andy26

If your whole tree chipping obviously the feller buncher or tree shear this side of the pond is the tool. Likewise where keeping control of the fall of the tree is important the tree shear wins. Eitherway great machines to watch in full flight. Jack can put the train back on the track at any point...

I grant you none of the posted links will be as extreme as some arbtalk members consider bread and butter, but until Jacks reappears and lets us know what were dealing with... [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XeMfrbUCeo]YouTube - ‪Feller Buncher Tigercat L830C‬‏[/ame]

Another Tigercat operating on some steep challenging ground... Helped out by a Helicopter (not viable in UK, but goes to show where there's a will there's a way). [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK4Nm74nHMU&NR=1&feature=fvwp]YouTube - ‪Heli-Logging Timber Harvesting with Helicopter - Erickson Air Crane‬‏[/ame]

This is a self levelling Tigercat operating in Scotland: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRUwkKYql-s]YouTube - ‪Harvester Tigercat LH845C - Steep Slope Harvesting‬‏[/ame] Jack does the ground look steeper than this?

Having looked through Jack's previous posts, panic not! Suspect this is perhaps more a hypothetical situation, still fun all the same...

I think you're taking it far too seriously... We've not been embellished with enough facts by the OP, therefore we have to draw some wild assumptions...

As well as break you it could make you. Here's how I'd approach it; 500 acres is a lot, double check that is the correct area. Are you keeping the timber? Just felling it? Or felling and forwarding to roadside? From the OP it sounds like your felling and forwarding to roadside. Split the area into compartments, as Henry Ford said "Nothing is impossible if you break it up into small enough parts" Identify which areas are suitable for mechanised harvesting- Remember there are various types a conventional harvester with processing head wheeled+Chains or tracked. Or a processing head on a 360 Excavator or a Dymax tree shear on a 360 Excavator. I'd be amazed if you couldn't use an Excavator on a large part, unless this is on a steep mountainside. Identify which are only suitable for hand felling and simply break it down, using the tree density, trees felled/hr with a percentage efficiency factor. The best tool in your box is not your Husky or Stihl its your mobile and a list of phone numbers. Just for Fun, I think you'd be looking at around the £400k mark.

It seems madness the government in the business of timber production? All the public benefits the FC delivers could all be given with the Forests and woodlands in private ownership. When woodland is sold, appropriate access provisions can be written into the deeds. Indeed I believe any FC land which the freehold is owned, has already had the land declared as open access. A large part of the FC estate is held leasehold, during the 1920's long leases were purchased from the big landed estates, typically 199-999 year leases. These forests typically have restricted public access, being a leaseholder the FC don't have the rights to bestow public access on this land. As the informed arbtlak members will know, clearfelling forests is not an option. Welll at least not without a felling licence and a woodland management plan. It seems the media are very ill informed and scaremonger. IMO the FC should regulate and adminster forestry policy. Actually if you think the government should own forests; 1. Sell all existing forests. 2. Use the money to buy/lease land and plant new forests. Could instantly double the area of woodland cover. Plus the new forests could be planted near to where they would deliver the most benefit. As for the RHI its only good if it brings neglected woodland back into management.

Quite right to point this out. Perhaps of more importance is to ensure you have a good draw on your chimney, with adequate in room ventilation. This will ensure air is drawn from the room into the stove and up the chimney, thus any nasties are drawn up the chimney. Opening the stove door slowly prevents a sudden pressure change which can cause some blowback.

I think a chainsaw was involved in the video here though? The error was perhaps not the Loadall driver, but an insufficient hinge. It looked like the tree had a natural lean? I also don't see the need to push the tree, when it was apparent its natural felling direction had no obstacles to felling it in that direction.

Buying cordwood to process and resell attracts Vat at the standard rate (currently 20%). Vat is charged at 5% for processed firewood when sold to a domestic customer who is not going to resell the product. Who's been selling you cordwood with only 5% Vat?

Beg to differ. On big estates with a commercial shoot Forestry work from Aug-Feb is a no go (from my local experience). Of course where shooting is not an interest of the estate owner, then sporting tenants will probably have little if any say.

I think this is what puts most of us from buying up all this cheap firewood. I'm off out to get processing in a minute, if I had any faith in the quality, I would stay right here pick up the phone and have the day off.

Is that £60+Vat i.e £72 in total or £60 incl. Vat i.e. £50+Vat The latter doesn't sound to bad, the former a little steep.

I know where your coming from. The best cure for high prices... is high prices... If £120 is not sustainable (which it isn't IMO at current energy prices) then it won't last. Some of the increase is due to the time lag in the supply stream. The rising price for firewood has not gone unnoticed, woodland owners, forestry contractors, timber merchants and firewood suppliers are all doing their bit to respond to the market signals. It just takes time.

3000/120=25. 25 Cubes of seasoned harwood? Taking a typical energy content of 1700kwh/cube Thats: 42,500kwh Using current price; Domestic gas at approx. £0.04/kwh= £1700 Or if not on the mains gas network: Heating Oil @ £0.056/kwh=£2380 If you order 25 cubes of firewood I'm sure a supplier would be a lot more competitive than £120. If you could get it for £68/cube its the same pro rata as Gas (minus the inconvenience plus the beauty of a wood stove). If you could get it for £95/cube its the same pro rata as Oil. However you heat your home, its either very big or very inefficient.

Put it on WoodLots, you should shift that quickly with Cash on Collection at the least.

Commercial forestry doesn't stop for the bird nesting season. Clearfell isn't generally carried out, but thinning continues as normal. There's a harvester working behind my house in an FC woodland at the moment.

This is the absolute madness. This mantra is always true: "If something is unsustainable it will not be sustained". Given how much labour goes into producing twin axle trailers of dry wood it will not be around for long. What I was getting at with mechanisation is; there's a scale were you can bash out loads for £30... it's a long way from a man and an axe. A trip to Scandinavia where you can see literally firewood factories, everything moved by crane or telehandler and the workers are merely observers. And on the road there... Quality sells.

Can you get replacement Husqvarna clutch springs? Or do you have to replace the whole clutch? Its a C shaped type spring (there are two opposite each other). Has a quick google but can't find one... or I'm using the wrong search terms? Its for a 351 if that makes a difference. TIA.

Hats off to the OP for getting sorted at the right time. It might not be as cheap as it once was, but given the 19% rise in gas prices yesterday, per kwh the firewood will be very good value.

My Wallenstein WX310 Log Splitter arrived today. My purchase decision was swayed by what I read on arbtalk, so thought I'd feedback first impressions. On looking at pictures of the WX310 I was a little concerned of how strong it was as the 3pt linkage mountings looked a little flimsy and the log resting plate on the beam looked like it could get bent from some enthusiastic logs being dropped on it. In actual fact the log rest plate is a lot thicker than it looks and is also braced so no worries there. The top link mounting is slightly different to as pictured and is of a stronger design. All the pipes are lagged in hose protection sheath. It does arrived crated, for easy shipping, so does require a few spanners to assemble (but only takes 20 mins tops). All in all looks very well designed and made. I've not used it in anger, but will report back when its got a few weeks under its belt. Spoke to Andrew who was helpful and called backed when promised (also ordered a 4-way splitting wedge, but have got to wait a few weeks for it to arrive).

Should sell it no problem at that. For firewood Oak, should ideally be seasoned and sold for winter 12/13 but we know very well it will be stored and split for this Dec. Probably assuming all the usual caveats of access etc. start at £45/t roadside, for someone local it will still be a good price. Forestry is hard enough, so if there's demand for the product its best to take advantage. Scottish power announced a 19% increase in Gas prices yesterday.

Sounds like madness. I'm sure your council should have better priorities for their time and money. Can you imagine what a judge would say if given the facts? Assuming you're storing it there to season for a while before processing, after which the field will resort to its previous use then its sounds perfectly reasonable. Forestry as with Agriculture enjoys quite rightly some exemptions in planning law. Personally I would humour them and then continue as is.

Yes, sorry was just generalising. You would be smiling even more if you have a similar stack today!