Ty Korrigan

There are always 'tree fellas' advertising on various FB gardening or services groups who often use images which clearly show their competance level to a trained climber yet look impressive enough to Joe Public to win work. It's usually the number of pegs, rip cuts and dodgy rope work which gives them away. With the U.K having outsourced alot of arb training to training providers rather than retained training with colleges, pupils are almost guarranteed to pass their tickets in order to keep pass rates high. The U.K arb world being well saturated as a result. In France, you generally need to have already studied 2 years to diploma level in a related field in order to be able to apply for arb courses. There is also a selection 'concours' pre-acceptance to weed out the obviously unsuitable. There are very few courses under an educational year. Stuart

Stuart

Saw something unusual today when I popped into a local machine shop about a tiny welding job. On a custom made frame outside sat 2 rollers from a tub grinder. Teeth for pulling material in changed every 6 weeks or so and a special hard weld added to the flat 'teeth' They weigh 1.6t and are slightly cone shaped with each one meshing with the other. Tip waste, metal, tyres all shredded this way. Stuart

After having a terrible demo over here in France from which I went away with a very negative opinion of this machine, I then found a place with one to rent with fresh green teeth too. So without the stress of a dealer huffing and puffing, pissed off I'm grinding something larger than a pencil stub thus delaying him for his 4 course lunch with wine, I ground out 7 decent birch stumps in a time that totally surprised me. I used just under a tank of fuel and the teeth hardly touched. So last week I ordered one from Spectrum Plant. I'm honestly looking forward to making money with it. Stuart

What are the sides made from? I currently own (not the company's) a Lider 1ton mini plant trailer which I bought in 2005 and has served very well. Steel sides ply floor. For chip, an all steel trailer body seems excessive. Stuart

Is 'slap' is Swedish for trailer? Tipslap and Slapvagnar? Stuart

I'd suggest that might be an old excuse for not having greaseable bearings on some models... Stuart

Yes, amazingly well connected out here. Stuart

I found this make: https://www.nwtrailers.co.uk/new-debon-tipper-trailers/pwo-1500-lux-tipper-trailer Stuart

If none of the above advice is of any help, consider re-training as a floor tiler but not a wall tiler. Wouldn't want you freezing up with disco legs halfway up a bathroom wall... Stuart

Size wise, smaller trailer, approx 2.5m x 1.5m. Stuart

No, it is not quite so easy as that. You can be judged fiscally resident in the country of your main source of income regardless of residency. Stuart

French Gypsies actually get an allowance for 'housing' They change caravans frequently. It is true they are better catered for in France with every larger commune having a site. Around our town, gypsies offer exteriour cleaning, roof repairs and moss removal. Their tree 'pruning' work is utterly shocking but there again so is that of many Brit arbs over here. They mostly use mewps because the gypsy diet being high in fat although some do climb but not outwards. Their arb trucks are easy to spot. Often with garish publicity. Always clean as they don't generally own chippers. I've used them for scrap removal which they are very good at. However their roof cleaning is mostly a scam aimed at vulnerable folk. Instead of using the correct products bleach is substituted. This damages the fibro-cement slates turning them grey. Male gypsies take a delight in using their reputation to intimidate. They may accuse you of stealing their stuff in order to get you to open your van to them. The children remind me of those I met once on a Dublin council estate. All over you and your kit like flies. Nothing is safe from their fingers. If it can't be stolen then it is sabotaged. Gypsy kids know the current market value of everything you have. Stuart

I'm away cycling in the Anti-Atlas mountains and coastal hills of Atlantique Morocco. Here, in the villages of my wifes ancestors they still harvest wheat by hand using a sickle (not sythe) The wheat is then carried on a cart drawn by donkeys or mules to a central place where it is threshed using this machine and others like it. I've not yet managed to get close enough to one working to be able to film it in action though I have watched across the fields. The machines used for separating corn from the husk look just like a road tow pto chipper made by the 'A' team in a scrapyard challenge. My new Garmin GPS has opened up enormous possibilities for cycling routes there being no paper maps available. Next trip I'll cross the Atlas via one of the most stunning passes towards Ouarzazate to Zagora and into the Sahara to the town of M'hamid where family of family live. I think once I have had enough of trying to run a business in France, I will retire here, grow veg, run cycle tours and plant trees. Stuart

I've had a good surf but maybe I'm asking the wrong questions. Are there any braked tipping trailers made with alloy sides instead of steel? Gross weight around 2000kg. Thanks Stuart

Ooo! I missed that. Pray tell. Did he 'come out' or did his dna test say he actually of an ethnic minority? Stuart

When I read the title, I half expected to find Vespasian frothing and foaming over immigration. I'm terribly judgemental these days... Stuart

Stuart

There are so many variables that it is impossible to say where the main fault lies. Replacing all the toggle switches helped. The red kill button on the remote which is used in the starting process is a item of rapid wear. Solenoid on the engine itself. Though I firmly believe that the fault lies within the circuits of the remote control system and only by replacing the entire radio control will the fault go away. Happily, with my company now handed from administrator to liquidator, the burden of this grinder will shortly be auctioned off to some unsuspecting Frenchman. Stuart

Buddists eh? https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/rohingya-muslims-refugees-buddhists-monks-storm-un-shelter-burma-sri-lanka-united-nations-a7972236.html%3famp Stuart

I don't have a 'Christian' name... Ty Korrigan was simply the name of my first house in France. The French cannot pronounce 'Stuart', my Moroccan family call me Salah which is short for Salaheddine and my Afghan friends call me by 'Hey English can you lend me twenty euros' Stuart

I've always had a whistle on my chin strap where it is always ready. Stuart

Maddening to see dirty grease nipples at the end of the day. Others never seem to grasp the importance of the grease gun. Occasional users are the worst for never picking up on noises which might be a fault developing. Blowing out airfilters regularly and giving the tank a wipe before filling up. Giving the machine a run over with the blower once the stump is done. Being pro-active with the mattock and not ignoring that gurt lump of quartz. Stuart

Very little you say passes without some comment on here... Stuart