Gareth Dalzell

We've wacked yew back from 12ft to 2ft and it grow back just as well. When I was a pre-entry student in the Botanic gardens we chopped some very old yew down hard - and slowly (very slowly) you'll see the breaks appearing and it regrows. But it takes years not months to fill out again! (PS keep any decent logs - it's excellent burning timber, very hot like coal)

We cut big areas and pitches, and generally we cut the first lap firing it inwards onto the uncut bit then the after one full lap, turn and cut firing outwards onto the cut bit and keep going around in circles. The next time you come to cut the site we do it we cut two laps firing onto the uncut sward and then turn as previous The next time we go back to one lap and then turn. If you don't cut one lap the first time you cut it and two laps firing in the second time you end up with a heavy line of cutting in the same place each time you cut. This only works if the grass isn't too long and regularly cut. Works for us unskilled grounds maintenance guys - for any pure arb guys I guess I could draw you a picture:lol:

Not sure about England, but in Northern Ireland that would come under the "Nitrates directive" which controls this type of storage. It's monitored by The Environment Agency and it could affect the land owners "Single Farm Payment" which is their agricultural grant. I'd have a word with the culprit first, see if he's approachable. If not have a chat with the various agencies.

Think about it this way - while it may seem like a challenge it may also be one of the most amazing phases in your life. You will be surrounded by like minded people and academics - you while be able to pursue your passion and take it to another level. Its twenty years now since I graduated from Writtle and the unpinning knowledge that can be installed in a person if they have a passion will stay with you for life as it does with me. Yes there will be people on the course that don't have passion and will drop out of the industry for one reason or another, but you sound like you could gain a whole new level from being on this type of course. It is unfortunate that in modern living it seems to take an academic qual. to gain creditability - however with both academic and your experience you will have the ability to move to that new level you want to - provided you can harness it positively. When it comes to academic ability i scrapped onto my course with the bare minimum entry requirements and experience, but once on it I sponged it up because at last I was actually doing something that I really wanted to do. Take a deep breath, relax and go for it - take the challenge!

This is a mighty shredder/chipper 60hp+ engine and 8" capacity. We have just bought the smaller one in the range The Cougar which is 17hp and 4 1/2 " capacity for smaller jobs. They are very noisy though 120db plus! There is one on Farm trader somewhere which our local hire company has for sale at £7500 plus VAT. I'm guessing he doesn't enough hire from it. This is because people are put of by its size - the Cobra is a monster, but has a monster sized appetite. Good for conifers, clean green waste even cordylines, hedge cuttings etc. If I was going to just be chipping branches I'd still take our chipper - a chipper is more compact and probably faster and the chip is cleaner. The Saelen bashes and bruises the material which does aid composting though. Price for the machine - wouldn't want to pay more than £8-10k for it, not because its not worth more (it could have been £30k new) but because unless its mint you might get one chipper elsewhere. Hope this helps

Nice work - tell your mate if he was over here i'd have a market for them. The bench is excellent. Anyone who thinks carving with a chainsaw is difficult, you want to try stone! Stone masons rock!

Excellent site - thanks for the info. They even have parts for some of our "older" stihl saws.

No way - just two boys of four years of age - that's plenty (oh yes and a step son of 21) now there's family planning for you! It will be mad, my best ever was falling asleep while cleaning my teeth I was so tired.

Just check out the google search. The supplier is called vivomed at Sports Physiotherapy supplies and first aid kits UK and Ireland It starts at £3.50 plus VAT for the 70ml spray can

We've been using a product called "Jason Stop-it" for about 15 years. Looks like it does the same job - except it comes in a spray can so it can be used over and over again if you're really unfortunate. I know the name sounds weird - but it really works even for heavy bleeds if you keep spraying it on. We carry a can in each van - when you spray it on its like that fake snow you get at christmas! Google search Jason Stop it

Amazing piece of work - unique and made from the heart. To Lorry who has twins on the way - Better make it before they arrive, as I have twins boys of 4 now and as its taken 4 years to recover from the shock - (but a wonderful shock) Delabodge - You've got real talent!

Hi Terry I think the top raindrop image changing thingy is really clever - never seen that one before - eye catching - I find mayself simply watching it change - excellent The first photo of the van and chipper I,m not sure about. Maybe it's aimed at the domestic market hence the housing in the back and this is purely my opinion but if the vehicle had a more tree type backdrop of even greenery and blue sky I'd focus more on the vehicle and sign writing than the houses behind - just a thought. There's lots going on in the site and I think if someone really wants to find out about the business at least they can jump into the site and see everything they need to which is good and gives different layers of information. As long as the initial pages get them hooked they can work their way through as necessary I see comments from previous contributors which I wouldn't be put of by - its a very clever website and I enjoyed viewing it. Most sites look very boring by comparison

Hi Terry I think the top raindrop image changing thingy is really clever - never seen that one before - eye catching - I find mayself simply watching it change - excellent The first photo of the van and chipper I,m not sure about. Maybe it's aimed at the domestic market hence the housing in the back and this is purely my opinion but if the vehicle had a more tree type backdrop of even greenery and blue sky I'd focus more on the vehicle and sign writing than the houses behind - just a thought. There's lots going on in the site and I think if someone really wants to find out about the business at least they can jump into the site and see everything they need to which is good and gives different layers of information. As long as the initial pages get them hooked they can work their way through as necessary I see comments from previous contributors which I wouldn't be put of by - its a very clever website and I enjoyed viewing it. Most sites look very boring by comparison

Good website - loving the first line of your address:biggrin:

It makes no difference, because they both cut really well - it tends to be the operator that lets most saws down. (but more often than not its a Husky operator)

Been following the previous thread on this one. Checked on the lamberhusrt website who supply them and they have something on it as well. Looks like we'll not be using these little demons again for a while.

Yes, definitely the oddest of front views. Must put a couple of metres onto the front. Not one to take to the shopping mall!

Over here it depends on you council enforcment. Technically you're not supposed to run any business from a private house without planning permission for change of use form private to commercial. This in turn leads onto the property being re-rated for business rates and in turn leads onto taxation issues when you sell it as there could be a commercial gain. Most councils don't object to a room of a house being used for a small office for self use. As they don't have time to enforce, its normally some nosey neighbour with a grudge that starts the ball rolling. Parking commercial vehicles can be restricted in some leases for private housing developments - there can be a clause which excludes commercial parking or running a business. We come across this often in new developments and appartment/communal sites. In reality there are thousands of commercial vehicles parked out front of private housing - it may not be legal though to run the business from the house and use the front drive as a vehicle/machine compound. Like I said - its could be different over here.

The blade is also 2cm thick - it is truely mega for such a small machine. Exact dimensions are 200mm x 60mm x 20mm. Even if the machine calves tomorrow I'll be able to make a good axe out of the blades:lol:

The chip throw is powerful. The feed speed is good up to about 2 1/2" then the load sensor slows the feed roller. The spout is a little under 6ft at discharge height so it wouldn't fire over a high hedge/fence or into a high sided trailer, but it does fire it almost as well as our bigger chipper. Had it out today again (in fact we've had it out every day since we got it!) New toy syndrome:thumbup:

Bit of both. It has a drum with two sets of 3 square hammer flails and then 2 blades like a chipper which are 210cm across their cutting face. The theory is when the materials too heavy for the flails they get pushed back and the blades take over. It explains it on the Saelem website a bit better, but I must admitt it wasn't until I took the cutting chamber inspection plate off and had a look that I realised what they were on about. A gutsy wee machine. We've hired the bigger ones before and we have a Schiesling ZX200 PTO tractor chipper for off road work, but needed something that was handier for smaller pruning jobs and hedges etc when the materials not so clean or woody. (I have the spares in the office - the picture might aid my poor description) Output material seems well chopped and hammered - should aid its breakdown for mulching purposes

Here's our latest bit of kit - verging on the Wee chipper club territory. Second hand with 26hrs on the clock - mint condition. 4" capacity 17hp diesel. Apologies to anyone who was expecting photos of any other type of Cougars:biggrin:.

Devine intervention perhaps:thumbup:

Will they come back? That may well depend on the which ones they are. Many will regenerate same as if they were cut hard. Unfortunately a lot of the garden hedging varieties we have like the Castlewellan Gold we get over here tend take it bad and never really make a decent recovery. I noticed that the worst of the winter damage was done not when it was coldest but when it thawed a bit then got damp/wet and re-froze with a strong wind chill. More like a blast freeze affect. Certainly the Hebe's, Abelias, some of the Escallonia, most of the Cordylines etc survived being frozen over the Decemeber/January period but surcumbed to the wet freezing conditions we got in February even though the temperature reading in the yard wasn't that cold. A photo and/or the type of conifer they are would aid the prognosis