Ty Korrigan

Being as you are, in the Emerald Isle, have you been to the pub with it and got so lashed they drove you home in it? Just asking, not stereotyping or anything...lol! Stuart

Spud? Do you know? Stuart

We are plugging away with the 241 for now as commented by others previously, it really is a very easy saw to start. Still considering a battery saw though. Mrs Lee is quite at home at feeding her chipper and clearing up. She lacks experience for efficient rope work though she is getting on well with the treerunner bollard. Certain jobs which would benefit from both chipper and trailer mean we must make a return trip to clear the wood as sadly Tia doesn't drive. Yesterday however, a passer by asked about the wood and true to his word cleared it all before we left the site bonus! Stuart

Hello, Need to change the lot. Other than a 65mm drive socket, are there any other 'special' tools required? Cheers Stuart

Hello, I've a Spudded 2511 which like all my other smaller saws since 2011 runs on a diet of Aspen 2 and Aspen bio chain oil. I have a continious issue with the saw not oiling since new. The Aspen chain oil seems to contain very fine particles which block the gauze on the filter, creating an almost wax like effect. Fed up with changing saws for one that oils mid job and continually cleaning the tank and filter every few fills, today, I emptied the tank, pulled out the pipe and removed the filter leaving the brass weight on the pipe. Instantly, the bar had a good flow of oil. I doubt the pump will block up with sawdust but I'll take care to rinse my tank when I give the saw a clean. Any-one else experience this issue? None of my other saws (all Stihl) have this problem. Yesterday, I had to change saws for the 69 euro Woodstar top handle I bought from Bricodepot out of curiousity. It often sleeps under the rear bench seats for just such an occasion. It is one of those generic Chinesium type saws who differ in colour, brand and minute body details but are all much the same saw. Apart from it's weight and low power, I think it a great value saw and starts in just 3 pulls after weeks of sitting on the shelf. Stuart

Well, we have made some progress with starting the saw. It seems to be more of a lack of confidence in giving the cord a strong pull. I'm working on getting her used to correct usage of the brake. The classic error of using the right hand to push the brake forward and again using the right hand to release. Holding the saw with arms outstretched rather than close in. Hard to get strict with your wife without creating some tension but we are rubbing along quite well at work and are managing to get through some surprising jobs together. Keeps the coin on the family, lower turnover, higher profit. Stuart

2 trips which is why 2 tickets. Stuart

I had 5m3 on board so 400kg per m3 I know at what point I'm over weight, with kit and 2 crew I've 500kg, risible... Stuart

I'm not about the lack of minerals. That is the largest tree I've climbed for months. Let myself slip rather... So to motivate the inner climber, I treated myself to a pulley saver which I was delighted to find makes a great difference. Stuart

I'd never have chanced anything but a local journey, tip being 2.7miles away. Caught a €90 fine in 2015 for being 900kg over. My saggy springs gave the game away then. Stuart

I did what I could with the wee Echo and just didn't have the minerals to haul a larger saw at the end of the day. Besides, an overground pool is going there so lawn condition isn't an issue. Stuart

To my surprise, a whisker over 6ton. I took my new Ifor tipper today and naughty naughty managed to exceed my gross train weight by 750kg with the 4t ticket. Day before a mere 2t of chip on the weighbridge. Luckily the tip was only 2.7miles away. Hurray for Midlands uprated springs. Iveco gets new brakes, discs, pads and calipers next week too. Stuart

Hmmm. Uncomfortable phone conversation with a client this evening. Group of 3 large eucs, well over stood for their situation, each growing away from the others other at various degrees of lean. I advised removing one and reducing the others. In my original quote I mentioned possible risks. Client asked me to reword the quote to remove phrases which might alarm the neighbour who had offered to pay half so that they might at last get some sun on his pool. In the end, in May, we removed one tree and it's stump was ground out leaving the 2 others unpruned due to neighbour and clients budget constraints. The trees where more than 2 metres apart from memory. Client informs me that one of the remaining 2 eucs had started to go over. He didn't call my mobile as per usual but left a message on my landline which I picked up the next day. Meanwhile he had contacted another tree firm instead. They informed him that the tree had gone over not due to the high winds and heavy prolonged rain, waterlogging the soil but because of the previous stump grinding had cut through important roots. From the tone of the conversation, it would seem that he would like to pin McShit on me and recover his costs. I feel a lawyers letter in the offing. Stuart

29mins to bids close. I'll post an image of my weighbridge chittys. Stuart

I won't string this out too long. I'll give the answer around 10pm once I've bound, gagged and chained my 3 year old 'boi' into his bed. Stuart

All this time I've never had the opportunity to weigh an entire tree but this week I had the chance to find out. As we were working 100km from base, I used the tip near Saint Lunaire which has a weighbridge for businesses. Green waste is €30 per ton. So let us have a little fun here and guess the weight of the tree. Chip, wood, rakings. Stuart

I could have posted 'a suitable ladies saw' but.. A. we don't live in the Edwardian era and... B. I'd probably find myself attracted to it's convenience in due course. Mrs Lee has been working on the ground on and off for a while now and wants to learn some saw skills. Basic snedding up of branches and also forks at the chipper. I try to send down branches that don't require any work like forks cutting up but like many mediocre climbers I'll cut for convenience wherever possible and so my lovely wife often becomes overwhelmed with nasty twisty of overweight heavily forked macrocarpa Mcshite. She has had a go with my 241 but finds that a little physical to start. So I want a find a light, easy start saw for her. 2 of my elder groundies both suffered shoulder problems and so carried their own chipper saws, Stihl Ergo Start. I am considering battery for it's starting convenience but more open to petrol saws as they are not limited to battery life OR the life of a battery. Arbtalk keeps flashing up an advert for an Echo CS-352AC Aside from the autochoke, how easy will this be to start on the pull? Are there any other versions of Stihls Ergostart from other manufacturers? Advice and recommendations please. Regards Stuart

Totally revised, edited and spell checked by a French native (Luckyelevens Missus) www.franglaiselagage.com Stuart

Lucky old Dempsey! Exactly the same as I buy. I have seen Seriously Strong and Whyke Farms very occasionally in wee 150g packs at €15+ per/kg but now I have a 6month supply for rather less. Stuart

Less demand or interest in British foods as the country falls out of favour. Many resident Brits are leaving France. Brexit means they now require a residency card. To obtain one they need to register with the tax office. Thousands of Brits have been living under the radar for years, not paying French taxes yet taking advantage of Frances superior health system as E.U residents. Many working on the black, running gites, taking payment in sterling and doing cash jobs on the side. All of this now comes to an end with Brexit. As a non-European resident in France, you need to pay into the system if you want to use the system. Healthcare, schooling, social aid etc will no longer be freely available unless you are registered in the system. Many ex-pats actually voted for Brexit without understanding the implications. Pre-brexit has seen a mass of people registering as self employed here hoping that will help with residency. Think of Priti Patel and her minimum income proposals for immigrants. At the moment the income required is very low, far less than the minimum wage. However if Le Pen becomes President then this will likely change. Only the better off Brits will be able to afford to stay and pay for their health care especially with the poor exchange rate. I quoted at a property recently. It was up for sale at €88k and went for €44k People just abandoning their French retirement dream. I probably strayed well off subject. Apologies Stuart

There is nothing remotely like mature cheddar to be found in France. I have a weakness for a warm baguette with Cheddar and Branston. Beans have disappeared from most supermarket shelves pre-brexit and besides they were almost €2 a tin. Lidl and Aldi sometimes carry similar in glass jars but I've not found them recently. Marmite, Dairy Milk, ginger biscuits of all kinds, comfort foods. Stuart

Carrie, what was your guys quote? Is it comparable to the figures given on here? Stuart

Carrie, please consider obtaining advice from an arboricultural expert who can offer a tree report with a picus test which is a non-invasive scan of the interior of the tree. It may well be that the fungus is not advanced in it's decay and that no action is required or just a crown reduction may be a more economical option. I recently visited 2 oaks which fell in recent high winds, both had this same fungus, it attacks the roots and butt of the tree leaving just soft cellulose fibres like wet cotton wool. Sadly there is almost no value in the raw wood. Regards Stuart

Ever the romantic, whilst.in the U.K last week I bought Madame Lee a pair of Meindl Airstreams as she is keen to become more hands on. I put them on her own H'bros business account. I can't wait to see her face in a few hours when she unwraps them and her face again when she gets her H'bros account statement in January... Stuart

Just got back from the UK with 24 blocks of cheddar, 12 tins of beans, 34 x 200g bars of Dairy milk and 2 large jars of marmite. A man has needs you know... Stuart