haforbes

I'm looking for a second hand farm/log type saw thats a bit lighter than my current MS310. I would probably want to run a 14/16" bar. I'm trawling ebay at the moment and have found a few 028av saws that look good, not sure if that would be suitable? Thanks

Thanks for the replies. I've spoken to Anton Coaker previously and his reponse was " I won't give you enough money for it" which isn't particularly helpful, but it does bring up another question, what might it be worth?

Hello, Apologies if this is in the wrong section. I've got a fair stack of rough sawn Beech and Sycamore in a shed thats been air drying for the past 2-3 years and the time has come to get rid of some of it but I'm not sure how to go about it. It's in varying lengths and thicknesses, theres some 1",2" and 3" thick boards ranging from 5ft to about 16ft in length of both Beech and Sycamore. Not sure if it makes any difference to the wood but it's all from Dartmoor at around 1300ft. Who's likely to be interested in it? I was thinking of trying some of local furniture makers perhaps? Also, I've got a 15ft length of timber, probably 18" diameter, that I think is Hornbeam but I'm not too sure. Is there an easy way of finding out? Thanks

Cheers for the replies. My only concerns with the new 90's is the leg room, I'm 6'4 and did briefly sit in a new one and it was not comfy! They're also very unreliable, noisy and as already said not good on fuel, Which seems odd because they have the same engine as the ranger (I think??) which is supposed to be much better. Is it all worth it for pulling the extra 500kg , off road capability and low depreciation?? To be honest the landy was at the bottom of my list but it seems to be a popular choice.

I'm going to be replacing my '96 Defender in the next 12months and as far as I can tell it's between another Defender 90 (Tdci) , The Isuzu Rodeo and the Ford Ranger. I would probably get something 1-3years old and if it was a pickup I would be tempted by a supercab. The main things I'm looking for are good mpg (for a 4x4),towing ability and a bit more comfort than my current 90 would be nice:001_rolleyes:! Which one would anyone recommend and why??? Cheers

Just another quick (perhaps stupid) question about the RFS certificate. The syllabus says this " The following practical tests, validated by the National Proficiency Tests Council (NPTC), are required for application for the RFS Certificate in Arboriculture (a) Compulsory AO1 Planting CS30 Maintain Chainsaw CS31 Fell Small Trees AO6 Brushwood (Chipper) (b) Optionals AO2 Individual Protection AO3 Bracing & Supporting AO5 Tractor Driving (MO1) AO7 Stump Grinder AO11 Specialist Pruning AO12 Brushwood Cutters or Clearing Saws AO15 Weeding & Cleaning CS34 Clear Individual Windblown Trees CS38 Climb Trees & Perform Aerial Tree Rescue CS39 Operate the Chainsaw from a Rope & Harness CS40 Carry Out Pruning Operations CS41 Carry Out Dismantling Operations PA6a Knapsack Sprayer Three optional tests must be passed, including at least one from the AO series and one from the CS series. Candidates should ensure that the tests selected are those currently required." Do I need these just to sit the exams?? presumably I can study towards the exams and do the NPTC tickets at the same time??

Tractor hydraulics are around 2900psi. The top hose in the picture is the "P" which is connected to one spool. The bottom is the "T" and is connected to the other spool, which for some reason I set to single acting thinking it would flow back to the tank(but it didn't, it sprayed oil everywhere..again), there is also a brass nut next to this. The two off the side are feeds to ram. I seem to remember seeing something that uses a similar hydraulic setup to a splitter that ran the "T" pipe directly back into the back axle, just above the filler cap. Is this what I need to do?? Since you are only using one valve and from the looks of it no interlock, take a tip and pipe it so that you push the lever up to send the ram down, that way if anyone falls on the machine and hits the valve the ram won’t go down and amputate whatever it hits. And thanks for that, hadn't thought about that.

I'm having some troubles connecting a control lever to my log splitter. As you can see it's one I made. It works fine, the only downside is that you have to have 2 people to do the job, one to load the logs and one to operate the spool valves from in the tractor, which isn't the safest thing. So I thought i'd buy a lever and mount it to the splitter. But it hasn't been that simple, I connected the hoses how I thought they should go and when I tested it, it cracked some of the lever casing and oil went everywhere, so I tried welding it back together and changed the hoses round and it cracked it again. How am I supposed to connect the hoses?? I've never had to use any machinery that has hydraulic controls outside of the cab:confused1:. This is the lever I bought; eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace

are you saying that theres alot of cowboys?

I'm a farmer and I'm looking into studying arboriculture but something is puzzling me, a lot of the jobs that I see advertised for experienced arborists seem to sit in a fairly low pay bracket, especially when you consider the training, experience and the dangers that are expected in this field of work. I fully understand that this is type of job has little to do with money and is a way of life much like farming is. But to put it into perspective, I have a freind who is a now trained plumber, he studied for 3 or 4 years and came out of college and landed a job that pays over 30k. what is the reason for such a low wage for such a highly skilled job:confused1:?

I thought that it might be a slightly sensitive subject as i'm sure that bosses and employees both use this forum. I think i'll put a new post in the general section to see what people have to say.

Thanks for all your help. I've found a local arborist who I hope will take me on for some work experience but I havn't contacted him yet. Hopefully I will be taught something and not just used for cheap labour as long i'm learning something I don't mind. Something that is puzzling me and that I have to ask is, a lot of the jobs that I see advertised for experienced arborists seem to sit in a fairly low pay bracket, especially when you consider the training, experience and the dangers that are expected in this field of work. I fully understand that this is type of job has little to do with money and is a way of life much like farming is. But to put it into perspective, I have a freind who is a now trained plumber, he studied for 3 or 4 years and came out of college and landed a job that pays over 30k. Is there any explanation for this:confused1:?

Is there any books that anyone would recommend to get me started?

Thanks for the replies. Im based in Devon, Dartmoor more precisely. I guess it's about balancing practical with the theory when learning these things

Hello, I'm trying to get some information on arboriculture courses that are available for home study. I'm 23 and currently manage a 1100acre hill farm due to my father taking early retirement. I currently have my cs30/31 and as far as my experience goes I have done a fair amount of logging and winching of all the fallen timber I get around the farm but I want to learn about keeping trees healthy rather just chopping them up for firewood. How far is it possible to go with home study but without on the job experience? Is it possible to get to the skill level to go self employed without doing an apprenticship or full time study? As neither of these are an option for me, being tied to the farm pretty much 7 days a week. One thing I am going to look into is to find a local tree surgeon that will give me some work experience maybe 1 day a week to see how I get on. Any advice is welcomed! Thanks Also, does anyone have any experience with these people Horticultural Correspondence College home learning courses | RHS Level 2 Certificate in Horticulture | RHS Advanced Certificate in Horticulture | RHS Diploma | Master of Horticulture | The Principles of Gardening | Organic Gardening | Gardening quali ?

Thanks for the replies. If this one is a waste of time, where do I look for a new winch? What I need it for is I have 20+ acres of hardwood that would provide me with plenty of firewood if I could get to it. Most of the wood is medium to large beech and sycamore and the valley is steep + tractor access is fairly limited so the longer the cable the better. I had some contractors come in and they used an old Boughton which worked really well. Any ideas? knowone said anything about this stuff Samson-The Strongest Name in Rope, AMSTEEL-BLUE , is it any good? All I know is that it's expensive! Many thanks

I think it must be pretty old...all I know is that it has sat in my field for 15+ years and not been used and after the cable was removed today I ran it on the tractor and it all worked like it had been run just the day before! built to last.

I thought that might be the verdict!

Hello, I have an old PTO winch that I'm trying to get back to working condition but need some advice first. As you can see in the pictures the frame has seen better days and the cable is rusted into one big lump of cable, it all needs lots of Tlc. So I am thinking of building a new frame, Also I don't know if its possible but I'm looking into converting it to a hydraulic drive, if theres any point? The trouble with it as it is, is that being directly driven off the pto, control isn't that easy and also it is geared very highly so pulls very fast. Which I guess could be changed with a different size drive sprocket, but I was told hydraulics are safer so I thought I'd find out about that first. I have no idea what the pulling power is or who built this winch, where it came from etc...any ideas??? Does anyone have any pictures of other winches for design ideas etc? Wheres the best place to get new cable? I've heard a few people talking about this kind of stuff (Rockstomper.com) for 4x4 winches. Has anyone any experience with it?? Any input is appreciated!