josharb87

Not here (Sweden) unfortunately

The amarok is a nice Car, (the hilux still feels a bit more like its built to work though) a mate has one which did need the engine splitting in 2, just under warranty luckily. But when the Navara n-guard, and hilux ultimate (high/top spec models) here are about 28k +vat, its hard to justify 45k +vat for the amarok.

I like my 3ltr invincible, but often think about upgrading mainly for the need for 3,5t towing ability, navara n-guard is top of the list if I go for a new mainstream motor, better spec, warranty and can tow 3,5t

Euro -12 engine?!

Just because of the irony I reckon Bob will reverse a trailer into it today

Work out what you want to pay, either out right, or if you're going to finance. Buy as new as you can. and the size of the machine. Include 1k in your budget for ramps, gaurds, teeth and other consumables or tools you don't have (spades, rakes, blower, grease gun, socket set etc) Whats your budget for the machine?

I completely agree with your original sentiment, but the moderators are regular guys, volunteers, with their own busy lives. Make their lives easier by reporting those kinds of posts, the more there is reported, the less there is to see which will mean people are less likely to lower the tone

Have you been using the report post function?

Not sure if it helps, i recently went through a similar decision. Theres a thread about it. Looked at TW, the 230 was too lightly built, but impressive performance, 280, too wide, not enough performance for its capacity, Först, fantastic backup, terrible resale, no one that i know with a först would own one outside of warranty time. Greenmech, well a 1928 safe track would have been way up there as a machine of choice, but the green mech dealer here in Sweden has a worse than shit reputation which is a real shame as green mech products are immensely underrated imo. Briefly considered Bandit, but decided that their huge size was their downfall, i wouldn't be able to get to many trees with something that wide. So i ordered a Jensen 540T, Varitrac, with upgraded 50hp motor and hydraulic winch. Didn't opt for the spider (which includes the 50hp motor) as it was about 400kgs extra and i thought it was more to go wrong, and hadn't needed the up down feature on my previous chipper. That 400kg would also mean i couldn't have the chipper on the tipping trailer and the grinder on at the sametime (my grinder, trailer and 540T weighs bang on 3500kg) Very happy with my purchase so far, colleagues who have used it prefer it over the TW 280, and i hope it will last me many, many years. A real long term investment.

Engelbert Strauss do some, the bamboo gloves are better than the normal ones imo

The 280 is a big lump, footprint of a small car. personally I’d choose something with varitracks for tighter access jobs the timberwolfs seem to hold their money far better than försts are you financing the machine or paying cash?

I used to get twinges in my back, didn't stop me working until once it did, 2days off work. Yoga didn’t help much 13 months ago I started at the gym, 2-3 times a week, concentrating on the core (+an all round workout) for 13 months I haven’t had even a twinge i believe tree work overworks some muscles, under works others, we’re not as tough as we think we are

They're generally shorter, more compact machines, requiring less weight to tipp them forward, where as avant style loaders are longer, normally with the engine and weight over the rear wheels. Its the Tipping weight which is the important number to look at, the "lifting capacity" is normally what the lifting arm will lift, at the attachment mounting plate, with the machine chained to the ground. Tipping weight is how much the machine will lift before tipping forward (not chained to the ground!)

11:25 last night, nights are drawing in now!

Well I’d be changing the spec for a start! Tell the customer you’re not moving rings into the garage, that’s pointless, tell the customer they’ll go mouldy due to poor air flow, much better for them to be (conveniently) left where they land/are cut up, they’ll dry better there. No way I’d be spreading chip around flowerbeds, they can have the chip in a couple of piles in the vicinity of the drop zone convenient to us. Makes better mulch if left in a pile. 2man a day, 1comes back to grind the next morning. jobs “worth” a fair bit, easily enough to comfortably accommodate a 3rd person day one, BUT the 3rd guy will actually only cost 0.5 days as the grinding can be done whilst cutting the stem/last bit of cleaning/when there’s nothing to do as the anti 3rd person guys keep mentioning. So 3 man days, plus machinery costs (grinder, set of teeth, chipper) add 0,5 - 1 extra man days for extra profit/pain in the arse tax. Plus as mike said, you’ve got a day job so don’t try to be cheap Out of curiosity, why'd they want the stump out?