Chris Sheppard

That'll be the FC site is it Stevie? We usually end up there at least once in the year with the tent, tried it the first week of Jan one year - it was so quiet, fantastic.

Heading off to do this in an hour or so on the little DR (the black one). It's about the most local event there is to us and the entries fill up in minutes so we were lucky to get in. Should be a good couple of days - 140 miles today and 90 tomorrow. Not looking forward to being in amongst the proper rally bikes but they should be at the front with the rest f us n normal bikes setting off a bit behind. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEXcURCsdpI]The Ryedale Rally 2012 - day 1 - YouTube[/ame] [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYQVWNN2D20]The Ryedale Rally 2012 - day 2 - YouTube[/ame]

Just what's needed to wash down the spam......

Treat myself today - wandering round Tesco an stumbled across Jura Prophecy on the shelf. I'd yet to see it anywhere other than online so far and had said first time I saw any I was going to buy a bottle. Nearly jibbed but it's currently at £42 a bottle instead of £50-£60 so it would have been rude not to. Not sampled it yet but will do a bit later

If you don't fancy it Jim, bung a photo or two up and I know a guy with a tracked Predator who might have a look. Otherwise, bung an old chain on and start nibbling out round the grown in Rocks I reckon and take it from there. Cost wise, maybe explain to them it's not a typical stump, make an estimate but explain it could end up a chunk more - it's not like there's many guys with stumpgrinders round us for them to go to anyway.

That'd be the 550 then

This one has the manual oiler too, but definitely no choke. Has a small primer (about where would expect chojke to be) that you have to pump til it sprays fuel onto the filter. It's a pain in the arse, though if it comes out a bit more regularly it's not half as bad to get going. Until it's primed it absolutely won't go, and if you spray too much fuel and flood it then you may as well give up and come back to it later...... Dunno exact age but pretty sure it's 1990's - though it's still real tidy.

Don't own either, but have used both 3120 and 880, actually prefer the 880 despite having spent more time on the 3120. On the whole felling big stuff, it gets prepped with the 66 then the back cut put in with the 3120. The prep gets done with the smaller saw partly because it's easier to be more accurate with and partly so the big saw is kept sharp for a fast back cut. Can't remember anything we couldn't have got don with the 66 but with the 3120 it's done in a 1'er rather than beavering away from both sides with the 66. Where I feel the 3120 really comes into it's own is ringing up a big stem. More often than not, it takes longer to start the 3120 than it's used for - that bloody primer button is a pain in the arse! Why can't they just have a choke like a normal saw?

But if the manufacturer says different, then how can HSE enforce the 3 year rule?

That's just the date of manufacture, what I've been told is the same as Huck said, 5 years from opening the box and putting it to use.

Not entirely sure, though do remember something about the old stihl ones only having a 3 year life, though they were that nasty to wear I don't think anyone lasted that long with one.

Personally, I'd tend to side with the other guy but if changing yours every year makes you happy then who's to say you're wrong. I've always worn the Husky balance helmets and they have (apparently) a 5 year life from being taken out of the box if they aren't damaged before then. Never worn one right up to the 5 years yet but probably not been far off with an odd one or two. If you suffer with them getting damaged by falling off bonnets etc, then maybe you should think a bit more about where you put it down

That looks a handy machine. Looks quite compact but fairly sturdy.

I can quite belielve it. I saw one round here a few years ago snapped off near the kingpost. I also know of one less than a year old that needed a complete new dipper after a few weeks (metal on metal where it extends) and at less than a year old has a lot of play in the joints and is getting some more therapy under warranty shortly. If I didn't know better I'd have said it had been used hard with no grease - but I know it hasn't. The older one's seemed to age a lot better IMO. Though the very old ones (the yellow and red ones) were a pig as they wouldn't lift over the front bay - everything had to go over the rear pins and get slid up. Thankfully they sorted that. On the whole though, as an all rounder with a big lift, they take some beating.

I can see where you're coming from Jon, but it sounds to me like it's barely worth extracting anyway (even more so being spruce too). IME on jobs like that where it's going to be some fair going to get any sort of weight, corners start getting cut - sticks are left half snedded, brash is 10ft deep and stacking goes out the window That said, day rate on the whole tends to attract day rate pace so it doesn't want to be a lot per day/hour unless you have the right team in.

Aren't they just I'd never realised til recently just how top heavy the DRZ's are. I reckon they feel heavier than the old DR 350's did and they aren't light either.

Liking that old RM

The way I look at it is that we spend most of the week doing a job that could potentially cause a good amount of serious bodily harm or worse, how much more dangerous can riding a motorbike be, if any?

If it's not been short stroked, it will look painfully slow, like get bored waiting kind of slow. Shortening the stroke totally transforms them. A 2008 might be old enough not to have the extended guard on the infeed side which looks like it would make it a lot more awkward to use, though no doubt safer. The older ones could be interesting when cutting the last log on small diameter timber Th other thing is that they aren't really a nice shape to make work with a deck, loading by hand off the floor does get a bit tedious after a while. If you look at it for what it is (a basic, entry level machine) then it's great, but if you want mega production, then look at something else.

It wasn't so much that it's run off an engine, more that most of the tractor ones are of a higher spec with powered infeed and you can be sawing the next log while the ram is out - the hawk/japa 300 wouldn't even spin the cahin til the ram was all the way back in. I know you could get a tractor powered 300 but on the whole I've not seen or heard of many as most people went for the next one up or the Hakki Pilke 1x37. Dunno on price, I know they'll have gone up loads since I bought mine (must be 5-6 years ago or so I reckon), do know the diesel engine added a fair bit to the cost so. I'd guess a new one of the same spec (if you can still get them) will be getting on for nearly double what the guy wants for it (though that's purely guessing).

The Japa 300 is just a mirror image of the hakki pilke Hawk. I had the hawk (as a petrol towable) and it was OK. Bit slow as you have to let the ram go all the way out and back before you can start cutting the next log - but there is an easy way to make it only half stroke by swapping one of the spacers under the top cover for a longer one made of a bit of flat bar (it's a few years since I sold mine so can't really help much but if you're even half mechanically minded it'll be obvious once you have a look under the bonnet so to speak. Certain woods it didn't seem to like splitting 6 ways, but to be honest, if you needed the 6 way it usually meant you were about on its limits diameter wise anyway. 4 way it handled anything, though did flex a bit worryingly on occasion. Though it has a 13" bar, sub 10" is the optimum ideally. Other thing I remeber is that logs used to jam in the end of the elevator fairly easily - once had one slide down the inside and that took a fair bit of removing. On the whole it wasn't a bad machine, but it was fairly light in construction (as per most scandinavian processors) and slow in comparision to a tractor powered machine.

Is the idea to put the big russian thing oon the trailer to pull the wagon and drag out when it gets stuck on a show field? Oh how I don't miss loading and unloading lorries at shows I've not seen the yard since it's all changed - If I can get the little bike swapped for something with longer legs in time, I might make it down for the Weald woodfair this year and call by the yard (and maybe the Red Lion) on the way home.

I tried telling Steve I needed something like that as a company vehicle and he was having none of it That looks a beast

I've seen similar but using stockboard instead of ply - looks a bit neater and is a bit more robust I'd imagine. But probably a fair bit heavier.

That just beats mine - I have a 1985 181se. Mine's still fairly fit as it got a NOS genuine barrel and piston a year or so ago plus new crank bearings and seals. Only ran it with a 20" so far though. Got a 1989 Husky 42 with grey top cover that still works OK, an early 90's 242g that works OK and a late 90's Jonsered 2159. Everything else is at least into the 2000's even if not by much.