Shane

I think they used to sell them in Ann Summers shops (so I am told)

Majestic, youre quite right it is Action man - can't recall who his 'friend' is. This set up was part of a Christmas-tree festival at our local church. Local businesses were invited to decorate a tree in exchange for a donation. It was great fun, the local police had a tree decorated with small blue lights. If I recall the local caravan owners had a tree - but it disappeared.

Back in December we came home to find these guys doing a crown thin on our christmas tree!

Forgot to say... all done with chainsaw except flattened back finished with power plane. Timber was (from memory) some form of cedar. Tried complex legs but settled for simple stands - it was @@@@in heavy.

Steve, I made one about 8 years ago it was 7ft long and about 14 inches diam. I'll try to attach a couple of pics

That is a real tree! the pics were taken with a very low resolution digital camera (probably a McCulloch)

Where are you in the SE? I used to run training courses on presentations for a variety of people.. Am happy to try to dig out the slides/handouts. There are loads of books you could take out from the library too. Key things to think about.. You know a lot more than the audience (clear from your posts on here) Let your enthusiasm show (greatest public speakers in last 100 years include... Hitler, Churchill, Martin Luther King, Maggie Thatcher, Billy Graham. (not John Major). Remember to use pauses - don't be affraid of short silences. Be nervous! If you aren't nervous you can come across as arrogant, complacent. Nerves will be natural - let them help- not hinder. Overall structure.. First 10% of time, tell them WHAT youre going to tell them, next 85% TELL THEM, Last 5% tethem what you TOLD them (Intro/Main/Summary) Remember the audience want it to be good, they are on your side. Good luck Shane Finally - remember to speak the words, don't read them. Use key words only for notes and let your knowledge and expertise drive the delivery.

Pat, my 16/23 - according to my Wilkinson tape measure is 1.23 m wide I recon Greenmech's 1.29 is allowing for the wide wheel/ chrome wheel arch upgrade. Give grenmech a ring and get an actual measurement, I think you might be lucky. Alternatively chisel out a groove in the wall. Always happy to help Shane PS - never publicise where you store your stuff - the yard location must remain a mystery

I'd say extreeme looks best. Good luck with it. We're called Mr Tree - based loosely on Homer Simpson as Mr Plough. It works well Theres a bloke round our way who does mostly stump grinding - he's called Grind Force - absolutely brilliant, loads of people ask him for quotes because of the name.

Absolutely dreadful - I was speechless (amazing for those who know me) when they showed footage of several poor folks trying to turn their cars/vans round when they saw the wall of filthy water coming at then across the fields. We all feel, deep down, that we are a bit invincible and would always find a way out... but what the #### would you do? Gotta feel for those folks and hope the Japanese efficiency and international aid will reduce the suffering as much as poss. As for the nuke problems, just pray, cross fingers etc. Imagine what it would have been like to be up a large tree when the earthquake hit!! Thank goodness we're some way from the nearest tectonic join.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush? I'd rather have two in the bush!

Ive never tasted cats urine - not too good then???

defenderjack - no worries, I know it was a great piece of kit for me - thats how come I had it for 6 years, just wish TW would do something about those bearings, if they did they would rule the world! Hope iot keeps on going well for you - the engine should last you for ever - just change the oil every 50 hours and youre laughing. I hope the landrovers doing fine - I changed my rear crossmember last year & its the dogs danglies now. Keep up the good work.

Defenderjack - I wondered if youd say that as I was typing my previous comment!!!! I had them changed twice in 6 years - I sold it with recently replaced bearings with several years hard use in them - cos I had a new chipper and not room for two. Hoope its going well Shane

Contact Timberwolf HQ and ask for their opinion - Are they willing to agree that the bearings are faulty or were fitted wrongly, in which case a re-fit at their expense seems the way forward. OR are they saying that 40 hours with unsharpened blades (if thats the case, even) is all their properly fitted bearings can stand - if so they should publicise that in their sales literature. Hmmmm - guess why I went over to Greenmech?

If you really don't want to spend much, not too worrired about CE marks, have a welder... why not make your own. Cur a 6inch length of 5inch diam. pipe (min 4mm thick wall) to become the friction drum. Weld it to a back-plate which rests on the tree trunk. Weld 2 10mm bars to the outer edge of the drum - top and bottom -with 90 degree bend to allow the rope to be locked off and prevent it slipping off. Then drill a couple of big holes in the back plate to take shackles (to attach ratchet strap) and hey presto a ##kin heavy, dirt cheap, don't tell the loler blokes solution. Not being sarky - I've seen one working, no moving parts and little cost. Just beware that if it does fail your insurers will not be interested. Theres always an option - and the choice is always yours Go for the best solution you can afford.

there is a tool hire shop next to the Chichester by pass called beaver tool hire. A couple of years ago they had a sign up (visible to all on the A27) which read 'TRIM YOUR BUSH WITH A BEAVER TRIMMER'

This takes me back to the dreaded statistics pyramid... If one strop has rusted right through there may well be dozens ALMOST rusted through and hundreds well on the way. I'm anxious like everyone else - here is a piece of kit we all use and trust implicitly. I guess we all feel that a sttel core is pretty well infalible and the only problem we ever see is one or two starnds fraying on the outside. If it can fail like this with no warning everyone needs to be aware and given some guideline by the mahufacturer on how to test it properly. What do LOLER testers do with them when testing - what SHOULD loler testers do? This is 'kin scary

And the old chestnut from Winston Churchill. He had consumed too much alcohol and was upsetting a lady at a function. Upset lady..'Mr Churchill, YOu are drunk'! Winston C...'Madam, I may be drunk, but you are ugly, in the morning I shall wake up sober, what about you?'

When the new kid on the crew is trying to show off by carring logs which should be cut into 3 or 4 sections, or the young climber is hanging out of the tree saying how hardcore the climbing is..... 'A man proves he's a man when he stops having to prove he's a man' - so just get on with it!

Seen written on the back of a filthy transit... ' I wish my wife was this dirty' Beneath that someone had added... 'She is!'

How much to post it to the UK?

You can recall exactly which tree every log in your log store came from - even after it has seasoned.

I bought new Yale Scorch rope last week (25mtrs with 1 spliced eye). The eye was so tight it took me 2 minutes to get a carabiner through it. I was told Yale are making the eyes tight as a safety issue. Fair dos to keep safe - but if you want to disconnect the rope from the carabiner before re-routing the rope this would be unworkable. Apparently theyve had a few complaints already. I'm getting it replaced with an old stock rope with a decent sized eye. Has anyone on here had any probs with new Yale ropes or is it just me

It's a fair cop - I read the ad on ebay as I wanted! Just got the red mist - Steve's right - you must be 110% sure and then be careful. Conclusion - timberwolf users - read the ads carefully and buy the right blades. Me - read the ad thoroughly!