monkeybusiness

Get the technic lego rc excavator - I got it for my b'day and it is amazing!!! (I can't justify a real one unfortunately...)

Speak to Matt at Treefellers - 0800 043 0398

They look ace - get some pics up when you fit them! It might look like a dragster once they're on...

If you want mega grip get Insa Turbo special traks - they are awesome off road. They howl a lot on road though - they sound like a quad! I've got them on the back of a Toyota Dyna and it is amazing where it will get too. The only problem is that when you do get stuck, if you wheelspin too much they dig massive holes very quickly!

Dogging?

My 215s are duals and don't rub (there is still a big gap between them). They are on Iveco rims though, not sure about Transits.

I've put 215 65 r16 mud terrains on the back of my ivecos (usual tyre size 195 75 r16) and they fit well. Overall radius is very similar - 205 80 would have been a lot taller.

Speak to John at Shades of Green - 01925740995. He's in Daresbury and has tracked chippers for hire (and is a top man to boot).

The entire price of the chipper then!!! (Just kidding!)

Speak to Terry Crick - google Apex Arb

Today was brilliant - I got a place on the Greenmech Factory tour and I have to say it was thoroughly enjoyable! Seeing the build process first hand really reinforces the fact that these machines are created from raw steel and aluminium (not components made up elsewhere) by skilled British craftsmen in a British owned and run factory. It was a massive eye opener to see how many individual parts are laser cut, rolled, folded, punched etc and then welded together to make up individual pieces which are then shot blasted, powder coated, baked and assembled into the finished machines. The parts inventory has to be seen to be believed! After lunch, they took us out and demonstrated some of their different machines. Anyone in the market for a new chipper is really missing something if they don't compare an equivalent green machine to their other choices. I'd be amazed if the new 130 and 150 machines don't dominate future sub 750kg market share - in terms of price and capacity they are well ahead of the current competitor machines available (it should be said that none of the GM staff made any disparaging comparisons to competitor's machines, they simply showed off their own wares). What was nice was the distinct lack of any sales pressure - this tour was not a direct sales exercise in any way. It is obvious that the staff at Greenmech are rightfully proud of their company and its products, and seem glad to show it off! In terms of chipper design, they have come a very long way in 20 years, constantly improving and evolving their products. They listen to end users and alter designs accordingly and now have a wide range of truly excellent products. The biggest surprise of the day for me was how good the little cs100 is - I was genuinely amazed at what it chipped with ease. Seeing the prototype machines was also very interesting! Thank you very much to Pete B and all the other ladies and gents who put on a great day - I thoroughly enjoyed myself and know that others present felt the same. I would recommend anyone with an interest in engineering, chippers, big machinery, lasers, great workmanship etc put their names forward for the next tour - it was a great day out!

If it is regularly attached to the tow vehicle I'd imagine you could get away with a relatively small (cheap) car battery on the trailer and lightweight cable with in-line fuse running from the vehicle battery. The small battery would have enough poke to tip the trailer a few times, and would be constantly re-charged off the vehicle when connected.

Sorry Rob, it wasn't meant to be insulting. I hope you don't cut yourself. Stay safe - you can't earn any money whilst your sat in A+E waiting for stitches because the insulation tape/kitchen roll/bandage/plaster combo won't keep your skin from stretching open across your knuckle! As I said, every injury I know of has come about from complacency - don't be complacent and you won't get cut.

You will - I've yet to meet anyone who has been in this game for a few years who hasn't at some point drawn blood with a Silky. I've caught myself a couple of times, the worst was with a brand new blade that cut faster than I was expecting, as I was used to its then-dull predecessor. Complacency has been the reason for all of my scrapes - poor work positioning usually brought on by the thought that it is 'only a Silky' - a spinning chain somehow focuses the mind a bit more... Holding the piece being cut is the primary reason in my case (quicker than slinging, too busy concentrating on profit). We sub-contract to some of the bigger firms in our industry and pruning saw injuries are currently a major issue with the health and safety bods. The reactions and control measures vary quite drastically - one firm insists on users wearing kevlar/stainless steel reinforced 'Ripeur' gloves whilst cutting with a Silky (not massively practical IMO as they are useless for climbing in - constant changing of gloves in the tree is the order of the day). The biggest problem with this is that some operators subsequently shun Silkys and just use chainsaws, as the restrictions don't apply to their use... Another firm have taken a more pragmatic approach, and are pushing the use of secateurs/loppers wherever possible. In terms of gloves, my personal view is that it is wrong to insist that a particular type of glove is used in any situation. I'm not going to start on chainsaw gloves on the ground (that would be a major de-rail) - my thoughts are that anyone being paid to climb and prune/dismantle a tree should be competent to perform that task. One of the most important parts of that whole operation is the climber's hands - these are his/her interface with their ropes, tools, the tree etc. Some climbers wear gloves, others don't. As soon as you insist on a certain type of glove (that may perform one task very well ie silky protection) you massively limit the options available to the operator, compromising dexterity, grip, comfort, warmth etc. As a result you run the risk of introducing additional hazards, when in reality the majority of the time the original problem lies with the operator not doing his/her job properly. I feel that anyone cutting themselves with a Silky should actually have pay deducted as the injury must have come about as a result of them putting themselves in danger in the first place!!!

And then get your operators licence, and then sort out planning permission to keep it at your property, and then organise/pay for 12 weekly checks, and then realise you might as well run a 7.5 tonner if your going to all those lengths and 4.6 tonne is a bit of a pointless size... Get it sold and buy something 3.5 tonne, or unbolt everything you can, go on a diet, put £2 of diesel in it, get it re-weighed and then re-assemble once re-plated but spend every day running illegally overweight. I'd suggest get rid and get something more suitable personally.

He has permission legally to use the woods for his business no probs. The site is used primarily by relatively standard road going 4x4s (no winch challenge trucks etc) and nobody is allowed to stray off the existing tracks. I honestly didn't notice any tree damage when I went for a walk around with him (other than the exposed roots that are the subject of this thread) - there has been a TPO on the woodland as long as my friend has operated his business there and he has been very careful not to damage any trees. The root damage is only occurring in some of the old tracks that have been used for as long as my friend has based his business at the site - these tracks were already well established/used by the land owner and trespassers prior to the business being set up. I would personally argue that any root damage has been done long ago and is unlikely to get any worse through continued usage - the trees affected aren't showing any signs of stress that I could see. None of the affected trees have any other constraining factors within the root area - they are all growing within unmanaged woodland so have unlimited room to grow new roots away from the tracks. The trespassing issue has been stopped, significantly reducing the levels of traffic previously using the site.

Is the new reservoir big enough to cope with you ram? You shouldn't need to do any bleeding - the pressure in the system should be sufficient to sort that itself. It sounds like your ram's oil capacity may be greater than your new reservoir.

I was going to fit one to a 3 litre Iveco Daily and was told not to as it could lead to a damaged crank shaft - apparently the DMF provides cushioning to the crank shaft as well as smoothing the drive take up. This issue was apparently specific to my particular engine however. I know a few people who have successfully fitted solid flywheels to transits and Navaras with no ill consequences. If I were you I'd go for it.

Fire, and then deliver her some chip to the front of her house for her to deal with.

Thanks for the replies everyone, it is all very helpful. The issue that I'm not sure about and I think may be quite grey is that the tracks are all well used and have obviously existed for a long time. There are some roots in evidence across some tracks, and in reality these are the real issue/sticking point. Does a local authority have the power to stop a landowner from using existing/historic access tracks under TPO rules? I can understand them preventing new tracks from being built, but those that already exist are surely outside the scope of the legislation?

No ear defenders - that alone is a health and safety reason to use this where possible. No shouting to get the climber's attention - I think it looks a great idea for utility/pruning works. It obviously isn't the tool for dismantles though. I think a 12v car charger is essential IMO (then it is super green as it gets charged on the way to jobs). I expected it to be rubbish but am really warming to the idea.

I picked one of these up a couple of months ago and had a play with it (no cutting unfortunately) and was really impressed. I thought it would be a mickey mouse toy saw but I came away thinking it was brilliant - I'd be interested to know the price of the saw and extra batteries, and whether a car charger is available.

Make sure you freeze them first, real messy otherwise.

Nasty horrible news.

If you are looking at buying a brand new machine, I think you'd be bonkers to not demo whatever you are considering and then decide once you have tried them all on your own worksites. If you can't get hold of a machine to demo move on to another manufacturer - if there is no initial sales enthusiasm offering you the chance of a trial you may find that there is a similar lacklustre response to any future warranty issues you may encounter.