Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

Thanks for that I have ordered some Turtle covers. Is there supposed to be a continuous high pitched tone whilst the car is in reverse gear?

Can anyone recommend some good seat covers for the double cab invincible? Also I have a bucket liner that currently goes over the top of the bucket but I want to fit a hardtop. Has anyone done this? What do you need to do to the liner to make it fit?

I have worked with a couple of film crews and both used IRATA Rope Access techniques to get into the trees to film. However both used a single rope to ascend. What is the second rope for? A backup? What is the species of tree you are trying to climb? What is it's branching habit? Do you have any pictures that would help us assist you?

How about a tracked chipper on a trailer?

£11.88 inc postage for the Chinese carb. Direct from China £21.00 if you want it sooner i.e. from the UK. £29.55 +VAT +Shipping for the genuine Stihl carb kit!

My experience too. My Distels do seem to seem to work better if I am slightly further away from the stem than I would have been in my american Buckinghams.

Having problems starting my BR400 blower. I have tested the spark plug and there is a spark but its not firing up. I was looking online for a carb kit and I noticed that the genuine carb kit was more expensive than a replacement Chinese carb (from ebay). Does anyone have any experience with these Chinese carbs. Are they any good or should I avoid and go the genuine carb kit route?

This thread started with a question regarding sub-contracting rates and several posters have compared these rates with the cost of hiring a mechanic, electrician, plumber etc. However, this is a bit like comparing apples and apple pie. The trades mentioned are a lot more difficult to enter requiring studying at college to gain a qualification and usually serving a three or four year apprenticeship. To be a "groundy" just about any fit and able bodied person can pick up a chainsaw and cut wood or drag brash and feed a chipper and I know there are many out there doing it quite well without any formal training or qualifications. Furthermore many seem to be comparing what they would pay a "subby" with the hourly rate charged by one of these trades. But surely the final cost of that subby to the customer will be greater than what you pay him? After all if you are employing someone to work for you, surely you will want them to bring you a profit? Do people here charge out their subbies at cost price? If you put a mark up on them how do you calculate that? Just my two penneth

Many thanks. David.

Anyone got any idea what these are likely to be. Spotted high in the crown of an oak tree. Sorry about the lack of picture detail!

Thanks all for your input.

Sorry guys I forgot the width. Hedge is approx 1.5m wide. Equipment is a large tripod ladder, standard hedge cutter and an extended hedge cutter. Sorry I don't have any pictures.

I always struggle to price large jobs and inevitably end up under estimating the amount of arising materials and hence the time taken to complete the job. Can anyone give me an idea of how many man days it would take to cut and clear arising materials from a beech hedge totalling 200m in length 3 to 4m height? The hedge is in several sections throughout a garden and arisings would need to be cleared using wheelbarrows/tarps. The cutting would involve clipping with hedge trimmers only (i.e. no heavy lopping) and facing both sides. Arisings will be left on site. What wold be a good ball park figure for such a job?

Cheers folks. I had a series of blisters where the pads were rubbing and the largest (about 25 x 50 mm) had lost its skin and was red raw. I applied some dry adhesive dressings and bound my shins with self adhesive crepe bandages. I wore knee length socks over the top. I also dug out my old Bashlins with extra long (Canadian gaffs) and leather T pad toppers. I put them on bastard tight and I was pain free the whole day. So thanks for your suggestions. I am disappointed with my new Alu Plus Distels. The shorter spikes were dreadful in Western Red Cedar. I will give them another shot. But I will probably bandage first and try to get the Velcro tops as tight as I can.

I have the distel aly spikes with velcro tops and strapped feet. I have them set as tall as they go as I am 6'4".

As the title says. I have managed to cultivate some nasty blisters on my shins from my climbing irons. My problem is that I need to climb with irons again tomorrow. What can I do to minimise further damage? How do you treat a burst blister if you are climbing again the next day? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I also like "Branches and birds mess are falling daily in the property garden and also the public path". This just smacks of an tree hating owner who resents having a TPO'd tree in his garden. I can just hear it "Don't get me wrong I love trees but they should be confined to parks and woodland". I think pressure may have been applied to "take a little more off" and rather than following the spec the tree surgeons have tried to satisfy the owner. I personally think the 20% / 2m reduction was totally uncalled for.

From the application "20% crown reduction to help stop so many dangerous branches falling" How does that work? What a lot of BS, and I don't mean 3998!

Thuja plicata 'Fastigiata' perhaps?

Could it be a coral fungus?

Bayhales - It would be interesting to know from your employer why they don't allow it and the reasons behind their thinking.

I can not believe a man in your position is even thinking of condoning the topping of trees Paul . I myself would never associate myself, my company, or my affiliations with such work. Therefore I am not interested, I'm out! Next!

If the soils are heavy London clay then the likelihood of roots extending to that depth is less likely. Yes tree roots have been found at greater depths but this is dependent on the conditions. There is not enough information here to give meaningful advice. If you can get hold of the full subsidence report that would give you a better steer on the what and why. As a minimum I would be looking for the Arboricultural Report, Soils Investigations, Structural Report and details of any monitoring undertaken. Monitoring is often continued until the property has stabilised or engineers believe that sufficient measures have been put in place to stop movement.

I don't envy you the Sitka take downs. They are my least favourite tree to work on and should never be planted as an amenity tree (imo). Judging by the long pegs in the photo I assume you have not got any spikes yet (?). I would strongly recommend getting some as those long stubs can be a real pain and even a safety hazard when topping down. As Timon says, your ropes and webbing can all be washed with non-bio detergent. Just make sure it thoroughly dry before putting it away in a bag as any metal gear in contact with it can corrode very easily.