Perkins

Whilst discussing pruning works to some fully mature Sycamores and Limes.... "do we need to make the conservation application given that these trees are just self-seeders?" er....yes!

Can you quote me for pruning a tree down to ground level.

Can somebody tell me what sort of mpg you get in a landy 110 or 130? It's a pity they don't make them switchable 4wd. The permanent 4x4 makes a lot of roadnoise, reduces mpg and I expect wears tyres out quicker than normal. I get about 30mpg in my old hilux, and have never found the log carrying capacity to be a problem, just the volume for chip, which is why we run two vehicles... a 2wd tipper and the Hilux for pulling the ifor williams/stump grinder and moving logwood. I think we all have the same problem, where can you get a decent sized 4wd tipper? Custom conversion, unimog, or settle for 2wd or run two vehicles.

No it's a breeze

Nice...we've just put one of those Dunsley's in...cracking stove. We burn all year for the hot water.

The Armour prussik is perfect, just the right length so hardly any un-necessary slack, grabs quick and slides easy. Pretty abrasion resistant, I've been using this one for a few months and it looks like new. Not cheap at £33+VAT.

It means you're a geek I think.

Only just read this...not sure how well publicised it was. Exemptions from the need for obtaining consent Under the tree preservation order regulations that have been replaced, there were several circumstances where consent from the local planning authority was not required to carry out work to protected trees. This included trees that were dying, dead or had become dangerous. The broad scope of this exemption presented some uncertainty for those wanting to carry out what they believed to be exempt work. The new regulations omit “dying” from the exceptions. They also introduce an exemption for removing dead branches from a living tree. In other words, Dying trees are no longer exempt from application. You must now submit a notice to prune or remove dying trees. You can remove deadwood from a living tree (I was under the impression that this was already the case). All new TPOs now automatically take immediate effect. You must now give five days' notice in writing, if you intend to do work to a dead or dangerous tree, except where the works must be done without delay to ensure public safety. In this case you must tell the authority as soon as possible after the works become necessary. A five-day notice has now become mandatory. Dangerous trees are exempt from full application only where they are at imminent risk of causing serious harm. Very few trees are likely to come within this category. Consents to carry out works now carry a standard two-year time limit. If works have not been carried out within two years of consent being granted, then a fresh application must be made. This is the same rule that already applies to trees in Conservation Areas. Trees that are deemed 'imminently dangerous' can have problematic sections removed, or if they are likely to fall, be taken to ground level, but the council must be notified. Full document can be viewed HERE Perkins

Nordmann Fir?

Beech don't transplant well in my experience.

5m of Yale Magma Ice with a Pinto and a Distel tied using 65cm eye:eye Armour Prussik 8mm. The prussik fits nicely between the pinto.

Ditto above, send it to the HSE. It is un-professional workmanship like this that de-values the service and makes life more difficult for the law-abiding rest of us. No helmet, no harness and what looks like steel toe-cap shoes!

Yes I've done a self build, there are loads of things I would do differently next time around, too many to list here, but probably advise you to build the house for strength, make good foundations, make the rooms plenty big enough, design in a boot room/utility, use at least 4" kingspan in the roofspace. We run entirely on wood for our central heating and hot water, which saves a fortune in bills. Think about running costs. If you don't need gas central heating, bottled propane will run a 5 burner hob for 18 months at a cost of about £50 (47kg). Think about your services and how they will be routed through the house. Pipes and wires need to be hidden. I have a spreadsheet for sizing a boiler and calculating heat requirements per room depending on internal/external wall/window areas. Use a mains pressure hot water tank if poss. it removes the need for a header tank. erm what else, how big is it going to be??

Yeah Johnny I agree. I only keep doing it because I bought this flippin' grinder and some wheels. The time it takes to sharpen them up, I could go out and earn enough money to buy some new teeth instead.

I use a heavy duty 10" bench grinder with a standard aluminous oxide wheel and a green stone (silicone carbide) wheel. Use the standard wheel to grind back the steel part of the tooth by around 2 or 3mm. Hold the tooth sideways on with some mole grips and take the steel portion (above the carbide) back by whatever you need to, depending on how much you need to grind back the carbide. Don't grind the carbide with the standard wheel and don't grind the steel with the green stone. Using the green stone, grind back the leading edge of the carbide. Hold the tooth straight on towards the wheel and angle it slightly up to match the original shape. You don't need to grind the bottom face of the tooth (the face which hits the timber first), only the front edge and maybe a bit on the corners where it's rounded. Does that make sense? I can take a couple of pics if you want me to. The steel grinds back easy but the carbide is hardcore and takes some doing. Always wear a dustmask and goggles when grinding, especially with the green stones. Perkins

A mate of mine was once diggin a trench for some new land drains when he found an old boot, with a foot in it.

NI is just another income tax with a different name. It all goes into the same pot.

couldn't have said it any better.

Concur with Mr Ming, Coppice mostly and maybe pollard any that have a decent stem with no included bark. Nice spot to work. The big lump of willow will be a mixture of coppice and pollard I guess. The Ash will coppice nicely. Wouldn't mess about with reduction work in such a rural location. Plus coppicing generates more logs obviously! A few Alders thrown in there would be good for the future.

Unfortunately some customers feel like they will get better value for money if you take more off. Hence the need for education at the quote stage.

down south you may get away with £500 per day but up here I'd say it's probably nearer £400.

Some useful comments there, thanks. I'll be putting the crown clean of a large Red Oak on hold then. I'll go service the chipper and get out this afternoon to process some firewood. Tomorrow's meant to be better, although they said that yesterday about today.

Is it worth the increased risk, messing up your kit and making a muddy mess on the customers lawn?

As far as I know they don't come with a manual (mine didn't). Instructions would be to put it on, adjust to suit and attach your climbing line. Keep away from solvents, petrol, oils etc. Inspect regularly and retire from use (the harness, not you) if damaged. What else do you need to know?

Even with the higher value it would only take the average tree surgeon around three days to fill that space. What happens then? I guess you're drying it out to make into compressed chip blocks for firewood? I must say it looks cost efficient if you have inside space to dry it. The blocks cost as much or more than firewood, so if you can get the chip free you only have the processing cost as overhead.