samiad

tree station! I assumed theyd only take their own but il get in touch with them. Never crossed my mind even though i was working two minutes down the road! cheers!

kev im in mossley, not too far from huddersfield. Where do you reckons a decent repair shop up this end?

nice one chaps!

Ive filled all my local spots! Looking for places anywhere as im working all over manchester. Been paying a farmer to drop them at his!

Ive had the HS 81 R Hedge Trimmer for 3 years and got to say its been fantastic, so much so infact that ive not done allot in the way of maintenance but ive done allot in the way of major de veging, bramble smashing and pretty hardcore hedging. Been doing some site clearance this week and my colleague was using it to cut thick bramble. A piece got stuck but he kept on revving and next thing you know its broken. It starts fine but when it revvs there is no drive to the blades. Im pretty clueless about how these things work but I opened up the housing below with the star screws and everything seemed in order with the mechanism/cogs thing in there so im thinking the think that drives that must have broken. theres a nasty metallic ringing/rattling sound when its running. Any ideas? i was going to take it to repair shop tomorrow but wanted to have an idea what it was so im not getting bent over in there! cheers sam

yes braces! Thanks for the tips. Ive been dragging brash all week since it happened, feels like some weird repentance. I'l follow the advice!

Id be keen. Ive no family or girlfriend and im self employed so pretty flexible to jump on stuff. Ive just come back from Thailand and saw some news clips of Philippines in the wake of hurricaine. Brutal stuff. Felt guilty knowing that I was quite close by and could have been handy there but didn't do anything about it. I heard they needed chainsaw people after tsunami too, cutting rubble, wooden houses and all. I'l PM you.

Ive had a few harnesses and but after a while they always seem to rub me pretty sore. Been away on holiday for a bit on god it was grim dangling round all day today. Sides are sore as, rubbed raw. I keep finding my coat/ t shirt or whatever I wear tends to ride up and then the harness is just on my skin and it hurts. I get a bit lazy adjusting leg loops correctly and sometines its maybe not sitting quite right but I was wondering if anyone had any tips on whats best to wear to avoid this happening or any particularluy comfortouble harnesses that are out there. Ive got a sequia and a Navaho at the minute but im thinking of something with buit in seat next maybe! Dress me!

any maybe throw in an offer of emergency call out?

Nice one. How does this sound? "Hello Andrew, I just got back from my holidays. I think that tree should be removed. Hard to say if it will or wont blow over but there's always a chance especially in weather like this! Would you like me to book it in my first available slot?"

Nice one, good advice. Not sure if I should even reply to the text or turn my phone off and lay low! Phew, lucky I asked! Wow I never knew that about bird nesting season. I always thought if there's chicks or eggs in the nest then you couldn't do it. So many conifers i could have slayed.....ah well. Do you feel the guilt when you lob the chicks out?

Just got this txt message "Mi M8. Just wanted to ask about the tree. Winds picking up and am bit concerned. When you checked the tree out did everything seem ok? No chance of it being blown over? cheers" The tree is a big leylandi i looked at in summer. Its got two stems, included bark. I suggested it be removed back then but the tree was rammed with birds so I told him i'd do it in late sept but they were still there, so i came again in october, still there! I was booked on a backpacking holiday from then in southeast asia so I said i'd have to do it when i got back to which i got no reply. I assumed he'd had enough of my pigeon pussy footing around and decided to get a proper tree slayer in but no! i get back and all hell has broken loose, stormy up here! Hes on my case. I feel obliged to go and do something so hes not stressed over christmas but at the same time I smell a rat, the way his text is written, i cant tell if hes just worried or if hes looking to pass the blame, anticipating it coming down and prepping his lawsuit! Back when i looked at it there was some included bark from what I remember but it didn't strike me as imminently in danger of collapse (I looked at it on a breezy day and could see no movement or crack forming). I feel like going round and putting a few big straps round to reduce chance of it peeling off in this storm. I dont fancy dismantling it in a gale. its got stuff all around, be a slow job. If I strap it up and it goes anyway do you think I will be liable for anything? thanks allot sam

Looks worse in the wind and rain today so yeah, reinforcements! We'l tackle it together, il PM you now.

Thanks for all the great responses, I reckon the thing might sprout wings and fly off in fear of the diverse arsenal of arboricultural techniques being mustered against it! Diagrams, Telehanlers....thanks allot! Theres a block paving driveway that leads round to the garage. Its narrow but could be a goer with some kind of a big ass forklift or something but im feeling up for the climb, it must die clean! I'm just outside Manchester, thanks for all the offers of help but Im pretty confident I can tackle it now. I suppose you could say Im not quite ready for it but im not far off and I felt like I could have maybe done it there and then but was a bit wary and a tad intimidated so i thought I'd back off and consult the troops before recommencing battle! i'l keep you all informed with how it goes, be after christmas but i'l try and make a video! cheers!

Legends! Thanks allot! I reckon I can sort it based on those tips. Ive not got any proper winching gear but ive been thinking of investing in a decent turfer ever since i did my larger trees course a year or so back. Any top tips for a particular model? Im going back to get pictures tomorrow and to give him a price. I was thinking about tying the butt off secure and leaving it until after christmas (Ive got two all day works do's to attend!) but as its been there over a month already I think i might just leave it. I'l feel proper bad though if it comes down christmas morning. I'l put some tinsel on and tell them Santas big ass oak sled has crashlanded! Thanks allot! sam

A bit bamboozled about how to go about taking this big limb off. It's snapped almost completely free with just the bark and a few strands holding it and has come to rest on top of a massive garage. The garage isnt damaged and the owner is keen to keep it that way but there's some nasty tensioned branches pressing down on the asbestos roof. I think some of the weight is being supported by the neighbours trees and a few other smaller branches that are snagged up. All a bit of a mess really. I'd normally leave something's me this be but I've done a fair but of work for the guy and he's keen for me to do it. I was hoping to run my plan of attack by you folk just Incase I'm way off! I'm thinking of climbing to a top anchor point then finding two sturdy lowering points, from which I could rope up the broken limb before dropping down onto it and knocking off a few of the s agging branches that aren't under tension. Its been there a month so i think its stable enough.... Then I was considering coming down and boarding up the asbestos roof in a couple of places so I could walk on and nibble away at the tensioned branchesuntil the thing breaks off and swings free on my lowering ropes. I'm a bit daunted by it all though, I can foresee some nasty movement and don't fancy being up close when it shifts so I'm half thinking of not going on the roof and maybe just trying to winch the thing off using the lowering ropes to make it more controlled. I think it could wreck the garage this way but that could happen anyway! What do you guys think? I'm gonna drive down again tomorrow and get better photos. Many thanks!

Hello there I'm taking down a fair size laburnum on Sunday. I normally just sell my firewood cheap by the tipper load but I hear this is good stuff to work with. I feel like its a bit of a waste to just burn. Would anyone want it? Cheers Sam

Just had a go at sanding back, see how deep the green discolouration goes.Looks like ive been lucky, only a couple of mm. will it get gradually worse and blacken or if they dry properly now will it likely stop further staining? Ive attached some pics of the green yesterday and then today after a test. You can see the gap where ive sanded it back, dosent look so bad. Maybe I will be ok! Il still try the acid. ive taken a picture of them drying in my loft too. Thanks to everyone that helped me out. Sam

I'l try some in the open, Ive only got a small backyard with a wood shelter. Im in a terraced house you see. The loft was my only option really, not ideal but it is breezy up there, a fair draft running through. I heard the horse chestnut was shite too but it was a monster of an old tree that blew over, 200 years old and had some interesting patterns and colours so just thaught id give it a go. It might not be as shite as my sycamore is going to turn out! Mold not affected it much like it has the others, just one thats bad. i'l get sum pics up later. keep you informed.

Could you recommend a supplier of that acid? Id like to give it a go. still green and quite damp so might work. Thanks allot.

spent 5 hours scrubbing, drying infront of a fire then putting them upright in my loft to dry. Hopefully will be ok now. Going to plane one back today, see if its clean wood further in. I'l try and put some pics up too. thanks for all your help Sam

Thanks allot Some really good advice thanks allot. I didnt realize sycamore was so tricky. Im not selling them, they are just for personal use. I just had a scrape away with an axe and the green blue stuff goes about 1.5mm deep, not right through yet. Some of it is still very white. Was going to have a go at some shelves and other bits and bats so if i can save some of them thats great. i'l get them stood up tonight. my girlfriend isn't too keen, she just came in and went apeshit, said the house reeked of mushrooms! Good tips thanks . I don't know much about this, should have done more research but might as well experiment with these. So if I give them a good clean, get some of that Ecover on asap ant get them drying I might stand a chance with a few. What about wrapping in news paper? i'l try a few in plastic too. Do a bit of everything, some might survive and im happy to plane them back more if that will help.Should I do this now or just leave them until ready to finish? What about PVA at the ends or paint? Ive got a few that have small splits already. I in for a rude awakening to this game i fear! thanks again! I'l let you know how it goes, take more pics. They goin in the loft tonight!

I know! But its only been down 5 days! A couple of the planks were glued together with the stuff! Like I said though,it wipes off. Do you think if I clean them, apply some fungicide spray or something then let them dry properly I will be ok?

I have some sycamore and horse chestnut planks but ive left them in a pile in my living room this week whist i sort a place to store them properly. i had a look at them today and they are covered in fungus! The sycamore especially has green/blue streaks and an extensive film of white fungus. The horse chestnut is not so bad, just some black speckles and blue fungus in parts. The fungus wipes clean to reveal clean wood but will the planks be ruined? I will dry them out properly now but wanted to see if this is a common treatable thing or if im wasting my time. Ive taken several pics 1. the green streak on sycamores 2 wiping clean 3 fungus on sycamore 4 fungus on horse chestnut 5 sycamores after wiping 6 horse chestnuts after wiping. Any advice would be much appreciated. thanks allot! p.s the ends of a few planks are splitting. Should i paint them with PVA? Sam