muldonach

Nahh haha sorry lads, tried everything but nothing has worked so sorta gave up

 

 

And we do get some wood for free other wood is from out farm through fallen trees and when we did some coppicing and other wood we buy in

If you right click on the photo and then click on "view image" it will save your neck a bit.

Looks like a lot of cu metre bags on a small truck!

cheers

mac

I'll have your number too! We charge £25 hr to process wood for customers, MF 35 plus hycrack and saw.

I would not regard that as being unreasonable - asuming that by "we" you mean that two men are included.

The way I understand it the OP is offering partially processed wood i.e. rings for his customers to split. I can certainly get a man with an axe for less than £10/hr and he will fill a cubic metre bag per hour with split logs.

Cheers

mac

£10 an hour including fuel, hire cost & labour? Can I have your number please as that's a bargain...

What fuel or hire cost????? A guy with a decent axe will do 1m3 per hour without any hassle on normal firewood i.e. 10-14in rings. A little less on small fiddly stuff.

Cheers

mac

Having just split a few tonnes of "free" wood, the cost of the splitter hire/fuel, plus the cash I gave someone to help, made it not much cheaper than buying split logs already. I think you'll find that the actual cost of the wood is pretty low in comparison to the handling costs

Surprised to read this - we would reckon to split easy 1m3 per hour so should not cost more than £10 to split a cubic metre of cut-to-length rings

Cheers

mac

.....I bought a 70's Rumanian 445 tractor(based on a fiat?) after having been stood a while.Worked fine until a big service.

A possibility is new oil may shift old oil from inner recesses leading to resultant (unconfirmed) big ends going.

Q. Do I have it taken to bits and repaired,or save up for something else?

what would be cheaper? in the long run.Regards,chris.

I suppose it is a possibility although it does seem a little far fetched - it is extremely unlikely that it would be economic to have it taken to bits and repaired, if by that you mean paying an agricultural engineer to do it.

It is quite probable that it would be economic to take it to bits and repair it yourself, we did this with a county which seized through oil starvation - it cost less than £100 to regrind the crank and fit new shells but we had to put a fair few hours in ourselves to get the crank out and back in.

I would suggest stripping it out far enough to confirm the fault - preferably without spending any money - and getting some facts and figures together before making a final decision. Hopefully you can access the crank without having to lift the engine out.

Cheers

mac

Richard Court might well have a Keto or two that would suit...

Ok cheers - where would I find him?

Out offshore at the moment and keeping an eye on the bay - we could do with putting a harvesting head onto the digger and came across a tapio 400 which is the sort of thing we have in mind but maybe a bit small.

Stone me if a 600 does not show up the next day and its in Scotland as well - got to be worth a shout thinks I.

Just went to confirm end date and time and its gone - removed!!!

Ah well another time

cheers

mac:blushing:

Been wet here too

not a pretty sight - hope the processor is ok?

cheers

mac

I've seen (on youtube) bundles tensioned with a ratchet strap and then with cordstrap so that cordstrap doesn't have to do all the work tightening. I intend to give that a try to get my bundles tighter.

 

I've found moving bundles with a crane gives problems but a round bale grab on a loader can do a good job.

If you want to tighten a bundle up and have a crane or other lifting appliance available then pick the bundle up with a choked sling and then apply your cordstrap - use the weight of the bundle to settle itself.

The old boys used to use a bit of pipe or a fencepost to tension a wire around the bundle with one end fixed to a post in the ground before tying the bundle

cheers

mac

I'm no cook but four hours ?? Really

shoulder, neck and shank have multiple muscle layers and direction together with lots of tendon tissue - the longer and slower you cook them the better - you need to cook it until it falls off the bone but have to keep the temp down to avoid the meat drying out.

Cook the girl some braised lamb shanks and use a port wine to enrich the sauce:thumbup:

Cheers

mac

I'd get a few prices first but make sure ur sitting down.

 

I'm about to start renovating an old ruin, was going to put a Boimass system in but not any longer, for a large 2 bed house u were looking at 12-14k just for the LGB and thermal store and some pipe work but not any plumbing.

The RHI is not worth claiming now for boimass, couple of renewable 'experts' i've spoke to recently wouldn't even quote for a boimass system even with me having free fire wood and were on;y intrested in Heat pumps.

 

Also from wot i have been told ur looking at 1-2 services a year so 2-400+ quid a year. Know of 1 farmer who it has cost him a fortune to fix as the previos owner never cleaned or serviced it right.

 

How are those who have LGB finding the servicing and maintenace?

Anyone had any major repairs yet? And wot age is ur boiler?

 

I'm now probably going to go to an old fashioned back boiler log burner system, probably with an oversized accumultor tank so will have hot water next morning for heating.

Plumber say's it should not be any bother but i'm using UFH.

I'd consult a decent plumber and possibly renew ur stove with a higher KW and put an oversized insulated accumulator in.

 

Interested in wot some of u say that have Boimass in, really far too expensive and it seems to complicated for me, all these fans and sensors to get an extra 10% effeciency which is all ur really gaining over a log burner/back boiler.

Worried about servicing costs and future breakdowns with it

Ah - thanks for all responses to date - to be clear - no interest whatever in log, chip or pellet boilers. My main heat source is, and will remain, in the lounge with a set of glass doors so I can look at the fire.

The wet CH system is already installed and working fine, all I need to do is to install a buffer tank to the existing system in tandem with a planned changeout of the stove - and I might even line the chimney.

cheers

mac

We have a reasonably sized 4 bedroom house - part modern built and part older structure, insulation is reasonable to good and we have heated it using a Hunter 20 multifuel for the last 23 years using nothing but timber.

The stove is coming to the end of its life and I am starting to think of a replacement and would like to incorporate a buffer tank to allow for timed central heating and hopefully a warm house in the mornings as well as the evenings.

House is in a village street and is detached - I have enough space to build an extension on to the gable if necessary.

We have our own timber supply but not really enough space for a woodchip hopper so prefer to stick with logs and a stove in the lounge

Any of you chaps done anything similar and have any recommendations or tips / pitfalls etc.

cheers

mac

Call the Council back and ask which section or section of the Weights and Measures Act they think you are in contravention of and then take a look at the Act itself.

The Act actually requires that firewood is sold by weight only - but only when a local byelaw to that effect is in place.

Cheers

mac

There is 4.5tonnes of hardwood in the trailer on the avatar, hardwood cord in Scotland should be about £45 tonne.

I delivered 5.5 tonne of mixed cordwood last week and charged £275 for it - 4hrs there and back with the tractor so should have been a little more.

The load in your photo is not worth £100

Cheers

mac

Not if it is done like this

Exactly if it is done like that - you have put up a photo of a grass field in winter with the leaf off the tree - now try to imagine the trees in full leaf and an arable crop in the field - the loss of light at the woodland edge and moisture competition depress the yield around the margins - even if you are just taking silage.

Now imagine a modern silage chopper or combine trying to work around the edge of the field with all the expensive bits to knock off.

It may not look like it to you but the production of that field is very probably reduced to a degree by the surrounding trees.

Cheers

mac

Haha, righto will do that tomorrow then. Will phone them up and see what they have got. I thought maybe a company would sell per artic load?

Its unlikely that a tree surgeon will have large quantities at any one time rather that they will have an ongoing need to get rid of penny packets - if they are close enough it works.

If you want bulk delivery then contact the harvesting companies like Scottish Woodlands - could be worth talking to your local FC office as well since they will sell firewood in bulk but more likely to be softwoods.

Cheers

mac

thanks Starscream and Vespasian, more sound advice, I might have been a bit greedy with my prices for this stage of the game. I based my prices on what my mates make, which is about £500 a day usually. I thought £150 to £200 a day was cheap considering the work, looks like i'll be re-thinking my pricing!

A dose of reality is required here I think - at £500 a day I would be looking for a lot more than 2 men with a chipper - for 1 man day it is risible in our area.

Sorry but I think you mentioned N Ireland, S Scotland - £20 per hour for anything to do with a chainsaw £10 per hour for a labourer dragging stuff about

cheers

mac

The honest answer would be no I don't know - but I would keep the LOLER records for as long as the piece of equipment remains in service.

It is perhaps a leap of logic but anyone looking for records has to be happy with complete records for all equipment in service.

Once the equipment is taken out of service there is no point in keeping the records - they are either scrapped or disposed of with the equipment if applicable.

Cheers

mac

is it the owners responsibility to contact council or is it the arborist carrying the work to a tree ? By the way I'm not sure is the tree has a TPO in question but it's in a conservation area. The local council isn't open on a Saturday or Sunday which is when I intend to do the work .... Do I just go for it ?

If you are going to go for it then you may wish to be sure that the job is worth £2500............

How are offences against a Tree Preservation Order enforced?

Anyone (my bold)who contravenes an Order by damaging or carrying out work on a tree protected by an Order without getting permission from the local planning authority is guilty of an offence and may be fined.

Flowchart 6: Offences | Planning Practice Guidance

The email response we got also.

 

 

A project is being carried out by this service to look into the manner of sale of firewood, you have not been singled out. The project was initiated by the fact that the number of firewood suppliers has increased greatly in recent years and there seemed to be a lack of understanding as to what the legal position is when selling firewood.

 

You can tell your customers the dimensions of the bags you use e.g. 100cm x 100cm x 100cm but as soon as you refer to cubic volumes or weights the transaction is caught by the Weights and Measures Act 1985 and you will be required to use suitable equipment to measure the volume or weight of the goods, suitable equipment would be equipment which has been approved and verified for use for trade.

 

Where sellers are selling firewood by the load these transactions are not caught by the above legislation as no weight or volume is declared and it is up to the customer to decide if the price is value for money. I know it goes against what you would think but not declaring a weight or volume is the easiest and most straight forward option for the seller.

 

 

 

Do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further advice or information.

 

 

 

Kind regards

This smells a bit fishy - the Act is quite clear that where a Byelaw is in place then firewood can only be sold at retail by weight.

The email makes no such statement so it would appear that P&K TS have not enacted a Byelaw

The basis of the letter also appears incorrect - the act applies because you are selling goods at retail and not because you refer to those goods in terms of weight or volume. It is people who are selling by the load who are in contravention of section 26 of this Act.

The statement underlined has in this thread been taken (and in my view is meant to be) to mean that if you are going to sell in cubic metres you will need some kind of "approved" cubic metre measure.

I can find nothing in the Act to support that view and would be happy to be guided to anything that does. The Act defines measurements of volume as:-

Part III Measurement of Volume

Metric units

CUBIC METRE = a volume equal to that of a cube each edge of which measures one metre.

Cubic decimetre = 1/1000 cubic metre.

Cubic centimetre = 1/1000 cubic decimetre.

Hectolitre = 100 litres.

LITRE = a cubic decimetre.

Decilitre = 1/10 litre.

Centilitre = 1/100 litre.

Millilitre = 1/1000 litre.

A cubic metre is thus an approved measure under the Act and there is an inference that the volume can be calculated rather than measured. It would appear that a tape measure should suffice as a piece of "suitable equipement"

I think I would be tempted to ask PKC what constitutes "suitable equipment to measure the volume".

Where we are on less solid ground is that we are selling in "loose" as opposed to solid cubic metres but so long as that is made clear I see no contravention of the Act which can be summarised as requiring that goods sold at retail are accurately described as to quantity.

There have also been statements that it is an offence to supply more than stated - this is not included in the specific offences listed in the Act but the following paragraph is:-

36 Excess due to precautions.

In any proceedings for an offence under this Part of this Act or any instrument made under this Part, being an offence in respect of any excess in the quantity of any goods, it shall be a defence for the person charged to prove that the excess was attributable to the taking of measures reasonably necessary in order to avoid the commission of an offence in respect of a deficiency in those or other goods.

The whole thing looks as if some jobsworth in PKC has a stiffy for firewood sellers

http://www.pkc.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=17720&p=0

Cheers

mac

What is this suitable equipment, and where does one obtain it? He does not say.

He doesnt say but it would be interesting to see P&K challenge a 1 litre jug used to fill a cut down IBC with 1000l of water.:001_tt2:

Alternatively the local firewood sellers could see it through to a European Court - given the way they sell firewood in France I would not bet too much on P&K chances:thumbup::thumbup:

http://www.britannica.com/science/stere

Cheers

mac

Part IV Wood Fuel

11Subject to paragraphs 12 and 13 below—

(a)wood fuel which is not made up in a container for sale shall be sold by retail only by net weight;

(b)in the case of a sale by retail of wood fuel made up in a container for sale, the quantity by net weight of the fuel sold shall be made known to the buyer before he pays for or takes possession of it.

12(1)) Paragraph 11 above shall not have effect in any area unless the local weights and measures authority for that area so direct by byelaw.

(2)Not less than one month before making any byelaw by virtue of this paragraph, the local weights and measures authority shall give public notice of their intention to make it by advertisement in one or more newspapers circulating in the area to which the byelaw is to apply.

(3)The local weights and measures authority by whom any byelaw is made by virtue of this paragraph shall give notice of the making of the byelaw to the Secretary of State.

13There shall be exempted from the requirements of paragraph 11 above any sale of wood fuel in a quantity which does not exceed [F67.5 kilograms] or which exceeds [F7500 kilograms].

Annotations: Help about Annotation

Amendments (Textual)

F6Words in Sch. 6 para. 13 substituted (1.10.1995) by S.I. 1994/2866, reg. 3(6)(d)

F7Words in Sch. 6 para. 13 substituted (1.10.1995) by S.I. 1994/2866, reg. 3(6)(d)

14Paragraphs 9 and 10 of Schedule 5 to this Act shall have effect as if any reference in those paragraphs to solid fuel included a reference to wood fuel.

Above is an extract from W&M Act 1985 which validates the position indicated by the correspondence received by the contributors based around Perth - but only if the necessary byelaw is in place

I find it quite amusing that this validates selling woodfuel by weight and yet at the same time (part 14) makes it a crime to dampen the fuel to add weight

Cheers

mac

Email response from trading standards below.

 

 

 

You can tell the customer the nominal size of the bags but as soon as you make reference to cubic metres the transaction is caught by the Weights and Measures Act 1985 and suitable equipment needs to be used to measure the goods.

 

Firewood can be sold by weight, I understand what you say about moisture content but as long as the logs weigh the declared weight when the transaction takes place, there is a defence in the Act of subsequent deficiency where it is a natural product which will change over time.

 

Once again suitable equipment would need to be used to weigh the goods which would be scales approved and verified for use for trade.

 

You could say ‘loose hardwood or softwood logs in a bag which has the nominal measurements of approx. 100cm x 100cm x 100cm’

 

 

 

Do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further advice.

 

 

 

Kind regards

Your local councillor should have regular clinic sessions - might be worth taking that along and discussing it with him. Alternatively you may find that your local paper would be happy to run an article on it

cheers

mac

The email response we got also.

 

 

A project is being carried out by this service to look into the manner of sale of firewood, you have not been singled out. The project was initiated by the fact that the number of firewood suppliers has increased greatly in recent years and there seemed to be a lack of understanding as to what the legal position is when selling firewood.

 

You can tell your customers the dimensions of the bags you use e.g. 100cm x 100cm x 100cm but as soon as you refer to cubic volumes or weights the transaction is caught by the Weights and Measures Act 1985 and you will be required to use suitable equipment to measure the volume or weight of the goods, suitable equipment would be equipment which has been approved and verified for use for trade.

 

Where sellers are selling firewood by the load these transactions are not caught by the above legislation as no weight or volume is declared and it is up to the customer to decide if the price is value for money. I know it goes against what you would think but not declaring a weight or volume is the easiest and most straight forward option for the seller.

 

 

 

Do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further advice or information.

 

 

 

Kind regards

To quote a hebridean friend of mine "This logic defies all madness!!":stupid::puke:

Its nice to know how your taxes are spent - these people obviously have too much time on thier hands!

Cheers

mac

I have been following this thread with interest.

 

I don't know if this is feasible or not.

 

If you had to pully blocks. On at the top, one at the bottom. I would set the tirfor at the top so it's well out of the firing line. Get one very long rope and thread it through the pulley blocks. Tie the two ends together and create a loop. Also tie a loop in the center of the rope. Pull the setup tight.

 

Now when one loop is at the bottom the other will be at the top. I would be looking at modifying a pair of timber tongs for small timber so you don't have to strop every log.

When you send a log down the other loop will come back up, the guy at the bottom can unhook the log and you can send the next one down.

 

What does everyone think?

 

The only downside I can see is if the tension required to stop it sagging is such it prevents the rope from running freely through the pulleys

You won a coconut! In order to keep the rope from sagging (under load) you need a pretty high tension - much higher than the actual weight of the load, since you have equal tension on both lines it will not run freely.

Cheers

mac