monkeybusiness

Have you seen the disk brake conversion kits for lr handbrakes? If you've got to find a new drum anyway it might be worth looking into (I'd be interested to hear from anyone with experience of them as I'm tempted to put one on my 110).

They're funny things to quantify John - you don't really feel a draught off them (unless you stand in front of them naked - not sure if that's how you roll in your house...) but they definitely shift the heat around the house. I've got 2 - one with 2 blades and one with 3 and there doesn't seem to be a massive difference between them. The best thing to do would be to try and borrow one if possible and then decide - I've lent mine to a few people and they all went out and got one! I'd lend you one but I'm up in Cheshire - if you're ever up this way you are more than welcome to pick one up and try it for a couple of weeks.

New or used? Budget? They all have pros and cons - like Steve I'm on my second Navara and think they are great, but both have had a few faults fixed under warranty. I also run an old shape Ranger (same as the Mazda) which i bought with over 100k miles on and I am really pleased with it - it's basic but seems well put together (I have heard other people slate them). I also have a Land Rover 110 HiCap that I have run for 10 years - it has had a very hard life and owes me nothing, but is unbeatable off road and takes the abuse very well (scratches and dents seem to add to its character somehow). I wouldn't choose it for a journey more than 20 miles though - it's got big wheels/tyres and is horrible to drive on the road (and is crap at towing anything heavy - although you'll never hear a Land Rover fan admitting to that!).

Does that 70-80K include the chipper?

I'll swap your nice sharp Silky for a blunt one if you like - what type is it? PM me and I'll send you my address to post yours to.

The man was a powerhouse, and will always be remembered as such. Storm on big Norm!

That is amazing - what a great machine! There can't be a lot of change from 100k there!

If possible try and reduce the height of the tipper's sub frame. On transits etc there are usually 2 frames (one bolted to the chassis, one supporting the body floor) that are hinged in such a way that when closed one rests on top of the other. I've seen an l200 tipper where one subframe sits inside the other when closed, substantially lowering the body height. The only other thing to consider is whether the wheels will foul on the body during axle articulation. Good luck with the project - please show pics of the finished job.

We often use a good 16mm lowering rope with large portawrap to connect it to a winch/tractor etc for assisted felling on big stuff. This avoids knotting the rope and gives very easy length adjustment. Always rig the rope as high as possible - even big trees with back lean don't require a massive amount of pulling if you get the rope near the top and the hinge isn't left too thick. Always use wedges as a backup in case of a failure within your pulling system, and chase them into the cuts as they open if safe to do so.

It would have to get very hot to work. I don't think you'd get away with screwing it to the plate - there is a bi-metallic strip in the base of the fan that lifts it off the hot surface iif it gets too hot. Thinking about it a bit more, I'm sure your solution wouldn't work unfortunately as the fan needs the base to be hotter than the top to function, and you would have the top closer to the heat source in your application.

Eddie - how does the constant side loading affect the pins/bushes in the rest of the machine, and have you experienced any deformation or fracturing of welds etc in the boom and dipper? Does Kubota's warranty cover the use of these attachments? I have seen Engcon tilt-rotators demonstrated and am extremely impressed with them, but can't help thinking they may impose stresses on the machine for which it wasn't designed..

If you are in the market for a new tw you really should also consider the new Greenmech 150 - basically the same size/shape/weight/cost of the tw150, but with a lot of clever modern design included. Most importantly from a user point of view is the feed is 6x9 inch letterbox - massively better than a square hole to feed brash into. The tw150 is a good all round machine but has its week points which unfortunately have never been addressed over its now very long service life.

Bigger is ALWAYS better - get your hand in your pocket! It won't be working as hard, and will subsequently use less fuel (probably!).

In our family we have 5 Clearviews, and I know of many other owners, and the comment above regarding the problems are the first I have ever heard. I can't recommend them highly enough - they are massively controllable and efficient and throw out loads of heat.

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!