Shane

I think Spoons had a similar problem if I recall correctly... Spoons, are you out there?

He's better than Les Dawson at the straight face. Excellent, that could even have passed as a Monty Python sketch.

Success! A bit more cleaning and heating, then suddenly the grease was coming through into the ball race. It doesn't take much to make me happy these days! Just need Brentford to whoop Watford tonight and its total joy.

They were! Still, blisters hear and hair grows back.

That's a very good point. The outer shell on the bearing seems to be curved across the width (as well as the rim curve) so it looks like a tiny steel bicycle tyre - rounded in all dimensions. The pillow block allows it to rotate/twist a few degrees off the line of the shaft, if you see what I mean. No idea if it should have a groove, maybe better contact Predator boys tomorrow.

I can't believe you posted this! I would heve kept quiet and just gone round there before the rush.

Well, you live and learn.... I tried a bit of heat, petrol, greasing as hard as poss.. spinning the cutter wheel while doing each - nothing. In the end I dropped the cutter wheel out and removed the complete bearing. It was only then I realised the actual ball bearings are sealed and the grease is only for the contact surfaces of the outer casing and the pillow block housing. After a soak in petrol and a few taps with a drift each way, I was able to get grease in - tomorrow its reassembly time! Thanks again for all the help.

Whatever size you would use most. Probably worth going for the larger end as lower jobs can usually be done some alternative way. I got one with all 3 legs adjustable. They are easy and quick to adjust and very light to carry. Just make sure you have somewhere to store it, they are wide at the base. I looked at prices all over the place, my local chainsaw shop was as reasonable as anywhere so that's where I got mine (close to Arundel in Sussex) - under £400 all in. Good luck

Ditto - I bought one three months ago and we use it every week. Love it!

Thanks for the replies, will try subtle heating and then petrol. If all else fails then removal it is, I was just hoping for an easier solution if possible.

Hi folks, This morning I've been servicing my Predator 450 stumpy. Hit a problem with one of the cutter wheel bearings. Pillow-block type. The grease nipple looked a bit knacked - the ball part of the nipple had disappered and it would not take any grease. The other side was fine and you could see the grease easing out of the bearing like always. I took the 'good' nipple off and put it on the other side thinking that would solve it. But NO.... No matter how many pumps I could not get any grease in. I checked the grease gun is still working (you can tell by the resistance anyway) and it is. I've tried poking wire in but still no joy. Apart from replacing the bearing (which is still OK at the moment) has anyone got any tricks that I can try?

I can't afford asparagus, but if I eat turkey, I can smell the signs of it within two hours.

A few I've noticed, not really bothered but it may help. I went over there to have a close look at their trees. I don't know if I should tell him 'No'. We will try to do that. NOT we will try AND do that (the latter means you try, and then you will do it - failure not an option).

One of my relatives was fitting a new bath and dropped the taps in it and broke it. He was told over the phone that it was covered if the bath was fitted and he was changing the taps, but not if the bath was being installed. The guy on the phone said 'I'll put down that you were putting the tap onto the bath - and we won't mention that it was a new bath' He was paid straight away for a new bath. If you are unhappy with the way you are being treated you can mention the insurance ombudsman - that will at least get a jobsworth to speak to a manager and have some common sense appplied. If still unhappy go through the ombudsman and give the company some bad publicity, they don't like it.

People seem more willing to slag off insurers for not paying while those who have had good experiences often (probably rightly) take it for granted - that is what they are supposed to do. If you google insurance claims you will find a lot of outrageous claims. Some people take the view that insurance is an evil tax so they are entitled to claim back a decent amont of money. The famous 'mate down the pub' will be full of ways you should get your money back. The company I worked for had a claim where someone was clening out the loft and they accidentally dropped a 5ltr tin of emulsion through the hatch. Not only did it ruin the landing/stair carpet but their small child and dog both panicked and ran through it then all over the house, thus ruining every carpet in the house. All the carpets were, of course, recently laid and very expensive. When the loss adjuster had the audacity to check up he noticed that the carpets were all threadbare, and the footprints faded as they went further fom the epicentre and then became thicker again (almost as if someone had taken the shoes back upstairs and re-loaded them with paint). Shock horror! But it's always the insurers who get the blame.

Insurance companies do not make money out of repudiating claims. The are cautious about paying claims which seem dodgy, you may be surprised how many cars are stolen and burned out just afew days before the MOT is due. They make money by investing the premiums. Most actually pay out in claims around 101-103 % of what they receive in premiums. It goes like this... a bit simplified, but stick with me. You pay your £1000 premium for a 365 day policy on day 1. Insurance company invests full amount and makes 10% over the year (assuming they invest wisely). But - you, the evil claimant, make a claim during the year. The average amount of the claim is going to be £1030 (based on the actuarial info, which is why you were charged that premium). The average time at which you claim is half way through the policy (some will be earlier, some later) around day 183. So they get 6 months investment profit on the £1000 (£1050 given 10% for the full year) and pay you £1030. They make £20 profit while shelling out 103% of the premium. Paying claims is what their reputations are built on. Most people I know have had reasonable treatment, it's usually the fat bloke down the pub who knows someone who was shafted.

Are Orange represented on this forum?

An admirable aim - to train for what industry needs, good luck - but... Training institutions are businesses. They will try to get as many people in as they can. Do they really care if there is a demand for what they are producing? Some years ago I taught IT at a local technical college. It was at the time when loads of blue-chip companies were merging and IT departments were closing down all over the place. The college knew this was happening but they were getting paid by Govt grants and by foreign students so they kept on pushing them through the machine - knowing there would be no chance of a job for the vast majority of them. I get phone calls from 'keen, self motivated, hard working' newly qualified youngsters every week. It appears that the numbers being produced is far too high. Yes - when they are trained it must be in the right way, but if most employers feel experience is more important, maybe we, as employers, should take on school leavers and send them off to do their tickets when WE think it would be appropriate. I am taking on a school leaver in July and am planning to do exactly that. A kind of unofficial apprenticeship if you like. Happy to let you know how he gets on. PS I've not read the entire thread so please forgive me if this has already been suggested.

To be fair to Greenmech they took away the dealership from a nearby firm because they were not treating customers fairly. They have the power and have used it in the past.

Well, my local dealed did it, Orange didn't. That suggests very different values between dealers.

Sounds like a conflict of interests. The one time my Greenmech was in for repairs the dealer lent me a replacement for free. Maybe worth a chat with Greenmech HQ - but give Orange a chance to put things right first.

Another case of two sides to every story, though that would ruin things for the sensationalist reporters.

That's gotta be good for security too - nice one Jonsie.

What must it be like if you are a passenger on the top deck and you can see it coming? Would you scream at everyone to run for the stairs, just run yourself, freeze, change the colour of your trollies or what? Or was the driver a member of......

How about a wide radius swept soil-pipe bend, with a length of straight poo pipe on that, down to 'bag. Some sort of lashing-onto-the-chute device and your parent's brother is called Robert.