monkeybusiness

Definitely speak to Rhys at Mcclarron Insurance though - I’ve just gone through a renewal and moved insurers from Lycetts to Trust but Rhys was very competitive.

Trust

Plug cap loose hasn’t been mentioned...

I doubt it - they wouldn’t be adjustable if owners are forbidden from tweaking them. As an amateur (and I include myself in that category when it comes to carb adjustment) it is unlikely you will cause lasting damage to a saw within an hour of ‘faffing around’ - most likely issue is you will stop it from running.

I can’t see what he could possibly have done to it to make you think he has invalidated the warranty from your description. I’d still be double/triple checking the fuel mix though personally - it is very unusual to need to alter mix screws on a saw that has been running (particularly a brand new one). If it is a bad fuel mix you will have invalidated the warranty though, and will probably need a new pot and piston...

I know nothing of SSE. It’s often the case that you need the firm you are working for to put you forward for induction (but not sure how SSE work).

Which network? Who are you working for?

Un-twiddle your screws. If that doesn’t work box it up and post it back to the supplier.

Did you run it with mixed 2-stroke fuel? I’ve heard of people mistakenly putting neat petrol in the fuel tank and 2-stroke oil in the oil tank before (which ends in disaster as the saw doesn’t mix its own fuel/oil)...

Had they shot it first?!

I had a big building firm take over a year to pay me for a mulching job (the only job we had/have ever done for them). The job itself was a couple of grand and involved transport and nights away, so I’d stumped up quite a bit of money just to do the work. I had chased numerous times on the phone and by email and was constantly fobbed off, and think they only ended up paying as it must have been about to roll into a different financial year (this was before I knew about Thomas Higgins, so hadn’t used their ‘muscle’). Anyway, money eventually received, mental note never to work for them again, no harm done. 12 months later I received a payment of nearly £800 from the same construction firm, followed soon-after by a request for me to send it back as it had been paid in error. (Our invoices state that interest will be charged at 10% per month on overdue payments, but the reality is that this is generally unenforceable if not agreed at quotation stage). I ignored the construction firm for a few months (as they had done me), and took great delight in eventually informing the construction director that I wouldn’t be returning their money and as far as I was concerned they still owed me further interest on their previous overdue account. He called me a thief - I don’t agree. Small (lucky) win for the little guy for once IMO!

The costs rise but all have to be paid back by the non-payer if you take it all the way to court. As long as you are chasing money that is genuinely owed (no room for dispute) and the firm you ate chasing isn’t likely to go bust then I’d rather pay Thomas Higgins (who know exactly how far they can push it, and exactly the right way to do it legally) than take it on myself. The initial £10 letter followed up with a phone call (from me) a week to 10 days later explaining that if payment isn’t received immediately then I’m going to have to take the next legal step which will massively increase the customer’s costs has always worked so far.

Use Thomas Higgins (google them) - it costs a tenner and they do all the hard work.

The electric tip Ifors all have a hand-pump backup anyway, so no need to add a second set-up.

Inbred to the max!!!

It’s a workout... Definitely works but is much harder than you’d think!

Makita batteries last weeks/months if not plugged in. And you can get a car charger...

Have you tried Adam Readhead? He’s always advertising Timberwolf chippers on Facebook (yours might be a bit new for him though, he seems to deal in older kit).

There are also a lot of bounce-back-loan ‘millionaires’ with money burning holes in their pockets - I think kit will maintain value for a while yet personally. A machinery dealer on another forum reckons business is booming at present!

Makita all the way here - much better value and far more versatile than the Stihl system. Makita twin battery brushless saws are very good - they all have the same powerhead, the different model numbers refer to bar length and tool-less tensioning so just buy the cheapest/most basic which I think is the DUC305 (30cm bar).

I can see that being an ongoing issue, very difficult to overcome. Small price to pay for being otherwise FARKING MEGA though!!!!!!

Love it!!! Have you had any issues with trapped and/or bent bars?

How big/how much are you expecting to spend etc? Have a look at hornbeam too - looks very similar to beech, tolerates poor ground, grows faster.

Get signage made up on either foamex or a better bet is dibond (aluminium backing). Foamex can expand/contract a bit in the heat. Screw either to the ply. I did once use vinyl graphics (single colour logo) direct onto painted plywood and it actually looked pretty good and stayed on for the life of the boards so that is an option.

46 grade hydraulic oil in my Bandit chipper (that’s what Global recommend).