Shane

My experience leaves me feeling happy - and sad. I recently destroyed the drive shaft on my telescopic echo pole pruner. The UK dealers wanted £40 odd plus VAT plus special delivery charge cos it wasn't in stock. It was going to total almost £60 for an 18 inch springy thing. I looked on ebay and found a US supplier whereby it was supplied, packaged, sent, duties paid etc for a total of... £29.00 There are times when the reasoning is difficult to understand. If there's no rush then let the world be your oyster - but dont complain about diminshing employment in the UK since our greed and the global supply sources are killing it off.

Looks like the tinworms have had a nibble at the floor of my tipper. Its a thin steel floor with ally sides. I was planning to put down a sheet of ally (probably have to overlap some sheets due to size). I plan to just lay it over the top rather than hack off the entire floor first. Any comments on thickness required, alternatives (weight and cost) and any decent suppliers darn sarf - Sussex area? At the moment only postage stamp sized holes but things can only get bigger. Thanks in advance

Let sleeping dogs lie. If people want a bit of a laugh, start an amusing thread. If folk want to stick to the serious matters, then do so. If anyone goes too far they will get warnings or slagged off by other members. Let evolution take its course. Night night.

Quite Interesting.... Someone has gone to a lot of trouble, shame they never finished it off really. Not a bad idea. Tracked Stump Grinder | eBay

We were working at the local golf club today when we saw an adder. It was quite alert and slithered off in a lively manner after a few seconds. Seems a bit early for them to be about, but nice to see. It actually looked quite cute as it raised its head and did the 'wiggly tongue' bit. Three cheers for the approaching spring!

Clutch servo? Mine went a few years back, cost about £16:00 for a new one, no need to remove gearbox. IIRC there wasn't so much pressure evident through the pedal though. Mick's suggestion of the release fork is a good call, usually the pivot wears through the centre of the fork (a lot of wizz boys weld an extra piece of metal onto the fork to make it last longer - you gotta love landies! Good luck Beaten to it! - HTB

This may be daft (my ideas often are) but isn't pittosporum very dense/hard? Maybe worth considering??? As a non wood turning guy there may be issues I am unaware of.

Another vote for the 1/2 AF socket (will hammer on more easily than a 12mm). If you have room you might be able to use a set of stillsons. Good luck

Spot on:thumbup:

The target conversion rate, in itself, doesn't mean a lot. It can be measured by percentage of quote values, or more sensibly, percentage of estimated profit. On this basis I would rather miss out on the 'marginal' stuff or the 'hassle' jobs. It also depends on the amount of work you have on. If you are chokker-block then why try to get the crudworthy jobs? It's been said on here before, profit is a measure of success, turnover is just how hard youve been working. Ma valise est restee.

Well, I'm saying nothing about the mis-spelled unimog being sold cheap by a vindictive wife after the couple split up. Bob, I wondered about that.... Given where you are based, where that stuff was and your love of self sufficiency. If you can use it - get chain making.

I suspect that, deep down, you know the answer. Good idea if you can go part-time, just spreads the risk a bit. Do you wake up in the morning looking forward to the next 10 hours? Answer these .... It will be difficult and maybe I shouldn't because.....(fill in whatever you think here) I can do it and I should do it because....(fill in whatever you think here) When you look back in 20 years time at the decision you made ... What do you want to be able to think about your choice? We are dead for a very long time, you can only live NOW. Good luck

I'm inclined to agree about the charges but if the 'must get it at all cost' merchants frequent the dreaded 'bay then why not ? Why should anyone sell something for a penny less than they could get for it? I contacted the seller whan there had been one bid at 99p to see if he would still do a buy it now (Yes, it would have been worth £150 to me) but he wanted to let it run. Good call on his part in the end. Mind you, it might be up again next week with a message about NO MESSERS.

The moral of the story with tree stuff... Sell on ebay, buy elsewhere.

Poor plumbing might manifest itself with leaking pipes, bent pipes, noisy central heating etc. Poor plastering just looks crap, or sounds hollow soon after. Poor car repairs show in break-downs and the like. And so on far many other trades. Poor tree work is fairly clear to arborists, but not necessarily obvious to the public and customers. Stubs left, adjacent bushes 'trimmmed' as a result of an 'ooops', infections resulting from pruning at the wrong time ? I don't think the 'general public' will ever be as aware of arb standards as they are of other trades/professions. Apart from 'dropping others in it' with Authorities who don't have the time (or budgets) to care what ya gonna do? Go knock on the person's door and tell them that the 'other' outfit did a rubbish job so use YOU next time? That don't sound any more professional that knoocking to say the trees need trimming and you can do it. I gues the AA could run a campaign, or maybe all treework should only be allowed by registered approved companies, with the death penalty for customers/cowboys who do not follow the law! Death to everybody! - or maybe we all just keep on doing a brilliant job and as our reputations and customer base grows, we keep busy and do the best we can.

Shop around the smaller, private, car accessory shops - the ones where the person behind the counter knows a bit about cars.

Oh dear, how sad, never mind. Another Thatcher brown noser with all the honour of a pile of dog doo.

I suspect it will go for a bit more than £150, bidders get silly and chainsaw stuff sells for a lot more than many of us think it should. There was a thread on here recently about that. I sold an old Husky 298 which I couldn't start, it went for just over £300!

The question remains, Stihl or Husky?

What a wimp! why not a 3120 in each hand?

The update you've all been waiting for... The road sign is now repaired. Knacked rivets drilled out, bent metal bar club hammered into shape and tab washers with 6mm bolts to hold the fibreglass bit together. All's well that end well, Gromit PS I recon it was an Audi or a BMW being driven by a nob-head horsey type. Or maybe not.

I certainly cannot comment on what happened, or the driver as none of us saw or heard anything - THAT is the scary thing! We were oblivious to what could have been a life-changing incident. It also shows that following HSE/Govt safety guidelines alone is no guarantee of safety. We all bang on about common sense but sometimes fate puts us in the hands of the common sense of others.

We had a near miss today and didn't even know it. Working along a quiet(ish) lane in Findon village, clearing deadwood from a row of ash, sycamore, holly. Set up the usual section 8 configuration - even had the Landrover (with beacons) as the rear defence with a 10 mtr gap to the chipper/tipper. Moved the whole lot along about 30-50 mtrs at a time. After a couple of hours as I went back to move the signs along I saw the 'road narrows' sign (the one on the same side as the vehicles) flat on the ground. At first I thought it must have blown over or maybe I hadn't assembled it correctly. When I got to it I saw that the rivets holding the upright to the base had been pulled apart by something, and the fibreglass vertical support was split. The horizontal bar that sits across the base of the triangle was bent at 45 degrees. I then realised the bleedin thing had been hit by a passing vehicle. It was 25 yards past the 'man with brolly' sign and right by the kerb, just 25 yards from the landy and completely fecked. None of us heard or saw anything! While I am annoyed at the twatishness of some drivers I guess we should be thankful it was only a sign costing a few quid that was hit rather than anyone on the crew! Eyes needed everywhere.

I disagree (but its just my opinion..) We haven't had a Government with the balls to charge enough tax to pay for their promoses since I can remember (and I'm not young). Both parties are guilty, whilst in opposition they slag off those in power for failing to deliver, but when they get into power they fail to deliver. It seems as if they know they can only get elected by promising gold and silver, but if they were honest and explained how much tax would be necessary to pay for it most of the electorate wouldn't vote them in. If only the 'masses' would realise that you can't have ever reducing tax bills but keep paying for education, health etc. (everything the Romans did for us) It's all a pathetic sham then while we are happily counting out take-home dosh we then moan about reduced services. WE are just as bad. We all need to wise up, grow up and pay up - or else shut up. Blimey, think my blood pressure has just blown.

He says he hired it off the guy three years ago so its genuinity (?) is not in doubt, surely.