monkeybusiness

Hi all Can anyone give me an outline as to what is included/covered in the ROLO course? We are being asked to go down this route by a couple of customers and I'm concerned that it appears to be a bit of an expensive box ticking exercise offering no particular benefit other than access to some sites (or am I being cynical?). For what it's worth, I have absolutely no qualms investing money in anything that will advance safety within my business. I have spent an absolute fortune on new and update training over the last 12 months and have an extremely highly qualified workforce (everyone as a minimum holds up to and including cs40 or whatever it is called now as well as ua2.3 along with all of the prerequisites). A good proportion of our work is utility cutting, so the health and safety side of the business has been and continues to be scrutinised regularly by our clients, none of whom ask for or appear to have any interest in ROLO, LISS, CSCS, CPCS, CITB, BALI etc. The cost of putting 10 lads through a 1 day ROLO course is horrendous when lost work and wages are included - if it will benefit the business in a meaningful way other than financial then it is obviously a worthwhile exercise of course. I am concerned having spoken to a couple of ROLO course providers today that it isn't really going to teach us anything that we haven't been taught many times before - both tutors (who shall remain nameless) stated that in their opinion the course would be a waste of time for us in reality as it is designed as a 'catch all' to force some health and safety knowledge on those working in landscaping who may not have attended any courses previously. I am a bit disappointed that the NPTC haven't done anything to fight their own corner here, and perhaps offer BALI and the CITB more of an insight into what their courses offer and what level of competence holders of their cards have already been assessed at. If someone could give me an insight into what is covered on the course then perhaps I will eat my words. Maybe it isn't just another course for the sake of having a course after all! Cheers, Dan.

The only time I've personally known trailers to come detached from towing vehicles is when towball bolts snap, normally as a result of badly maintained trailers crashing and banging around on the hitch. That towball chain or a breakaway cable looped around the towball neck would be totally useless in that scenario.

Sometimes heavy trailers pointed backwards downhill need a bit of extra handbrake lifty lifty to really engage the brakes in my experience. Mr Blair - if your trailer handbrake can foul on the headboard at or near full application then I would think that there is something wrong with the design/construction of the trailer. If the handbrake is restricted in its movement then full braking force can't be applied and your trailer may well run away backwards downhill. Heavily laden trailers with not enough handbrake application can creep back a bit until the handbrake settles and is pulled on further by the mechanism, but they shouldn't run away more than a few inches if correctly constructed and maintained. There are many adjustments required to properly set up trailer brakes - it isn't just a case of winding up and then backing off the shoes as the amount of play in the cables is equally important. It's a bit of a dark art which is why I leave all of my trailer/trailed plant running gear servicing to an expert every 3 months. Engines, vehicles, tractors and chippers are a piece of cake in comparison!

They do munch trough the brash when set up properly! I think a lot of these machines have been used on hire fleets with limited maintenance - get one that is looked after and not much will keep up!

Search for rye oil (that's his username but might be spelt wrong) on here - great value and really thick sticky oil!

That powerline will happily electrocute you to death just as quickly as any other - do not assume it is insulated whatever people on here say. Talk to the DNO (whoever owns the electricity network in your area eg Scottish Power, Western Power etc) before you mess around near that.

Crappy news, sorry to hear this. Good luck getting sorted pal.

Hi - we are taking a big beech tree down at the end of the month in Mobberley near Knutsford, Cheshire. I'm looking for a buyer for the timber. It can be delivered locally by tractor and forwarding trailer or stacked at roadside for your haulier. If you are interested please call Dan on 07970188050. Cheers!

Where? To buy or rent?

Greenmech 1928 Safetrak will get to places no other chippers will reach. They are great at chipping too!

Check it isn't drawing air in upstream of the pump (ie on the suction side).

Gray Git - what make is the platform on your Landy? I'm in the market for one and want as much reach as possible - yours looks good!

I've had foaming hydraulic oil on a chipper before and it was because air was getting in through a badly sealed filter in the suction line to the pump. Check all connections on the suction line.

Well done Steve and all the contributors - that is a well deserved thank you (and a nice touch to boot)!

I'm crying!!!

Cheers John - I've had a chat with him - seems a decent bloke. The spec is G30. Anyone else?

Hi - I've got a customer with a couple of hundred tonnes of timber that needs chipping into a boiler feedhopper - is there anyone around Macc with a decent set up? I'm not sure of the required chip spec yet but will post when I know. Cheers, Dan (07970188050).

Is it wood smoke or oil smoke? (ie does it smell like a bonfire or an old engine)? If it is woodsmoke check there isn't a chog of wood jammed somewhere rubbing on the flywheel/belts/tensioner pulley/resting on the exhaust etc. Also make sure the exhaust isn't blowing and directing hot exhaust onto a build up of chip somewhere. If it is definitely coming from the engine then go and see a mechanic would be my advice - an engine is an engine.

It's a big unit to shift about anywhere by hand, but on the back of the Land Rover/Iveco/Toyota Dyna/Ranger it's fine. I've never had a problem with it but have had quite a lot of practice reversing trailers. It's always useful having a banksman if it's a bit tight though...

I've got a 12x6 and wouldn't swap for smaller - I have never really thought 'I wish this trailer couldn't carry quite so much'. It'll go pretty much anywhere a van will go, and you can strip the sides off and carry a car/van/Land Rover if needs be. It's a heavy old thing when loaded to the top with logs or chip though (pushing 8 cube - you know it's on the back whatever you pull it with and possibly not legally allowed on the road in that state).

Lend him your old Makita (am I right?) harness and tell him to man up! 60 feet of blue polyprop should give him a chance to see if it's for him or not...

One of my neighbours is a commercial diver involved in the oil industry, and has worked a lot in the middle east. He told me that he'd been involved in that type of excavator set up (oil company buys a new machine, takes out the engine and removes the cab, plumbs it in via an umbilical to a big hydraulic powerpack on a vessel on the surface etc) and I was convinced it was a tall tale! I'll have to eat my words!

I think that most people with chippers generally don't like chipping other people's c**p. I will chip for anyone at £80 plus vat per hour (1 hour minimum), and occasionally use it as a fill in job on the way home, but it isn't work I actively seek. It is explained to the client before hand that only clean brash/timber goes into the machine, so there is a good chance that there may be leftovers! There is about 10 mins chipping in your pic at most, but it will cost you to get rid (unless you can burn it).

That is the mutts nuts! Your boy done good - better than poontanging around Cheshire in the p**sing rain fannying around with trees!

It's a Deutz Agrotron, not a JD.