daveindales

8 minutes ago, Mark Bolam said:

Very highly mate, cracking little machine.

I've had one for about a year now. Very happy with it. 

Have you considered just leaving them and planting around them.? That's what normally happens with plantings I've been involved with. 

I've googled the 'volcano type' holes and they do similar to my photo. I've emailed FC the photo. Not heard anything back yet.

Found at the base of a Sitka spruce located in garden, not forest.  Any ideas what it is? Just appeared over the last few weeks according to the client. Seems like bark dust (frass) to me, but I'm a little out of my depth here. Could it be great spruce bark beetle or something similar? Crown of tree appears normal 

Love this cover version of moonlight shadow by Pina and the coladas.

Tea bag in flask, followed by boiling water. No milk. Let it stew all day. Never clean the flask. Have been doing this for decades.

As a big Rush fan. This live performance takes some beating. 

https://youtu.be/VuHS-gjMiVw

On 28/01/2022 at 21:17, fatharrywhite said:

A large country estate I do quite a bit of work for has some tree planting for me most years & they organise the trees & materials from the nursery. The last few years they've been getting the 1.2 metre tall tubes as there's a deer problem but the thing is that they're expecting me to plant softwoods like Spruce & Pine in them which doesn't make sense to me- although admittedly they have been supplying special ones with slits/ airholes in them. Can anyone give me a 2nd opinion on this? I would have thought most conifer trees would have no chance in that environment.

Your right. 0.75 or 0.6 tubes are a lot better choice. However, they don't address the deer problem. I've planted many 1000s. Always go for the smallest tubes you can get away with. 

Sometimes, the specification is to use 1.2m tubes for conifers, hazel, and hawthorn etc. Totally the wrong choice. But I, just get on with it nowadays.

I've also  just planted 500 in biodegradable 0.75 shelters. What a waste of time and money that was. Not my choice, just following the spec.

Anyone had any experience of using sirane earthboard tree guard?

I've planted thousands in the past, mostly tubex, but I've been instructed to use these for a new planting. 

1 hour ago, doobin said:

Two years is all I got out of mine, occasional use. Seems like brushes are on way out, but of course it’s brushless!

I bought a Makita top handle and was under the impression they came with a 3 year warranty, if you register it? 

The 'white markings' are a definite fungi. Wish I'd taken an earlier photo. And yes, it's not like any Kd (or Ud as I was taught ages ago!)  that I've ever seen. Every one I have seen was of blatant charcoal type appearance. But, I thought it may be an early appearance of the Kd fruiting bodies. (Only guessing though)

It's quite a prominent village tree, which has been shedding branches. No major crown dieback. However, the client is worried as they are some high value targets under it.

A couple more photos. Both from different parts of the buttress roots

This fungus was found at the base of a mature sycamore. It was originally white in colour but has now darkened. I'd love an identification. I suspect it may be the anamorphic stage of Kretzschmaria deusta but stand to be corrected. Any help appreciated. Sorry, best photo I could get!

Just crown raised a small beech tree in Pudsey near Bradford for a friend. Combined it with a weekend golfing.

It was too far for me to take the chipper. If anyone in that area  could do about an hour's chipping for him, he would be grateful. PM me if your interested.

All sorts of characters over the years. But the ones I remember most are:

A former chairman of the British Medical Association.  Really nice bloke (knighted for his services) Was invited to dinner at his house with my wife and father in law.

A metalwork engineer  who made parts for British nuclear submarines in a wooden shed in his front garden.

An old submariner who told me about surfacing and shooting at railway tunnels to block trains in them.

An old ww2 bomber pilot, who later went to work on Vulcan bombers. Told some great tales.

A former chairman of a large haulage firm (800 lorries) Really down to earth bloke, who enjoyed helping out with the work. 

A couple who I knew personally, but didn't work for:

An old bloke who helped rescue an enigma machine from a sinking U-boat. Probably helped shorten the war. Great character. 

Another old boy who drove a bulldozer at Belson. ( you may have seen the footage of him and his colleagues) Had cancer and had part of his stomach removed, which meant he soon got drunk. I remember he played in the local brass band and each Christmas they played in every pub in the town. By the end of the night, well, lets just say the quality of music had gone downhill!

I use one of these if needed. I do some proper metal detecting and this is a pinpointer used for locating the item in the hole you've dug.  Vibrates and buzzes when near metal. Only go a few inches in though.

Found it on pasture land. So no plough damage.

 First hammered coin with the new detector. Henry vii groat 

No, i didn't message you Pete. Must have been someone else!

Owners thoughts please on the Greenmech 130.

Has it been reliable?

What's it like chipping wet conifer etc. Will it block up?

Would you buy another?

Only asking as I'm thinking about a replacement for my good old petrol Entec CH25. I'd buy similar but out off the timber wolf 160 because of lack of a bonnet.

Anyone know where the app has gone? Can't find it on Google play / android?

5 hours ago, Mick Dempsey said:

I was that guy Bob, turning up on jobs in central London with 50 mètres of triple plat, à Willans harness and a couple of stoners in the the van, looking up at something way out of my skill set.

 

So I got on with it and expensive mistakes were made.

 

 

The good old Willans. I  climbed on a full body one since the early 1990s. Had to retire it this year. (Too old to lolar) and you can't get the full body one now. Personally, I found them bloody comfortable.

A little tip:

Find out which genus has opposite buds and which has alternate buds. Very simple. It might not help you identify exact genus, but it immediately rules out others.

4 hours ago, jose said:

i had a 450, moved to a 460 and then to a FSIB22

dont get the predator. 

Great machine but they are flimsy and just end up breaking constantly!

fsi much better build. although smaller its almost the same weight. i had mine predator rebuilt and new bits galore before selling it and it still just didnt last.

Also i had to always bring a tape measure to see if the 460 would get through gates, the fsi fits pretty much everywhere! in the last few years i think ive not got through 2 gates tops!

And trust me u dont really miss the power. my crew were really sceptical about the lack of power but once used never looked back.

all that happens i u end up pushing the predator to do more and it breaks.

And the cable system is beyond terrible! I was a through and through fan of the predator but they were not interested in updating and it shows.

to date nothing has broken ( apart from clumsy employees breaking off the choke lever but still starts first time every time). 

Makes me wonder about the bigger one! 

Oh and the centre pivot makes a massive difference. There are times u wont use it but 99% u will. and the wheel brake system helps massively to prevent falling into holes or repositioning the machine .

hire one of each if pos and you will see.

Just out of interest, if the teeth are sharp how long would it take to grind about a 2ft conifer? I've heard a couple of people say, don't worry about the lack of HP. I guess a demo is the best option