new dash is expensive, especially when added to a new screen, two wings, front cross member, radiator, bumper and bonnet etc is a chunk of money in parts alone. Let alone jig work if the chassis legs are crumpled. They drove off with a crumpled rear and a light busted but that appeared to be it. I am intensely relieved that there was no blood spilt but deflated by the circumstances. Please leave a lot more room than you think is necessary.....

Godfreys, the GreenMech dealer for Kent, East and West Sussex are having an Arb and Forestry Event at Penhurst Offroad Cycling, Grove Road, Penhurst in Kent this coming Friday 11th July. It is free but booking is advisable, call them on 01732 441319 or email them - [email protected] The event starts at 11.00 and goes on to 18:00. Julian Cullis will be there with a good selection of GreenMech woodchippers to try and there is a John Deere Gator test track too. Other goods will be on display and some serious bargains to be had I'm told.

Cat yellow is close enough, we use it for long enough with our Cat Rental customers.

Infeed rollers can be used in a fairly rough condition as long as downward pressure is good enough. I would look into this as well as checking the hydraulic pressure relief valve. Off memory, they have quite a high pressure. I have known of people sharpening rollers using a hand held grinder, carefully, with them in situ, but I am not that familiar with your machine. Overland are still the importers of the Schiesling brand and I'm sure that they would be helpful to you. Some items would be best sourced through them but a number of items, service parts, belts, bearings etc, may be sourced locally I'm sure.

Shame they got to come down really, they are a feature on the A57 between East Markham and Askham, the road will be rather bare without them....

The following questions were set in last year's GED examination These are genuine answers (from 16 year olds) Q. Name the four seasons A.. Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar Q. How is dew formed A.. The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire Q. What guarantees may a mortgage company insist on A.. If you are buying a house they will insist that you are well endowed Q. In a democratic society, how important are elections A.. Very important. Sex can only happen when a male gets an election Q. What are steroids A. Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs (Shoot yourself now , there is little hope) Q... What happens to your body as you age A.. When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental Q. What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty A.. He says goodbye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery (So true) Q. Name a major disease associated with cigarettes A.. Premature death Q. What is artificial insemination A... When the farmer does it to the bull instead of the cow Q. How can you delay milk turning sour A.. Keep it in the cow (Simple, but brilliant) Q. How are the main 20 parts of the body categorised (e.g. The abdomen) A.. The body is consisted into 3 parts - the brainium, the borax and the abdominal cavity. The brainium contains the brain, the borax contains the heart and lungs and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels: A,E,I,O,U (wtf!) Q. What is the fibula? A.. A small lie Q. What does 'varicose' mean? A.. Nearby Q. What is the most common form of birth control A.. Most people prevent contraception by wearing a condominium (That would work) Q. Give the meaning of the term 'Cesarean section' A.. The cesarean section is a district in Rome Q. What is a seizure? A.. A Roman Emperor. (Julius Seizure, I came, I saw, I had a fit) Q. What is a terminal illness A. When you are sick at the airport. (Irrefutable) Q. What does the word 'benign' mean? A.. Benign is what you will be after you be eight (brilliant) Q. What is a turbine? A.. Something an Arab or Sheik wears on his head. Once a Arab boy reaches puberty, he removes his diaper and wraps it around his head. (now we’re getting somewhere.

Redditch and Bromsgrove Borough Council pioneered a Chip or Shred doorstep service originally using a standard unit behind a truck. You rang and made an appointment, they appeared, did whatever, left it in bags for the household. It worked in reducing the amount of garden type stuff taken to the local tip. A section of Warwickshire Council did a business plan and after an awful lot of work later, got the budget for 3 purpose built units. They supplied one chassis cab and we supplied two more. A brilliant concept of taking waste out of the usual route but the fashion is still for brown bins and the "bin it and forget it" mentality - but it still goes in the landfill or is minced into compost which nobody wants from their tip! The unit off of eBay recently got sold to a chap down south and he us well happy with it!

The fuel solenoid doesn't affect the No Stress device, it basically turns on the fuel....The alloy housing is drilled and tapped for a sensor and the bearing collar is still equipped for a sensor. However, if it senses rpm through the altinater, the wiring to the box is different, but the light sequences are the same. The alternator is a quicker way of measuring the speed, that is all.

90's! You cheeky get!!! Twas getting on for 8 years ago we did sonething for Warwickshire on a Merc chassis, but we did one for a plant hire firm in Cornwall and that may have ended at the CBL yard in Saltash or maybe at the Eden Project...

Sorry, gap twixt blade and bars (verticle and horizontal) should 1.5 - 2.0mm and the bar should have a square edge. Replacement isn't always easy as the countersunk bolts that hold them can round off through corrosion. I have done some okay and buggered others - then the flywheel has to get yakked out and a nut welded to the bolt heads. At that point, it is worth changing the bearings which is another job....Check the condition of the bearings by putting a pry bar between the casing and the rotor and giving it a shove - it shouldn't move far in either direction... Are you any good with spanners, welders etc? Take it to your nearest GreenMech dealer who will be able to get the parts easily enough, and leave you free to earn while you spend!

The sequence of lights is correct - there is an overide tap under the infeed chute which needs checking before we go further. The tap spigot has a groove crossing from corner to corner (if the handle is missing), this should be parrallel to the number plate board to work the no stress device. If it isn't parrallel, this overides the system allowing the rollers to feed in at any engine speed. If it is, identify the solenoid valve in the same assembly (it has an electrical connection going to a black, plastic covered coil), run the machine at full speed (Green light) and the nut holding the coil in place should become slightly magnetic, this magnetism stops when the revs are lowered (red light). Or, with a volt meter or test light, check that 12 volts run through to the plug at top speed and zero on low speed. No electric means bad or broken connection somewhere, no magnetism could be a duff coil pack, both 12v and magnetism on a green light could mean stuck valve. Always check that the engine throttle is hitting the stops rather than the handle, and it would be a worthy investment having the hydraulic pressures checked - they should be close to but not above 3000psi. That would rejuvenate her....

We have supplied a few cyclones in the past, a drum with an open top and conical bottom allows the chips to whizz around inside the drum with the air (and few bits of stuff) coming out of the top and the chips dropping through the bottom. We even did one in a frame which was free standing so that an ordinary chipper could be used if positioned correctly. That frame was big enough for a dumpy bag to stand in between the legs.

Your comment about a 6 month inspection goes against the basic principle of doing your daily checks for machine compliance and it's ability to do the job correctly (and safely). I often come across many makes of woodchippers that have been designed and manufactured correctly ony to be unsafe to use because they have been maintained poorly or damaged through misuse. But they are still used by complacent owners and operators!

Good on you for helping out those less able! Well done on the conversion too!

Wouldn't Richard Hunt, the importer who supplied Patrick Watts, be able to help? Is he still the Hinowa tracked barrow importer? Do Hinowa still bring in the tracked cherry picker?

On an EC150, look under the green plastic cover which houses the key, hour meter and No Stress light. Lister engined machines (and some others) sensed rotation off of the rotor shaft via a sensor fitted through the alloy cover that also carried the hydraulic pump. This grey wire fed back into the white box which made the decision. This in turn gave the solenoid the "open/shut" voltage and also displayed a red/green indicator light. I Other machines sensed rotor speed via the alternator, but the red/green light and solenoid sequence was the same. What lights do you have?

You say Gandini, new or used? Chipper or shredder? Graham Satchwell, the importer has been in the trade for many years, and comes across as a decent enough spud with good knowledge of his product and a decent stock of spares.

Glad it got sorted Matt, give Will and the good people at Large's my best regards when you see them next.

Got to be a GreenMech! Sub 750kg, 6x9, 34hp diesel, fantastic blades, built and assembled in one building, also available on a turntable and supported by a number of good dealers up and down the country. If you want something bigger, try the 1928, with 50hp, 71/2x11inch opening, not too heavy and from the same stable as above! Demo that!.....

The look is adventurous and "I wanna get thur!", the interior says, "I'm too soft to rough it!". Better as a demountable..... However, how much and is there a waiting list now, put me down please....

I feel that no one but the employers can answer why financial pressures of work say that lone working is worthy and safe. Surely it is the employers duty to follow the recommendations of safety people rather than any other body? Why would employers and employees think or believe otherwise?

Best wishes to the family and colleagues of the victim. I hooe that they recover well from their loss. I have trained an awful lot of people on the safe use of woodchippers and make a point of stressing that lone working is not approved by me or a sensible or safe working procedure, irrespective of the size or make of machine....Surely it was his choice to do so and his employer happy to have allowed it? In this tragic case, they were wrong - even if the TCIA say that lone working is safe, that amounts to a recommendation and not an instruction. While I am against lone working, I think a previous posters comments believing that machine advertising was a contributory factor are not helpful. Again, my thoughts and best wishes go to those who have to deal with this.

No pictures Ian, shush, it's top secret, don't mention it to anyone!

Get a tape and a book of tables from one of the supplier's of arb kit and books!

Am I correct in the conclusion that it came out if the Laski stable from the Chezc Republic?