Ty Korrigan

5 visits to the Briggs dealer. 900km, 12 hours driving. I have asked for a pressure test on 2 previous occasions only to be mugged off. Last Saturday I was assured that one would be done and that I could leave the chipper and collect Monday. Today, by phone, the mechanic now says my chipper is a non-runner after his ministrations and that it won't be ready until next week. He's been fiddling with the crank sensor instead of doing the pressure test so I asked for a third time for a pressure test to be done. What I predicted has come to pass. I'm being mugged off by the very people who are supposed to there to provide aftercare. Once again a dealer has proven their incompetance in solving a simple problem. Not like it is a fecking Rolls Royce Merlin engine. This evening, the familiar tightening across the chest has returned plus the restless feeling which comes with suppressed anger, anxiety and stress. GM as ever have been very supportive though their hands are tied as this is a Briggs issue not a GM one. Stuart

My new 2511 stopped oiling. It isn't blocked, something isn't engaging. Guess I'll need to replace first the worm then the whole chuffing pump if that 'marche pas'... Stuart

It was fun whilst it lasted. The trigger fell apart, exhaust has fissured, new Sugi bar destroyed hitting metal and lacks an antivibe which I cannot get to stay in place. It is currently with a man who has a huge list of 'round-to-it's' Stuart

With the 500i being able to run 50cm to 90cm who needs anything else other than an Echo 2511 I'm a 2 saw business these days! Stuart

One of my lads recieved an angry email from a client complaining they had spent 'all morning' trying to cut up the wood he left behind. He thought WTF as the quote stated 'leave wood in 2m lengths' So being a customer oriented fellow and a sensitive soul who wouldn't sleep soundly until matters resolved, he drove a hour back to the job only to find the clients husband had put the chain on back to front on his saw. The guy is a builder who at the quoting stage told my lad "I'd be doing this myself but the Missus won't let me" (3 hairy gurt pines mixed up with power and phone lines) Stuart

In reality, even on a large conifer job, 4 hours chipping would be alot of machine hours and require people cutting and dragging to keep the wee chipper fed. Empty hours accumulated without chipper being fed just mess up calculations of machine life and costings. My CS100 blades averaged 25 hours even being obsessive about clean material going through. Yeh, I got more hours but I also got fewer after lending it out to more careless hands. Stuart

Nothing 'anal' about a Tinytach unless you use it for felching with your boyfriend. Another aid to estimating hours would be the number of blades used. Stuart

Chinesium lustre is only as deep as the price is low...

Any Hyundai class chipper owners with over 300hrs on the clock? Our CS100 has... Stuart

Expat Brits not French. Stuart

Good grief! If I had this machine (in France) I'd be minimum €420+ inc vat per day owner operator. Even my compact tractor I charge out at similar with driver. Whatever happened to making money? No effing way is £70 a realistic tariff but hey, your business model not mine. Stuart

Worse, I find in France, people who 'retire' early then become self employed to access the health system. They buy machinery and then hire themselves out at fabulously unviable rates which make my bid seem unreasonable. Stuart

I think you need to upsell the use of your machine, all costs and depreciation covered with a healthy margin for a decent profit. I see many guys working their businesses at cost only. Stuart

A tracked loader costing £20k hired out at the sum you propose would barely cover the depreciation let alone actual running costs. I would have thought £150+ would be a more viable rate. Stuart

True! Abattage (felling) is also slaughter. As in 'abattoir' Stuart

I folded and re-booted. www.lejardinieranglais is mothballed. I still own the domain but the trading name is dead under French law. New site 'en cours' Current one was hastily put up by a mate for no charge. Alot of revision of the script and an effort made with better images. It can't be that bad considering the amount of work coming our way but as I see it, the site has much room for improvement. www.franglaiselagage.com Stuart

This is in 'foreign' Most French clients assume 'Franglais' is my name. I don't mind, I'm regularly called worse. A Brit said I was 'expensive' I replied my wife says 'I'm priceless' Stuart

'Treeple' I read it as... Stuart

Finding a balance for a couple can be difficult. I'm just glad we left before the lady returned. Regardless, it helped as we where on site for only 2 hours and the boys went home early. Stuart

3mm alloy. I could have ordered 4mm but it's a trailer not a Panzer...

Is there any advantage to chequer plate? Stuart

I originally sold the wife on a reduction/thin leaving enough branches to look like a handsome yet sparse tree, fitting for the situation, revealing a view across the valley currently obscured. On the day, the husband took me aside, " I want it all off." Are you sure? We can do good things here. "No" was his reply, "all off. Climber starts his saw "last chance" I shouted to the client who just waved from the seat of his JD1026 tractor and mowed on past. Ah well I sighed and signaled the climber to begin. Bet his wife burst into tears when she returned from petanque... Stuart

In retrospect, we panicked a little over importing before Brexit (unknown tariffs) and rushed into buying this trailer from stock. I could have waited and ordered one with alloy sides and saved some serious €€€. Stuart

No, geared, I'm told it is around 25hp at the shaft. My thinking was that as (for instance) a GM 130 is basically a 150 with a smaller 23hp engine, a 6" pto chipper might be much the same. I'm picking up a new flail mower tomorrow so I'll soon have a chance to feel for myself 'the power' and compare it with my experience of the hydrostatic 26hp we had before. If I don't go down this route, I'll still look for a second chipper as backup. Call it insurance if you will. I'm planning for the the scenario of a full diary of stroppy clients, a broken chipper, a long delay in repairing and hire costs at €1000 p/w plus vat. Stuart

I should have added, one of my colleagues has a new 33hp Kubota with which to run it off. Although, he would prefer access to a shredder as he does more grounds maintenance. Of course, I do realise that for the price of a new pto chipper I could buy in a much larger used U.K chipper but unless post 2012 it would be problematic to register here and would require updating of the infeed and security and which is around a €1k. I'm asking about pto because we have tractors and in the event of chipper down time, I would be spared costly hire fees of €200 per day which for an average of an hour a day chipping is painfull. We've still a CS100 as a back up though for alot of our work it would probably break us mentally to go back to feeding it. Stuart