monkeybusiness

Arborisk paid out without fuss when we had a chipper nicked. Watch Trust - if your turnover ends up higher than anticipated they will want more money out of you at the end of the year and use it as a way to prevent you leaving. It’s fair enough in one respect but we had a good year the last time I was insured with them and I contacted them a number of times during the year to alter our rates. Each time I was told not to worry and that it would be sorted at renewal - when the time came they landed me with a monster bill for the difference in the previous year’s cover (we had no claims with them ever over a number of years, so they had done alright out of us). I was fed up and left on principle at the time, which was a lucky escape for them as we had the chipper taken not long after!

And keep the bottom rod upside down in the bag so you can identify it....

It’s fine if you are careful with them and don’t bang the bottoms/rest the stack on the floor. We’ve had plenty fail because of wear as a result of ground impact damage (not necessarily broken, but worn down so don’t fit together tightly). I go mad if I find the lads using them without a bottom rod to be honest!

Totally different connector on the top of the top pole. AUS should make their tool adapters to fit both top and inters to be honest, it’s only machining one extra hole.

Get (and use) a bottom rod - the main wear is in the joints and this is massively increased by people resting the bottom of the stack of rods on the floor (which isn’t a problem if it is just the bottom rod taking the wear, as that is what it’s for!). Keep them clean (especially in the joints) - flex and wasted effort comes from the rods moving independently of each other. Don’t get foam filled rods - I’ve never heard them referred to as heavy duty, if they are going to break the foam won’t prevent anything (we’ve broken foam filled - they just snap at the bottom joint like non-foam filled). We use a foam filled top rod as it is insisted upon by the DNO we work for, otherwise we wouldn’t bother as they are more expensive, marginally heavier, and otherwise no different. I’d personally just get inters and not bother with a specific top rod. 7 inters and a bottom rod should be sufficient - if that’s not enough then climb on your tallest mate’s shoulders. Learn to install ropes with the hook - it saves a lot of fannying around with throw bags. Don’t be tempted to use the sawhead as a hook as you will soon snap your blade. Get Stallion blades, they are cheaper to replace when you snap them (which you will).

What is relevant is the amount of ‘cream’ skimmed off the top before the 3% is calculated. There are offices full of big salaries not actually generating any money for the firm - it’s the guys at the bottom doing the work that bring the money in. When the work they do brings in less than everyone above them costs it can only go one way. Working capital is squeezed out of with-held retentions, extending suppliers’ payment terms etc. The business grows and grows and will inevitably pop as it has already spunked the money it owes the revenue generators for last quarter’s work on expanding further and paying off the city boys and shareholders. People should go to prison for this, it absolutely stinks to me.

Is the crane a 560?

I’d personally not bother with that size Bandit - it is definitely not what they do best as a manufacturer. A mate had one from new and was disappointed, I’ve seen them demonstrated and they’ve struggled to feed material, and they are massive. Bandit make amazing big chippers - everyone else makes better small chippers imo (if the weight isn’t an issue then look at Greenmech/Jenson/TW/Forst for their 7.5 - 8 inch machines, ideally letterbox feed).

Is there any need for the expense of a consultant’s report? You obviously know your job, and the tree has multiple defects immediately adjacent to a highway. Surely it’s a removal plain and simple - argue over who foots the bill by all means, but it seems pointless (to me) to run the costs up massively for the sake of a few years of possible retention in that location.

I’ve just done 2000 miles driving to Morzine and back in a Navara on BFGoodrich all terrains. There is a lot of snow and ice on the roads in the mountains at present, and the return trip (across France yesterday) was extremely wet at times. The tyres (and vehicle, though not relevant to this thread) were faultless - plenty of grip and stability in all conditions including prolonged 180kmh autoroute running. I wouldn’t rush to fit anything else personally, I disagree that these aren’t suitable winter tyres.

Do you need the law to instruct you on how to stay safe? We will have laws on how many pairs of socks to wear at different temperatures at this rate...

That Navara will be under warranty until 2021, so it shouldn’t cost your friend anything.

With that B2500 you only have to stop to switch between 2wd and 4hi if you’ve disconnected the RFW since you were last in 4wd. As long as the hubs are still locked you can shift into 4wd when on the move (I think up to 60 mph). The only issue leaving the RFW connected (ie the light on the dash is on) would be a negligible increase in fuel consumption, as the turning wheels are subsequently spinning their respective half shafts, the front diff and the front prop shaft. You could drive like that all of the time and not cause any damage to the transmission, and the advantage is that you can pop it into 4wd without stopping.

Look for a decent sized firm, be honest about your ability, and don’t expect to walk in to top-dollar. You’ll get more real-world experience and will improve as a climber working for a bigger outfit than ending up as a one-man-band’s brash dragger (although I’m sure this post will make me really unpopular on here)!

No leaf springs on the new Navaras - just a pair of turbos and lots of other little pickups disappearing in the mirrors....

Sure it wasn’t them ba***rd crows?!

Steve, if you're ever up in the north west come and take mine for a spin with the BFG ATs - they definitely aren't as bad as you are experiencing.

I'm on BFG All Terrains and think they are pretty good tbh. They try to spin up (until the tc stops them) if you pedal on. I don't think any of the more 'off road' biased tyres will handle as well on road in all conditions as the tyres fitted as standard in reality, particularly on wet or icy tarmac. Deep snow is a different matter though.

Are the plastic sheets Stokboard? Good gear that, pretty much indestructible!

Very sad story. Impossible to comment on the time pressure part of the job - a 70 tree conifer hedge can take a day or a month dependent on a whole world of factors. £2500 for a 3 man team for 4 days has plenty of margin in it - not the end of the world if it overruns a bit (particularly if the chap was taking half the dosh, as suggested in the article). It is unfortunately not the first of this specific type of accident - pressure/fatigue/complacency etc have led to this before and will probably lead to more in the future (as horrible as that is to think about). Thoughts to the family left behind, and the crew on site that day. Take care everyone.

HSBC - the global bank? Can’t help you in Norway?!... Total shysters as far as I’m concerned. A few years ago I was in New Zealand getting married and have banked with HSBC for 30 years (since it was Midland Bank). All my cards mysteriously stopped working a couple of days before my wedding (where I had a lot of people to settle up final bills etc). (I had plenty of money in the various accounts and had told HSBC I was going abroad for a few weeks and to expect subsequent foreign transactions). No problem I thought - they have HSBC branches in NZ, I’ll sort it over the counter (day before my wedding). Computer says no - no way anything abroad can be accessed, totally different company effectively - everything was shut in the UK when I called (not from branch - they were unwilling or unable to help in any way). Maximum stress and a lot of shouting eventually ensued... Since then they have systematically shut every branch anywhere near where I live and regularly insist on minor issues being dealt with in-branch, which can basically write off half a day. The latest was me failing telephone banking security (they weren’t able to tell me why on the phone). It turns out they had the wrong date of birth for me at some point - I’d given them the correct one (I’m pretty confident that I’d got my own birthday right) and they locked my access. They are a ridiculous company that don’t deserve any customers IMO.

I’m pretty sure in an employee/public liability claim (ie a third party affected by the actions of the ‘insured company’) the insurers would have to pay out for whatever they were insuring, whether the company met their conditions of insurance or not. The insurers would subsequently look to recover what they could from whoever hadn’t done what they should have. The reason I quoted the post above is because my sister wrote off her car when drunk (into a field, nobody else involved, no injuries). She reported herself to the police (incredibly) and the car was recovered while she was arrested (and later charged). The insurance paid out the value of the car/recovery/3rd party damage. Seemed bonkers to me but there you go!

I have this issue with one of our stoves (a clearview that was always a doddle to light in our previous house). I’ve basically got it nailed now through trial and error - I shut the door of the room it’s in thus sealing it off from the rest of the house (not amazingly sealed!) and open a window. Then light as normal (paper, cardboard, anything flammable from the recycling bin, some small logs) with vents wide open and door open a crack. The door open is the key and not something I’ve ever had to do previously with this or other stoves. It seems wrong and likely to fill the house with smoke which is why it took me so long to try it (without the door open the stove was always filling with smoke to the point where it would start to find its way out of joints in the flue and around the door). Works perfectly for me every time now.

I think you are way too cheap at £80 for 1.2 cube personally (and it is this sort of pricing that keeps me well away from entering the firewood market). As for Centre Parcs - it's supply and demand. If people will pay it then why not sell it to them?! They are no doubt better off selling fewer logs at higher prices than knocking out hundreds of tonnes a week at little-to-no-profit.

Professional thieves - the world is unfortunately overflowing with them and this place and Facebook are shop windows for the dirty swamp-dwelling cowardly scumbags. If anyone encounters them please make them disappear and be sure that you don’t mention anything to anyone.