JaySmith

Sure, obviously I don’t know the road so difficult to comment with certainty. From what you’ve said there it sounds like you did need full on TM. At least when you hire a TM crew the responsibility is passed to them from that respect leaving you to crack on with the treework. The whole TM thing is a minefield as to actually do it 100% correctly you’d need another truck following you around full with various signs, cones, barriers etc

Which TM to use is dictated by the traffic flow of the road, speed and sight lines. It may have been the case that you could have done with the job with just traditional TM, ie signs, cones and lane narrows etc rather than lights but either way what they have used sounds largely inadequate! To play by the letter of the law you should have someone with supervisor and operative chapter 8 as well as an abundance of tapping rails, signs, cones etc etc but then that’s a different story!

I’ve done some knotweed treatments (years ago now) and we used Rosate 360 and injected it into the stems. At one place I brought it from they asked for my PA1 and 6 tickets but not sure if that is still the case as I say it was a few years back now

Deffo 3m, harder than I would have done personally but that’s what the client wanted

Didn’t start till 9am on the Sunday and were away by 1pm with no fallout from the neighbours. The boys stacked the gear up and just chipped a few times to keep the noise down. Did a big Lime on Saturday and was there most of the day. The client wanted all the trees done over two days and that’s the only two we could all do back to back because of other commitments

Sunday funday, 3m reduction on this little Beech. Lovely weather for it, almost forgot it was a Sunday

I run standard distance marathons as that’s my thing and have got down to 2.35 but have always been drawn to try the MdS at some point in my life. I know how much time goes into normal marathon prep average 80 - 100+ miles a week so training for MdS must be next level! I have always fancied doing the Comrades marathon in SA so that will be the next big one I aim for when restrictions are lifted. When I looked at MdS in the past there a few groups on Facebook that offer advice and share experiences. For training plans maybe look at somebody like Centurion Running who have a number of high level coaches on there books, they aren’t cheap but you’re getting years and years of knowledge and experience. Tom Evans the Red Bull long distance athlete is connected to Centurion and also offers training plans, he should know what he’s taking about as he came 3rd How Tom Evans came 3rd at the Marathon Des Sables. WWW.PRECISIONHYDRATION.COM Precision Hydration drinker Tom Evans came 3rd at the Marathon Des Sables ultra race. We asked him about his gear, hydration, nutrition and training for MDS.

Your best bet if you had no luck from this thread is to have a look online/social media for local firms and phone around some of them to see if they can help. All the guys on here are spread all round the country so you may not get anybody close by. If I were local to you (Kent) I’d get it down for you. A firm I worked for used to do ‘cat rescues’ and that was a decent little earner for the business as the boss charged tree surgery rates

I’ve commented on another thread about the newer diesel Vs the older version in a 230 tracked. Firm I work for has an older Diesel engine machine, this went for a service and a newer tier 5 dropped off for loan. Had a job reducing a Connie hedge, nothing crazy just 3 - 4 inch diameter but with two climbers up. Chipper and groundie was right on top of the job and IMO the newer machine wasn’t as effective as the older version. For me the anti stress appeared to kick in quicker and struggled to continually process what one groundie could throw at it. The three of us on site all agreed the newer machine was a bit of a bottle neck on the job. However as PeteB says they are here to stay as we’ve got to adapt to them. In real times it probably put 20 - 30 minutes in the job, not much you can do about that. People have been saying about modifying the engines but I’d be reluctant to do so as this may invalid the warranty. Having had choppers covered and worked on under warranty I’m not sure I’d want to weigh out £20k on a machine with the possibility that the warranty may not stack up. Couple of options, you could try and find a well looked after older engine machine or go bigger, ie over 750kgs

Ash reduction over a garage court and a few gardens

I burn a fair bit of Pine as well as Cedar in my Rayburn. Used to have an open fire and it was like November 5th in the house with Pine on it. As others have said burns quickly and hot, ideal to get the fire going or if I’m in all day. I also use it for kindling as well. Felled some dead pine a couple of weeks ago, burnt the same week and the flue went hot very quickly so worth keeping an eye on it. For overnight burn I always switch to hardwoods for longevity and to get it to stay in

You mean for on the ground? Depends how attached to your finger prints you are, my groundie uses welding gloves from screw fix, https://www.screwfix.com/p/keep-safe-welding-gauntlet-red-large/9096t £5 and they last for ages. Good for rigging but difficult to use a saw with them on. We used to use the Petzl brown leather ones Petzl Cordex Belay Gloves (Tan/Large) | Arco Professional Safety Services WWW.ARCOSERVICES.CO.UK Home, Working at Height, Total Access, Height Safety, confined space, Safety Services, Arco Services but they were nearly £40 a pair and didn’t last that long. IME can’t go wrong with the welders gloves at £5 a pair and pretty good for dragging spiky stuff too

I use a 201t with a 12 inch bar that has been modded/ported by Spud on here and a newer 151t. I really rate the new 151t with a 10 inch bar, it seems to have much more grunt than the 150t. Will be giving that to Spud soon to port as well. I personally run my saws with the smallest bar poss for quicker cutting speed, can’t beat a 660 with a 20 inch bar for some rapido cutting!

They have a desirable product that people like and use, coupled with the fact they are a commercial enterprise why shouldn’t they charge good money. Is it expensive? It also costs a lot in terms of R&D and CE status to get it to market. If you get five years usage it’s pounds per month for a quality product. I use a rope guide and people always scoff at the price but it costs me about 15p a day to use it, I’ll take that for the saving in wear and tear on my body. I wear a treemotion and I’m on my second one now, last one lasted for five years so good value for money IMO.

I have a ‘light rigging kit’ with rope, swing checks, krabs, slings and a capstan in a Stein 50l bag. I’ve got a create like this one for the heavy gear Tote Box - 80L Attached Lid Container (710 x 460 x 368h mm) - Plastic Box Warehouse PLASTICBOXWAREHOUSE.CO.UK 80L Eco Tote Box (710 x 460 x 368h mm) BOX

I have a ‘light rigging kit’ with rope, swing checks, krabs, slings and a capstan in a Stein 50l bag. I’ve got a create like this one for the heavy gear Tote Box - 80L Attached Lid Container (710 x 460 x 368h mm) - Plastic Box Warehouse PLASTICBOXWAREHOUSE.CO.UK 80L Eco Tote Box (710 x 460 x 368h mm) BOX

Haha wasn’t even planned! Must be the way I talk, I’ll be all shy and self conscious now!

A friend of mine has a 2007 A530 that isn’t too far behind a 230 and certainly better than a 150. For me the indeed being a bit narrower on the Jensen means it doesn’t fold stuff in as well and needs a bit more sneeding than a 230. However as you say the build quality is excellent for a small machine and I guess will outlast some other manufacturers with similar hours and age. Had a 540 in demo a few years back and that was an animal but it was 1200kg I think so more inline with the ST8 or the new 280

100% we are in a bubble. All of the firms around here have never been busier, everybody is saying they’ve got months of work ahead and doing 6 days at week. True? Maybe. Obviously many people have been hard hit by the pandemic and lost jobs and loved ones and probably not worried about getting the hedge trimmed as they’ve got bigger fish to fry. However for others who have been on furlough or working from home and saving money in commuting, eating out, holidays etc are wondering what to spend their money on. This has definitely made things very buoyant around our way. From my own point of view I was on furlough for a bit in the first lockdown on 100% money and since then I’ve been doing 6 days a week as I can’t do much else so for me I’ve got more cash in my pocket than I would normally have. I’m very much of the view I’m making hay while the sun shines as I think we’ll be in for a correction at some point and I want to weather the storm. I think as an arb business if you have a varied client base, ie not all domestic with a decent mix of commercial, schools, councils, churches etc then there will always be work there. I think many tradespeople will be caught with their trousers down when the gravy train hits the buffers. I’m doing up a house at the moment to rent back out, I’m doing some of the work myself after work and weekends and luckily my girlfriends family are all in trades so i can access decent people who help me out. However for stuff we haven’t got contacts for getting somebody to even come out and quote or have the decency to say they won’t be coming is hard to find. I personally think a lot of people are resting on their laurels at the moment as they’ve got so much work on but when the tap is turned off they’ll be the first ones moaning. I had a guy coming out today to look at some replacements doors and a couple of windows, a couple of grands worth of work. Having already cancelled the appointment on Thursday he was a no show after two hours, texted him to find out what was going on and his response was it will have to be some time next week when i can get round mate, no apology or anything. The job was his as I know people who’ve used him and work is quality but he couldn’t even be bothered to pick the phone up. I need it doing before I can move on with other bits of the project but I ain’t that desperate!

I think it was last year the engine changed. Firm I work for has a 230 tracked with the old engine and that arrived 4 weeks before the first lockdown and was one of the last of the older engines. I commented on another thread about the difference in the engines of the old engine v the new one and how I felt the newer one felt more under powered. For your budget I would assume that you would get the older Kubota engine which would be a bonus. I think you are right you would get a bit more for your money with Timberwolf as opposed to a Forst. Too many choices nowadays!

You mean the indeed (roller) speed? Yes it was. Somebody explained it as the diesel has more low down torque and grunt if you like which stops the anti stress kicking in so quickly where as the petrol’s stress kicks in to protect it. I’m not sure if that is a correct analogy but kind of makes sense when you use them side by side

I like it and great for biodiversity. Hope it’s out of eye sight or the log pixies might be making a few modifications!

I’ve used all of the machines on your list. I would rank the ST6 diesel top followed by the petrol variant and then the Jensen. We had one of the first ST6 diesel’s when they first came out and it had a few teething problems like loosing its bearings. At the time Forst were trying to get established and we had a negative experience with them re customer service to start with but this was rectified and sorted out. I think at the time they were getting off the ground and the back up was a little lacking but I know several people with their machines now and the service is very good and they rave about it. The ST6 petrol I’ve used was very good for a sub 750kg machine, only thing was the anti stress appeared to kick in quicker than the diesel version. The Jensen, IMO isn’t as aggressive on the indeed as the Forst but still fires to the front of the truck. Jensen also have a good reputation for longevity. I’d also look at the Timberwolf 230 which is what I currently use, especially if you can get a decent second hand one with the older more powerful engine. If licence restrictions aren’t an issue then maybe look at a bigger machine if you want extra throughput. However this depends on your trucks and their size, no point having a large chipper with tiny trucks unless you predominantly chip on-site

I brought a stihl 151t from Mowers2go during lockdown as my local dealer couldn’t get any stock. Transaction was all good, kept me informed when it was going to arrive and turned up when they said it would. I was a bit apprehensive about them but a mate buys a load of landscaping gear off of them and rates them and my experience was positive. They are a stihl dealer in Norwich which operates under Acle Garden Machinery Limited.

You would need somebody with NRSWA unit 2 (operative) and someone with unit 10 (supervisor) to comply. I did a refresher a while ago for the operative unit 2 and that covers you to set the TM out and goes through what you need depending on the traffic flow and road speed. The one with the supervisor card doesn’t have to be onsite but has to be ‘available’ should they need to come and inspect the site or if as an operative you have questions. You should also have a permit from the LA to be compliant as well. As others have said I would personally use a TM company as they work out what kit you need, sort the permit, set it all up and operate it before taking it down. If you are using lights then they will often stay and man them in accordance with the traffic flow leaving you to get on with the cutting. The last one I priced up was only £180 dearer to have the operative for the day, far better to spend £180 and put it on the bill than having a climber or groundie trying to work out how to operate the lights and whether the taper is long enough etc. When we operated a set of lights previously they went down causing chaos and the firm had to come out an swap them meaning delays on site. Also it takes the responsibility away from you as an operator if they are doing the TM, similar in a way to a contract lift with a crane for example. When you have the NRSWA card you are liable for the site and the setting out. Round our way highways patrol the roads and pull you up if the signs and cones aren’t correct and can mean fines