Ty Korrigan

Perhaps... make one up using a tree with similar bark. For the latex, pva glue might suffice. I used to build exhibits for an outdoor company in a past life. Stuart

Another long shaky vid leaving me feeling nauscious. To spare my eyes, I gave up and made a cup of tea. Did he cut down that beech in the end? Stuart

In France, you pay around €25 to visit a GP. It gets refunded up to 100% if you have appropriate cover. The poorest still pay upfront but have a full refund. Stuart

In our case because we are vat reg with accounting it is 40% again on what we draw as salary plus income tax. Other smaller 'micro entreprises' like my subbies pay on their turnover after a 50% allowance for costs. So 50% of 50% meaning 25cents in every euro is social charges. Under this system the lower your business costs the higher your wage. As I'm married with 2 kids I've never paid income tax in France. Stuart

After the closure of our ltd company co-inciding with my wife having a serious operation to remove a 1kg tumour, I was without a meaningfull income for a time, unable to work as I had to care for my 2 kids and wife. I was forced to fall back onto state aid which also entitled me to free healthcare known as the 'Couverture Mutualle Complimentaire' I was previously paying €1200 health insurance on top of the 40% social charges levied on every euro of my previous salary. There are things the state won't pay for like opticions and dental care. This YOU need to insure for separately. I have in previous years visited the 'urgences' (A&E) in Rennes with work related injuries on 4 occasions. Head injury from a hanger, 7 hornet stings, eye and ear infections (sawdust mainly). I've been seen in around an hour each time. Each year we recieve a statement from the government body to who we pay our social charges too. It helps us appreciate just why we pay so much in social charges. In 2016 my wife gave birth by emergency 'C' section. This alone cost over €5k never mind the 5 day stay and subsequent home visits from nurses. However, there is a serious shortage of rural GPs as few young doctors wish to set up in the sticks. Many GPs are working long past the normal French retirement age for their trade and into their '70's. Our local GP can normally give us a rendevous within days, often same or next day. Specialists, often a month or so. Ambulances are run by private companies. Most towns have an ambulance service based there. Stung by hornets and in some danger, the local pharmacian offered first aid whilst the ambulance took an hour to arrive. Others more fragile might have died waiting had no-one intervened. Stuart

I think the U.K site has a price list. Stuart

Microbulls are all the rage here. 2 mates in Bordeaux and Paris have recently bought one. I might have been tempted myself but I couldn't seem to get the supplier interested in a demo. I'm following my mates progress. 2 others have recently bought the Toro 1000, also a machine of interest though a scale up from the über compact loaders. Stuart

Yes, cube, I'm a tidy line kinda fella too. Stuart

Any opinions on the Petzl micro flip line and grab? Optional micro swivel. Stuart

Does anyone elses Bigshot get tangled in the throwline during launching? Only mine seems to. The one I used on a course didn't, nor my mates. Maybe the elastic is twisted...? WTF... Stuart

You should join "The Dull mans club" on Facebook. This isn't a dig at you, it is the stuff of Dull. Stuart

Bugnot is very popular here in France. I saw one today being used in town. However, I think them expensive to buy and run. The hammers and knives being eye watering lucre. Stuart

A Bugnot wasn't a machine I'd seriously consider. I was curious to try a Bugnot so grabbed the chance to demo a new one and take a little pressure off the team who were feeding the CS100 whilst the Efi was being neglected... Stuart

I feel further installments are to follow...

Not had the privilege as yet. I demoed a TW150 once and thought it a fine machine but went for the Quadchip. Stuart

We had this on a brief demo recently. Bugnot 25hp 3 pot deeezle. Made in France 6 fixed blades like wee adzes. Roller and toothed belt. No braked chassis but a parking brake acting on the tyres such as the fsib20 grinder has. We where the first users so blades nice and sharp. In the 30min it was on site we chipped alot of tough springy red oak I'd stacked. The chip was fine with a good throw. Conifer the client produced dropped well short of the pile so in real terms alot would miss the truck. It was noisey, a metallic quality which penetrated my non-chipper muffs. The chip chamber seemed to resonate, the engine housed in a metal bonnet also didn't help. The chute also rattled adding further unwelcome decibels. The actual machine seemed well made and solid although I have a friend whose same machine regularly shakes bits off the engine. The chip chamber opens up wide. The 6 knives can be changed for 18 free swinging hammers. 6 knives cost €1200 The machine, discounted is €22k ht (plus vat) I have the quote before me. It was interesting to use a toothed belt with single roller which is offset the right of the infeed. This seemed to work well with forked material. The stop bar operation felt archaic and clumsy being reset with both a lever and button press. Having said that, it didn't trip as often as our GM150 would have. These are popular in France but normally sold with the hammers.

Is this a story of love at first sight...? The basis of a sizzling mini-series entitled. "Brief encounter at the Screwfix counter" Stuart

No, buy it, if it winds up Pete Bagguley, buy it, buy 2, in fact I'll buy one and make it my avatar. Stuart

Anything BUT Master of the Forest... Stuart

So are all current 35hp machines moving to a 25hp or will manufacturers keep flogging the 35 horse? Or... are we going to see a mahoosive jump to 45hp+ Anyway... If the world is so rabid for greentech, why are there no suitable E85 engines out there? Stuart

So... returning the Kubota engine to it's 35hp isn't at all impractical and is also well within it's origins design spec so... Why not? Makes perfect sense it seems. Stuart

I think we have recently established the value engine manufacturers place upon warranties. Let us not go there again, not for a while at least...lol! Stuart

This is my second Winter trading after the closure of our ltd. company. Fortunately I kept the phone number in my name. A good number of returning clients as a result. I've racheted up my rates, assembled a strong team and invested in publicity, kit, reduced the area I cover (French clients) and carry no debt. Although I'm not currently short of regular work, enough for 3-4 of us most days, our enquiries are in line with other French guys of my aquaintance, the market is slow. Even as I write this there is a report on t.v concerning the very subject of people tightening their belts. I've no worries though, as stated previously, ebb and flow, influenced by elections, E.U uncertainty, economic nuances far beyond our understanding. Of one thing I am sure of, there is no future quoting for expats. Brexit has strangled that market, at least for now. Stuart

Painting of a stolen chipper abandoned by travellers... Stuart

How does it feed compared to your 540? Stuart