jose

So what was the outcome of the shute fix?

On 02/12/2021 at 18:05, rapalaman said:

I have 360 which has been brilliant but not without it’s problems. Exhaust shook  itself to bits (kohler engine) and the brake arrangement is poor at best - I always keep at least two spare cables with me.

was very tempted by the fsi but shame they don’t use a bigger engine around 25hp or so. 
I picked up a used hb20 but have only used it once so far. Doesn’t bog down like the 360 can, but I feel the multi tip teeth and/or rhino seem better than the green teeth on the bandit

i had predators for years, 450, 460 x2. 

The power is great, the build quality terrible! and dont even get started with the cables. absolute joke. Its a shame as with a little investment it would be a winner! I did feed back to the guys at predator but didnt seem interested.

Demo a FSI B22, built 10 times better. The engine is a lot less power which i was really sceptical about but once i used it realised its more than enough. 

Major bonus is its much narrower than a 460. never worry about gates again.

Rock grinders i have the baby one which is harder work but cost me £1000 brand new and has never let me down and paid itself off in about 4months!

I havent tried the new one though.

If you got the space and money bigger is better ( its not massively bigger by the looks). Your body will thank you.

But only you know really whats best for your setup

good for you! i feel like taking a leaf out of your book! bet you wished you had done it years ago!

After a contact to remove larger timber (i fell it via a crane) in Berkshire, Ascot, sandhurst etc area.

Need to know how much per load and area covered( i dont go far!).

My regular guy has semi retired ( how dare you Al!).

Many thanks

7 hours ago, doobin said:

Tesco’s have shops on every corner, and a marketing budget others can only dream of to get shoppers through the door. They also sell things that everyone in Britain needs every single week of your life. The two are not comparable. 
 

As others have said, if the business stops trading, competitors get a bite of the market share for free. Even if someone buys the ‘goodwill’, then a decent percentage of customers will probably still switch to using another company. So therefore the ‘goodwill’ value is low or non existent. 

As others have said, if the business stops trading, competitors get a bite of the market share for free. Even if someone buys the ‘goodwill’, then a decent percentage of customers will probably still switch to using another company. So therefore the ‘goodwill’ value is low or non existent. 

exactly the same for any business then surely? 

8 hours ago, Richard 1234 said:

Go buy it then

As said i already have my own business thanks

I dont get it, if you have a business that has shown consistent profit year on year there has to be a value to that.

To say without contracts its not really worth anything surely is wrong. People dont have a contract with tesco's but year in year out they make massive profits and if you wanted to take over that you know you would be paying for it! Yes they have bigger assets but thats all proportional to the point.

Not one of the actual paying customers that walk through that door have to use them but instead choose to. Same as with all the repeat customers that the OP will have gained over the years but doesnt have a contract.

Obviously the OP needs to shown a potential buyer the books to prove the numbers.

I started from scratch and i know for sure it would have been a lot easier to take on a established business ( as long as its not a run down failing company). 

If i bought an established company with proven profit each year id have jumped a good few years of establishing a reputation while making ends meet, i probably wouldnt feel like a 90 yr old in a 40 yr old body!

have a 2011 twin wheel movano.

Its basically a Renault traffic/daily i forget which.

Even had all the Renault stickers on under the body!

Been going 10 yrs now and only ever broke once! a clutch pipe blew a joint so dropped the fluids. warranty job and was back a week later.

doesnt have a transits lower grunt when first pulling away but other than that been a good truck and still going.

yep 4wd.

I tugged out the main work truck the other day from the mud.

Ive currently got road tyres on it so not great traction but its got all the grunt you could ever want!

and contrary to its size its a piece of cake to drive and super comfy .

as said it just wiped the floor with my Dmax ( 2014 with 15k when new). 

After a week it was no different to drive than any other vehicle ( its left hand drive).

Only time thats a pain is at mcdonalds drive through!

if fuel economy isnt a issue get a Yank truck.

Ive replaced my Dmax with a dodge ram. Absolutely anilities it on every aspect you can think of except fuel consumption. And you can even get a 3.0 v6 which id imagine is a lot better than the 5.7 v8

But the v8 is a beauty, sounds awesome and goes like stink for a big truck.

And surprisingly not much longer than the dmax.

5 hours ago, Mick Dempsey said:

Leave it as it is, lots of tree surgeons won’t even chip stuff up that the clients have cut themselves.

So true. Fed up of homewoners hiding root balls, stone fence panels etc . Often not worth the risk to machinery

i was going to get one but put off by the smaller engine.

Also the auto version as terrible to drive! took so long to change gear it then had to change back down. And that was empty

Hailo 3 sections. Heavy but good especially with  the sliding adjustable foot.

Had 3 in the firm. 

Heads would stink in no time at all.

Over priced in my opinion. Half it and its worth it but otherwise i dont bother.

Oh and its not chipper proof!

off for a read now.

Thanks!

HI did a search but came up with 1700 threads but couldnt see an answer.

Wondering what gloves you use for climbing when it gets cold and wet.

Cold is ok but when wet its just nasty.

My guys are old school and still use prussic sliders. we use the yellow/ orange grip type gloves but when its wet they suck it up and turn to ice on the hands.

Ive got a pair of the rubber thermal gloves but if u climb the prussic slider grabs it and rips it to pieces in seconds so no good.

any recommendations based on actual use be greatly appreciated!

On 19/01/2021 at 20:44, daveindales said:

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

 

if the teeth are sharp it fly's through! 15-20 minutes easy, probably faster. Obviously you need to take into account all the variables, is it a fresh green stump, old, stones or clay etc. They all have a part to play. But it would not have any issues. When the teeth are sharp  ( as with all grinders) its a world of difference from blunt machine

i hear you.

As said i had to walk away as wasnt worth the fight and aggro!

i will drive by one of these days and see if he got anywhere. Perhaps the council will come out and do it themselves??? It is their tree after all.

Who knows

16 hours ago, dig-dug-dan said:

My mates one keeps having problems with the brake, som the machine moves while grinding. He complained to predator, and they  admitted they were crap. They have no intentions of sorting the issue. I wouldn't buy one

Yep they were never interested and in fact the old boss would try and blame any issues on me.

Asked at the Arb show one year if they planned to update but simple answer then was no.

The sales man (max) was decent and the first one i bought had electrical issues from the go and they swapped the whole machine within a week so from that i cant moan.

Also remember its a rebranded machine from Europe ( i forget the name) that they respray, chuck some stickers on and up the price by a chunk!

Sharp teeth is paramount though, on any grinder. I demo the fsi on scotts pine which i find to be a pain to grind and was impressed from the off.

As previously mentioned you do need to regularly scrape out the grindings but thats no issue.

The other big difference is the rubber guards, we would break them monthly on the predator, in over 2 years not broken one. 

Not tried a Jo Beau one so cant say about them but i know dean is a decent guy and wouldnt hesitate to recommend him.

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.

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. 

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! 

2 minutes ago, Scottish Cleaning Service said:

You have got to get the 300s batteries but at £200 a pop then it can all add up. I use it for hedges and stuff below 100mm and it works fine. If you buy the 500 rapid charger then it will charge the 300s in less than an hour. You can also run it with the backpack and it will last all day.

ive got 2 300 batteries and the fast charger ( worked out much better value as a package even though i already had a charger and older style batteries). 

Never tried a backpack though. 

Its not a bad saw, jsut not what i would call a mid sized saw.

i got one again for the noise level and tbh i thought it would be in the same catagory as a MS260. 

Its not. Not even close

If noise isnt a issue then i wouldnt bother. 

Thats the only major bonus. Its much more like a rear handle 201. Dont get me wrong its decent but more as a handy easy tool for snedding up large bits on the ground. 

For log cutting it struggles on much more than smaller stuff ( is about 5 inches) plus u go through the bat pretty quick.

I took a gamble as i like to try new kit but wouldnt do it again. I wont get rid as its decent little saw but i wouldnt be looking at it as permeant kit if you do lots of logging.

Just my 2p

5 hours ago, Moose McAlpine said:

 

The TW230s are a good machine but riddled with issues and rattle themselves to bits.

funny ive heard this aswell but my 230 which was one of the first (touch wood) has never had a weld go or anything else like that in over 4 years of hard work. 
Same with the 125 i had before that.

Have i just been lucky? 

i had this, wouldnt move for love or money!

I ended up getting a hacksaw and cutting a section off the end. Took maybe 6 inches or so.

Never got stuck again!  Only thing is it can come out the end when extending it out all the way. Not really a problem as the power cable is like a elastic spring so pulls it back nicely.  But otherwise been fine since.

It was either that or a big f~~king hammer! Tools have 2 choices , work or die!