PeteB

Bin thur, dun that!!!

there are that many variable, but here goes. HP - you own it at the end of the term. VAT and deposit up front. Lease hire - At the end of the term, the machine is not yours without a further fee, no upfronts bar the arrangement fee, vat charged monthly. The owner has the right to charge you reasonable costs to put the machine back into a good condition. Vehicles may be subject to mileage clause, with expensive penalties if you go over. Penalties payable for early step out. Flexi-Lease - As above, but a bit more flexible in that you can walk away from a five year deal at 3 years and have a new machine with figures adjusted to inc the shortfall and the new machine. A small "paperwork" fee means that you own the tool at term end. If its use is seasonal, pay 12 in 6 months, then "holiday" for the off period. However - it can be a minefield, be careful to get all the facts, if in doubt ask. It's better to look inquisitive and sensible than get stitched up on a deal with expensive set out clauses, or repair costs.

"any more of your blather, and you can make these beds on your own woman"! "Do you want to 'phone a friend, oh, you ain't got any"!

"Right Lads, go big early on that site". "As busy as a one legged man in an arse kicking contest". "He was up an down like a whores pants on boat race night"!

Yup. Ruk dun. Night.

Ditto, I'm off to bed so I can have a lie in before going to Northampton to see the Stockcar racing. Life is about fun - not bitching about who has the biggest. To a degree, we are slaves to system. Who cares!!!

Too low on many accounts. Still full of the TW shine Mike? Overestimate yours, underestimate everyone else's. GreenMech have just sent another load across. Away win beats home run anytime! The promises made by a two man outfit never beat the truth and honesty of a big caring organisation - whoever they are! By the way. Non have been replaced by any other make!

Well done England. A good showing. A good side beat by a slightly better team and a dodgy call by the video ref. Congrats to all concerned, hold your heads up high.

Nope. Well not much, but as usual Mike, not your not right!

Like a Chipmunk chewing on a toffee. Like two Badgers fighting in a bag.

As welcome as a fart in space suit. As comfortable as a pork pie in a synagogue.

Pass me another one, this ones split. Sorry luv, it slipped, honest.

"same sh#t, different flies". "boses are like nappies - full of sh#t and hanging round your arse"! "it was alright when I last used it"! "is it meant to smell that bad"! "has that yeast infection cleared up yet"!

its build quality did not impress me - infact, it was dire. The picture shows angled feed, but off the road side if your doing anything on the street. If the power is available then I like to run tractor stuff at 1000 speed as the machine is quiter and more economical to run - if it only needs 40hp, why run it at 540 (maximum tractor revs) to get the power> something ain't right!

The idea of the height adjustable tracks is patented. Jensen tried to say it was their idea and they sold it to GreenMech (at that time), absolute tosh. The side tipping body is their idea, but the pivot radius means that the machine becomes narrower when the base is rotated, thus becoming more unstable. Overall lack of ground clearance is also a major issue, as is having one pump for two tracks rather than a pump each which gives more power and control. Also the GreenMech way gives twice the ground speed - important if you have to track sdome distance.

Quite right. A 10" tractor mounted woodchipper running off a 40hp tractor with a price of £5,850 might seem a bargain, but you still cannot polish a turd!

Just reading this weeks HortWeek. Sally Drury does an article about another imported American woodchipper. I've seen these at a trade show. To my eyes, the infeed was too short, the safety bar was a "top bar" when it should be a "bottom bar", there was no "latching" device, the infeed sloped down to the rollers and not up and you could touch the bottom roller with your boot from underneath. Please, all you chipper buyers out there - buy a reputable machine from a reputable source.

Dagmar has spotted some of the sixty plus tracked GreenMechs working on the railway in Germany. There is plenty in this country too. Those 19/28 GreenMechs represent good value for money either tracked or towed. Ckeck them out! The main reasons there is a load in Germany is because both Jensen and Shliesing could not do what the GreenMech could do either as a way of getting the machine to the job and not vice versa and in terms of chipping performance and running costs - we beat them! Another away win.

I try to encourage my kids to explore the boundarys. Although I get a funny feeling when they both scream down a hill on pushbikes, leaping over the road humps - I can imagine an accident and I have to return them to their Mum's with gravel rash or worse (no helmets or pads allowed). When they were learning to swim, I chucked them both into the deep end then bombed them. (what kind of Dad am I?)

Started in '82 as a holiday job with an Uncle who had been felling and tushing before the 2nd war with his Dad and Uncles, who had been doing it before the 1st war. Liked the work, was good at it, so stayed away from Uni. Ended up 17 years later running 12 guys doing mainly line work all over the east midlands. Lost the contract to others who swore they could more for less. They couldn't, we had liquidated and moved on, still do the occasional bit and the rush is still there! A 17year holiday job, not bad heh!

Once had some large London Planes to fell in Colwick, Nottingham. The developer decided to root them out with a 20t swing shovel. All the services were marked out in the pavement, but an 11kv cable had migrated. The "crump" was impressive, the local industrial estate wasn't impressed with the lack of electrickery!

Bill, any machine can be turned into "garbage" very easily. Improper use, incorrect maintenance, uncaring operators, too small a budget to buy the right machine are just some of the factors. I personally do not like Ford cars, but I did just over 200k in a Mondeo (about 50% towing), without any real dramas. But I just don't like Ford cars. I've met people who've got 500 hours out a set of GreenMech blades before resharpening and I've also met people who haven't changed their Tinnywolf (thanks for the tag Dagma) bearings in 3 years. Choice is personal. Pay up and look after it!

Gawd, How right you are, the sh#t we got upto. Even now, my old man would love to give me a hiding for climbing the church spire at midnight with a gallon of John Smith's sloshing around! and my mother would give me a lecture about having unsafe sex with a slapper twice my age. People would be horrified at the goings on, but, despite two divorce's, a failed business, numerous big knocks, bangs, cuts and bruises, I'm still going. When the kids come to stay, no day time tv, no cumputer games, healthy food is a must and if you fall over and cut yourself, get up and run on!

I'd consider the options - and then buy a GreenMech. Having ran two of them for a while, I can confirm that the are better value for money than a Schiesing and they defoe last longer than the average TW. Ya Boo Sucks!!!

Who knows of tree surgery people who went on to other things and made more money or became famous for one thing or another. Try Ken Tyrell, was in the tree game but went on to run an F1 team, John Surtees was also from the trees. Apparantly James Blunt worked for a big contractor based near Crawley. Anyone know any more?