muldonach

Warning - Overstressed Collie

Old Pal - long gone - not forgotten

Collie cutter - not bad for a handful of biscuits a day

On 09/09/2018 at 13:47, Conor Wright said:

To be honest I am not claiming any level of in depth knowledge here, it just makes sense to me on a basic level, obviously far more would have to be done alongside and I cannot claim to be, in any way, qualified to instruct anybody on this, but we are all entitled to our opinions and if those of us with workable ideas were to combine those ideas we may be able to create changes for the benefit of our kind..

Looks like you have been reading to much of the Guardian to be honest - you won't find too much overstocking on arable land.

If you don't treat the stumps with Glyphosate or similar you may as well not bother cutting in the first place - every stump will simply send up half a dozen fresh stems. Been there and done that.

You will need 1 person spot spraying for everyone on a brushcutter - and they will struggle to keep up

Big J has the rights of it - use the birch as a nurse crop

On 23/08/2018 at 15:26, drinksloe said:

It will be like most things then depends if it suits ur needs.

I would imagine it not being able to pull trees over will really limit its demand as only really doing half the job.

 

Also the fact it uses ropes i imagine the working loads aren't that high?

Could be a handy tool for some but quite limited as a serious forestry winch

 

Horses for courses

All that is needed to facilitate pulling trees over is to replace the bar behind the capstan with an elongated loop. Alternatively anchor a snatch block in a suitable position if possible.

A capstan has the advantage over a winch of always having a constant pull.

You should really be using a non stretch rope in this application and it may well be just as strong as a FSWR of the same diameted

So you want to use the hitch to attach the grab or auger and then use those lines to operate the attached tool?

Tee off the breaker lines and fit a quarter turn valve on each hitch line after the Tee so that you can isolate the hitch lines when you do not wish to pressurise/depressurise and divert flow to the grab or auger without energising the hitch lines.

Or am I missing something?

P.S. Never done it but talked it through with an engineer regarding fitting a grab/rotator

J - I recently talked to 2 of the harvesting companies - larch logs at 3.1-3.7 £55/65 tonne delivered locally in SW Scotland

Also if you are looking to maximise the load on your forwarder can you fill the back end transversely as opposed to longitudonally

On 25/03/2018 at 12:17, Big J said:

Quickest way I found to process it at the time was to stack it all in a large holder (basically four fence posts hammered into the ground) and chainsaw it to length with a large CC saw. Means you have to pick it up by hand, but none of it needs to be split so it's not too bad.

We do that but have made a frame with a series of posts at 500mm centres so that we can do about half a cube at a time to produce stove logs and move the frame around as necessary

On 18/07/2011 at 20:22, DN22 Gardening said:

we used to sell plenty of these on fleabay till the carrier went pop.

 

supplied flatpacked, 20 screws and it was up.

 

toooooooo busy atm to look for another carrier, tried the usual suspects but all are around the £40/£50 pound mark which kills the price.

The cockers look well worth fifty quid

I know it'll be difficult and expensive for the customer but that's the way they want it done. I have given them the options and they want it done the way they've asked.

The site is around a house plot so any equipment has to come up the driveway.

I don't have a harvester or forwarder in the shed so have to use the kit I have. I cannot put a vehicle into the wood so any plan that involves that is out.

I'm not as green to not realise the trees will be tricky to extract.

The damaging the remaining stems concerns me though.

You have described a site of approx 2.9Ha so there is a fair perimiter to it, it is not unknown in my part of the world to come in over a neighbours ground and through a perimiter hedge/wall/fence.

You have also described the intention to take a unimog and timber trailer on to the site so there is easy enough access for a skidder tractor, to the edge of the wood at least. A small 2wd tractor will pull the stems you have described on flat ground no bother

If you try to winch multiple stems up to 100m through the standing matrix then bark damage to the standing timber will be extensive. You will also require a good supply of slings and snatch blocks.

Do you have radio control on your winch? You really want that - and some skidding cones. Forget any ideas about pulling 20 at a go - 3 will be plenty.

If it is all or mainly reasonably small have you considered a quad forwarder? I suspect it would be a lot easier on the temper than fighting back and forward with a winch cable and if you have a mog with a crane to unload it your workload is reduced considerably - we unload ours with a digger and a sling

happy days:biggrin::biggrin:

Cheers

mac

Spot on, not a commercial wood.

Although it is very clear that this is not a commercial wood the point remains that trying to remove a random selection of trees from a planted matrix will be both expensive and difficult. Talk of winching tushes of 20 poles through such a matrix is naieve - and thats after you get them on to the deck in the first place.

In our conifer woods whch were all originally FC planting there are regular missed rows (racks) which were missed so as to provide future access - are there no missed racks in the wood in question?

Assuming there is not then there is still a middle ground which will accommodate some of your clients wishes and greatly aid with getting timber to roadside - bend the extraction racks, get then cleared and then herringbone into them. You will need a skidder or forwarder - but you need that anyway

cheers

mac

I meant to add that your original question was - could you recoup anything for the owner?

The answer is yes but to be clear they will make a nett loss on this project and the more difficult and time consuming they make it for you - and your starting point is very difficult indeed - the more it will cost them.

Cheers

mac

Ere you go

 

No matter how low your stumps are, they won't be low enough.

If you are not cutting racks, there is no way you will be able to pull 20 trees without seriously damaging the remaining crop.

If you enjoy hard work and can think on your feet, then go for it. You won't make any money, but you should cover your costs

 

Sent from my D2303 using Arbtalk mobile app

I had the pleasure some years ago of skidding 200+ tonnes out of a selective thin as described. The owner was very concerned about winblow and a couple of fellers had rumbled his marked trees down any way they could get them to the ground, they were lying in all directions

On first inspection I said i did not want the job - after some discussion I insisted on permission to fell what I needed to get access for the tractor, and quoted a rate which left nothing for anybody else.

We removed double the originally felled quantity.

I would recommend - with others that you thin to a system - line and herringbone.

It will be much less emotional all around and much more economical for the owner.

reduce the percentage removed if there are windblow concerns

cheers

mac

Cheers Marcus

keep us posted on how things go - we are following behind you with a good couple of Km to fo - in stages so be interested to hear how things work out for you.

Mac

http://www.roadex.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/FCE-SNH-Floating-Roads-on-Peat-report.pdf

Marcus - somewhat after the event but some further reading for you

Cheers

mac

Just about the planning thing it must be different in some areas but my local paper is full of planning applications for farm sheds/slurry towers etc most weeks all going throu PP.

I dare say most won't be refused but i have heard of them altering things

In scotland you have a choice-

1. You can apply for planning permission

2. You can apply for permitted develeopment rights

You cannot do much at all without at least an acknowledgement that you have valid rights

Cheers

mac

Looks like a handy bit of kit and good to hear it is working out - we use a quad with a logic trailer but would be happy to have that little lot if I was allowed.

I have got 4 large open sided sheds that we have built from telegraph poles and steel roof sheets to keep logs dry which work fine, i desperately need more undercover storage but as i am looking to buy my own piece of land am reluctant to make more permanent buildings. We split into ibc's stack them 2 high and line them up, ive tried covering them with various tarpaulin sheets from cheap ones to dear ones, roof sheets strapped down, concrete blocks on top! you name it we have tried it! every time the wind blows bits of it off does anyone have a better way of covering them

In your shoes I would not bother covering the outside ones - assuming you start with 4 full sheds start emptying one shed, once you have enough space to get in then start fillling the empty space but leave a gap between old and new - by the time you empty the last shed the first will be fine again.

If you are really keen to cover them don't use fibre or plastic sheets - use some second hand corrugated iron well weighed down.

Your other option is to get or make (its easy enough) some net to go over your sheeting and tie that down.

Thank you for your thoughts.

 

The land is the result of a settlement on a long dispute with a neighbour.

 

I wanted to guarantee a buffer between my new neighbour and my home; the 'paddock' and the wood are that barrier/buffer.

 

The woodland will be landlocked to any other purchaser, if it is not part of this settlement as my property will be the only place to gain access to it.

 

Whilst not worth anything of commercial significance and none with the TPO it will provide my extended family and I with a space of natural interest which we can manage in relatively low impact manner.

 

So working inside the terms and understanding of what can be done will probably not be too much of a restriction. More so as the Council man is happy to control the silver birch.

 

Most of what is felled will be left to recycle, being shady and Devon based, the felled trees will rot down fairly quickly.

 

The only reason for taking out the hung up trees is to make it safer to enjoy the space without fear of a tree falling on me or other visitors. From the boundary of the wood I have clear views across to Dartmoor.

 

There are no rides or other routes through or around the woodland, walking is a struggle due to the sheer number of weedy birches, so something more defined is needed. Then wheeled transport mountain bike/lawn tractor can get in and out, which will make the enjoyment of the space and the views more accessible.

 

..

I highlighted a paragraph above - I am not a lawyer but unfortunately I am very familiar with this point of law (in Scotland). There is no such thing as a landlocked property - it is a fundamental principe of property law (in Scotland) that the landownerr has the right of access to his property to the extent necessary to "enjoy" the property - it may be different in England but unless you have already confirmed this then don't assume that your statement is correct.

Fully sympathise with the rest of your post but I think my original point is valid - nice little project but its a garden - not a working wood. Do what you want to do to enhance your enjoyment but watch the costs.

My wife and I are about to take ownership, legal niceties permitting,

of a hectare of unmanaged woodland with a strip of rough grass paddock.

 

I have spoken to the local council's representative as the woodland is

subject to a Tree Preservation Order........

The Council's man seemed very keen for us to

remove all the Silver Birch and let the established but stifled Beech

and Oak trees grow away. There are a few holly bushes but everything is

quite thin and leggy. The Silver Birches have suffered and a fair number of

them have been blown over, and are hung up, by the winter storms of recent years.

 

We believe the majority of standing trees are about 70-90 years old.

The woodland itself was a sand pit last in commercial use around

the last war. It lies about 4-10' below the level of our garden.

Being low lying it is not aided by being on the flood plain of the local river

so it gathers and holds water with little difficulty. The soil is a mix of sand over

ball(China) clay.

 

We have to find a way of drying out part of the woods. Hopefully this

may be a case of developing the existing natural drain-ways into proper drainage

ditches and clearing a perimeter ditch of it's near total silting up. The main

problem is that there is not access for even a tiny digger with which to

make this work speedy and a shorter term occupation.

 

The standing water in the summer makes an ideal place for mosquito and

gnats to breed so drying things out or controlling the water table may

reduce this natural nuisance. In the spring there are a few ducks on the

largest area of standing water about the size of a large garden pond perhaps

400 to 500 square feet and it would be nice to improve this space to make it

better suited to visiting wild fowl.

 

Other wildlife consists of the usual small brown birds, a number of

Thrushes, Great Tits, Long-tailed Tits, Buzzards and the odd Roe deer.

At night we hear Brown and Tawny Owls calling. As for insects there are

a few butterflies and in our main garden several wood-ant nests. Plus

Hornet wasps and Bumble Bees make use of the Devon banks and Beech

hedge boundary on the south side of our garden.

 

We are talking to a couple of groundwork contractors about making a

'ride' to give access to smaller mechanical aids. I have read about the

use of adapted Lawn Tractors/Ride-on mowers, with fixed axles and ATV

tyres being the affordable way to get transport in and out what we can't carry.

Plus a Tir-for winch and some snatch blocks to assist in getting the better of

the many hung up trees, which just need a bit of a pull at the base to get them

prone...famous last words.

 

This seems an inexpensive way forward for our woodland and garden needs.

A cheap Alpine tractor is outside our means; little Grey Fergies, Leyland 145's

and their ilk are the preserve of collectors and enthusiasts.

 

On the Eastern boundary of the woodland we will gain a 'paddock' of

rough grass (approximately 15m x 50m) and we'd like to plant this with

Sweet Chestnut and/or Hazel as a screen to the spike topped security fence

of the neighbours property. But it is quite shady so this may not a

feasible option.

 

Although we doubt we will get the copsing material into more than it's

first cut in 10-12 years time.

 

The woodland and paddock are in a mostly East-West alignment. Currently

we need some advise us on how best to get this grand plan

into action in affordable stages over the next 10-15 years. We are open to

suggestions and thoughts from those who have trod this path before.

Unless you have a deep enough wallet to treat this as a garden then my advice would be to run - don't walk - away.

Beech and oak trrees do not grow in bogs, your site is a former sand pit over clay and lower than the surrounding land - unless you can identify and negotiate a way to excavate a drain to a point lower than the lowest point you wish to drain, then you are on a hiding to nothing trying to drain it.

If you want to remove pioneer birch then you do not need a tractor of any shape form or description - you need a chainsaw - cut them to waste and leave them, they will be gone in 2 or 3 years and the bugs will love the rotting timber and the birds will love the bugs. If you really want to do the green thing then just ring bark them.

Unfortunately neither the bugs nor the birds will prevent the birch regrowth so you can look forward to repeating the exercise. It almost sounds as if they are overstood and dying out anyway - no point in fussing about hung up birch - they will break and fall in a couple of years. If the whole wood is covered by a TPO then you will have a nightmare doing anything with a chainsaw, if the council does not hassle you some tosser will hassle them.

You also need to decide if you are going to drain it or develop your pond - its not likely you will succeed with both. You say there is no access for even a small digger - I assume this is for legal reasons since we can get our machine just about anywhere - if no road exists when we arrive we soon make one!

If you are set on the purchase then buy it and leave it alone, unless you can get the TPO lifted. There is no point in spending any money unless it is part of a garden.

It sounds fine the way it is - why not leave it like that?

Been treading this boggy path for 20 years now. Its always a lot more difficult and expensive than it looks.

Cheers

mac

Just be careful with what size tractor you have on....

 

'Too much power can corrupt'.....

 

Our processor's powered by a 205hp Case.

 

You can slow the speed of the blade cutting with an adjustable knob (fair enough), but it still catches me out sometimes, and so you're running for the PTO stop button....

We used to get a loan of a processor off a mate which we ran with our valtra - he used to get the tractor now and again as a return.

As some of you will know the Valtra has a PTO shut off at the back which is activated by pulling a plug - we always arranged a cord from that plug to the processor so we could shut down quick.

We also used to run at 540 output through the 1000 pto

Cheers

mac

Ok folks - many thanks for your responses - obliged

cheers

mac

My young fella is looking for a woodworking lathe from Santa - budget is around £300 so we are in the hobby class - there looks to be a number of choices in that price bracket - any recommendations from the knowledegable chaps on here?

220V 13A - no 3 phase available

Cheers

mac

Pellets imported from Estonia are a BSL accredited fuel, have I missed something?? Surely these have a huge carbon footprint?

Depends how they moved from Estonia to here.

If they came on a wagon they will have a certain carbon footprint, if they moved to say Rotterdam on a train they will have a carbon foorprint of about 10% of the wagon and most probably they went into a container and were moved by ship - so will have a carbon footprint much less than the train.

Obviously they will be hauled by wagon from some terminal either in Europe or UK - but it is unlikely they will have a huge carbon footprint.

Cheers

mac