Big 'Ammer

Not so many machines actually working either.

I've used a fair few makes and models of mewp and compared to others I didn't like the Teupen leo 15 for arb work. It doesnt seem to move in the right way for tree work and having a fly jib type assembly that the operator can't control is a waste of engineering, the basket may as well be fixed onto a solid boom. Don't know about the Goldlift havn't used one. Had a look at the 17m Traccess at the show, another machine in a similar vein. Ranger R16 is a good machine if the setups tight, Easy lift 150 has excellent outreach but is a bit numb in a tight spot to turn and has a large footprint and sliding outriggers, RQG15 Basket is pretty similar but smaller footprint and less reach, sliding out riggers again. Anything any smaller is pointless for tree work IMO. RQG18, like Dean has, is excellent, but is sometimes too big to get in and is expensive to buy. Depends what you need to do and where you need it to go. Get them all to bring one for a demo, John.

Not something silly like winter flap open is it?

Sad news Dean, pass on all our sympathy to his family.

Best wishes to your Dad, Foord. A bad harvest made worse....

My rope has no eye on at the moment! so I'm back to a bowline. The lad that used to climb for me used 'my' rope on his second to last day at work while I was down at the game fair. It had only been loler examined a few days earlier! He managed to nick it whilst topping out a conifer. He rang up and apologised but I went yeah yeah yeah, thought it was a wind up cos he was leaving! Monday morning and I had to take 2m off a nearly new rope! And make a note in the 'remarks' column of the loler sheets "shortened by 2m - monitor":001_tongue:

I think you've been bloody unlucky there Mac. I'd go to the customer and point out that a £140 road closure was cheaper than hire and delivery of an access platform to take down a tree you felt was not fit to climb and that you were unaware you were going to be charged for the closure. See if they'll stand it or at least meet you part way. Best of luck.

Chapter 8 books in the van, but it says how many cars in a given time pass by, therefore you can decide whether stop + go, give and take with one lane open, or full traffic lights are appropriate. If you could down to one lane and stop and go boards the actual time you'd have both sides shut would be only five minutes or less to fell, cut off the top and throw it back behind your road works and open up one side again? Looking at the size of the tree compared to the wedge there doesn't look to be much top and trunk to shift?

Mac, How long did you actually need the road closed for? ie. while you made the final cut and then cleared the tree sufficiently to get at least one lane of traffic open? Was it a 30, 40, or 60 mph speed limit? I agree with logologist's plan if it wasn't too busy. We do plenty like that, even ring highways up first and ask their advice, never a problem so far.

3 of us are going Thurs.

Sat doing some paperwork this morning and heard something running down the street..... Had a nosey out the window, the entire street was obcured by smoke and I thought at first that someone was burning a tyre! Turns out it was bloke cutting a hedge!!!!!! He was doing it in short bursts and then standing several yards away to breathe!!! I just had to grab the camera and share!!!

I'll stand corrected there Peter. Nuggsy, lessons were £38/hour using instructors jeep and trailer. Trailer has to be a box that you can't see through like a cattle trailer, horse box or plant trailer with mesh sides sheeted over.

Test costs £105. Amount of training and lessons, like a regular car test, will depend on the individual. 7.5 tonner is a different test, and more stringent I believe, but if you get that it qualifies you for B+E as well.

After third go my groundie / junior climber, Dave, has finally passed his B+E car and trailer test today! This new license must be holding back so many promising new entrants into getting employment. IMO its a more valuable qualification than a basic chainsaw ticket when it comes to getting a job in this game. No good having a pocket full of arb tickets and doing a days work if you can't pull the chipper behind a van full of chips on the way home.

Nasty things pulley injuries. A former colleague's dad lost a finger in one in an industrial accident. He was a mill engineer and was mending a machine that was supposedly locked down and isolated. The mechanism somehow turned and trapped his finger between pulley a belt and literally stripped all the skin and meat off the finger. Apparantley it didnt break the tendons so his skeletal finger had full movement but the hospital had to take it all off as there was nothing to graft to or rebuild. Yuk!

Ouch! Speedy recovery fella! Some stuff in post for you.

I've just swapped the baldes in my 530 this afternoon and rang the Jensen mechanic to ask the bolt torques to save taking boots off to go inside and fetch the manual and was told later models with 10.9 bolts are 310NM and the older 530's with 8.8 bolts are 220 NM. However he said they always set theirs on the hire fleet to 300NM its plenty tight enough. Apparantly its to do with how the knives are held on a Jensen, as you dont need to adjust and set any clearances like other types of chipper. My old kwik chips were half that torque value.

Grain trailer with high sides, bit of grain in the bottom, plank up from the outside, plank down to the inside. Give it a few days so the rats get used to going in and out for a feast but leave the little slide open at the back. Day or two more and remove the inside plank. The rats will still jump in being greedy, but they know they can get out of the slide. Another day or so and shut the slide! They'll still jump in but can't get out! When you think you have sufficient rats in the trailer chuck in the terriers!

Matty F, Timber went to a local mill. Thanks Skyhuck. Crane seemed the best and swiftest option for both us and the client. Both very happy with outcome.

1. There was nowhere good to stand. 2. First load away. 3. Second load away.

1. Me slinging the last top to give Pete a rest. 2. Last top. 3. Last pick, 6.45pm, 5.3 tonnes.

1. You can just see pete in the fork. 2. Tops away! 3. Dave and Cyril steer it round. 4. I fell the stick on the bank edge. 5. Pete relieved after the last awkward bit!

Here's some more from last weeks job. Full marks and thanks to Pete McSheffrey who did an excellent job in difficult and changeable weather conditions. We actually shared the work 50/50, Pete did the tops and I did the bottoms! There was other felling and pruning work work during the week and in total about 38 tonnes of timber and 35 m3 of chips round the site. Reasons behind crane felling were several. We had restricted use of the yard area as it was a working factory with constant vehicle and pedestrian access. The trees were actually down a bankside and there was no where to stand or get out the way for a straight fell as the butts would kick up when they hit the bank top, also this would likely wreck the timber. There was hardly room to fell anyway as trees measured 35m/115feet and adjacent small trees were to be retained. Would take too long to rig down traditionally and disrupt the routine activities on the site.

Nice! Liked the Allman Bros. soundtrack, makes a nice chilled change from the usual heavy metal that accopanies such vids.

Fell first if it would go. Failing that I'd climb it and take off some largish bits, wouldn't fancy being too far out mind, but would prefer mewp. Cut my teeth on dead elms. Its very strong, till you find a crumbly bit! Garden job - price may be an issue, so would probably climb. Commercial site - mewp defo, 'elf an safety mate! The person who authorised the works arse would be in a sling if there was an accident and these types don't want that! Plus its not 'their' money they're spending. The cost of a mewp is therefore justifiable to their superiors/bean counters. Bark comes off in sheets which is a pain for climbing. You need very sharp spikes, as your stood on very little, dead elm is rock hard.