Dave Rouse

Have a look at john deere. a couple of years ago they started making a series of tractor called 5E. bottom of the range (2wd. 55hp) is only about £10k brand new. there will soon be a retro fit and a factory fit cab available. they're are also just about light and small enough to fit on a trailer behind a 4x4 JohnDeere 5E 3 Cylinder Series Tractors

i remember seeing the price for lawn mowing stated per m2, but cant seem to find the thread. it was placed by a user whos name i cant remember. although i do remember that their profile photo shows a kubota out front mower being used. if the user can repeat the figures or if someone could point me in the direction of the thread i'd be grateful. cheers Dave

never used a pto machine but hired in a road tow machine from local john deere dealship on a number on a number of occasions. the guys at the dealship say they are a pleasure to work on and a world apart re. maintenance requirements and build quality compared to the bearcat that they used to hire out. votex, tractor mounted topper and mower manufacturers are now the importers of them, who's headquarters are just down the road from me in hereford. they have a very good dealer network covering the whole of the country, so any fears regarding backup will hopefully no longer be a worry. i'd love to buy one to go on my JD 6230, but as brushcutter said they are big money. but then again if you can afford it then you should be able to reap the rewards of much better build quality etc.

tried an atlas trailer? much the same as an ifor but in my humble opinion better built. oh and cheaper. had mine 5 years or so love it, cant fault it. several posts on here about them, most of which i've added my sixpeneth worth to. tipper trailers ¦ tipping trailer ¦ flat bed trailers Hampshire ¦ box trailer West Sussex ¦ heavy tipper Surrey

according to herefordshire councils website peter is spot on!

the chipper at duncans is a road tow vandaele (imported by votex of hereford) i've used it on a number of occasions- nice piece of kit. something that may also be of interest to arbtalkers in the area is that Alexander and duncan are planning on developing/expanding the arb/landscaping/grounds maintenance tools and machinery side of the business i have been helping advice the groundscare manager regarding brands and equipment etc. they are also looking into the possibility of being able to carry out LOLER inspections as well. its all very much in the early stages, but i'll keep you all posted.

The 455 has. Only done about 1200 hours, which appear to be genuine looking at the condition of the tractor. The deck appears to have come off an older machine.

love it just emailed my friends at the local john deere dealership to suggest that they are missing out on a whole new market of sales.

hi i'm looking for a second hand mower deck for a john deere 455. mine currently has a 54'' deck, the skin of which is very badly cracked. although i'm welding it up it would be handy to have another deck. it wouldnt matter if it is a 48'', 54'', 60''or 62'' deck. cheers dave

sorry that should have read classic tractor magazine. brain not fully functioning, too early in the day i think.

intatrac in shropshire are very reasonable for case and international harvester parts (esp. panels). try the classified ads in something like classic tractor

i've got a D22 at the mo and would happliy buy another next time round, but would not buy one of the new chrome covered tonka toys. my local john deere dealer who are now also an isuzu dealer inform me the that isuzu are bringing out a new new range next year that will include a basic single king and double cab pickups as they have realised there is very little in the way of work spec pickups on the market.

as i've mentioned on here before i've been on the look out for a 3 pl winch for sometime. fransgard v6500 seem popular and well regarded so i have be specifically on the look out for one of these. with 2nd hand examples making 1 to 1.5k+ i have just priced up a new one with a dealership i use on a regular basis for other machinery. they quoted me £2850+vat just wondered if this sounded like a fair price. would also be grateful some advice as to the different specs available. i'm going to use the winch for tree surgery work as opposed to forestry. i understand that fransgard make 3 different spec machines in the 6ton bracket: v-6500, v-600gs and v6000 gs-eh. the quote i had is for the v-6500. what i'd like to know is do the 2higher spec machines offer any features that i need for what i'm going to do or would it be a waste of money (tree surgery is only about 40% of my business) and is 6 ton a bit over kill for my needs from what i've told you and if so what size should i go for? many thanks dave

hi pault Walford college in shropshire are running these courses thro a 3rd party. i spoke to cindy joules yesterday and she gave me the number below. These courses are currently being run through woodworks west midlands, which means if you or your employer are in the west midlands you will receive the courses at a discounted rate. Contact Ian Morgan or Linda Pemberton on 01785 330 377 cindys number (co ordinator for the woodworks scheme is 01939 262154

i purchased an atlas trailer around 4 years ago. my first post on here was about them and i still stand by what i said i.e. fanastic trailer, well built (better than any of the competitors in my humble opinion) clive is great to deal with and always willing to help plus its 1k cheaper than ifor. i use mine for fire wood, moving my 1.5 ton mini digger, compact tractor, soil, hedge cuttings etc etc. they've got a gross laden weight of 3.5 tons, which i think is greater than the brian james and like the ifor the atlas is on leaf strings, whereas brain james is on rubber suspension units which never seem as strong and long lived as the leaf springs. i emailed clive a little while after i purchased the trailer to thank him and let him know how pleased i was with it, he thewn posted extracts from the email on his testimonenials page on his website, i think its still on there now. i just wish he made a plant trailer as well as i'm looking for one now and it would be nice to have one as well built as the tipper! hope this helps you make up your mind. i certainly wouldnt hestitate to buy another

an idea for the future. when do closeboard fencing i get my posts made of box section steel, with a plate welded on the bottom and angle cleats welded to take the horizontals. the posts are then either painted or zinc galvanised. i erect them at a little over 2.4 metre centres to compensate for the width of the post. much nicer to work with than those horrible concrete things, and look nicer in my opinion.

Alycidon you mention a moisture meter, where can i get hold of one?

it covers hired in plant of upto £50k at anyone time. if you needed more you can request it, its just that £50k is the standard (i think it £50k, as havent got policy docs infront of me at mo)

i'd suggest trying another hire company, hire a tractor off a friend or check your pl/el insurance mine is with the nfu and as well as incl. the insurance of my saws and other tools it also includes cover for £50,000 of hired in plant as standard, you may find that your pl/el insurance includes this. Dave

hi just wondering what i need to look out for when buying a second hand tp chipper. cheers

i'm looking at buying a second hand tp chipper (pto) i've read a few reports on here and they seem to be held in pritty high regard. i just wondered how the wearing parts compare for cost and quality to other manufacturers. i'd be intending to carryout the maintenance myself, is this fairly straight forward as i have never owned a chipper before, although i have had experience of forge harvesters, which appear to be very similar in design. i'm in herefordshire, does anyone know where the nearest tp dealer is to me? also are non genuine parts available, if so are they any good or is it best to stick to genuine only? cheers

hi all anyone got any advice on the best way to sharpen hedge trimmer blades. The blades on my machines are tight, but some of the machines have a tendancy to 'chew' at the stems rather than cut, esp on thuja. are the any jigs that you can buy so as to keep the correct angles? a friend has recommended using a flapper disc or sanding disc on a grinder. has anyone tried this method?

call by at your local john deere dealership. JD in the last 12 months have produced a very useful free booklet which will tell you all you need to know. Think it is called 'look behind you'. The front cover is of a JD towing a green Bailey trailer taken from the cab of the tractor looking into the wing mirror. Think i'm right in saying you dont need air for use over 20mph, but you do need higher spec oil brakes on a 10, rather than 6 stud axle

i've had an atlas for 3 or 4 years and love it. cheaper than an ifor and better built in my opinion http://www.altastrailers.co.uk

hi has anyone heard anymore about these grants? i've looked on the websites that have been mentioned and cant find any mention of the grants. cheers dave