njc110381

123 views and not a single opinion? I'd have thought there would be at least on member willing to either offer some advice or tell me I'm an idiot and expecting too much!

I'm having a bit of a mull over buying myself a little timber winch but there is a stumbling block that I don't really understand.... Line speed. Am I right in thinking that a winch to drag logs out of a wood doesn't need to be massively powerful, but could do with getting on with things a bit? Ideally I'd like a hydraulic one to mid mount on my Unimog between the cab and bed and then feed the cable through rollers out the back. Could be a bit over zealous but hey - it's a plan I can aim to achieve! Does such a thing exist in the budget world? I've seen some cracking double drum contraptions on youtube but they are very specialist and I don't think I could afford one. My main worry is that I will buy something and although it will have a good rated pull, it could well be too slow! Am I thinking along the right lines or would I be better off sticking to a bumper or linkage mounted pto winch? I don't know my flow rate, but it's a standard U900.

Yeah a few years back I was taking bottled water to old folk in my landy. It wasn't much but it helped a few people who couldn't go and get it for themselves. I wish my mog was working. If it was I'd probably take a drive down there and see if there was anything I could transport for folk. If everyone with the means just offered one day of their time it would be a huge help.

It's awful to read about what's going on so close to home at the moment. I wish there was something I could do to help but I just don't know what!

After all this pro Echo chat, I think what I'm after is the CS450. Only trouble I'm having is that on the web shop I'm looking at there is only a 16" bar option? The CS420 (which shares the same crank case according to another thread) can have several choices. Does anyone know if the 420 bars fit the 450? For a light ground saw 15" is plenty. There's only an inch in it so it's not the end of the world, but not having any choice would annoy me!

I've found the same with my 660. It seems to snatch the cord if I'm gentle with it. If I lay into it like I mean business it's fine. It's been like it since new and hasn't done many hours even now. It could be poorly adjusted but I'm certain it's not an issue with anything being worn. Put simply, tell it to start rather than ask it and you may well have better results. When it is running it's a lovely saw to use.

I've fitted Kumho mud tyres to my last three vehicles. They're not bad on the road and fantastic off of it. You just can't expect any vehicle to cope with mud when fitted with road tyres. Put in simple terms, that's why football and rugby players have studs in their boots! Power is nothing without traction! Another thing that is worth considering if you can save a lot of time by towing is to lower your tyre pressures on site. I have a large compressor that allows me to get them back up in under 15 minutes, so if you save more than that it's worth a go. I remember going to a job to recover one of the company Land Rover's when I worked for the wildlife trust. Landy was stuck solid in thick mud but the boss dropped about half the pressure from the tyres and it drove straight out. It's that good a method that some of the newer Unimogs are able to adjust their tyre pressure from inside the cab - it's a well proven tactic. A good video to show it in use. Skip to 1.20 if you're in a hurry...

I don't like the way the Mitox is classed as a heavy duty homeowner saw. To me homeowners use a saw a few times per year to fell the odd small tree or cut some wood to burn. Most annoyingly they list the weight of it with bar and chain when everyone else just lists the engine unit... How much does a 15" bar and chain weigh?! It throws the easy comparison straight out the window!

There's a lot being said about the Echo over the one I'm looking at. I like them, apart from the choke switch. It looks vulnerable to damage sticking out like it does?

I think there comes a time when the very best name in the business can go down hill. I think because sometimes companies rely on their reputation and know they have to sell a lot of junk before people catch on? Mountfield mowers are a very good example. Older ones are fantastic but the newer ones, well... At the same time there will be up and coming brands overtaking them. The Shindaiwa 452s looks to have a very good power to weight ratio and is over £100 less than an equal model Stihl. To be honest I wish I could get hold of a brand new Husky 254xp - I loved that saw!

I bet you would... Parts backup did come to mind. For that, locally at least, Stihl beats the rest hands down. Whether Husqvarna has caught up recently I don't know? But at one time they were shocking - and the uk distributor was in the same town as me! I'm really liking the look of the Shindaiwa. But what's the score with this autotune on the Husky's? Good or bad? Is it a fancy name for cheap, non adjustable carb?!

I've been reading through the topic about the new saw for a groundy and it got me thinking. Not wanting to derail that thread, I started this one. I'm thinking I could do with a similar saw (15" bar) for my gardening business but as I don't run a saw day in, day out I was very interested by the comment made by wyk about the Shindaiwa and Echo saws. Does anyone here run either of those? How well do they last? On paper the Shindaiwa looks better. Lower cc but more hp, and the weight is better for the Shindaiwa. I have one of their long reach hedge cutters and it has lasted me years, so it's not bad kit in my experience. The chap I sub for has the same tool made by Echo, which is also pretty good. I'd happily put either head to head with a Stihl, especially in a weight and balance contest! I've pretty much always been a Stihl or Husky man. My first two saws were a Husky 254xp and a top handled thing... 336xpt maybe? Then I used a Stihl ms200t and never looked back. The balance was much improved so I bought a 200t for myself along with an ms260 and an ms660 as the 254 was getting tired. I still have the 200t and 660, but sold the 260 when work went quiet. I figured I could use the 660 on the ground for light felling and snedding with a short bar but actually, it tires me out much faster and I have to admit to using the 200t on the ground. Not ideal. My main worry is that I will find the Shindaiwa a bit second rate? I've always run what I consider to be some of the best saws on the market at the time but with my current work I just cannot justify spending the money on a Stihl ms261. That's what I would buy if money was no object but the new mog has reduced my will to spend much more for now!

Well after a long and drawn out battle with a grinder, drill press and cheap arc welder that overheats and cuts out virtually every time you need a new electrode, I've made my DIY splitter mount. I changed my mind and made the chassis mount from 100mmx10mm angle iron and the arms from similar spec C channel - much heavier than I had originally planned. Then I decided it needed a triangular brace to be more sturdy so added a piece of box section above the rear cross member and brought down two steel bars to support the arms too. It's rock solid. I mounted the splitter and at 540rpm on tickover it completely destroyed the logs that were stalling my little Kubota, and the engine tone barely changed even on the most knotty piece I tried. It was painfully slow, but I wanted it that way to start with in case anything gave way. Now it's tested I can run it with a few more revs and perhaps on the 1000rpm setting too. Whilst testing I had my other half on the throttle string so she could kill it if anything gave way, but it didn't flex at all. I think the mount is plenty strong enough to get me by until I can afford the hitch and drop box and I can still use my Kubota to run the saw as it manages fine with the extra flywheel effect of the big blade to keep it going through the heavier logs. Here's a picture of the mount And with the splitter fitted I need to fit some clamps on the end of the arms to hold the pins in place but I was getting fed up with it today so lashed the splitter on with a chain which was plenty secure enough. Edit... The upturned bin isn't supporting anything. I was using it to hold the drill press steady when mounting the braces and hadn't got around to moving it again.

Oh, ok. Thanks. I noticed when I changed the anvil that there was only one way it will fit due to the way the bolts line up. You'd think it would be made so you could make use of all four sharp corners, but as it is you only have two. When I took it apart years ago I do clearly remember there being a thin spacer in between the chipper body and the anvil, but it was a second (or third!) hand machine so could well have been wrongly added by a previous owner. The gap just seems rather large and it sometimes struggles with really twiggy stuff. The sticks get discharged in quite long pieces and they can build up and block the chute (birch being the worst offender). Perhaps I just need to be a bit more strict with my sharpening routine - I usually leave it until it doesn't pull the branches in so well which may be a bit late? I need to have a bit of a play with it. The estate I shoot for has a 18/100PTO and I'd like to see if I can copy the mountings and pully sizes so I can use it on the back of my mog with the PTO . In a perfect world I'd like to make it more like the 13/75 too so I can wheel it around tight spots and use the current trailer just to carry it, but I think having it so it can run either off the PTO or an engine plus the barrow mount may be too complicated to achieve. The barrow mount is easy, but the switching between engine drive and PTO drive isn't so simple. That is unless I can work out the pulleys so that only the drive source size needs to change? There's quite a RPM difference so I doubt it's possible. On top of that I'd need to use some sort of torque limiter on the mog - having 100hp through it would probably rip it to pieces!

Just wondering if anyone on here can give me these specs? I tried a search but couldn't find any info apart from on the wee chipper thread - that was a drum machine so probably different? I've had the chipper for a long time and have never really considered this spacing to be that vital. After reading here it's come up a few times, and I think the gap may be far too large? In fact back in my really amateur days I replaced the anvil and lost a small spacer that was mounted behind the old one... I know, not good. But better late than never!

People told me I was mad when I went out and bought my little Entec. Like you, my chipper doesn't get used a lot and it was a big outlay for the work it was going to be given. However, I bought it used. They're now selling on ebay for more than I paid for it and the upkeep cost other than sharpening has been a couple of hundred pounds maximum. I hire it out on top of my standard day rate and it has paid for itself, so I now have a tool that is an asset, owes me nothing but makes a good trickle of extra income. My advice is look to the used market - don't buy the cheap new one because it will depreciate pretty fast and they're not that good. Buy a well used but well maintained known brand and read up on the possible faults so you know what to look out for. Remember a tool that is considered nearly dead for a full time arb guy like most of the folk on here will last you years at the rate you plan to use it. To them down time costs in a big way and a machine like that will be binned but to you, you can sort the issue and simply chip another day. I'm not saying buy a scrapper, not at all, but it doesn't have to be a low houred machine that has thousands of hours of life left. You'll probably give it less hours in a year than these guys would give it in a week, so a cheap machine that would be passed over by most could be a really good buy, and it will out chip a cheap Chinese machine ten times over.

PM me your number and I'll return mine. Sounds like we could help each other out now and again.

I'm always on the lookout for cheap wood. But it does depend a lot on price. On the rare occasion I have too much, my look on it is that it's in the way. I would have to drive home to dump it which takes me off of the work site. I don't have a processor but from the view of a larger firm, if it doesn't fit in one then it's simply too much bother to deal with economically? So if someone just down the road wants it they shouldn't have to pay full timber value as it's essentially waste. I'd be happy to pay someone some beer money for what is essentially a mutual favour which helps both of us (it speeds up your unload time of troublesome waste which in turn ups your profit on the job). But if you want a tenner a load less than you'd want for decent cord then you can keep it! Unfortunately most of the contact I've had so far (not through this forum I should add) has been this way. I'm simply not prepared to pay that much for stuff that takes a long time for me to process.

I buy most of my landscaping timber from Browns, they're just down the road from me. They're often out with it and spend endless hours working on all their old kit. It's immaculate! As far as I know the 6x6 is a big winch truck. I think it's got a lifting frame on the back but can't remember for sure. I'll have a closer look next time I'm there.

The problem is, as the years go by the rights of every human being are being are being improved. Unfortunately the rights of thieves and people who break the law are also closely protected. In my mind as soon as you breach the rights of another individual, you should lose all the rights that used to protect you. You certainly shouldn't be able to screw over society and then go crying to the same legal system that you were so happy to ignore for protection from the consequences! I wonder who dreams up these ideas? I certainly don't know anyone who would wish to protect a thief? Prisoners having the right to watch tv, to have a hot meal three times a day etc. They should be made to work, and no work should equal no food or tv. If I don't go to work I don't get any food and will lose the roof over my head. Why should their life be easier than mine?

Ok, I've given this some thought and have come up with a basic plan. For the splitter at least. I'll run it past you and hopefully being practical folk, you'll be able to picture in your head what I mean... I had a rummage around the shed and found myself a 600mm length of very heavy duty angle iron. It's 100mm wide by 10mm thick. I've now drilled it so that it can bolt on underneath the back of the mog through the towing eye holes in the bottom of the rear crossmember. I plan to also weld a tab on it to fit to the 3 point linkage mount on the drivers side dumb iron to give it support there. It's made to mount off centre, so the splitter will line up with the current pto output (I don't have a centraliser box yet). I'm now going to use heavy duty box section to make two fixed link arms that will bolt to the angle iron. They won't offer any movement but I will be able to unbolt them to fit the studs on the splitter into holes in the arms, the same as you would with a standard linkage. What I'm questioning is how much pressure will be on these box section arms? The main pressure from the splitter working is put on the splitter itself rather then the mountings, so as long as the whole thing can't twist I think it will be fine. I have used the box section to make a little crane that lifts ton sacks. 6 feet of unsupported box section can hold a ton sack horizontally without springing. I think 2x two foot lengths should be more than strong enough to hold the splitter in place?

If it was a big cast iron bench I think it may be trustworthy, especially if bolted down. The one I have though is very light. I can wriggle it around the workshop on my own fairly easily so I think the power of a pto could throw it around like a rag doll if I did manage to jam it! I can't see how it would jam, but I'd rather not take the chance. I had been thinking of fixing it to a concrete pad somehow, but the more thought I give it the more I think I'd be better off just saving up for a linkage and doing it properly.

It seems on mine that the cab is the only bit that needs any attention. It's been done once by the look of things as it now has a coat of bright yellow rather than it's original orange. There are signs of rust here and there but generally it's very fixable. Perhaps I'll have the cab off in the summer and spend some time stripping and repairing it. As you say, it's worth keeping in check. Skyhuck - if you manage to get any pictures of the process would you mind looking up the Unimog Club UK and perhaps posting some on there? I voted your rig as the best tree surgery setup I've seen a few weeks ago. It really is nice!

I've got a rear shaft but no centraliser box yet. All parts I haven't got are on my shopping list as and when I stumble across them for sensible money. I know I'm going about things a bit the wrong way as sourcing seperate parts for them can be expensive, but I couldn't afford a full spec mog and this one came up locally at a price I knew I could get back if it didn't work out. I'm just going to make it a long term project - it's more a toy that I've always wanted than something I can justify as a work tool. I think I can make it into what I need it to be for less than I would have paid for it from a dealer if I'm patient, but time will tell. I'm just happy to have a mog... I'm like a kid in a sweet shop every time I look out of the window and see it on the drive!

Thanks for all the replies guys. I had a feeling that the answer in my head would be the correct one... I guess my initiative isn't too shabby even if my confidence may be. I'll get myself some sort of mounting plate made up and use that until I can afford a linkage for it. Regarding the Hycrack - well that thing certainly demands some strict rules of use, but it feels perfectly safe when it's understood and respected. The main thing to note, and it's a rule I see many folk breaking on youtube - even the videos from Hycrack themselves, is to never put your hand on the right side of the log being split. I also knock any jams off with a stick rather than fight with them by hand. Always feed logs holding them on the left and to the front. That way a log that sticks and flips over just pulls out of your hands. Put a hand to the right and well, if you're not quick enough to pull it out of the way in time that 70hp+ is pushing the log down with your hand between it and the table. In short, I think that could hurt a bit so it pays to keep your mind on the job! Finally, the mog. It's a 1979 U900. It's disk braked and has a cascade box, 540/1000 pto to the rear, trailer air, hydraulics, 3 way tipper bed. It also has some little bonus bits - intermittent wipers, exhaust brake, heated windscreen, air assisted wipers which I haven't figured out how to use yet!... It looks a little untidy in places but all the important bits are ok. There is one serious rust spot on the cab which I need to get welded but generally it's better than average. I've found a repair section for the front and have a friend who is a very good welder... I may even pull the cab completely and have him overhaul it but I haven't decided yet. The front tyres have been changed to MPT MIL's until I can afford a set of V treads. The set on the back were good AC70's but they were 405's and I want to keep the turning circle small, so I sold them. In the picture the front tyres look smaller and that concerned me when I went to see it because of the extra work load that may have put on the diffs, but on closer inspection they were the same circumference so all was well. Time will tell if it was a good buy, but if it all goes pear shaped I didn't pay a lot for it and can get most of what it owes me back (just over £4k) by selling it in pieces!