Highland Forestry

If you are looking at a clearfell than your price seems way off the mark to me.. Average price here for thinnings is £11-£12 per ton Average price for clear fell £6 - £8 per ton I know of a contractor currently cutting and extracting to roadside for £4.50 per ton!!!! Now I know this is not viable, and his machine is paid off but remember that it is a cut-throat market and people with big finance to pay off will undercut to ensure they get the work. If you can get £11 a ton for clearfell then bite thier hands off! for 8000m3 you shouldn't even consider a tractor, stick the biggest forwarder you can find into it and reap the benefits!

Some interesting replies... I think that regardless of what anyone 'thinks' or what anybody's preferred method of work is, I need to be able to back up my decisions with industry best practice and documentation and it seems I may be pinned to the post!

Had a little health and safety issue raised on-site today on a large contract on a CDM site. Can anyone tell me, is it a 'legal' requirement to wear chainsaw protective gloves, it is a reccomendation only and is there any specific way to proove with documentation that they are not required whilst operating a chainsaw? As I understand it, the gloves regs come from the days in which chainsaws had no chain brake, and only the left handed glove needed to have chainsaw protection - that last I heard about the subject was this is was a recommendation only and that the regs were going to be abolished. Any thoughts most welcome, this has thoroughly ruined my day. I do not see why wearing slippery wet chainsaw gloves whilst working in rain/snow can make the job my guys do any safer - infact I believe it is thoroughly dangerous to wear slippery gloves whilst using a chainsaw and infact inviting an accident. Let the onslaught commence!! Matt

Mine does the exact same! It's done it ever since I put a set of BF Goodrich all terrains on it, but it only happens when on full lock. I might see is ford can do something to sort it actually, it's more of an anoyance than anything!

Thats a fair gralloch!! did you get a fry up on the beach?

I'm always bloody depressed about this country!

People can also get thier fingers burnt with 13k machines!

I think the average mileage rate is roughly £0.40p per mile... certainly is about here anyway

Is it just SW Scotland you're after or would work up north be any good? Matt

Good to see the guys in the background - one of them with a massive set of gypsy loppers and the other a climber coming down from the tree obviousley free climbing..

Did you not have it insured??

I hadent thought of that.... that would work quite well.. I'm going to take the whole assembly to a machine shop tomorrow and see if there's anything we can do with it - even to bodge it while we wait for a new one

I'm not so clued up down south Mike, but I know companies like Babcock Rail will do PTS training... If you can find a contractor in your area, that would probably be best - somebody like babcocks, carillion, trac etc

Been trying that today to no avail.... it's looking like we'll have to buy a new assembly

Hi All, Does anyone have a track idler assembly in working order for a Greenmech 19-28 Safetrak that they would part with?

Mike, thanks for the offer.... Unfortunately without a PTS ticket I can't get you onto NR infrastructure.. Matt

Three metres from a live LV line, and you want to do it 'hot' ??? I have to ask.... are you any of the following: a) A complete idiot b) Very stupid c) Suicidal d) Superman e) All of the above GET A SHUT DOWN, DO NOT EVEN CONSIDER GOING NEAR IT WITHOUT ONE. You only get one chance with electric, and if you get fried you may end up in a condition wishing it had finished you off. PLEASE get a shut down... it's just not worth it!

Aye, checked all that I can see or get too..... pretty certain now it's the head gaskett

Meerkat manor??

Looking for guys up here at the moment mate, for contracts until the end of March at the least. Let me know if you're interested Matt

Dave - I would strip it down and take it to the local smiddy or fab shop. Get it brazed/gas welded - shouldnt take more than 10 mins and will cost you around £20 for the welding and some time to strip down. Had a similar thing on the valve bank on our forwarding trailer - get it welded and it's job done, no need to re-visit. You can bolt it as others have suggested but it will be tricky and I wouldnt mind betting take the same time as to strip and get welded.

Quite lucky with mine, it has a full werner kit on it including front loader, guarding, belly plate and winch set/butt plate. Have you got any photos?? I spoke to the plant mechanic today and he said that he wouldnt do the job on a fixed price as he wasnt sure exactly how long it would take but he did tell me it would be no longer than a day, depending on the condition of the head and how easy it will be to get the gasket off.

I'll be getting a plant mechanic to do it John... I wouldnt say I am competent enough for a job like that!

I was thinking that too.... while it's out I might well get a few other bits done to it and hopefully save a repeat performance in the future

Thanks for all the replies guys... I'm still a little unsure but I think as you've said on here it's the head gasket. I'll try the paper towel idea tomorrow morning.. I had a 1hr drive to site thismorning in her, and she was running all day, sweet as a nut - the temperature guage never got much above 80 and she seems fine, but I do know she is using coolant and it seems every time I top up the header tank it takes roughly 4l which when you next start her and take her on a run seems to instantly get out along with lots of steam. However, looking under the bonnet today I noticed some brown rust coloured marks on the block which seem to originate as far as I can tell from the head. Engine out I rekon Anybody got any ideas what the cost to do a head gasket would be??