PeteB

Richard Court forestry engineering is further south, tother side of London, he knows his onions.

Which Club, Ben? I did the work for a new green and tee at Longcliffe many years ago and they insisted that any balls found were their property! Buggers took months to pay too.

Some interesting posts here - the point of the SAC is to realign drivers to be more responsible and recognise that speed is okay, nut in the right place. Namely a circuit, strip or track..... It was pointed out to us that a speed limit is THE LIMIT, not an advisory, not a suggestion, not an average speed and certainly not the minimum. Speed limits are not set to raise/reduce revenue, cost us time, reduce noise or other pollution and not really there to save us money in increased vehicle economy. Bu they are there to reduce the likely hood of a serious injury or death if you hit someone less well protected than yourself in a tin box with a belt on and a bag in front of you! An interesting fact is that the average "response" time from sight to action is 0.7 of a second, 30mph equates to 44 meters per second. Therefore, in reaction time alone, you have traveled well over a length of a bus and knocked that kid flying and that is before your brakes really start to bite! Another one is, if are driving at 70mph and some dumb ass is doing 100mph and you both brake at the same time. What speed is the other chap doing when you get close to zero? An adrenalin squirting 70mph! Lets hope he wasn't behind you.........

I really do think that it is high time that these large outfits have a financial reality check and price contracts so that they are financially viable. Many people knew from the outset that the Norwich and Cannock jobs (amongst many others) being run by Fountains and many similar other fixed price contracts were only viable If the schedule of rates that they won it on are ignored and everything was done as a "variation". Am I correct in thinking that it against the law to "purchase" goods or services that you know you cannot/will not pay for? This seems to be another case of "the civilised get penalized and the ne'er do wells do very well, thank-you very much. My best regards go to those who have lost on this deal and to those who have been "tucked up". Those at the top on big salaries should be bought to book.

Not only the UKPN contract, but everywhere else too. I'm aware of many companies that are owed several tens of thousands of pounds. Why such debts are allowed to accrue is beyond me.

Well, I went and was pretty humbled by a few comments and my lack of knowledge to do with speed/time/distance. I am glad I went and will try to behave myself as I would be upset if someone killed my kids due to excessive speed.

I've to attend another one this aft, the third in 10 years, the third for doing 36 in a 30 zone on a deserted road............. The last one turned into points and a fine after I was late because of an accident which blocked the motorway and it took 120 minutes to do the 40 miles to the site. (I had only allowed 75). I refused to repay the course costs so the Police decided that I was a criminal. In 10 years as a rep for GreenMech, I must have covered about 5 or 6 hundred thousand miles, so a motoring offence is more likely than, say, a peanut head in a stolen Corsa with no insurance, licence and a "Foxtrot Oscar" attitude. Do I really need realigning, re-educating, punishing for a minor infringement when said peanut head can get off with points , a ban (on a licence which doesn't exist) and a fine which he will not pay for?

RESULT!!! I hope that the punishment is worthy of the crime although I doubt that it will reform them. I wonder if the CPS will send the case to court or that they will decline due to lack of evidence and your culpability in owning such an item forsooth Milud!

David Barrowcliff recently passed away after a battle with spinal cancer and dementia. My best wishes to all those others affected by dementia and have to watch as the great and the good suffer from this truly awful condition. David Barrowcliff was my uncle, he allowed me into the world of timber contracting as a holiday job back in 1982. That holiday job lasted until 1998 when it finished and I joined GreenMech. He was born as one of five children between the war years and his father and uncles were also timber contractors of note in the East Midlands. As an 11 year old, David even had his own horse and helped his father tush out trees and after a stint on the college farm at Sutton Bonington College, National Service, a couple of years with the BRS and driving construction equipment during the building of Ratcliffe Power Station, he went back to timber. His first job was to clear fell 27 acres of poplar trees which he sold in the round. He set out on his first day to cycle the 7 miles to the site on a bike with his cross cut and axe tied to the cross bar, by the end, he was employing people and had transport and a D8 crawler with a blade. David was for a while in business with one of his brothers, Keith, who was an inventive engineer and between them, they converted Army lorries into Artic Drugs (Bolster trucks to you young ones) with kit purchased from Ruddington Sales as well as buying and selling timber. Keith died from injuries after an incident with a Chevy Quad timber crane which I purchased many years later and was instructed to cut it up for scrap. David ran a sawmill cutting timber for all kinds of people and included many hundreds of lorry loads of pit props that prop up the mines of Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. David felled, snedded, loaded, converted and delivered many thousands of trees in his working life and I helped him cut down the last big Elm tree in the parish of Sutton Bonington back in 1984, that tree was the last of 97 from that parish alone, some of which I remember being 8 feet through. After the hey day of DED, he down-sized the sawmill to concentrate more on contracting to the Utility sector. Although he would occasionally take on "fell and extract" work to give his employees (me included) an insight or skill base for their future. He taught me to extract and load some sizable lumps with a small 2 wheel drive International without getting the butt too dirty or making a mess of the landing. When I started, the mill was finished, although we would occasionally mill butts for the experience - he was brilliant at quarter cutting by eye and I still have his bible of Decimal Cube Tables dated 1949 and Hoppus Feet Tables. He would even have us split butts with wooden wedges so that we could experience the old methods of work without power saws. He es-cued many modern methods and tools but always completed the work required to an excellent degree, he would never entertain getting a blower or cherry picker or even a tipper. He taught us to put a rope around the load of brash and get someone to drive off whilst you pulled the load to the ground! He was cynical of me when I started to buy Landrovers, 4x4 Transits, woodchippers and the Unimog. "Cash is better in the pocket" "boot leather is cheap" he would say. David was typical "old school" in that his word was enough, did not bother too much with order numbers, but ran a profitable organisation and he fostered into many people, a strong work ethic and the desire to do things "right". His tree work skills where learned from his fore fathers and was working to a form of CODIT whilst Doc Shigo was chewing on his pencil. He would often cut a log in certain way to show the young ones the collars and barriers within the grain of timber and show how/why a pruning cut is necessary. He wore steel toecapped boots, moleskin trousers, putees and more often worked in a vest believing that chainsaw trousers/boots were not necessary if you were capable and competent. I rarely saw him wear ear muffs or safety helmet or visor - he preferred to hear/see when a big butt is coming over. Head protection was a woolly hat and a coat was a Donkey Jacket with NCB across the shoulders. Although not a tall man, he was heavily built and had "presence" without demanding it. I saw him get really cross on a number of occasions but he did not feel the need to shout or thump people - a gentle man who liked to have the odd drink, play dominoes in the pub and laugh heartily. He would help anyone who asked and many who did not, benefited from his largess too. David always helped out with the local branch of The British Legion and was always giving generously to local affairs like the Kegworth Steam Show (when it existed) and quite often "forgot" to send people their bill or collect money for firewood delivered. I have many, many fond memories of working at Barrowcliffs and I'm sure the others who worked there will too. Some of whom will be at his funeral on the 31st Jan. David is survived by his loving wife, my aunt, Joan. Rest Easy Dave, thanks for everything. Goodbye My Auld................

Awful mustard yellow!?! Come on Johnny, that is Caterpillar yellow or Vermeer yellow, the Blue Machine had theirs blue and HSS had theirs blue with yellow safety bars too. I had mine in Ford Radiant red, you can have them in your colour if that is what you want. We have done them Red/Yellow mix, Orange, Landrover Green, Navy Blue, White, Brown, Buttercup yellow and I even quoted a chap for a metallic colour but that was a tad dear! Hey Dan, good luck with the search, I hope she turns up!

Capel Manor is a College in north London by the A10/M25 junction.

Acacia GroundCare Rental at Henfield do chippers, why are you specific about a TW150?

When we were in bed last night, I lent over to turn out the light and the wench said, "you can shove it up my bum tonight". With hindsight, I should have waited until it cooled down.

I'm tying the knot today! If I kick that stool away, I'll be a free man again!

My 1000 had a few wiring issues looming when we parted. Old wiring that had age hardened meant that there was the odd break in the ignition circuit which did take a lot of tracing. Sorry Dave, get the test meter out and do loads of continuity tests!

Reet Smart Mr Lofthouse! I was recently told that in order to clean up oxidized surfaces like hot dip galv and alloy - try kettle descaler! Need a fair bit on something that size tho!

Hey Chris, thanks for the PM. Your Dad has left you a GreenMech 202 which was a good machine some 12 years ago. From a quick look at the photos, it looks like you have a spot of bother looming as it looks like the infeed chute and roller controls do not satisfy the H& SE regs. Last time I asked, this could cost close to a grand to put right using genuine parts. If you need further help with its age, scrape the muck off the flywheel paddles and a number will be on there, ring it through to GreenMech on 01789 400044 and someone will help you. Value wise, not a massive amount due to the work on the read end. Best wishes for the future. Pete.

Very impressed with that, especially as it appears to be a left hooker too. Good to see a driver who doesn't keep his foot on the gas a slips the clutch as well.

I tend to "brick up" a lot of stews, bolognaise, chilli, curry, soups etc. Tonight I'm doing neck fillets of lamb as a roast, do plenty and have them tomorrow cold, with salad and chips. I used to take thick soup in a flask too - top idea when the weather is like it is. Homemade leek and Potato is good. And no Dave, not all of us has a wife or whatever, nowt but trouble I've had with them!

True enough. If it is a genuine deal, the seller will help you out and if it is possible, ask the original sales company if they have their original records to say who had it and when. From experience, I can tell you that not all machines are registered with the first owner, some get sold by a dealer who doesn't fill in the warranty reg form so can be genuine errors. If in doubt, walk away, another will come along.

Sweet! I had a similar experience at the St Leger fair in Doncaster many years ago involving a fair ride, lots of Chili Con Carne and some ale. Those waiting to get on that ride got splattered as my chair on the waltzers came around! I snook out the back when it eventually stopped. I didn't get laid that night either! Sweet story PGK, more power to your elbow!

Get a big dog and a little one to wake it up!

Come on chaps! We all know that we have to build ourselves out of recession, standing in the way of progress is not allowed. Think of the tax dollars that will go into the coffers to pay for the millennium build, the Olympics, the wars that we are involved with and devolution (first Scotland, then Wales and possibly the Corning after that).

Chipper, grinder, service,spares, ropes, clothes, kit - whatever! Available from Mark Lowndes at M&H Arb over at Malvern. He is in cohoots with Global Sales from Brum.

190 fans are cast, as is the whole rotor.1928 rotor is machine out of steel with thick steel fan blades and extra blades. I'm at the factory today, come across Tim and bring some brash!