Brushcutter

Putting a polly tunnel up isn't that hard. However putting the skin on is a pain as is doing the vents. I took down a 14 metre by 37 metre polytunnel the other week and its going up ok. I got it for free from the local agricultre college that didn't use them anymore and sold the land they were on for housing.

Hi I got myself an aux oiler for my mill but it seems i have lost the instructions:thumbdown: Does anybody know how big and how far away from the edge of the guide bar i need to drill the hole? Thanks Andy

I dry my firewood in a big glass house have two of the vents open for a bit of air flow. Our lack of a hot summer has slowed down drying a bit. It's quicker than drying it outside though.

I'm looking for a new pair of chainsaw trousers. Thinking of getting some strech airs. I'm think of getting the extremes are they much heavier? Worth the exta money?

I've done the CS45 training while on my Arb/Forestry groundpersons course. Never did an assessment in it though as nobody else did as time and pennys were tight.

Just down the road from me.

Hi From what i learnt on the trimmer course that you don't have to wear a hard hat if your not working under any trees ect where something could fall on you. For example trimming along a pavement you wouldn't need a hard hat but if you went under a tree >2m in height you would.

I hate all these towing restrictions. I'm trying to find a place to do my B+E training and test, since the first place i tried to do it with has gone under. I'm doing it at 3 counties training are they any good? Also with the 3500kg+ 750kg trailer thing. Does that mean you can have a total mam of 4.25T or a trailer weighing 750kg but the combination of trailer and vehicle must not exceed 3500. Thanks Andy

I really really want a 110 or a 130. I love Landys i really do however i'm told by the ball and chain i can't have one as they're ulgy. Navara it is then.......

Hi Looking at getting a pick up truck second hand 2000-2004 age. Which would be better the L200 or the Navara? I've ruled out the Hilux as i'm not a fan of Toyota and i've had problems with the local dealer. Nissan dealer is 10 mins from house and 10 from work the Mitsubishi one is a little longer about half hour each way. I'm thinking Nissan Navara but there's lots of L200 for sale at the moment. Which is best of those two for on road use and a some but not a lot (10-20%) off road use. Thanks Andy

Thanks lots of great info there. Left it in the big greenhouse under the shade netting with the vents open for the time being. I'll get it stacked up outside when i have a chance. I've hurd solar kilns mentioned before, how do they work? Can you make one or is it more complex and costly than i imagine?

Hi Been having lots of fun with my Alaskan mill and 660 today. Been milling up some nice bits of Hawthorn, Beech and Cherry that came from the work on Harpenden common. Anway now i have the makings of some nice shelves i was wondering whats the best way to dry them. I have a big green house, a polly tunnel and the great out doors. what would give the best results? The oak i've dryed in there has split really badly, where as the pine hasn't. Also a lot of it is full of firewood. Hows everyone else season theirs?

I was thinking about doing the LANTRA basic tree inspection course at Capel Manor. Anybody done it? Was it worth going on, do you do risk assessment report writing or anything like that. Or is it a walk and talk around trees and you have to comment about caverties dead wood lean ect ect?

I don't have the aux auto oiler. I've ordered one for the mill though. I've planked a fair bit of stuff without it but that was not well seasoned. This has had a year drying out and the nose only just made it through a 3'6" top cut.

Its a 36" bar and it was close to £90 inculding the VAT for a new bar. I think i payed around £25 for the nose and rivets. The guide bar has only been used for milling so its done maybe 10 hours work thats it. Hence the new nose rarther than a whole bar.

Wedges aren't used till CS32. A Friend of mine just did 31 and they weren't allowed to use them. On 31 they give you a plastic wedge but thats for putting in your letterbox and for cross cutting.

I managed to split a Hi lifts wooden shaft first time i used one. About 2 months later i broke another while it was in the tree. Since then i've not broken one i've got an extra aluminium ring to put on them that gives them an extra bit of support. I use a 12lb sledge to drive them in but a fencing mell sounds like a much better idea.

I have the Bacho felling bars both 31" and 42" the little one is great but i've put a little bend in the big one. I will normally use a wedge though as i don't see the point in busting your back trying to leaver something over when a wedge and a sledge will do it for you. I do like the split level cut though and i do use it quite a lot. I've been told that you can't use a wedge in place of the bar on CS31 as wedges aren't in the course. I think you do less damage to your back with a sledge and a wedge rather than trying to lift the tree over with a bar.

I spent Friday felling small Ashes ~6" diameter with the FS450. No problems with that so the 550 won't struggel with the blackthorn.

Hi I've manged to burn and sise the nose on my 660's guide bar. Did it while milling some well seasoned Corsican Pine. Its an ES guide bar so the whole nose section comes off. However how is this done, its held on with 3 rivets, do i just drill them out? Also do i have to rivet them back in, will i have to hire a riveter? Thanks Andy

I think the insurance quote was 315+vat from Trust for the chipper. I too hate having to go through all trouble of locking the stuff away. We've been lucky and only ever lost a few strimmers and a chainsaw. But once you've been hit once they do come back and i'm sure once you've gone to the trouble of using a cutting torch to get into our container (which has been done) an alarm is going to phase you much. But seeing everything chained and bolted down is going to slow you down, making the chances of catching the sods all that higher. Or at least thats the theory....... In the long run our £50 a time padlocks and £10 chain is expensive but if it saves one saw from going missing its been worth it.

We just got a Timberwolf 125PH. We got two of the wheel clamps from Timberwolf and the hitch lock too. Was a lot of money but it got the insurance on it down. Its stored (or more importantly going to be stored when its delivered) in a giant metal container which is alarmed with sercurity company call out. Its also chained to the floor and sides of the container with lifting chain. Its padlocked with fancy Panzer padlocks that are used for holding shop shutters down.

Don't get the Toyota Hilux. Its rubbish parts are expensive which is a pain as so many bits fall off. We're on the 3rd bumber i believe as its never cliped on properly. Ride quality is sometimes very nice if your going fast and in a streight line. Deviate from that and its utter utter rubbish you bounce all over the place, especially if you take it off road. Won't take a lot of weight in the back either, Toyota clam a tonne but i put a tonne of sand in the back and i shortened the mud flaps as they wore out being dragged along the road. Never have i had so many problems trying to find reverse than in the Hilux. The seats aren't at all comfortable. In its defence the radio is rather good not that that really matters. Oh we got it stuck on a playing field once had to push it to get it going. So its off road ability isn't very good. I'm looking to get a Navara but they' are not to many in my price range.

A dogs tooth cut has your standard 1/5-1/4 of the trees diameter face cut a 10% hinge and a further 1/4 of holding wood at the back. You bore out the centre to form a hinge and cut back to leave a 1/4 0f tue tree as holding wood at the back. cut the 1/4 of holding wood at 45 degrees and cut down to meet your bored out felling cut. Its designed to stop the wood splitting and barber chairing. If cutting greater than guide bar lengh remove some of the dogs tooth your bar will reach all the way across and sether it in one go.

I learnt your standard 3 cuts on your CS31: Conventional, Dogs Tooth and Split Level. I tend to use the proportions they told us on the course. I quite often use the split level cut i just like it. Never use the leaver though, i use a high lift wedge why try a lift it over when the wedge can do that for you? On CS32 we learnt a sweep out the back and a walk around cut. I hadn't done a medium tree since my course in July and i did my assessment yesterday. Got through although my assessor was a little unhappy with my 25% face cut. Got show the Dainish cut which was some kind of weird dogs tooth thing on CS32.