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To be fair mate I think as a captive audience we all expect grub to be priced high.....just not that high.

I’ve been today, plenty of dogs on leads with visitors. Food prices are piss take though so stop off for a big brekky en route.

We’re a small to mid sized Arb team based just outside Wolverhampton. Most of our work is for domestic clients and is mainly local. We are local authority approved and cover all the usual aspects of the tree industry, dismantling, reductions, stump grinding, hedge/shrub trimming etc. We’re open to new starters, part trained or fully experienced individuals applying. The roles that need filling are both Groundsman/Labourer with potential to upskill in assisting in other areas or fully experienced industry operative. Other than skills set, attitude to this industry must be realistic as working in all weathers is often under estimated. Attitude,behaviour and appearance around mostly regular repeat customers needs to be impeccable, time keeping punctual and ideally able to drive. A hard working and friendly team eagerly awaits a new crew member. Wages negotiable based on experience and qualifications. Please call Jon Edwards at Birches Tree Surgery. 07956 667075.

Yep! Duncan in Gloucestershire is THE Cabstar man, I’ve had numerous dealings with him, top bloke. I’ve owned a Cabstar for nine years now and he’s kept it going a treat. Don’t waste his time though, he won’t bother with messers.

I honestly haven't got a clue what to do, it seems lockdown is inevitable so might as well shut now. If help is forthcoming, which I gather it is (for the self employed) then it’s seems to make sense. A week or two from now might be too late if the NHS is creaking under the weight of it all. I just wish they’d say lockdown or.....

Couldn’t agree more, that’s my suspicion anyway as it’s not the first and only machine. The mechanical problem I’v had is that they struggle to start, when they do, as soon as you blip the trigger there’s no movement from the blades. This is followed by them cutting out and then over a dozen attempts to get them to fire again, then the same thing happens, they run but won’t move, the engine tone goes down as you press the throttle aswell almost as though it’s labouring against a thick stem. Prior to this our only short term fix during a job to get us going was putting the choke in a mid position, the trimmers very slowly ramped up but in the end that stopped working, even then the engine tone was slower than our other working pair, I suspect too much fuel going in. I asked what the fault diagnosis was and they said the exhaust muffler being crapped up was the main problem, plus they ‘part’ tuned the carb. They came back, fired first time, worked great for the following two or three jobs now they’ve gone back to exactly the same fault. We have already cleaned the air filter, changed the fuel filter and checked the plug gap.

Has anyone owned both of these hedge trimmers and are able to offer a comparable review? I’ve ran HS 81’s and now 82’s for a years but when one plays up, it seems nobody can solve the issues, certainly not my local Stihl dealer anyway. The reason for my post is I’d like to know more about any known issues with the Husqy trimmers before i make the jump. Thanks in advance?

Can I ask for what specific reasons you are getting rid?

Can any owners or users of this chipper offer any feedback please? Thanks in advance.

We bought 4 SIP Keiu jackets about 2 months back. They've had a bending just lately, one of the lads climbed in it all day in the rain Monday, it was a crown reduction on an Oak tree, so very exposed. Bearing in mind we were all drenched his overall opinion was the that the jacket was brilliant. Ok, it's not that old and is due its first wash this weekend so the waterproofing will still be in good condition. My only complaint would be that the big bulky neck that stores the hood is a bit uncomfortable and generally it's a hot jacket to wear. I suppose you could try wearing it with the hood out to make the neck less stiff and bulky. I undid the underarm zips to let in some air whilst reducing a Laurel hedge on the same day, this was the only bit that got wet. The material seems very robust, the arms are nice and long to accommodate reaching and the long back covers your backside. I had the pocket open yesterday while tipping off and caught it on the truck somehow, fearing a tear I looked down and it was fine. They look minging now so need washing this weekend, it says 40 degs but I'm tempted to put them on 30 but for longer. I'll also be hanging them in our conservatory to drip dry as instructed, see how it goes. All in all, so far we all like them. (Just slightly gutted that whilst I was investigating this jacket the price jumped from £76 to £90 odd:sneaky2:)

Taking our trailer is no big deal, in fact it's great as we can get two grinders on it plus guards, hand tools, all sorts. Our main problem is that the trailer is stored somewhere else, so every time we need it we have this ball ache of an operation where I have to leave early to fetch it while my colleague has to start emptying the lock up to get the chipper out the way, get the grinder out, put its outer wheels back on etc. This has to then be repeated again at the end of the day, altogether it adds 1.5 hours on the working day, if we had a vehicle that could take it starlight on the back I could rule out all this running around. At the end of the day it's a trade off aswell, pay rent on trailer storage but the trailers out of my way, or buy a vehicle that has to be parked somewhere (not easy in our street ) and put up with all it's associated running costs. I'm all for making life easy and less stressful if possible, even if it will cost a bit more so hence I'm leaning towards buying a vehicle, if the right one is out there.

Yes it's a fair point, we discussed the very same thing whilst stood in front of a Hilux only recently. I don't think those little drop down wire ropes or their fixings holding the tailgate would last long. The only solution we thought of was to chock up the tailgate from the ground but it would have to be done right, and solid too, otherwise the bodywork will end up looking a right mess.

Cheers Ty, what vehicle you using to carry it in? We have the large ratchet straps Dean from Global kindly left us, once it's butted up to the head of the trailer and lashed in place its rock solid.

How are owners of this machine transporting it? Currently we use a 8'x5' trailer which is fine behind our Nissan Cabstar. I'm interested in a second vehicle, an all rounder, maybe a 4x4 which could transport the HB20, logs, extra kit, maybe have a tipping back and chip box. This way, the truck can tow the chipper and second vehicle can take the grinder, whether it's on the back or towing our 8'x5' trailer. The one I like is the Hilux extra cab but need to check the dimensions of the tub length. We have a Vauxhall Combo as a support vehicle which serves us fine for quoting, carrying ton bags of sweepings,cones, signs etc but we need to look at options now for heavier pulling, towing, occasional field access. Has anybody gone down this route, particularly with the HB20?