Tom D

Officially the swl for textiles is 7:1 but often its easier to go 10:1 just to make the maths simple. especialy if you have an mbs instead of average strengh.

that links not working for me.

Everyone i know is really quiet, im also getting guys ringing up looking for work. Its amazing how quickly all this has happened, i've got about 6 weeks booked in just now, but the phone is'nt ringing much anymore.

I took down some poplars like these last year, they had been topped like those in your picture 6 years earlier and has regrown some 25' in that time, they were totally rotten right down to ground level not just at the pollard head. There was only a couple of inches of green wood around the edge of each bole, I just don't think poplars can take that kind of treatment. I reckon that by 2011 a tomograph or similar will show 50% rot. Keep us posted.

I saw those guys on the news a few months back cleaning the face of big ben, that looked like good fun. Actually with recession looming working on the rigs doesn't seem like a bad idea, lets face it the oil companies aint exactly short at the mo.

Martin, my dad imports farm machinery and it just so happens that one of the companies he buys from has bought another company that makes splitters. there are pto ones and an 8 ton electric which look good on paper. It all depends on how fast the down / up stroke is, I'll be finding out soon as i am thinking of getting one to hire out to all those customers who opt to keep the timber. I'll keep you posted as i'll be able to get a good price. Its worth noting that appart from the logs that i sold last year i also burned a lot at home, before installing the rayburn and stove we were spending about £1200 a year on LPG, now thats about £200 so the splitter is'nt that dear even for home use.

Just read this thread through and though there is definately a place for coronet cuts it isnt healthy trees in public areas. The whole piont of natural target pruning is to allow the tree to heal as quickly as possible therefore retaining as much structural integrity as possible. Coronet cuts do the exact opposite of this encouraging and speeding up the rotting process, this can only be acceptable on trees which are in low target areas and are dead or dying anyway. Any tree owner has a responsibility to inspect and maintain their trees in a safe condition otherwise they leave themselves open to claims of negligence. Making coronet cuts in an urban / garden environment adds to the duty of care on the owner to monitor and carefully maintain the tree in the best of health. IMO you are asking for trouble if you recommend coronets to a customer without providing a written explanation of the risks involved and thereby avoid any liability on you or your company. Don't get me wrong there is a time and a place for habitat creation but deliberately making a tree even slightly more dangerous is a very dodgy business. Leaving prunings on site either in heaps or "planted" in the ground is probably the safer way to go.

I use gore tex for ground work but for climbing i use a ventile smock. Ventile is prety dear but its ideal for comfort, its pretty waterproof despite being 100% cotton and it feels warm if you wear it next to your skin, its wind proof yet breatheable and it won't melt if you get sparks from a bonfire on it. It is pretty thornproof and very tough but it is zero stretch so make sure you get the right size. http://www.hilltrek.co.uk/acatalog/copy_of_Braemar_Single_Ventile_Windshirt.html There are other ones available for rock climbing without hoods and pockets. I cant remember where i saw them.

No still got it, not had much luck selling it, its not that its a bad vehicle just that no one has been to see it, I am off on holiday for two weeks so i have not re advertised it, plus theres a wren nesting under the wheel arch.

So far i have done 3500 miles in my 08 defender, I have to say i love it, my brother has a navara and its a great truck but it can only tow 2800kg, which for me was the deciding factor. The new defender pulls just as well as my old 2.8 power tourque 110 and having 6 gears means its better on fuel. It is nice to drive and so far it hasn't leaked. Its early days though.

Very true, i try to log everything on site now, it means you only move it once. Go for a pto vertical type, they are by far the eaiest to operate and they're not that deer, mine was £1500 and easily paid for itself in about 4 months.

I dont know what its like down your way but spruce aphid is bad round here, it doesn't kill the tree but makes them very ugly, I'd stick to firs if I were you. Plus you might find that planting a smaller specimen will give the same height in five years as a larger one would because it will adapt to the change so much better.

Anyone tried the leyland daf 45 4x4? They seem to be selling these off now as well.

Interesting read this thread, especially the last comments by Antwood, I think that whilst its true that there is no substitute for experience, its better to be taught to do something the right way first rather than learning on the job from someone whose main interests are getting on to the next job. I've seen a few climbers who have years of experience and can get round a tree quicker than me but who simply aren't safe and have'nt got a clue about the finer points of tree care. Running round the crown of a large tree dropping brash so fast no one can pick it up before walking away from the resulting pile and leaving the poor groundies to clear up the mess does not make a great climber. Some sort of on the job CPD would be a good thing after initial nptc assesment, but assesment should go hand in hand with working, perhaps doing a new unit every few months and then going back to work to hone newly learned skills. This is down to employers in the end, i think too many cant bear to wait while a young climber gets up to speed so new employees end up doing groundwork and gaining little experience. If i had an accident while climbing i would want to be rescued by someone who was comfortable in any climbing situation and who could reach me quickly, not someone who did areal rescue last year and has'nt climbed since. I only have one full time employee who has just finished his ND Arb, he has been with me for 10 months and I have had him climbing at every opportunity, it has been painfuly slow at times and we have had some late finishes but he is now pretty competent and better than some others that I have seen. I still would like to see some sort of amalgamated qualification called "tree surgeon" or "arborist" . What the requirements for that should be are open to debate but some genuine on the job CPD should be included.

I hear that they are considering amalgamating medium and large trees, this is a very good idea, why you need three different felling exams is beyond me. I actually think that there should be a specialist groundsmans ticket as not all groundies are aspiring climbers, it should cover felling, lowering and setting up rigging gear etc. Finally I think there should be a "Tree surgeon" ticket which would be awarded to anyone with the basic units plus 39,40 and 41. This is because at the moment you can do basic chainsaw and then advertise as a tree surgeon and put NPTC Qualified on all your signwriting etc. You should only be able to do this if you have the full complement of relevant tickets. This is more important than anything else really, as the public are aware of the term "tree surgeon" this could be used to police the whole industry. By restricting the use of this term many more people would take up training, this would be far more sucessful than any AAAC or ISA scheme as it would have far more public awareness.

Have to say I agree, we currently use an ldv and a landy with a tipping trailer. With 2 vans you could also send guys to two different small jobs or take both vans to one big job.

Its true that a 7.5 tonner will be more economical if you fully load it every trip but what about all those days where the chip box is half empty. I'll take my chances with the fines, i see people overloaded every day, towing a mini digger with a standard van for example, I'd love a bigger truck but by the time you've done the tests got the operators liscence and paid for the fuel and £1800 fine seems cheap to me. As far as my van is concerned its very well maintained and i must say will stop much quicker than either of the mogs i used to drive.

I am no mathmatician but i did cs41 last year and i remember chatting with the instructor who explained that he and a friend had done exactly this calculation. The forces are massive, quite how massive or how to measure them i dont know. I could ask if you dont get any luck on here.

With my LDV i go by the gap between the springs and the bump stops, I had it weighed once when buying some type 1 so i know what it looks like at 3.5ton. Its only a rough guide and yes i go over weight a lot. But with the price of diesel now and the fact that i'd have to the E test to tow a trailer and my groundie would have to do C+E I can't justify getting a 7.5 Tonner. I'm going to get a newer 3.5 tonner that can take lots of weight and take my chances with the law. Its good to know that tha landy can take the weight though, I've been considering a 130 tipper.

I think thats true, if it was stored in ideal conditiond it should last indefinately. The five years retirement rule is a loler requirement for equipment that is in use, it could have been in storage for years before it entered service.

I'm using stuff called bail out by samson at the mo, it seems to be much harder wearing than the regate. does anyone else use it? its light brown and 8mm.

I just worked out that i spent £960 on fuel in May. I recon this is going to have a major effect on inflation which will stall interest rate cuts and may even cause rate rises. This onlymakes a full blown recession more likely which is no god for any of us, the government cant cut fuel duty because the green lobby will tear them apart at a time when they are not exactly popular anyway. One solution which i have not heard anyone mention is to increase VAT on fuel to around 40% and then cut duty to maintain the current pump price, businesses can then claim the tax back therefore reducing inflation whilst the government can still claim to be green. Personally if high fuel prices will reduce the number of cars on the road i'm all for it, but not at the expense of inflation. I often spend 3-4 hours a day in the van sitting in traffic which is largely made up of cars with one person on board. The fact is if you work in an office you probably dont need to drive to work, yet all legislation seems aimed at larger vehicles which are usually necessary for the owner, all tradesmen need vans, most of which will be over 2 litre. So if any of you are involved in the fuel protests please consider campaining for a vat increase, it might just work.

Hi Dean, my accountant claims £1700 per year for use of home as an office, I am not sure how this works but she has done it every year for the last five. I think its meant to include all phone, cleaning and electricity bills.

I used to use a bandit 90 on the back of a mog, the bottom roller used to jam all the time with deadwood and sometimes with green wood too. Its definately a design fault IMO.