monkeybusiness

Use a flap disk on a 4.5 inch grinder - it does a better job than a grinding disk.

Pete - if I had any more notice for this particular job then I'd have been on the phone to you straight away to give that beasty a test drive! However, Bob at Wolves trees has stepped up at short notice - thanks for the heads up Mr Walker!

Hello Can someone point me in the direction of a firm with a forestry mulcher in Brum please? Cheers Dan 07970188050

I've just bought an 11 tonne KTS from Ryetec - it looks very good but isn't being put to work until next week. I'll let you know how it performs!

If you are handy with mechanics then don't be scared to go second hand - there isn't much to a chipper in reality. If you allow an additional £1000 for parts etc over and above any purchase price you should have a decent contingency. Get one bought, get it home and pull it apart before using it full time. Fix/replace anything that needs sorting whilst you have it in bits, and then go and earn some money! You will know the machine backwards and will be able to keep an eye on any potential weak areas that you may have discovered. Alternatively, buy a new one (on finance if necessary) and save yourself more off your tax bill whilst not having to worry about reliability (but remember that new machines can also have their problems, and whilst these problems are covered by warranty you could waste an equal amount of time getting it sorted as you would repairing an older machine). If you buy new make sure you are confident that your dealer is going to be able to give you fantastic support in the event of something going wrong. Down-time can be more costly than parts and labour!

That's a bit poor. If you need to borrow a roller until one arrives then I might be able to help.

The job is a lot cheaper/easier if you start with a chassis cab or hicap, as the cab has the lower rear bulkhead in place already. Don't forget that you need to allow for rear lighting (mounting etc), set up the fuel filler (difficult to do tidily) and remember that wheel articulation will be compromised if you build the tipper floor too low. Also, will you need mudguards (almost definitely). Consideration needs to be given to rear overhang (will the tipper clear the tow bar/lights - will it hang out too far and affect handling/axle loadings). What will you make it out of - 100% aluminium would be amazing but difficult and expensive; steel frame with ali panels is a lot easier but still expensive and the frame will rust eventually; all steel is the cheapest but reduces payload. Let us know how you get on.

That sounds unusual. It also sounds like an unusual problem - what's happened to the feed roller?

They have a very fast stress control recovery time when compared with other chippers with the same sized engine.

Don't bother with the dealers - speak to Mac or Jason at Greenmech directly. They will fix any problems down the phone.

I am not a massive TW fan, but the offset knives is actually a very clever bit of design IMO. It allows a smaller engine to chip faster as it only takes half a bite at a time. This does lead to quicker knife wear, but it is one of the reasons that the TW150s have suck quick recovery time on the stress control. A smaller, more lightweight flywheel has enough momentum to cope with the smaller 'bites', and is subsequently brought back up to speed quickly as it offers less inertia than a larger equivalent.

If it has such a small reservoir is there not a risk of it overheating the oil? I know very little about hydraulics and realise that these pumps have always operated with the reservoir in question, so I may have answered my own question (doh!).

Try Saturn Machine Knives - they do them mail order and are very good.

Seconded - give them a ring and speak to Will. They now include a courier service in the price of the re-grinds, and supply a high quality case to send/return the blades.

The revs would be my biggest concern - I have a hycrack that runs directly off a tractor PTO and 540rpm is plenty fast enough. I'm not sure what a circular saw runs at but I'd imagine it is a lot faster than that. If you can gear it down, subsequently increasing torque then I think it might work.

If that's true (and I really hope it is) then that is the greatest idea in the world ever!

Try John Bownes at Winsford - google will pick them up.

Mint - always a buzz smashing out big tops!

You're right, 200kg basket weight limits are looking like they might become a problem!

I'm saying that modern utility arboriculture couldn't be done without MEWPs. I don't believe anyone has it physically harder today than 20 years ago, but I know for certain that the job is far more rigorously monitored than it has ever been. I find it very amusing that the modern generation feel their lot is so much harder than the generation before maybe we just moaned less and just got on That looks like one of Mr McCain's finest to me, maybe I'm too sensitive though!

How old are you? You must be ancient if you consider me the modern generation. And you must have a bit of a chip on your shoulder if you think I'm implying my lot is harder than yours might have been. Times change old sport, working methods move on and health and safety is now (fortunately) more important than ever. In the past you have suggested that there isn't a tree that you wouldn't climb and I'm not suggesting that you wouldn't have the spuds to see that promise through. I know plenty of lads with the same attitude (I used to be one of them, but I'm getting too fat now), and it is a great attitude to have 99% of the time. However, there are always going to be those jobs that are too risky - why stick your neck out when modern technology is there to lend a hand? There should be no need for unnecessary risks nowadays - safe systems of work should always be implemented before misplaced bravado kicks in.

The more you use a MEWP the more you see their benefits. Also, an inadequate machine can be more of a danger than a help. Outreach is everything - height is often irrelevant. Furthermore, MEWPs present an additional target/constraint on the ground. I wholeheartedly agree that they are not the answer to every job. However, if you are used to using them/have the right machine for the task/know the machine and its strengths and limitations it is amazing how useful they can be. It is important to remember that a MEWP has limited reach and a climber doesn't. If you are going to use a MEWP for a job get one bigger than you think you need - it makes all the difference as you can set it up further away from the drop zone and have a much larger working envelope, so you can position yourself and the machine correctly for any cuts etc.

Not necessarily - often the easiest trees to sort are the ones that have caused a fault as the lines are often on the ground/poles snapped etc when you get there, removing significant constraints before you start. I'm not suggesting you ever brought down any conductors - I know plenty of very experienced and incredibly capable cutters that have though. Network operators are now limited to the number and duration of shutdowns they are allowed per year (it is measured in customer minutes lost) - if they exceed these limits they face heavy financial penalties. One of the issues that arises from this is extremely tight timescales for any planned shutdowns. There is also a very detailed (and subsequently time consuming) procedure for switching out lines, earthing up and issuing permits to work. A shutdown may be booked for 20th December from 9.30 until 3.30 - it is likely that Mrs Miggins power will go off at 9.30am exactly but it can then take upto 3 hours before a permit to work is issued and any tree cutting is allowed to start. The power MUST be back on at 3.30 or fines are imposed, so the permit needs to be cancelled with enough time left to remove the earths and perform any necessary switching. A day's tree cutting on paper often ends up being done in 2 - 3 hours. Tricky trees need taking down with significant time constraints in place - in certain circumstances there is no substitute for a MEWP. Failure to complete a shutdown whereby another needs booking can lead to significant fines being passed on to the contractor, so the cost of a MEWP becomes irrelevant (not that cost should come in to safe systems of work!).

Things were a bit different 20 years ago. Trees only got cut when they were a problem, and bringing conductors down was almost accepted as something that happened from time to time. Nowadays that is a huge no no - if you damage the network then you can say goodbye to your authorisation. The utility job is (quite rightly) far more regulated now than it ever used to be - safety is paramount. There are jobs where MEWPs are essential, and the job couldn't be done safely within the required timeframe without them. Arguably there are other tree jobs that are done from a MEWP that could be done more effectively from a rope and harness but legislation now dictates that if a MEWP can be used then it should be...

I guess you haven't done much utility cutting then. A very good climber is often quicker than a MEWP (and is certainly cheaper), but there are times when there is no anchor point, not enough space (eg between a limb and the conductors below), or a tree is in such a bad state that climbing it for the sake of climbing is plain stupid. When you have a knackered tree, a very finite timeframe to complete the job, and a multitude of site constraints the correct platform comes into its own.