Chris Sheppard

Have a look on ebay at just how many cheapo splitters there are on there as spares or repair or even as second hand parts - there lies your answer as to how good they are!

You can't be far from me then. You don't happen to be Dave's younger brother are you?

Other than the cambelt snapping, those other bits are fairly minor (though I know how you feel) - if the rest of the vehicle is pretty sound then why rush into anything hasty? Now cambelt's done, that should be good for another 50,000 miles or so. Replace broken bits with good quality parts and then they shouldn't break again for a while.

Depends on tester as to whether he's bothered about it being there or not, but it shouldn't fail the emissions as they only test amount of smoke on diesels, not whats in the smoke. I've been catless for the last few MOT's, including the one a couple of weeks ago and that's on a high milage defender (285K).

As above, in reality you'd only really use 880/3120 for felling a big stick and ringing up the biggest bits. For milling the extra power would come in handy though. As much as I'm husky through and through, I really get on well with the 660 from stihl. With a 25" on it's small enough for delimbing and it pulls a 30" with ease. I've heard of people using it with a 36" but I haven't so can't comment. Unless you do a lot of big trees, like 4ft plus diameter, I'd reckon you'll find a 120cc stays in the shed a fair bit whereas a 95cc saw will tend to get brouht out a bit more often.

If deep down you want a landy, then a jap pickup will always feel like second best. Plenty of people like the jap pickups but as a proper work horse there's little to match a decent landrover, especially a HD 110 pickup. Using a defender for longer runs is no problem unless you're fairly tall or just used to driving cars. I used to put 25/30,000 a year on my old 130 and it was fine. In my experience landrovers often get called unreliable because people fit cheap parts and wonder why they then break - I generally use genuine as I can mostly fit and forget. For what you've described though, I'd say another van (though the 110 would be hard to pass up on if you can justify it to yourself).

That's some trip

I'd say your two men sawing are either having a laugh or are using too small or blunt saws if that's all they've sawn in a day and not even split it.

I'd hazard a guess that one is small 3/8ths and the other is .325 have a look on the bars and see if you can see anything stamped into then, usually near the saw end.

Still doesn't seem to be much happening round us. Saw a lone combine on the road a day or so ago but not seen owt cut yet.

f you're looking at the one on ebay, it's a previous model to the one Billy68 has (not sure about robs but think his was a new generation one too). The earlier ones were still quick and had the powered infeed and the option of the log lifter but the controls were more conventional (as in pull across the machine), it has loads more guarding and the elevator doesn't slew. I'd still have one if I needed one.

Our dealer seems to look after the pro users pretty well - I've not yet needed to take the 550 in but I'd be very surprised if the bill was £50 each time just to plug in and tweak. Plus, dealer knows we're all tight as it is and would just go back to old saws

We've been discussing big huskys a bit lately and reckon that when they get round to it, they'll probably do away with the 3120 and end up with something around 100cc and call it something like a 598xp (or similar) it'll feel like a bit like a390 to use and have as much (or more) power and torque as a 3120 in a smaller package. Could be very wrong but that's our predictions:001_smile: I was dubious of the new technology on the new genration huskies but so far have been very impressed - seems like husky have gone back to making saws handle and feel as strong as they used to. Think some of the 3 series ones were gettng a bit long in the tooth.

We've been discussing big huskys a bit lately and reckon that when they get round to it, they'll probably do away with the 3120 and end up with something around 100cc and call it something like a 598xp (or similar) it'll feel like a big 390 to use and have as much (or more) power and torque as a 3120 in a smaller package. Could be very wrong but that's our predictions:001_smile: I was dubious of the new technology on the new genration huskies but so far have been very impressed - seems like husky have gone back to making saws handle and feel as strong as they used to. Think some of the 3 series ones were gettng a bit long in the tooth.

the website brings up these JK FABRICATIONS - Home Looks well built stuff but don't think he does himself any favours using such a small powerpack for the demos.

Same goes for stacking neatly for a forwarder - a bit of tapping the ends up is fine but if you;re stack look like the sticks have been thrown on then expect a bulling!

Unfortunatley in first thinnings and by hand there's no easy way - you're going to have to sned like you've never snedded before if you want to make it pay. If they're lightly branched hardwood and you're rack thinning then felling two at a time and snedding them together might work occasionally but generally it's just easier to do one at a time and stack as you go or you'll end up burying it in brash. If you're new to it, get the technique and speed will follow - if you go at it too hard without thinking you'll be making mre work for yourself.

Varies a bit depending on how much sawing is needed but if it's fairly manageable pieces we can do 3 cube of 8-10 inch long logs an hour with two of us, a chainsaw and an 18T PTO splitter with 4 way knife. Really big stuff (two man lift with each ring) then it's probably nearer a cube an hour if it's to saw as well.

How urgently would you need it? We're fully booked up at the mo but should have some spare later on in the Autumn.

The pro lite bars don't seem to last like they once used to but a month really doesn't seem very long. Are you spitting noses out or wearing the rails?

That's good to hear - haven't seen Dan for a year or so but last time I did he was looking forward to getting sorted with a horse.

They aren't a bad machine - I nearly bought one but went for a Hakki Pilke Eagle in the end, as much as for the direction the wood fed in from than anything else. TCT blade is a must though I'd not be surprised if that makes not far off the price of a new one as they often seem to on ebay.

So, 5 months into 550 ownership, a mixture of all sorts from cutting finger thick birch for racecourse fences to dealing with hairy lodgepole and everything in between and it's living up to expectations as hoped. Still running the 13" bar on it but should be trying a 15" on it this week. Whilst it's not as high revving as something like a 242, it has so much torque in the cut and doesn't drop revs like a conventional small saw, and it's so light too. Had my old 353 out last week for the first time in a few months and had forgotten just how numb and docile it felt in comparison. Only thing I still don't like about it is the captive bar nuts as they are so fiddly - despite what others think, I still feel it's one of those gimmicky things best kept for domestic saws - never been a problem in the past so didn't need fixing IMO. Considering the 550 can be had for the same money as a 346, you'd be daft not to consider it - and that's coming from "Mr anti new technology" himself

Neither of those is equivalent to the 550 in any way other than engine size - 550 would wipe the floor with both of them OP, as much as I'm husky through and through, the Stihl MS 261 is a pro saw whereas the Husky rancher is a semi pro/heavy domestic saw so on paper the Stihl should be the better. What you want depends on what you're going to be using it for.