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Really interesting to read about fatherhood stuff here. I don't have children but I have two nephews; 12 and 17 year old boys. When they visit and I do the Uncle thing, I frankly find little to praise them for. I admit that the way they live their lives is different to mine thus I am biased and would be more encouraging to children who had a healthy interest in healthy pursuits and practical matters, not kids who might excel at debating yet be utter crap at anything that involves physical effort or a self disciplined work ethic. Efeminate hairstlyed, scared of hard work adolesents not my cup of tea as you can tell. Thus sayeth Mr Harsh.

I come home to three of those every night 15,16 and 18 and unless you spoon feed them everything they cant do it, not mine by the way I've only been responsible for them for the last three years, thier dad thinks that playing online poker and watching jeremy kyle is a job and the three of them stand with thier hands out every time a new computer game comes out

Classic example, came home tonight, and eldests wrapped in a blanket on the couch, saying he's cold cos the fires gone out, said why didnt you put some logs on it then? well I didnt know how to work it, god help em

Not entirely sure but it aint the money read a qoute the other day which was about farming but equally be applied to the range of jobs on here "You may never be rich, but you will earn a fortune"

I use my old ford for fencing, pull a mini digger trailer behind it with the post knocker on as the mini digger trailer has a longer drawbar and carry enough materials for 100 metres which is a steady days work on your own and can then get someone else to bring landy and the ifor williams with more materials if am going on a bigger job, kiss principle

I've just got a Thermos wide neck and so far so good, most of the regular customers are good with the brews and one or two even offer a cold beer in the summer did have one once said she was going out but had left kettle and tea in the laundry so we could brew up, she's left lap song pu shong think it was called spelt something like that never tasted anything as bad in me life

I had magnetic ones done for the van when I had it so they were easy to remove when you wanted to work incognito and easy to remove when I came to sell it only downside is now I've got a landy again their not much use

I've done good business with Doug at ETC, very fair timber buyer. Bought a couple of hundred tonnes of 2.5m larch and douglas sawlogs off me from the Ugly Cottage at Betws y Coed.

Like I say it used to be good stuff when they were getting it from ETC apart from that shortage that time, but the stuff they get in now is cr@p your lucky if posts last 5 years

Really...

 

Not sure who told you that. I've seen boatloads of stakes coming in from Latvia, but I've seen thousands of tonnes of fencing harvested in the UK. I have a mate running a harvester and he cuts nothing but fencing year in year out.

I can get £40+ a tonne for fencing material.

Cant remember but do know there were a couple of weeks when I should of been busy and everytime went to the suppliers the yard was empty, I do know they were getting fencing from ETC sawmills in Ellesmere port at the time, think they use someone in wales now but the stuff they get in is sopping wet needs 2 of you to pick up an 8ft 7-8" strainer

First time I got done over everything was in a locked shed and coppers just went through the motions, even asked me if I thought it was worth getting forensics in! Second time I'd fitted a much bigger stainless steel lock and welded a box over it and still got in no problem, so theres now high security stainless padlock and 5 lever mortice deadlock on personnel door and sliding doors are locked from inside and have cctv plus I made it known to known bad un's in the area I had a 12 bore and JCB and if it happens again wont bother with cops, touch wood so far so good

Most of the timber for fencing comes in from sweden and finland from what I've been told, thats why all the fencing suppliers had no wood the other year as they reckoned was to wet for them to fell any over there or something, mind as soon as supplies came back online fencing prices shot up

Lol

Most of you would prob have a heart attack to find that many lads round here actually PAY to get rid of timber:biggrin:

There was a guy round here doing that the other year think he was paying £35 a transit load to get rid, as usual I didnt hear about it til it was to late

As others have said whips are the worst used to average about 500 a day hedge planting, then you had to go back along and put on spiral guards and canes thats not fun on thorns

Having them on a concrete floor makes a difference I had a spare bay in the barn one year so could load them out with the bobcat, took about 5 minutes to load my 110 hicap rather than about half hour by hand

Even numbers, ie 024,044,066, are pro saws.

 

Odd numbers, ie 017,019,023, are occasional user.

So that would mean the MS180 is a pro saw? I would guess it does as its also available as a top handle, which your not spose to be able to buy without a ticket? Either way I'm sticking to Huskies for the forseeable future

Been blowing fairly hard round here today but the only thing I've seen down so far was a small silver birch its the wet ground thats stopping me at the minute as only job thats waiting is some stock fencing but is too wet for the tractor

Well as the saying goes you get what you pay for, I'd still want more than £100 a tree chipped up even if it was clear enough just to fell them, ah well as has been said he'll find out will probably cost more in the long run

they do they now call it ms260

Ah well there you go see messing about with numbers and confusing us poor folks

the ms290 & ms180 are not built for the pro user so compared with a 028 /345xp/372 there is no contest, as for the 350 that is built for semi pro, if you going to compare do it like for like ,

Well I've evolved chainsaw wise if they still built the 028 I'd probly still be using stihl

I learnt very quickly Dave, so 99% of the time it's on a price.

 

Martyn, the worst thing ever is the customer expecting too much, the last one I did I told them we are humans not machines, he kept coming out and saying when you've done that , do this, then that then this. He tried getting us to fit about three days work into a day.

 

I just stood there laughing

Yeh those famous words always uttered just as your packing up "while your here could you just........"

Been having the same trouble myself, went to the bank in the summer looking to change the tractor and the flail mower, wouldnt do owt on the accounts I had available, went back couple of weeks back with up to date accounts showing healthy increase in profit and........still wont do owt, so I've missed out on a couple of recurring contracts with local councils because tackle isnt up to the job as well as a couple of short term private contracts back in the summer due to not having a big enough/new enough tractor and now works tailed right off and yet Natwest are chucking money at me on the personal account but I wont take the business account back to them on principle due trouble in the past

The last decent Sthil I had was a 028 which I had for years, the one that replaced it was an MS290 and that was numb as anything, heavy and gutless, also had an ms180 for a while but again to gutless for the size, been running huskies for a few years now currently a 345xp and a 350 the 350's a nice handy saw although my all time favourite saw was a husky 372xp with a 24" bar used to pick that over the others regardless of what I was doing, til some scumbag nicked it, only stihl I've got now is my pole pruner and thats only because its got a bigger engine and longer reach than the husky version

I used to mix a bit in the loads when I was doing logs and never had any complaints, helps eek out the better stuff

As I've said to customers before you can do it cheap or you can do it properly

Guess I best intorduce myself too, my main work is as an Agricultural, Fencing, Hedgelaying and Landscaping contractor but I do sub to and have dealings with a few tree men, did work as groundie a few years back for a short while but have been thinking about getting into the tree side of things more, its just finding time and money to do all the courses

Yep tell me about it since the hedgelaying grants have dried up so has my supplies of timber as it used to be a perk of the job hence why I've had to cut back the firewood side of the business

Hi folks looking for supplies of hardwood timber for firewood located near Derby, regular supply if possible, Cheers Ed