Tom D

Mine has done 85k, about 30k of that is with an empty trailer, 30 with maybe 2-3 ton and 20 towing the wee tractor, this is a genuine 3.5 ton load, the rest not towing. The rear radius arm bushes have worn, though not to excess, I will replace these with the hard poly bushes at some point. Other than that no problems, clutch is fine, and with the 6 speed ones you have a lower first gear which helps with hill starts, as well as cruising economy. If you are genuinely towing 3.5 ton then the landy is good for the job, having coil springs really helps the comfort too, especially with an empty trailer. It will eat brake pads though, but thats no big deal, just make sure your trailer brakes are well maintained and up to the job.

You must be a play station freak!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/sleep/sheep/reaction_version5.swf I can't seem to top an average of 0.21....

Well, we made a start, I reckon we have split around 200 bulk bags worth. Around 150 m3..... The pile doesn't seem to be all that much smaller though..

Yes the 2.4 The latest ones are a 2.2 land rover engine same as freelander.

What you have to remember is that there is a cost for visiting the site, once there, extra stumps would be likely to add little to the overall cost. A good firm with a decent machine should be able to do 10 stumps on the same site for around the £600 mark. Thats about what I would charge, although for the bigger jobs I bring in a specialist contractor, they do a great job leave the site really tidy and I get no comebacks. I am edinburgh area too so if you want me to put you in touch with them let me know, it would be around the £600 mark for 10 stumps though....

A few years ago everyone would tell you that the td5 was crap and that the TDI was the best thing ever. This is because the real land rover enthusiasts don't buy new ones, they hate change, and nothing new can possibly be as good as their old bus. So they buy older ones so that they can spend their time adding bits and fixing them. Now that the td5 has been around for a while the enthusiasts are running them too and hey presto they are now the best thing since sliced bread. I have never owned a td5 but have driven them and know plenty others who have owned them. They are good. Better than a tdi..... but not as good as the tdci. Trust me in another 5 years there will be loads of beardy real ale drinking landy boffins going on about how good the tdci is and how much better than whatever the latest engine happens to be. Here are some facts, a longer stroke engine gives more torque, the tdci has a longer stroke than the td5 and therefore produces more torque. Both engines can be chipped of course, but consider this: a local tyre fitter who I know runs a fleet of defenders, he had to get all his td5's chipped for towing his heavy trailers with earthmover tyres etc.. When the tdci came out he found that they didn't need chipping. They are the same HP on paper but the extra low down torque of the tdci and its 6 speed gearbox make it a much better tow truck. The 6 speed box is also much more pleasant to drive, and so is the interior. I have had a tdci since I bought it new in 2008, it has been excellent, and is now pushing 90k miles, used every day, hammered towing every day. I can't fault it. and given the choice I'd choose it over a td5 any day. But the decision is yours. Just try not to be too swayed by the beardys.

What part of the country are you in? sounds a lot, unless the stumps are huge. Central London perhaps?

Try redpath tyres, you might be able to get a decent set of part worns....

The way it works up here, contracts over a certain value are published and you have to tender, sometimes with a PQQ as well. under that value individual managers at the council are allowed to go out and get whoever they like. So to get a shot at ALL the work you have to be pals with a few people. Some councils have a frame work instead, with this system they publish a tender and PQQ and you submit hourly / daily rates, a set number of firms are then appointed to the framework for a fixed period of maybe 2 years. Managers at the council then have to use the contractors on the framework... We are on a couple of frameworks, and have won open tenders too.. we do not get many of the "its who you know" jobs.

I'll bet your neighbours would love that, get her cranked up on a sunday morning....

That was the spec, all left where it fell, we just cleared it off the track and cut up some of the bigger bits. Big tree that, managed to bury a 28" bar in some of the branch wood.

Its crossed my mind before, when I did this one I took some big lumps off, but I did move around a bit to keep it reasonably balanced. It wasn't as bad as yours sounds though... [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VUx_GLpwS8]Middleton beech dismantle - YouTube[/ame]

Contracts over a certain value are published by law on the internet. its public contracts scotland up here. try this for starters... http://www.bis.gov.uk/files/file39469.pdf

Good luck with the mog:thumbup1: as soon as I can afford a new yard in a more central location I'll get one, of now we are doing 500 miles a week and its just too much..

Thats kind of my point really there are loads of other people in all types of trades flouting weights, the ones who stick by the law are at a big disadvantage. I am not saying I run overloaded all the time, I take the tractor if there is a lot of stuff. As for being qualified and insured... no one has ever asked me how much my van weighs... been asked for quals and insurance plenty of times. If they really wanted to stop this they could. Like I said earlier there are loads of builders and landscapers towing plant which is way over the weight limit, and they only need to look at the plates to see...

No, thats the one I have its a 2.4, it was discontinued in the 2012 model the new 2.2 is a freelander engine. In the freelander its pretty nice, not sure how it would feel towing my wee tractor though....

We all break speed limits... and countless other laws what's the difference? There is an element of bitchyness amongst transit and lorry owning tree surgeons against mog and tractor owning tree surgeons who run on red, which deep down we know we shouldn't do. And likewise there is a level of bitterness amongst mog and lorry owners towards transit owners who run overloaded. Get over it.... each unto their own... I am in this game to make a living. its that simple, I choose the most cost effective way of running that I can. I could have one truck that does 10mpg and can only hold chip, or timber but not both. Or I could have a mog with front mount chipper and timber trailer behind.. but my current 2 vehicle setup allows me to start the guys off on a job and go and price other work, or run two teams on different jobs... Its so much more flexible and I am making good money.

We are not the only industry who regularly run overloaded, I see loads of panel transits and others towing mini digger trailer combo's which will weigh well over the towing limit. The cops don't even need to weigh them as both the trailer and digger will be plated, all they have to do is add them up. All I know is I have been doing this for 12 years and have never been weighed, if they were hot on overweight vans no one would do it. I have seen transit pickups with at least 2 ton of sand / type one in the back, or 3 bulk bags of sand... You will be really unlucky to get pulled and weighed... having a vehicle that looks overloaded will get you pulled, if its on its arse with sparks flying out of the back then its going to attract attention. As for 3.5 toners being useless.... why are they so popular then?? My main considerations are: will this make me money? will this cost me money? I bought a 53 plate transit 2 years ago, it was £5500 with 46k on the clock it has cost me nothing in repairs apart from tyres and servicing.... Thats some cheap motoring....its much cheaper on fuel than a mog (even on red) and a 7.5 tonner. I have a 3.5ton trailer as well as a 12 ton trailer for big jobs. Not having a go at mogs, I'd have one if i didn't cover such a big area, and if I get a new yard closer to town I'll get a mog....

It wouldn't cause it to suddenly stop dead though would it, it would loose power and run badly gradually as it warmed up....

What with all the threads on LR vs toyota Its interesting to note that on reliabilityindex.com my wife's freelander scores much better than either the rav4 or the land cruiser. And the Xtrail.... and check out the pathfinder!!! Actually an interesting site, worth looking if you happen to be car shopping... shame it hasn't got any commercials

I had an each way on sea bass.... got my stake back...+50p!

I don't see how you could have an intermittent compression fault, once its gone its gone. dirt or air in the fuel would probably cause some misfiring / spluttering so I would go for a wiring fault on the stop solenoid....

Figure of 9, figure of 8 with an extra twist, makes a nice compact knot.

If you want a legal route, have a friend call him to ask where he got the logs, then when he names you you have a case. I like deans idea too. TD Tree & Land Services Ltd.