Big 'Ammer

Dunno what its like. Does it matter if its not top drawer? If its any good, use it. If its lacking, do a few jobs till you can afford a new 200t. Keep the echo as a back up. Don't buy a second hand 200t, cos it'll be knackered. Who in their right mind would sell a perfectly running topper?

Remembered now, trailer chassis was a Bateman, cos I rang them up to get the spec for some new wheel bearings from the serial number on the VIN plate.

Been speaking to Ian, and its definately my old one. Non standard features unique to this machine are long spout extension and the discharge chute is converted to fold down backwards onto a bracket fixed to the lifting point on the hopper. I put on a new alternator and water pump in Feb, so they will look newish compared to other components under the hood. Best of luck in its recovery Ian.

The Bast**ds. Good machine that, served me well enough. I have just had a look at my old insurance records. Datatag CVN 0008096 Serial Number 974343 Can't remember the trailer chassis make but its British and northern, probably someone close to Fletcher Stewarts. Chassis VIN Plate SBN 13CCAAISG 27176 If you look very closely in the right light, you could see where the old decals of Derbyshire Council used to be. Hope this helps in recovering it mate.

Bloody rotten luck ICT. Will keep an eye out. If you got it from Beaver plant, its my old one, s/n rings a bell.

Now i've got a spare one! It'll come in for other jobs as well, Rupe. Like pulling over awkward stems on loose surfaces with a 4:1 set up, one low and diff lock. Gears everything right down and you don't spin and loose traction.

Softbank, its a 16mm swing cheek pulley fitted above the termination on the fall of the lowering line, so it can 'float' up and down. A line is fitted to it and that goes back near the climber. Serves two purposes. 1. An easy way for the climber to retrieve the end of the lowering rope if its difficult for the groundy to swing it back over and you don't want to keep tying it on your climbing line and pulling it back up. 2. Can be used with another groundy on the other end to act as a drift line in conjuction with the main lowering line, or to check the swing of the lowered piece like a sort of decellerator. In fact I was doing that part of it myself as the climber from the top of the tree. Sorry, no pictures as my hands were full, had a real nice horizontal riigging set up through two blocks as there was no good high anchor.

I have always done it that way MB, but in this case we were removing some long willow limbs over a factory roof with vents and flues to avoid and the tree was up a steep bank side, base level with the roof. No where for groundie to stand to flick the rope back, would have meant tying it back on the climbing rope every time otherwise. No where for groundie, or indeed a cherry picker, hence my arse in rope and harness !

Tried this technique out today for the first time that I'd seen on Reg Coates ash TD. http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=2531&highlight=floating+anchor Bought a small pulley at the show for the purpose. What an easy thing to set up and so useful, time and effort saving. Very impressed! I enjoy a bit of rigging, mind you, I'm aching a bit now - havn't been up a tree for a month!

Wellies?

Nige's 110 300tdi "played with" 21mpg general, towing 18, running about empty 24.

I was just asking if there was room and a big winch was an option that could be considered. There wasn't room and winch had been considered. Maybe not the best way in this situation , but a way of doing it nonetheless. I would definately not pull it side on to the lean, only straight back over on itself, and providing the tree was sound. I don't know what gear or other contractors with equipment Rupe has access to in his part of the world. Where I used to work we had a 4wd super major with a cookes winch that would pull a house down, and I've felled numerous trees like that one with it, either as faller or winch man. I don't have access to such a rig nowadays, used to use a bloke with a major with a boughton on but he's not got that now. If it were my job, with my current set up, I'd have done it with the mewp just the same.

Was there room Rupe, in theory, for a large winch and spade and fell it over backwards? A couple more Hesston bales on the driveway to drop it on and keep the crown off the lawn?

Good for you ICT, stick to your guns mate. If you see 10 clients like that ,and half get you and the other half get the cheapos, You have made £500. They have made £200. If you go and quote a days work for £400 and do it, you have only been to one site and had one journey on one day. The tossers have had to ride round all over the place and do 10 jobs to make £400, more probably 11 jobs to cover all the extra diesel. And that will have taken them at least two days to your one. So you get another day to make more money... or on the flip side you are no worse off than if you'd worked for peanuts and you have got a day off to spare. Keep your chin up and don't lower your prices. None of the other trades are lowering theirs.

Too right. Those are the ones you want Rupe.

Nice one!

Interesting thread this. Last year, I too was getting a bit sick of quoting against a local competitor who was ridiculously cheap against other firms. As time goes on you get to hear snippets from here and there about how these jobs were or wern't done and realise how he was charging what he was. He has since fizzled out. I picked up two jobs last week despite being the most expensive quote. I don't expect to get every job I look at, if I did, I would be too cheap. I know very well that I am not the cheapest tree surgeon in the area, however, I'm not the most expensive either and I'm always busy. I sell myself on value and service.

Chip cage is massive on your tranny!!!

Nice work Rupe! Definately wrong tool for the job - Genie 65 at 13 tons on grass and recently excavated ground !? Always specify your own mewp. Right tool for the job? - Logologist's major and cookes winch maybe?

25 Sept Dave. Its leaning into a field on a minor road, so I doubt it will receive any attention. I just saw them and pulled up a snapped the pics.

My three. 1. Polyporus squamosus (Dryad's saddle) 2. Meripilus giganticus (giant polypore) 3. Inonotus hispidus

Seen on a roadsise ash last week.

Just to throw a fly in the ointment, hypothetically.... Lets say I want to stand on the ground and fell a large stem, with one limb attached to it, by removing it with a crane. For a particular situation, this is agreed to be the best, simplist and safest way to carry out the job. Do I need 41, as I am dismantling with rigging, albeit not from a rope and harness, as I am stood on the ground? Do I need 44 felling a standing stem? - But is it a standing stem? Its more than that, as it has a limb attached still. Do I need 33, felling large trees? - But I'm not felling it, I'm lifting it. A forester with 33 but no dismantling ticket can't do it then! A tree surgeon with 41 and 44 can't do it, as its still got a limb attached and is therefore not a standing pole! Just a bit of fun! Discuss. What's anyone think? For the record, I have 41 and 33 and so felt I was appropriatly qualified in the eyes of the law!