monkeybusiness

Do you want long or short gaffs? I may have some brand new short (ie pole climbing) gaffs knocking around if I can find them.

Neither. I've got both - we bought 4x 362s at the apf and they're not as well made/durable as the older Stihl products. They are very plasticky and don't have the same grunt as the 361, and feel bulkier in use. They happily pull a 20 inch bar all day, and the engines haven't let us down yet though. On off switches, throttle handles etc are useless, and we've had a problem with needle roller bearings on 2 of them. I doubt I'll buy another. However, the 560 is a total waste of time. They feel nicely balanced and are much smaller and lighter than the 362, but in use I think they perform like a saw from the next class down ie a ms261. The one I've got isn't as powerful as the 362. The real icing on the cake is the reliability issues - mine doesn't work half the time, so isn't actually fit for purpose. Husky have had it back trying to fix it for 3 weeks - apparently it's now sorted but I'll be having my money back if not when I finally get it back. I wouldn't touch one with a bargepole if I was you.

The Somerset tree is very very good - it might be time for you to give up that job in Argos and think about starting a career in this carving game! Defo up for a pint - we're about to have our second child (it's arriving on the 8th apparently) so I'm a little tight for time at the mo, and will be more so for a few weeks after then! However, there is talk of us doing some tree cutting in N. Wales so I might be able to find an excuse to hunt you down on the way home one evening...

All good here Si - hope life's good at your end. Loving John and his daughter with the hand - fantastic pics! I'd love to see your risk assessment for that though... Have you got any links to the job you did in Somerset - all I can find is a little pic on their website (which looks kool, but I'd like to see more!)?!

I think he also operates as Shades of Green - 01925740995. He's a top man!

You've come on a bit since I showed you how to carve those mushrooms mate...

Nantwich canal centre stock them if that's of any use - I had to return one because it was noisy and they were great about it. I've got both the 2 and 3 blade versions and can't honestly notice much difference in their performance but they are absolutely brilliant!

I think they are early versions of what are now Bearcat, and the blades etc cross over (but I might be wrong).

What's the Ranger with the Insas like to drive on the road? Will it corner/stop ok in the wet?

You could do with a Safetrak to pull your little orange German toys out when you get them stuck I reckon...

You can't open the eye - you have to undo the slide strap off your harness and feed it through (it might not be big enough for all harnesses though). I prefer the small Petzel swivel combined with a normal karibiner personally, as you can use it with larger Mongoose style karibiners (providing you attach it to your harness the right way up). I find it easier to tie 2 ropes into a large karibiner than the smaller mouth fitted to the 3-way on your swivel. I would be very wary of undoing that allen bolt - I'm sure it is not designed to be undone and may subsequently come loose in the future...

I can't believe you've used the Greenmech and are considering anything else! The TW and Jenson are both very good machines but don't offer anywhere near the all round use-ability of the Safetrak. It will out-chip both, and has the best off-road capabilities of any chipper I've used. It is phenomenally powerful in the tracking department too - we've dragged some seriously big timber with ours and it keeps on pulling. It is heavy though, which I would say is its only real downside when it comes to towing it around.

Mine cuts out under load, so has gone back. MS361 kicks its ass.

They are great - a lot of people seem to turn their noses up at Greenmech (some of their early machines had the odd design flaws which was a shame as I think some people had bad experiences) but I can't recommend them (and the 1928 in particular) highly enough. They are also an incredibly helpful company to deal with if you ever have the odd issue. Contact Pete B on here and see if he'll sort you out a demo. You'll do a lot less snedding with a 1928 than with a tw190. I honestly don't believe there is a better sub 10" machine on the market.

Have a look at a Greenmech 1928 - they'll out perform the Timberwolf all day long.

Or Midland Road Springs 0121 351 6229- I put these on mine on the back and it makes a big difference. The guy there knows his stuff, I think it is a pretty common mod.

I bought one on Weds (my first Husky) and it keeps cutting out under load. I'm sure it is just a glitch, but I have to say I'm not hugely impressed... I think I'll stick with Stihl from now on, as I've never had a problem with one that wasn't my own fault! In fairness to the 560, it feels nice and sounds great when it is working, so I hope it can be sorted out.

We're still on the look out for some more UA2.3 utility arborists - current DNO authorisation is not essential as it can be arranged. Please feel free to call or text me on 07970188050 for a chat about what we're looking for and what we can pay! Cheers, Dan.

We are a small Cheshire based company looking for experienced utility arborists to work full time in the North West and North Wales. Please call Dan on 07970188050 for more information.

Hi Jammydodger I know this is an old post, but I've just found your quote above and I've got the same van/problem. Do you know what the 'new' old tank was off exactly? Cheers Dan

361 is miles better than the plasticky cheap badly build 362 crap. IMO.

Speak to Terry Crick - I haven't got his number to hand but put his name and Apex Arb into google and you'll find him. He trained me a couple of months ago.

I'd defo have a look at a 1928 - they are in a different league to the older Greenmechs you used (I've got an old one with a Lister engine too, so I know what your talking about). I haven't used any other similar sized machine that can keep up with one, and the back up from Greenmech (on the very rare occasion that you need it) is incredible. You can talk directly to the blokes that build them, and there appears to be nothing that they can't fix down the phone! I was in 2 minds about going for the 1928 as it is apparently a 7.5 inch machine (which I was concerned was a bit small), but there is no sub-10 inch chipper out there that will drag more stuff through more quickly. Greenmech seem to have an ill-deserved bad name from people who used the older machines in the past. I would seriously recommend that anybody looking for a new chipper should throw some brash through one of these before making any decisions.