Rob D

Not on my own comp at the moment but I'm sure I found a website with 1 ton bags for £1.99 each. As for the net bags if you look in the back of an old Forestry and British Timber mag or the Forestry Journal there are plenty of ads for the smaller net bags. But as above do not leave them in the sunlight. They fall to bits and then you have to repackage them in fresh bags!!

I know but I was on the phone to them for 20 minutes and had to drag the info out of them! What the real kicker is the older carbs on the 200T didn't seem to suffer any problems so why change them or get them manufactured elsewhere? Of course the answer to this has to lie in saving money.

Just to add a bit on the 9010. They are good saws but the air filters are pretty rubbish and need replacing every 4 months or so. Also I just had a fuel line split on one of mine and a carb kit put on the other. They seem to be higher maintenance than newer saws. The 7900(1) and 5000(1) series are newer developed models. Again though you have to make sure those air filters are cleaned regularly to maintain performance.

I sell mine after it's sat for a while and composted. Goes for £60 a load. I advertise in the local paper alongside my treework services and logs etc. People keep coming back for more. It might be an idea to learn the process as the chippings break down i.e. how initially the bacteria soak up nitrates and give off heat before in the end dying and releasing back nutrients. It helps if you can advise your potential customer on the benefits as well i.e. better water retention, worms come up and pull down into the soil encourageing aeration and humus deeper down, attractive to look at, weed prevention, gradually release nutrients into the soil, encouarges beneficial fungi that can often co-exist with plants and make them stronger and healthier, inexpensive for the area a load will do. Oh the list goes on!! Before I had a place to keep it I called the National Farmers Union to see if there was a farmer who might be interested. One called back and I happily tipped on his land for a year before getting a larger yard. As for do you need a liscence for a chipping pile. I expect so. You need a liscence for farting into the wind these days!

The 90cc saws are pretty much the same as the older Dolmar 90cc saws - they've just been rebranded. I think this is why they are quite cheap. The new 7901 I've had a go on and it struck me as being a bloody good saw. Same feel as the 5000 but bigger. I'd for a 7901 over a 9010 if I had the choice but that's me. I've got a couple of Makita chainsaws and they're pretty good. Mind you I seem to be having lots of probs with all my saws recently so I'm not all that much of a fan of anything at the moment!

I had exactly the same problem with my 200T. Brand new and 2 months down the line it started playing up. No amount of adjustment made any difference. It would rev and die as if it was running out of fuel all the time. Called Stihl technical. They were not helpful. They did say however that they had a problem with some of the carbs on the newer saws. He said the dealers were aware of the problem and send it back and it would be done under warranty. They weren't sorry or anything for the inconvenience of not having the saw for a few weeks. I sent it back and upon it's return it's been fine ever since. You think of Stihl and you think of solid German engineering and manufacture but most of the components are made abroad.....

I've been using Aspen 2t for the last 9 months and I wouldn't go back to mormal mixing. I get it in batches of about 50 (5l cans) as you then get delivery free. I changed mainly because I was feeling s*** after milling timber all day. The difference in fumes is worth the extra money to me..... Besides how much time do you spend going to the petrol station and mixing your own fuel? And let's face it you prob never get a perfect 50:1...... Yes it's expensive (especially milling)! but buy a good load of it and you'll never go back.