richy_B

Weirdly the price (£1500 plus VAT) was the same for the double, single and king cab.

Exactly. I thought there would be a caged or high side option as lots of people ask for them. The frames are tubular so i felt too hard to me to modify neatly myself.

I had a look at them for my l200. They look solid and professional in my opinion. I was hoping there was an option to have higher sides/greedy boards but no and they seemed hard to modify to enable that. In the end I didn't think I could justify the cost. If you are going to have the truck 5 years I think they'd be worthwhile. The guys that import them were very helpful and quick replying to emails. I'd recommend them on that basis.

I am sure you know what you are doing but be cautious with a smaller machine and grab. Very easy to get 'over confident' and have a Squeaky bottom moment! I have a 1.5 tonner with a grab and can lift 300-400 close over the blade. You swing that to the side and it's reduced to 250. Very easy to topple!

Hewden do an 8t with a demo grab. Nationwide hire. https://www.hewden.co.uk/products/plant-hire/excavator-hire/8-tonne-midi-excavator/ I don't know about Coppards but I've used Hewden quite a bit. Had an 8 tonner for a week last year. Was about £350 for the week, £85 each way for transport. Extra £100 for an attachment. All from memory so might not be exact.

Coppards have grabs. https://www.coppard.co.uk/excavator_hire.html 4 5 tonner with timber grab.

I have an m200. Surprisingly productive once you get a feel for what it can and can't handle - really happy with it. I have the quick release chute and it's a great add on.

I'm no expert and know as much as the next guy but my view is there should be more focus on individual or community energy projects rather than these huge plants. I appreciate its easily said and there will be issues but when I looked at a small wind turbine a little unit that you could attach to your chimney would produce 300 watts an hour at peak. Even running at 6 hours a day on average the would produce enough to run a whole house of low energy bulbs, charge your phones and tablets, couple hours of telly, etc. You still needs main power but if every household in the UK as pulling 18kwh a day less it would seriously add up. Not necessarily the same but I find it crazy there are still houses out there without proper insulation or double glazing.

There are systems that work on the movement of waves rather than tidal flow as well. Imagine a 'snake' consisting of lots of individual units connected by springs/cabling. As the waves move the snake the cables and springs extend and contract which can be transfered to electric. Like a kids toy with a drawstring essentially. I have no idea how effective/expensive they are but seems like a great concept.

I cant comment on the tractor mounted but as you mentioned excavator i thought of this - http://www.augertorque.com/product-range/hedge-trimmers.html I've heard good things about them. You need enough flow to track along and run the cutter. Probably 5tonner plus ideally. Think the bigger one is about £2750.

Skip it - Trust your instincts. I have given people the benefit of the doubt too often and found my initial assumption is always right. There is always something better to spend your time on.

I believe the law is that you have to quote 'domestic' / personal customer the full price in the first instance but do not with business to business transactions. Ie Joe Bloggs ask for quote to cut his hedge - you must legally quote him £50 (which already includes VAT but doesn't separate it from the price) or specifically state £50+VAT at 20%. It is illegal to quote £50 then add the VAT on at a later stage. If Joe bloggs LTd ask for a quote you can just write £50 then invoice £50 +VAT. If you are collecting VAT you need to display your VAT number but interestingly you do not have to provide a VAT receipt (with gross and net) as standard, only on request. You can just provide a basic receipt as long as it shows your VAT number. People often don't believe this but if you look at your receipt from a supermarket etc you will not often see a VAT break down. Technically a normal shop receipt like these cannot be used as a VAT receipt for VAT reclaim. Best practise in every case would be to include the price with a breakdown on everything.

VAT separation would be the correct term and illegal if, as treequip mentions, the business is fundamentally selling the same products/services, using the same tools or equipment, staff or vehicles. It can be correctly apportioned but let's be honest, most people do it as a tax dodge and at some point you'll get caught up. Why risk it - if you are about the VAT threshold then you have to collect VAT.

Is the car too old/used to go down the rejection route? You have clearly acted reasonably and provided ample time for repair/rectify. I'd seriously consider returning the vehicle with the keys and a formal letter stating your rejection.

I don't doubt what you have said but to double check - can a consumer return a used item under the 14 day distance selling rules? I presumed it was for un-used (as well as the normal faulty/unfit). If so, this is an absolute minefield.

Presume you ae referring to height clauses and I'd agree. I've even seen arb specific (or atleast geared towards) that specify a 5m height limit. Always pays to read the small print!

Yeah. I wanted something that would fit the tracks when fully extended (for transport stability). My komatsu comes in at 1670kg odd with the grader bucket on and a full tank of fuel so hopefully ok but I'll bear in mind the double leaf springs you mentioned. Hopefully not an issue for a while!

Not legally enforceable by employer - you cannot deprive someone of their lively hood as part of an employment contract. All you can is 'reward' them for not breaking the clause, ie large severance package. Essentially creating a new contract between you and your (ex)employer. Tell the employer you will be consulting with a 'no win, no fee' employment solicitor. From the initial phone call they were really keen to pursue this....

Treated my little arb digger to a new trailer today. Gh94 and a perfect fit!

I dont want to sound heartless but dealers are like any other retailer - they need to adapt to the changing marketplace. They dont, they are doomed. Most purchases are made online these days and this is only going one way. If Stihl lifted this policy I reckon you'd see a big drop in shop sales and the corresponding rise in online sales. Good for buyers, bad for dealers. I'd question whether Stihl policy is actually protecting its dealer network or just delaying the inevitable though?

It's all about overheads. Physical shop fronts are expensive compared to operating out of a lock up. I much prefer Internet purchases as it is far more convenient for me. I appreciate that Stihl has to offer protection to its dealer network though. What seems like a better tactic would be to not allow discounting against the RRP than restrict mail ordering. If all Stihl distributors had to charge the same then its a level playing field.

The policy is they won't post/courier items. It's not really a safety thing (perhaps veiled as but just protects dealer network). You can buy whatever you want over the counter. OP, perhaps approach your local dealer with your online price and see if they'll match it/come close?

On my AA I am covered for vehicles up to 3.5gvw and a trailer. I will double check but might be worth switching. You mention accidents, I found the AA useless when lever we've been immobilised due to a crash. They pretty much washed their hands of it - they cover 'breakdowns' not 'accidents' apparently.

I had a recent quote on a l200 single cab. Came in around £5k to remove old body, build new tipper using alloy planking. New lights, etc. Too pricey for me.

I have used my grapple for brash but I find its a bit 'fussy' and you need the right kind of pile! If you've laid all the branches with the 'handles' facing the same way it's great. If it's just a pile of brash I find I spend too much time trying to get a grab on it - it's like one of those soft toy machines in an arcade! Could just be me being impatient. If you fixed/welded the skidding grapple so it didn't swing it would make it easier. Get over the top, drop the lift and then grab. Obviously fixed head reduces usability for skidding trees though.