richyrich

i set some perry going other month. i mashed them up in a tub with a birch branch. they were that juicy i didn't need a press- just put pulp in a t-shirt with its arms cable tied and squeezed the juice out. do not wash the pears as you are relying on yeast on them. put juice in a sterilised container with airlock and leave for a few months. apparently 2 stages of fermentation- 2nd one later on when weather warms up.

fair enough!!

i have had domestic stihl strimmers and saws in the past- i would not recommend them- go for a professional husky... or stihl- they will last 5 x longer, and more

what happened to the 338xpt? i have one that i use part time. air filter is crap design- gets well dusted on outside, and is held together by the same bolt that holds outer casing to it. besides that no problem, so far!

i'd maybe try hawthorn and hazel- you see plenty doing ok in yorkshire dales in exposed areas- mainly the thorn though!

i've had a 365 about 13 years (part time use), and recently got a 346xp if you want just one get the 346. the 365 is too heavy for general/light tree work, but can't do without it for felling and cross-cutting big stuff. get both

you can take 1-2 year old shoots/whips in march or april (or in summer ) and put them in a water butt or dustbin with about 12inch minimum water in. keep the water topped up as it evaporates,etc. these cuttings will get a really good root system. sallows do not root as well as osiers and tree willows. disadvantage is you have to wait til autumn/winter to plant them.

thanks for replies- seen there is the cs47 (?) , but i guess this is more to do with the chainsaw use from mewp, rather than for just the mewp itself

i was enquiring if anyone knows the situation regarding mewp hire- is a proper training course required? would a company hire a mewp without, and what's situation regarding p.liability, etc? thanks

seen a few more this year including one i cut earlier in year- would say many are due to frost damage last winter!!

how about cricket bat willow- fast growing, if they are no good for bats then burn them. i think they are better near flowing water, but not that important? italian alder is quick growing. think grey alder is not so good to burn ( i may be wrong). i wouldn't plant too many common alders if in a flood area, as possibility of getting phytophora ( spell check)?

i think i will probably get a pair. i only do tree work part time, but never have much faith in the short spikes. i have some alloy bashlins with leather pads, and the buckinghams with velcro. the velcro ones are loads better- the bashlins dig into the legs.

i currently use buckingham spikes with standard pole gaffs. i am just wondering if they would be better with the 60? mm tree gaffs, or whether these are more hassle ( spiking into trousers, etc) than the pole gaffs?

yes- if the new chain does not solve it i will have to make more enquiries

tried that thanks but the chain was that tight it did not want to move- even though it was 'slack' at the bottom- think its chain (see previous post)

thanks for your replies- i have figured what the problem is.i tried it with an old bar and chain, it was fine. i checked that the new bar and chain were correct gauge. after playing with the chain and bar i noticed that the chain was riding up on itself and kinking- even jamming 2 links together. i sprayed loads of grease on - this did not make a massive difference. figured its a crap husqvarna chain (hopefully bar ok) - so i have ordered an oregon one- hopefully better, if not will have to try a new bar!!

will do tomorrow, thanks!

i have tried it about 20 times today as i did wonder this myself- same problem every time. i could not get hold of dealer today- corwen forestry who are very good, i will ask them tomorrow as its a real mystery, thanks

i have tried it without the side/brake plate off, whilst holding the bar in place- same problem!! thanks

i have just assembled my new 346xp. i cannot get the chain correctly tensioned - when pulling the chain by hand it is putting tension on the rear sprocket- it is pretty hard to pull, but the chain can easily be pulled slack about an inch beneath the bar. when you pull the chain it soon tightens up again- way too tight. if you pull the chain backwards it moves easily as it should- with no strain on the sprocket. but the slack below appears straight away. pull it forward and it tightens again. the 'side plate'/ chain brake cover is seated correctly, and the adjuster is in place. the rear sprocket has quite a bit of play, but i assume this is correct, although i cannot think what else it is. slackening the adjuster does not seem to ease the strain on the sprocket- it just gives more slack chain to drop, yet chain still does not pull. all strain seems to be on the rear. i started the saw briefly to see if that slackened it up, but it seemed reluctant to shift the chain freely.everything is new- bar, saw and chain any ideas welcome, thanks!!

i have 2 fields, both 2.3 acres that i have planted up in yorkshire. the number one problem has been roe deer damage. i did not use deer guards- just spirals and tubex easy wraps. tubex easy wraps are possibly the worst tree guard in the world (my opinion) . only use them if the trees are taller than the guards as they struggle to grow out of them. there is no air circulation and they act like an overhot greenhouse. in hindsight i would go for less trees, but with 1.2m plus guards. i am going to try mesh ones as i think the bigger tubex ones will also have a bit of an adverse effect- although i know they are the most popular. if you get a grant and some of the trees die you have to pay back the respective money i think. cheap planting solutions are willow and poplar cuttings (free). a good tree to plant is wild cherry- fast growing and good timber.

thanks, i have managed to get my ISC steel one in, only just though!

it was a small screwgate that i tried due to its smaller diameter. i will keep an eye on it - for now, cheers

i bought a 37m yale scorch on monday (online). i have just taken it from its bag and tried to put a carabiner through its eye- which looked too small. in doing so a few fibres have torn inside the eye. i'm thinking this is not good in such a critical place? should i complain as it was hardly worth paying the extra money for an eyed rope. i was hoping to use it this week. i usually use an un-eyed rope (gecko) but thought i would pay a bit more this time!! thanks

I agree these are great hedgecutters. My stihl R model cuts through thick stuff but fumes are pretty horrendous. I've had a couple of huskies in the last few years which have been piles of crap (vibrated to bits)- not sure how their latest models perform. Best one i had was a husky 225 ? which was brilliant- they stopped making them!