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Le Chameau will probably fetch £150+ on ebay with no serial numbers Nothing is safe

In your opinion then I would be the Gypsy King!

I was recently asked to look at a home saw which "smelt hot" and was smoking. He knew nothing about 2 stroke or chain oil (or PPE). The saw was bought from our nearest Stihl dealer and wrecked within the day. Value added over mail order? Nil.

Just following orders then?

To be honest I would have thought a bit of common sense would have descended on Stihl by now. Even if they think that the new saw trade needs to be reigned in to face to face sales only, the fact that someone can't buy a Stihl tape measure mail order in 2013 is just highlighting their belligerence in the matter. Stihl, just like King Canute, have failed to stop the tide coming in twice a day and, as many Arbtalkers so rightly predicted, the world didn't stop. We have surprisingly easily found a perfectly acceptable way to continue with our business without inconvenience but, for the record, not one penny has been spent with Stihl since the announcement. Not so much out of spite, more to do with getting on with life with minimum disruption. The free advertising we gave to potential domestic users is fading fast as less and less of our kit carries the Stihl logo. It is their business and they can decide how they want to run it. However, I am absolutely sure they will look back at the decisions they implemented in 2013 with their heads in their hands.

Did the police pass any comment on the photos? Are they useful with their inquiries or inadmissible? It would be very interesting to know. A great advert for the camera though and I do hope they get their kit back one way or another.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151841359783132&l=7d3dc2f17b

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151841359783132&set=a.10150376981053132.414036.770058131&type=1&theater

Interesting. The airoponic system we had for fuschia cuttings had a foam collet to hold the stem. There was no medium at all beneath just a bare stalk. We never had any problem transplanting so it will be interesting to see how you get on.

I look forward to the update. I have a case of 3" grodan blocks if you want to try them at the same time. 25p each plus p&P What happened to the growbags? I thought that was a neat idea and last time I looked at the thread you were getting some spectacular results. Cheers

Its a very good question. I guess with all the messing about that there has been the whole domestic proposition it has put off wood suppliers from paying the accreditation "tax"... is there any point in being accredited when there is so much uncertainty about the direction and timing of such schemes? For one, we haven't sought accreditation and we wont be doing either.

It's definitely a pool. Good work!

There is one on Firewood processing equipment for hire. Rent log splitters, saws, firewood processing machines and kindlett machines at Nantwich but that sounds like a fair run out also.

No grants from the FC as it will not be woodland. It is an energy crop.

Fair point. It would be solely for coppice. The stuff I have done myself was initially at 4ft spacings but we then went to 2m so I could mow in between the rows.

Thanks for the info. I have always sprayed around each plant each year until it achieves double the height if the surrounding grass. This seems to work well.

Thanks for the help. The land is grade 1 and drained but is not the best shape for the industrial scale that farming today demands.

I am considering getting around 10 acres planted up on a 3m grid this coming season. My thoughts are Silver Birch - Sycamore - Silver Birch - Alder in rows with a view to taking out the silver birch once the others get established. It would be grown for firewood logs and will be coppiced. Plants will need to be 60cm and guards provided. I will do any ongoing maintenance so the guidance I need is on the ball park costs of getting someone in to plant it up. Any other comments and suggestions would of course also be welcome.

Kurtail works well and quickly but is not selective.

Can anyone confirm the science behind this claim?

I agree with the sentiment but what (i feel) is a new twist is to blame customers.

Just had the clutch slave cylinder seal replaced on our Freelander II. Would have cost 90p on my old series 3. Cost £1k for a freelander. Engine out and split to get at the clutch slave cylinder - not impressed!

Not sure about mogs but if you have a valve block on the trailer then the connections required fill be flow and return and the lever inside set to continuous pump.

If anything watching you work all day pruning for the same price as an hour on the central heating boiler is in itself going to create a perception of arb work being of a much lesser value. How many qualifications you have or how much kit you have means nothing if you choose to work for 1/8th the rate of a plumber. If plumbers have organised themselves and stick to their 'industry wide' day rate is it really fair to blame the consumers perception of value?

I am lost on this one. Surely in a free market the only group of people setting the price of their time is the Arborists themselves?