Tom D

A very short video of our new chipper and crane, I will be hiring this out for site work in central Scotland and Northumberland. You can get through a LOT of stuff with a machine like this.....

I'd add front axle king pins to that list.

Thanks for your positive response Paul, my point is a valid one, and I would be delighted to see the AA address this issue. I'll try and come to the next workshop in scotland.

This all sounds good Paul but every time I think about this I am drawn back to the question 'What's in it for me?" And then I realise ....not much. The problem is, while I whole heartedly support the ethos of the scheme I never get asked for AAAC status. I have worked for 4 different local authorities doing works worth over £500k none have ever asked for AAAC, I have done a lot for the forestry commission, even they have never asked. So when I look at my accounts and see my overheads are £200k why do I want to spend more time and money on this? You still haven't addressed the basic issue of awareness, none of the big buyers round here have even heard of the AAAC, I know because I have asked them. If I am going to spend on an assurance scheme it will be ISO, having ISO will really help in the tendering process as many buyers automatically give top marks for ISO companies. When having AAAC is the difference between winning and loosing a £50k contract I will be the first to buy into the scheme. You need to get buyers involved. AAAC is way more relevant than ISO, I would far rather work towards an industry relevant contractor scheme like AAAC, but if no one is interested wether I have it or not what is the point?

A worthy cause, I wish I had done something like that when I was that age, it will be a real adventure.

Any kind of tractor or decent winch will have that no problem. The back weight doesn't look too bad in the pic, but I'd hate to price a job off a picture...

They lack low down power, not great for towing, you'd burn out a clutch just reversing the bandit up your drive Dean.

Interesting having the rigger riding the hook, saves the climber going up and down I suppose.

I'd take a panel out of that green fence and winch the whole stick back round and out, we have done a few of these lately, in fact I have another to look at tomorrow..Just don't do it while the river is in flood.. Oh yeah, its a canal, lol.

Apparently, haven't tried though.. I have run a chipper on mine Gemtrees, it is around 100HP, runs the TP250 no problem. There's not that much difference between the 4 and the 6 cylinder except the size, the 6400 is very manoeuvrable, way more so than the new N series actually.

My tractor would be £30 k if it was in wilson's yard, but then you'd have a warranty. I'm not sure how much the electric controls added, a couple of k at least, they are ace though, I wouldn't go back now, nor would I do without the reverse drive...

If you are in the woods all the time and the ground is steep then use a trailer crane, having said that roof mounts are more stable than you think, they just feel wobbly.. FWIW I have bought a lot of stuff off wilsons and never had any issues. and BTW TCD my new tractor was no where near 90k! more like 60.... and .I only bought the crane from wilsons, the tractor was from John Bownes

Here's mine Valtra 6400 Hi Trol, Delta Powershift, Botex 560 TL Crane ArbTrader Arborists Classifieds There's a couple of people interested now but no definite takers yet, You are more than welcome to come and see it, and there's a yard full of timber to play with..

Its 130 at the moment, I may chip it to 145... I have been running the chipper in "eco" mode which lowers max revs to 1800 and boosts torque, it works well as the chipper needs 750rpm at the pto and thats about what eco mode gives in 1000 speed...

Reversing is possible but interesting. The trailer is for shifting timber on site really, but I will try chipping into it, if I do get a big job where chip has to go off site I may borrow a silage trailer

9.5 ton tipper, its the red rock strip down trailer, they are really well built. That thing is 4.2 ton empty.

Convoy! I got Alex Price to pipe through the brakes and hydraulics for the trailer and the lights, so its a good way to get all the kit to site. Its illegal to haul with it though.

With Laurel the cyanide is in the leaves and fruit and not on the wood as far as I know, I have burnt loads of it on the fire...

When I am asleep. When we did predominantly domestics the quiet times are the new year and summer holidays, for LA stuff its just after the financial year end, with a mad rush just before. For the last 2 years we have been flat out pretty much constantly though, we do about 50% LA, 30% Corporate, and 20% Domestic.

Any more pictures of the tree? showing the leaves, if there are any..

Its a stupid system, we have been really lucky, we bought when my wife was working and quite well paid, and our fixed term ended on our mortgage leaving us paying base rate +1% interest only! We pay about £160 a month on a £150k mortgage... Our income is good now as business has been ok, so we could probably remortgage if we wanted to, understandably we don't.... The banks were throwing money around like confetti a few years ago, now they have gone too far in the other direction.

Same here. See earlier in the thread for pics of mine, it arrived last week. I have gone for the 570, Mines the n111, I may chip it though. I'd say go for the 570 too, mine currently has no wheelwrights and no ballast and it doesn't feel too bad, I will be ballasting and putting weights on it tomorrow if they arrive but it feels comparable to my weighted and ballasted 6400 with 560 combo as it is. The N series is a bit heavier than the 6000 series so I'd say go with the 570... What ever crane you get you will want more reach, although having the reverse drive on the new one will make any lack of reach seem a lot less bothersome...

Nice, just got an N series myself.. What crane are you getting?

syc for me too

Thats very true, £350 a day seems to have been the cheap mans rate for as long as I can remember. A decent 2 man crew with a truck and chipper and decent saws and kit should be getting £2750 a week IMO