Mark Bolam

7m3-3600kg. That’s 514kg/m3. My tranny has a legal payload of 650 with crew, dog and tools. I know Josh is talking about piss-wet beech chip, which is about as heavy as it gets, but the stats are still pretty worrying for anyone even to try staying legal on 3.5 tonners. Level load for Tranny is 2.4m3. 1.2t for a level load. I always reckoned level was legal, and beyond that I was chancing (every job basically), but this has really bought home to me what I’ve always known. It’s bollocks. It’s all total and utter bollocks. The nicest arb truck I’ve ever seen was an Isuzu or Canter at one of the shows back in the day. Tool lockers, ladder racks, blah blah. Beautiful. Real world working payload? 550kg. Do your maths fellas. Im a big fan of a restricted licence system up to 4.5k without the O licence regs just to keep us all at least semi-legal. I’ve been drinking tonight, obviously. On behalf of everyone who knows we do the job with trucks that are adequate for the job but are overloaded every day, what is the solution?

Stu, you are basically a human machine.

Species, angle of dangle, deadness - experience counts. No way you’d see me side loading a wrist-sized anchor on a dead crack willow.

The last year has been a bit of a test, so I thought I’d start a thread to highlight any positives that have come out of the Covid situation. I have got a few. I’ve got three young girls, 9 and 6 year old twins, and it’s occurred to me I will never see them this much again. Not working 6 day weeks has helped me get to know them more (they are bloody hard work!). Homeschooling has forced me to revisit some long-forgotten basic maths and English skills. Money in has been less, but by Christ! so has money out! Made us realise how much we were frittering on takeaways and needless crap. Cooking skills improved, usually with more locally produced stuff, and the girls really getting to grips with cooking. Niggly injuries improved, not beasting yourself day in-day out has really helped. Dogs (and cat) have had a pretty good year. Catching up with old Uni mates on Zoom etc., probably seen some ugly faces more in the last year than I have in the last two decades. Mainly it’s taught me to appreciate the little things a bit more, and that how much I miss human interaction, especially physical, handshakes, back-slaps and hugs. Haven't seen Mam for a year now, looking forward to that day like you wouldn’t believe. Obviously the negatives list is too long to fit on the internet, but I wondered if others had found any light in all this bloody darkness? Positive vibes only please!

Local cases peaked at about 1500 per 100k down here a few weeks back, now down to 100 odd. Yes, lockdowns are a PITA, but they obviously work eventually. An already stretched NHS (pre-pandemic), and a nation of fatties has bitten us properly in the arse. What other countries are doing, are not doing, isn’t of any importance from what I can see. Vaccination rollout is cracking on though, for those that want it, which I can only see as a good thing.

Some big trees on this thread recently fellas. We are reducing a yew on Friday that must be knocking on a genuine 20’. I won’t post pics.

Big trees Will, much more so than they looked in the first pic.

I bet that was fun over a slate roof in the rain Dave!

Don’t turn my words around, and I’m sure my Noggy mates will back me , ski resorts or not. They are loving the non- mask wearing freedom they are enduring day to day in Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim, C19 rates are pretty low. You keep skipping the question WHY they are low? Yours sincerely, Bolam Head of Virology, WHO

Andy, you forget that I have mates in Norway. Saying there are no restrictions in ski resorts is a lie, don’t make me make you look like a fool. I’m interested in how you think the UK response could be more effective? (Big J has already covered we should be less obese compared to say OH HOLY FUCK ! countries like Norway.) Just fucking hug each other? Get. A. Fucking. Grip. Andy.

I apologise for the language Sime, I don’t don’t understand the empathy thing? It’s not my strong point.

Andy, this is a Covid thread, can we get back on track please? You constantly berate lockdown and the fact we have had massive death figures. I totally agree, both are shite. You then constantly bang on about Norway being the land of the free, no masks, no lockdowns, much better death figures. Again, I totally agree, you are right. My problem, and I think it is actually a World problem, is that you can’t give a single reason what the fuck we should do about it is? If you knew front line ICU staff in the SE, what they are going through, and have been going through, since last March, maybe you’d hum a different tune? They are stretched tight as a drum. Lockdown is really about protecting the NHS, not the over 80’s who have had their lives. Lockdown is shite, I hate it, but I truly believe we’d be much worse without it. Stop banging on about Norway, get your brain to work here and give us solutions, not problems. I’m not digging you mate, anyone on Arbtalk who has met me will will vouch for the fact that I’m a boozy opinionated twat, and I will happily buy you a pint of overpriced beer at a show some day. Until then Andy, please just look at other people’s experiences of the pandemic rather than just as your own. Most of my mates have been like you, covid is fuck-all, or hellish cold, asymptomatic, the four now dead were maybe heading that way anyway, but don’t take this thing lightly.

I really, really hope this isn’t true.

But you are mental Stu. With hindsight the bigger FSI would have been a better bet € for € ?

What happened to that 900 in the end mate? Gone gone?

Have you looked at the FSI’s? I’ve not used one, but @Ty Korrigan has the baby one and he’s done some mental stumps with his (although he is mental). I would imagine the fully hydraulic FSI would be at least as good as the Predator 460, if not better. My mate has the 460 and it’s an awesome machine, but he’s an owner/operator and knows his way around spanners and grease. I would pay more for a bigger machine knowing what I know now. 2” is neither here nor there.

Should do mate, but @Rob D is the best man to ask.

It cuts fine, just not as well as the 1/4! Try it, you’ll soon know.

It’s overrated Dan.

Why would you Tom? It’s numb on 3/8. Joe has nailed the perfect combo, Stihl 150 10” bar with Stihl 57 dl chain.

@Steve Bullman?

Nice one Timon!

Finally, someone addresses the root cause of what this shit-show is actually all about.

We could be on to something here. Finally, a great reason to not top connies anymore! Removals only. YES!

You’re not alone Wayne!