Marko

As I said - I am open to all suggestions. What do you think is sensible bearing in mind that the log stacks are often tucked away behind the garage etc.

We have a very simple rotation system - stuff goes in to storage the year it was cut and gets used 4-5 years later. This system is overkill for ensuring the wood is correctly seasoned but enables us to manage stock levels through mild and hard winters. What I sell is irrelevant to this debate - "if you recommend the customer dries fresh wood for 2-3 years before burning, then the stuff you sell should be of the same quality." Why should it? As long as I tell them these logs were a tree last week and that they will need to keep them for 2-3 years before they will be fit to burn then there will be no surprises and I will still have a happy customer. It is not what we sell that matters - it is how we sell it! The guide is intended to benefit the whole industry to help (primarily new) customers of wood fuel understand that this is far from an exact science and what all their buying options are such that we all minimise misunderstandings. I have advocated the use of a moisture meter as wet wood is definitly high on the list of complaints I get told about. Billy Goat Gruff notes "The amount of new customers that I have picked up this year because they are fed up with wet wood, is double on last year". Are the two of us the only ones hearing this? As I hopefully convey in the guide, buying wet wood is not a problem in itself if you are prepared to season it. It can save money if you have the space to store it. Complaints ony arise when a customer gets wet wood when the expected dry wood. As with quantities of wood delivered, the issues only arise when there is a mismatch of expectations. Alternative suggestions and further comments all welcome!

Wood is invariably cut to length and split within 12 months of being cut. We now store and stack the logs in galvanised stillages which dramatically eases the ongoing handling of stock from being split to being delivered. We have plenty of space for storage and hold around 4-5 years worth but this is small scale stuff compared to some of the other guys on the forum.

25% Farming 25% Firewood 50% IT. Depends on the weather!

If I run the logsplitter off the MF135 hydraulics with it set on constant pump the revs need to be up and it sups a fair amount of diesel in a day. On the other hand if I run the same splitter off a little kubota and a PTO pump the splitter is both faster and more powerful with the throttle set just off tickover.

Good points. I have added "Most UK suppliers prefer to sell by the cubic meter or part thereof...." and also a new section on selecting a supplier.

After one to many customer 'missunderstandings' and taking note of an earlier thread where Trading Standards had been involved on a similar dispute I decided to have a go at creating difinitiive Firewood Buyers Guide with the intent of capturing best practice so we all have something to point at. A starter for 10 is now online at: http://www.carbonneutralfuel.com/firewood-buying-guide.html Please feel free to make any suggestions at all about what is right, wrong, missing etc. All inputs are very welcome.

If I remember correctly wood burnt at 30% moisture will only give off around 50% of the heat of wood burnt at 20% moisture - so you need twice as much wood to keep warm! I got a good qualty moisture meter bought me for Christmas and it has been a bit of a surprise. Firewood that feels wet is wet but firewood that feels ok but perhaps a bit cold and damp seems to be about 30-35% and wood that feels really dry is still only measuring 20% but quickly drops to 15% if kept by the fire for a few days.

The hydraulic splitter on the Leyland looks a nice bit of kit. Could you post the make/model?

Thanks for everyones help and inputs.

Mr Ed - did you get my PM and email? I could do with a chat urgently if you can ring. Ta.

A run on a colour would quickly hit the house limit and thwart your plan. Also remember that red or black is not an evens bet. Green pays the rent.

Richard, Richard, thanks for the photo - areal tidy job. Mr Ed, I suppose for 80 percent of the year I would have the machine just as Richard has in the photo. But at this time of year I would need it working hard shovelling hardcore and road planings for repairs to farm tracks. Also to move / load pallets up to (but rarely) 1 tonne - usually a cube in a stillage - on to a trailer but also being able to put stuff on top of the container is useful. Now and then extract logs from site; forest work more often than residential. It is to replace a MF135 with a forklift on the back so the linkage gives a bit more overlap on other odd jobs. Budget is as little as possible to do the job. I will PM phone no and hopefully we can talk soon. Cheers.

Gave up and lit the fire at 11am

I left a message at PLG but nobody got back to me - must be too busy helping Bernard spend his turkey money. Similar story with JCB if I'm honest - I had to point out that I have been asking for a demo for over a month before one was organised. It must be hard for the lads and lasses on the shop floor who are on short time / laid off whilst the sales teams saunter along without a care in the world. Mr Ed - have you got any photos of a GT50 with a 3 point linkage at the rear as I am finding this hard to visualise. Also could you please PM the pricing for same and attachments. Ta.

Woodplans - could you say where you got it from? According to the Weidemann website the nearest dealer is in Ireland.

I do the same as Quickthorn. The growth of a seedling surrounded by a meter of weed free ground compared to one without is dramatic.

We buy our ash trees in as 2"-3" seedlings - they are slow to get established but are at 6ft by the 5th season (rabbits permitting). After this there is no stopping them.

I hadn't realised there was now so much choice of compact loaders! I have had a quick look at the two mentioned above and they would seem to be more adaptable than the JCB although I can't find in the tech spec if there is a constant pump aux hydraulic circuit although think there must be for brush attachments ect. Has anyone used them to power a splitter? Also if anyone has already done their homework, how did they all stack up on price, aftersales support, resale value etc.

Have been considering a skid steer for loading trailers and general handling around the yard but have been asked to consider a JCB 403 loader. It would not chew up the yard, will fit in a container etc etc. Your thoughts very welcome on both the skid steer options and the 403

After not finding anything local for ages, we decided to buy arable land and plant our own woodland. It takes a long time and quite a bit of effort (we are still planting approx 300 trees a year) and six years on we are only just starting to get saplings that are of a size that you could start to call emerging woodland!

When smiting ones groundie from above, it should be remembered just how far the words that taketh the Lords name in vain travel.

Been meaning to ask this for some time.... A cube bag??? Do you guys buy in 1 Cubic meter bags or is this just a term for a builders bag. If it is the latter then the standard size was only .66 of a cubic meter when I measured it. Not many of us would be that happy if served only 2/3rds of a pint! So... if builders bags are the unit of measurement I use 23 a year. If cubic meters are the unit of measurement I use around 15 a year. A big difference! I am sure we will have Trading Standards involved sooner or later if we don't clarify this. It doesn't change the price - it is still going to be £45 or whatever for a builders bag full however much wood is actually in it.

Forgot to mention... at home we have two log burners (a 5kw and an 8kw) which we try and light to keep the gas central heating at bay. We go through approx 15 cubic meters a year of mixed very well seasoned logs.