Gareth Dalzell

Great thread and perfect timing - just ordered my mill earlier today - Thanks Rob and Andy for sorting things out. The seasoning is the big puzzle for me. Do I need to season wood for outside use ie chunky benches and heavy posts etc? I guess a lot of it will be trial and error initially, and wood choice will be whatever we drop until we get into specific requests. Having done a bit of carving (and planted it, felled it, chopped it, sliced it, burnt it, chipped it, carved it), milling seems the next logical think to do with it!

I agree, like I said it's not about slagging off another company, its about making your company look better. From a business point of view, it's the company who gets the job at the highest price not the lowest that makes the money - especially in the commercial market. Interesting I notice on the Manchester Tree Surgeon website Nailler there's a lot of information about insurance, BS and trained staff etc. I still think it's the right thing to promote. Also in the medical field professional qualification is the be all and end all. Amongst themselves they via for position with their specialisms etc etc. We all know doctors have their qualifications - its a given that's why they don't have to tell us, although they all use their "letters" after their name to remind us and (unless they're consultants) they have that giveaway of putting "Dr" in front of their name. Their beside manner is something some have and some don't, but they all have the qualification, insurance, certificates and we don't need to be reminded of that.

It's important to continue the process of customer education, every little helps - drip feed. Insurance details, professional qualifications, Trade Associations, existing client base listing. We use it all. If you have, have paid and are proud of it, there's no point in keeping it a secret. Plus it often makes the customer ask embarrassing questions of the other people who have quoted. Customers normally don't know what they should be asking, so this gives them something to think about. Especially commercial clients who have legal responsiblities. Its not about making the other contractors look bad, it's about making your company look better!

The main dealer and importers for the Uk and Ireland are over here in Belfast. M Large and Company Get straight on the phone to them tomorrow - they should now if anyone does. Their number is 028 9034 2838 I was on the phone earlier with them about another splitter - they're normally spot on for support.

Its not about cost or hassle as our client arranged for the scaffolders to do it for us (he's a rather successful property developer and it was his experience over a lifetime, who looked at a problem and in 5 minutes said "why don't we scaffold it"). It's about the most effecient and effective way to cut a hedge that is there for a reason - its blocks out something our client doesn't want to look at. It took us 2-3 hours to top these conifers - the last time it was done it took 2 days to get them the way he wanted them. It was an excellent scaffold to work of and took no effort on our behalf - remember work not about knackering yourself everyday, its about getting a job done the best way using any available and practicable means. It probably cost less for the scaffolders than it would for a mewp (not that we could get a mewp in). Job done - no hassle- client happy - perfect.

We were having real problems with a multistem leylandii hedge which wouldn't carry any weight. No access for Mewp etc and too high/slow to position tower scaffold. The hedge steps in and out (although you can't see it from this photo) with dense shrub planting below. The scaffolder cantilivered in box platforms of the main scaffold run. It's topped out at around 5-6m ht. The hedge is around 30m long. Good safe working platform and it allowed us to reduce the conifers acurately as the scaffold rail is dead level and we just measured off it each time - no messing about with someone standing at the top of the garden giving directions! We'd had three other tree surgeons look and walk away from this one.

I actually scrolled back to see your location - I expected to see it was somewhere foreign - stunning surroundings.

if cost not object, we have used Quercus ilex planted in a row and also specimen evergreen prunus - at 20ft high to screen a backdoor neighbour successfully. I'll see if i can find the photos of both of the above.

Heres' one we completed before Christmas - it's taken me this long to work out how to upload photos. A weakened fence, a bit of a storm and the Clio's written off! See it's not just trees that fall on cars Double sided, 8ft high and its on 5" x5" posts this time concreted in.

So do you take the bulldog clip of his winky when he needs a wee then:lol:

What do you expect - it's only a "Disco" towing it. You'd need a Defender to tow it full

Just a quick update on the strimmer flail heads: As mentioned I got an email back from Andrew at Lamberhurst if anyone is interested: He has given me permission to post it here. From: Andrew Fuller [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: 17 February 2010 10:38 To: 'Dalzell Landscape Company' Subject: RE: Brogio Heads Good morning Mr Dalzell, We only learnt yesterday ourselves via email from a customer of this issue, I contacted Carillon’s H&S Director straight away to try and learn more, he would not tell me any details at this point of what happen other than a head had come off and that H&S and the Police are involved ! I had the impression from our conversation that the problem was more with the operator rather than the Brogio ! With this fact in mind and the amount Brogio heads that have been sold in the UK over the last 5 years without any reported problems, we suspect that the problem was either a mounting error or the continued use of an unbalanced/damaged head causing the head to come off ! I also contacted the manufactures Brogi Loriano in Italy to check to see if they have had any similar issues; to which they assure me that they have not. The Brogi Company have ask me to keep them informed in this matter as naturally they are keen to learn of any unknown fault with their products We are confident that the issue will be resolved very soon without any come back on the Brogio heads and await the HSE report to fact Yours sincerely Andrew Fuller Lamberhurst Engineering Ltd Priory Farm Parsonage Lane Lamberhurst Kent TN3 8DS Tel No:0044 (0) 1892 890364 Fax No:0044 (0) 1892 890122 email:[email protected] Web:Lamberhurst Engineering

Just had an excellent email back from Lamberhurst providing more information about the incident and keeping us up to date. I have asked for permission to copy it onto this forum page or for them to post it directly. A quick response Lamberhurst and much appreciated. Many thanks guys.

We use these all the time on rougher/woody clearing jobs. Especially good at docks, thistle and brambles - all the sort of things that break strimmer line and they are much faster than a blade. They can shed links though if you don't keep checking the chain flails. They can also flick heavier material up from the ground than you could with line or a blade. An interesting one - now with this H+S notice its going to be hard to use one knowing there is a darker side to these little attachments. Just checked - it was the Brogio heads we got from Lamberhurst Engineering - must give them an email, see if they've anymore info

Oh yeah, can you make sure you buy a red one -saves me on the re-spray. Cheers

You guys need to buy these things now - that way in a few years we'll be able to fight over them when they're replaced and the old one goes to auction. Go on John write that order now and I'll start planning to buy a second hand one in 3 years (Keep it tidy for me now).

Those Bees are amazing - someones put a lot of effort into making those - very clever and great effect

You'll be able to physically tow the chipper with the Transit, we tow 2 ton often behind our LWB 350 115ps one which has a low ration drive train. Put it on behind the 280 90PS one and it struggles. The SWB 280 front wheel drive ones we have, have loads of power but no mass to control the bigger weights. The dual mass clutches from the main dealer is around £750 and if you have a inexperienced driver, it will go after about 30k miles as one of ours did. So in summary: - yes it will tow it - yes it will be hard on it and they aren't designed for it - yes you'll almost certainly be in tacko land - yes the dual mass clutch will "calf" after about 30k - if you don't keep the chipper brakes tip-top you'll strip the Transits ones and end up in a hedge - yes you will need to check gross train weights etc etc Having said that, we've always had Transits, each bought new, main dealer serviced, we have 5 at the moment and they rarely let us down. One has nearly 150K on the clock and going strong) (They are all Red transits - so that means we can use Red diesel in them - right?)

Mine did exactly the same. Before you buy anything try wiggling the leads around the isolator and take the cover off the pump area and check the leads around there while holding the power up button - when it starts tipping you'll know where the bad connection is. Ours was a weak connection - no parts needed!

Go for it - as an employer if I see that someone has had a go at something like this it leaps of the page and puts them right up there. Best of luck and think positive!

I'd be interested in this one as well - I've been on already with the Alaskan Mill people. We're were going to put it on our 66 with a 36" bar with a ripping chain which they supply.

We run a Kubota L3300 (About 35hp) with a Schliesing ZX200 on the back. Just about spot on with the power - very light on the front end when driving though The tractor is about 1300kg and the chipper 660kg. Don't want to put front end weights on as the combination already weighs in at 2000kg. This is a heavy chipper compared to most that capacity - but then more weight means more steel and strength in the build! Its a fantastic combination - it gets exactly where you want it quickly.

Always a problem with this type of operation. If you can complete a risk assessment and manage the risk then you're fine. The problem is that it can be hard to manage the risk with a heavy machine, that has cutting edges that sends material flying and has an entanglement risk. I notice the last time we had stump busters out on a site they work by themselves. The NPTC schedule talks about exclusion zones etc - so there may be times say in more public areas or where other pedrestrian risks exist two person teams may be essential to manage this exclusion zone. It going to be a matter of careful Site Specific Risk Assessments

Missed this one yesterday. Great idea, field guide, identification photos essential with easy reference for initial ID. Leading the reader onwards into the reference with more detailed information, including treatment, how real a threat to the tree its on or adjacent. Photo's of cross sections of felled timber if available. Wipe proof paper, ring bound for ease of folding back. There.s other relevant info also I am sure, but ID is always the starting point and the most critical. RM Print and Design sent us a flyer with our business card - they are on the forum somewhere. It might not cost that much to produce, the work,s in the information gathering and copy. Electronic/Disc format would do away with the production issues and would make it easy to keep up to date, with users simply printing it out and producing it in whatever format they prefer. I do think a charge would be totally acceptable.