briscoe

Found this which offers guidance on Mistletoe removal:

https://urbanforestrysouth.org/resources/library/citations/Citation.2005-07-18.2443/fss_get/file

3 Methods 

1. Cutting back the mistletoe - 80 percent will grow back after a few years and roots remain totally reliant on tree for nutrients

2. Tree pruning 14 inches below infection site

3. Chemical spray with Plant Growth regulator (ethephon) . Care taken wearing knapsack sprayer whilst climbing to application site

Interesting idea to wrap it to stop light getting to it. I think the American mistletoe is more parasitic than European variety. Also more toxic. If its not going to damage the tree too much it might be worth growing it and harvesting once a year to sell it

Being sold for £3 a piece or £20 for bucket full. Sold a fair bit but a bit late - would have been a small fortune a few weeks ago!

I have recently removed a large amount of mistletoe from a large lime tree. The primary reason for this was reducing the sail area of the tree which is in a very exposed location . The tree is also near pedestrian paths, property etc. I have heard that due to its parasitic nature of mistletoe in can reduce the strength of the wood and lead to branch failure and tree death.

Will cutting back the mistletoe by reduce its parasitic properties? Im assuming that taking away its leaf area will slow down its growth and requirement for taking nutrients from the tree. Its certainly had the original desired effect of reducing sail area. 

Should the whole branch be cut back to a few below the mistletoe? There is growth beyond the bundles of mistletoe and the branch was not dead. It seems a shame to have to reduce the whole tree if the branches are not dead. 

Absolutely - an NPTC training video!

Could you not just buy a cheap run about for the wife and get her to build up no claims? For 1000 you can get a reasonable run about with 12 months MOT.  cheap insurance cheap/free tax good on fuel. Something like a Fiat Panda. The money you will save on fuel per year will cover the cost of insurance.

My saws are MS 261 , MS341 and MS460 

I am wondering whether to replace the decompression valves with plugs and wondering if there is advantage to this?

The tiny spring inside the valve often looses tension over time and they occasionally fail. Also genuine ones from well known engineers are 25 quid whereas you can buy them for 4 quid on ebay but then concerned about quality. Do people use these after market valves and how many opt for the plugs? I've read the valves are designed partly to decrease wear on pull start mechanism. 

Thanks also need the clutch kit

Is this a mcculloch 110 and can you get sprocket for it still. I beleive it's about 1978 ish . Must be one of the first toppers ? He runs and sounds amazing. Im guessing 50.1

I recently aquired a pair of barely used 2019 Haix Protector Pros for £30 off fleebay

Why the hell have these got such fantastic reviews?

For a start they are extremely restrictive and they feel like wearing ski boots. I am used to wearing Haix Mountain ridge which have lasted well and so thought Id give these Haix Protectors a try. The Haix Blue Ridge feels like a walking boot but these rise considerably higher up on the leg . Then there is the crazy high sole which shuttles me from 5'9 to nearly 6ft, which is nice for a confidence boost, but I think unnecessary. The combination of the sole height and restriction makes driving / operating pedals tricky and the van seat needed to be slid back to accomodate for the boots.

After the tricky driving experience I braved wearing them in a tree and they were OK but not brilliant. 

Overall I am not that impressed. I will keep trying them for a few weeks but I think generally a lower cut boot/lower sole height is the way forward. These feel like something inspector gadget would wear

Regardless of whether I will use them for tree work, i will  keep them in the cuboard for the occasional night out or concert, where the boost in height, may make all the difference. 

Are there many here that like these? Do you use them for forestry or general tree / hedge work? Did it take a while to adjust to them?

Good luck to you eggs - I've a few friends who live on boats. Van life and living on boats does have its appeal but comes with its difficulties. Services, legalities etc . Most seem to manage OK though by living quietly, (unofficially off radar sometimes), moving to new locations, using services at gyms -ie showers, toilets etc. 

For 5-20K you can buy a reasonable boat and live on water . To do it you need

• License from canal and river trust which as example costs about £900 per year for a 30ft boat.
• Boat safety certificate every 4 years (£150 -300) + plus any work to make safe
• Boat Insurance (£200)

You then are entitled to use the canal network with two options:

1. Continuous cruising where you cannot stop in 1 place for more than 2 weeks. (included in license fee)

2. Residential mooring (additional cost can be 1k -10k per year depending on boat length and location)

The network in the UK is impressive and its a nice way of life. 

Not everyone, for various reasons, wants to (or can) live in a house . Housing in UK is a mess. When an average house costs more than ten times average salary its getting ridiculous. More and more people will be looking for alternative options.  

If logs are staying on site and stacked nearby and the drag for brash isnt hundreds of meters then I reckon 2-3 guys could do that in one day. 

A bonfire for the brash would make it an easy day for 2 people.

Has anyone tried Haix protector lite pro? 

45 is no problem provided your Body Mass Index is under 30. If you like heights, chainsaws, bonfires, anxiety and a lunchtime pasty this is the game for you.

Best bet is to do some NPTC tickets on weekend including aerial / climbing ticket to see if you like heights etc. Then call around to see if you can do some ground work for another co (£70-100pd) , whilst getting some experience with climbing/picking up your own small jobs.

What you need to get going:

NPTC tickets £2000

tools and PPE £5000

Pickup /tipper £5000

Insurance £400

Website £300

Somewhere to offload waste - local tip, farm, (verge/farm gateway - only in a pinch)

Best of luck

Or do window cleaning. Its outdoor/physical less tools and prob earn more. Lorry license Asda pay approx 30k 4 on 4 off 

Mud tyres on 2wd  make a massive difference.  Can now get to tip site on farm. She crawled through the mud with ease. Recommended

Cheers all for advice. 

Mud tyres fitted last weekend . They are commercial rated and a common van size. 

Maxxis Bighorn MT764 195 r14 C 106 load rating. 

The difference on the mud is night and day. 

https://www.camskill.co.uk/m90b0s97p159310/Maxxis_Tyres_Van_Maxxis_Bighorn_MT764_195_R14_C_106_104Q_TL_Fuel_Eff_%3A_XC_Wet_Grip%3A_XC_NoiseClass%3A_XC_Noise%3A_XC

Would you say narrow tyre better for mud? Also do 4wd in 2wd mode drive from front axle or rear? 2wd mostly seem to drive from rear axle which is strange as I think this is more sport car territory. 

There are only two sizes in my isuzu manual but I think you can also go for slightly different sizes

It would be ideal if there was a decent online directory for all tyres for any particular vehicle - trying to source whats available with correct load rating, speed index and alternative sizes is quite a task! If you use the generic well known tyre company search engines they often come up with wheel sizes which arent designed for vehicle. 

Good to know Mud Tyres, All terrains or Snow tyres made some difference in 2WD. 

limited to van size tyres either 195 r 14 or 215 70 15 but there are some about

leaning towards all terrain as mostly on the road and muds

I have an old isuzu pickup which is 2wd. My tip spot /storage is on a farm which does get muddy in winter and truck can get stuck .

I am considering fitting some all terrain or mud tyres an wondering if any 2wd van or tipper people have done this with any success?  Also which tyre either mud or all terrain? 

If you've got the old pre 97 license is it not tempting to go for a 5t iveco or mercedes tipper? They look similar size . 

Or go for 3.5t tipper towing a 2 t trailer and 750kg chipper. If this is legal then hard to see how this would be safer that 1.5 t loaded in tipper.  

Slightly scary:

Normally, a fixed penalty would be inappropriate for serious cases of overloading - for example when the vehicle is overloaded by 30% and over.

In the case of a 680kg payload, an excess of 204kg ( really 6-7 reasonable sized logs) might see you in a court summons situation and potential license suspension. 

No public weighbridge near me so £12 for a private one. 

3.3 Excess weight offences

When a fixed penalty notice or conditional offer is issued for an excess weight offence, the examiner will also prevent the vehicle going any further.

This is to:

• stop an overweight vehicle being used on the road
• preserve road safety

A fixed penalty is the preferred option for dealing with excess weight offences unless:

• the offence is too serious
• the maximum number of penalty notices would be exceeded

The table below shows the current graduated penalty levels for excess weight matters.

A £100 penalty will be given for a 0% to 9.99% overload, but DVSA examiners will allow a 5% leeway before issuing a fixed penalty or prohibition, unless the relevant weight has been exceeded by 1 tonne or more.

Normally, a fixed penalty would be inappropriate for serious cases of overloading - for example when the vehicle is overloaded by 30% and over, or the excess weight is 5 tonnes - so a court summons would be issued instead.

If the excess weight and the way the load is carried is having a significant effect on road safety - for example, serious instability or loss of control, these other offences will mean a court summons, with the excess weight being part of the offence/s.

19 minutes ago, Mark Bolam said:

My DC Tranny goes 2850 on the bridge with 2 of us, tools and dog in the cab.

Leaves a payload of 650.

 

It’s f-all really.

 

2.4m3 bed space without sides (which I have), and fresh conny chip going about 300kg/m3, if I’m level, I’m loaded.

 

Then reality kicks in…..

 

I just pop another Stella for every additional 50kg.

Are the weigh bridges free to use?

You have a transit tipper with only 650kg payload? So you legally couldnt carry the logs in the first picture. This means most arb trucks are likely over loaded most of the time.