njc110381

I think I need to get onto google! What are all these certificates? I know the climbing and rescue one but I thought that was pretty much it! I'm thinking CS39 would be section felling of small trees? And CS41 section felling of large? Don't you usually do climbing and rescue and CS39 at the same time?

Good effort mate, well done! It's always good to hear when people do well in these things. Quite often it's down to whether the guy being tested is confident and thorough or someone who can't deal with pressure, as usually you know what needs to be done. Sounds like you handled it well which is great!

I was wondering why people chip up to that size too? Perhaps for biofuel supply? It's certainly a lot of bulk as I shouldn't think it takes too long to get a trailer full of chip if you're taking on that size timber. Anything bigger than 4" gets used for firewood when I'm doing that sort of thing. I've got a huge collection at home and sold a few loads to get me through the winter last year too. I made a big mistake the year before last. I cut up a fallen Beech that was too big for my 660 and 3' bar to take in one go (had to go from both sides). That would have made a stunning table! What a tit!

Exactly. I'm thinking it can't cost that much to run a U900 part time. It's not like it's going to be working 8 hours a day six days a week. As long as you move them once or twice a week to keep the seals lubed I'm told they're fine. I've just looked up a TP200PTO on youtube too. That looks just the job! It's funny, when you mentioned a Junkari chipper in one of your posts I thought you were talking about cheap imported rubbish in general, not an actual maker! That name can't do anything for sales surely?!

Usually when I want something I get it unless it's impossible. If it means working weekends and not spending so much down the pub then that's what I do. I'm not good at telling myself I can't have something!

Funny you say that. I did have a go at getting up a rather large tree once. Can't remember what it was, I think a Poplar but I'm not sure. Anyway I pulled my rope up with a throw line and brought it back to myself. Didn't have much spare rope so it must have been 40' or so. I climbed right up to the branch I'd put the rope over and I was so knackered I had to hang there in the harness for a few minutes before I could do anything. I was shaking and burning so much I thought I was going to pass out! A few months ago that lad I mentioned earlier had to do the same sort of climb. He went up the rope like a monkey, did the job and was back down in probably the same time it took me to get up there. He was hardly breathing heavily when he got down. Madness! I don't mind admitting it, I'm an over weight ground worker!

Little stumps like that are fairly simple. Either dig a little hole under them and rope them to the Landy and drive off or if you can't get a vehicle to them then chain them to a hi-lift jack and lift them out. A decent mattock will work too and it's probably easier than getting a stump grinder to them in the first place! I have a post hole bar which is great for things like this. It's a 6'ish long bar with like a heavy duty barking iron type blade on the end. Whack off the big roots all the way around then lever under it. It should be out in under two minutes! I haven't used many stump grinders but those I have have been a right arse on slopes!

All this talk of healthy food is giving me the munchies. Some of you guys really take care of yourselves don't you! My cardio usually consists of walking to the van in the morning. Then the weights start when I get out and have to move a pallet or two of blocks. By that time I'm pretty knackered so I drop by the kabab van for my protein hit. I'll plod on for the rest of the day doing fairly heavy work, mixing concrete and moving more slabs/blocks. When I get home I pig out on whatever I can find. Cold meat, fruit or museli and I drink too much milk (I'm like a baby for milk!). As for running... No thanks! Not unless I've got some big meat head chasing me! Last time I went for a check up with the doctor he did the blood pressure and pulse thing and asked me if I worked out?! I nearly fell over laughing but he recons it's fairly fit people who have perfect blood pressure and a slow but strong heart rate? I thought I was overweight and heading for a heart attack but I guess I must be doing something right! On a serious note I could do with shedding a few pounds. If I'm going to be doing a climbing course I don't want to go snapping my rope! Fat is my downfall, I eat too much butter and I just can't turn down a good curry!

Is cheap really that important? I mean to save a fiver over a month or two with flat out use? That's a couple of pints down the pub that make tomorrows climb harder anyway! I certainly wouldn't buy chain that I wasn't sure about. A snapped chain can be nasty if it catches you and I'd rather do without the stitches! At least with the big names from recognised sellers you know what you're getting. Buy from the sponsors guys. They keep this forum running. I don't use many chains etc but my next order will come from either here or my local dealer. I like to support the businesses that are closest to me even if it costs a couple of quid more.

I'm beginning to realise that Ian! Unfortunately up until now I've never really been in a place where there are so many true professional tree workers so have missed out on these points. Even working unsecured from a ladder these days is dodgy whether you have a chainsaw or not! To a point it is silly, but in some cases I can see why the rules are made. I think I need to get in touch with my mate who does the training and bite the bullet. I think I may even have to update my basic saw ticket too because I did it some time ago. I have the LANTRA one which it seems isn't worth the paper it's written on these days? The FC, local trusts etc all want to see the other type, I forget the name now? I guess I'll be looking at about £1k to get them both done, and that's without the large tree addition?

I think they're amazing tools! The only challenge for me is justifying it to the other half! I can't justify it myself for business but every boy needs a toy and it's a great excuse!

There were three Mogs there. The U900 was just a toy, as was the U1000. The U1300L wass used as an every day driver (not for work, just shopping etc!). Here are two more of the other trucks. I was in the U1000 that needed to take a second run... [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3RhUGXe1DQ&playnext_from=TL&videos=cTOwSsFvmIo]YouTube - Unimog U1000.MOV[/ame] [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntYp2ch2GF8&playnext_from=TL&videos=cTOwSsFvmIo]YouTube - Unimog Offroading[/ame] That U1300L was stunning! It's a real shame they can't take a 3 point or I'd have one tomorrow!

Thanks for posting the pics. That little Mog looks great, just what I'm after! I recon a good summer of saving and I should be able to afford one. I hear the U900s are a lot more cheap and simple to maintain than the big ones but are still quite capable. That's a decent size trailer you have on it! Good to see you get it in the mud too! Here's a video that we took when I was playing in the mud the other week... [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG7c7bj8DP0&playnext_from=TL&videos=cTOwSsFvmIo]YouTube - Simon mud run.Unimog.MOV[/ame] Amazing little trucks!

Scared of Frogs and Spiders? Oh dear! Having said that it's just as irrational to be scared of heights. As you say a prussik isn't going to budge because the harder you pull on it the tighter it gets. I'm no newbie to chainsaw accident stories. My best friends dad was quite high up in the UK Husky/Jonsered/Partner distribution company at one time and he had endless stories, videos, pictures etc that he threw at me when I first started sawing. I once saw a picture of a guy who hit a railing when he was doing un undercut in a large fallen tree (it had grown into the trunk and had been cut off so was completely hidden). He was using a 3120xp that hadn't been maintained properly. The saw kicked out, ran the bar nose up a large branch above his head, knocked his helmet off and split his head near in two. He was dead before he hit the floor.

One of the Huskys I used to work with got tired and the clutch wouldn't work. The chain wouldn't stop when it was ticking over. When I got it apart it had worn a groove in the crank shaft and the bearings were sticking in it! I used to hate taking that bit apart until my mate taught me to stick all the needle bearings to the assembly with grease before trying to refit it! It pays to keep them well lubed! When I had my 026 and then MS260s I never changed the carbs. Unlike Husqvarna they didn't give factory settings in the manual so I didn't want to mess with it and back then I didn't use the internet to look for them. If anyone's selling a 435/346xp/260 on the cheap then let me know. I may be interested if it's not at the end of its life.

Their little pruning saw is very good. Maybe I'll go out and get one of these bigger ones. I'm looking at a Husky 435 at the moment. It looks nice, is light and reasonable powerful and also not too expensive. Are they any good? I don't know why but I've found the MS260 a little tempermental (and I've had three!). The revs on all my saws were all over the place when I left them for more than a few seconds and they'd often die at the worst possible time. Maybe it was just a tuning issue? I kept them well serviced so can't see it being that? My first saw was a Husky 254xp and that was ace. It's a shame they don't make them any more. Do you still have to grease the clutch bearings on Huskys though? It seems Stihls don't need the clutch or bar nose doing? It used to be daily routine for me every morning when I cleaned and sharpened the saws at work when I was a lad! Oregon red fluid grease, the damn stuff got everywhere!

I use a little Silky on small stuff already if I don't have to do many cuts. When it comes to topping a hedge though and you've got say 30-40 6" trunks to get through and to trim up for the chipper I just can't afford to spend the time (or the energy for that matter) hand sawing that lot! I've got to use a chainsaw! Steve. When I left school I did over a year with a company that did work for the local wildlife trust and also private contracting (of which the profits went to the trust). I worked with two climbers as the ground guy, sending stuff up to them, filling saws, general dragging stuff out of the way. I didn't use a chainsaw there but spent that much time watching them that I have a good idea (although they never used gaffs in all the time I was there and always climber their ropes?). Now I have a good selection of kit in a huge bag. Felling bars, wedges, harness, gaffs, ropes, prussiks, safety clothing and first aid kit etc. I've just never gone for the climbing ticket because I hate heights! I love my chainsaw work but I just don't know if I could climb. To me if I'm too busy worrying about being that far in the air then I'm not thinking 100% about what I'm doing with the saw and that's no good. EDIT... Perhaps some climbing without a saw for a while could be the answer?

Oh right. So really I have no use for it at all at the minute! I'll bung it to the back of the shed and look for a little saw in that case. What are the MS200s like with the back handle or are they over priced for what they are? I looked at the low range Huskys but wonder how long they would last? They look ok? I don't want to get rid of the 660, I love that saw! But I can see that I need something else for light pruning. So I'm open to suggestions.

Perhaps I need to bite the bullet and do the small section felling certificate then? Are you saying that a top handled saw shouldn't be used one handed at all or just on the ground? I use mine on the ground but with both hands. They are unstable little things I know, probably because the back handle is so close to the front one so you lose a lot of leverage? I'm very careful with it, although if what I do isn't to industry standards then it doesn't matter anyway. When I'm cutting up a ladder and using it one handed I keep the main trunk between my supporting hand and the saw and in a way that if it kicks back it shouldn't hit me. I use it with a very short bar and keep a close eye on where the nose is. I have a harness and a wire cored rope thingy (sorry!) that I attatch myself to the tree with, but I doubt I really know how to use it properly. I generally just loop it around the trunk and over a branch so it can't slip down and tighten it up to how I want to be positioned so I can't fall? I have gaffs too but I slipped and squashed my nuts once so I don't like using them! I expect that everything I type is making you guys cringe just a little more than the last post but I'd rather get it out in the open so you can tell me what I'm doing wrong!

Oh dear! Looks like that's newbie stupid post number one then?! I bought it from a well known local machinery shop at the same time as the 660. Perhaps they thought that as I was buying over £1k of kit in one shot that I was qualified? I've never been questioned over it? You can curse me all you like. As I still don't know what you're all moaning about I'm still none the wiser, but I'm bright enough to figure out something needs to change in my setup! So oh wise ones, what am I to do? I'm here to learn after all so teach me. You never know it may save me from being a statistic that makes your lives harder so it's worth a moment to tell me surely? As for the firearms comment. There's less training going in to that than there is arb work! I think it's mad that I've got kit from a .22lr to a .300 Win Mag (+/- 5 miles range if shot at the sky and will go through a foot round tree trunk like an air rifle will go through a sheet of paper) on open conditions to shoot any legal quarry. I've never had to pass a test for that, although getting the FAC in the first place was a bit of work. That's a subject I do know a great deal about, but it doesn't carry much weight for digging me out of this hole does it?! Anyway, back on topic. Give me some pointers here and I'll do my best to change my ways to suit the rules. Without going deep into qualified arb work you don't actually get to hear about these guidelines and I'd be really grateful of someone could put me straight rather than just slate me for not knowing! EDIT... I should add that so far the comments on this have been about as much use as a chocolate teapot. I'm trying not to get my back up over this as I'm new here but how about some constructive help rather than digs between yourselves. It must be pretty obvious to you that I don't know what I'm doing so help me out a bit hey!

Just a thought, but a lot of these PTO chippers have a power range. I can understand the minimum power as with less they could stall but why a maximum? Is the no stress controlled by engine revs rather than the strain on the chipper? So if you were to run a 6" model on a 150hp Mog and feed it tough timber you could break it? I think a tuned up U900 gives about 125hp. So allowing the loss of power through the PTO this will still be over 100hp? Can you get a shearing link or slip clutch to go on a PTO shaft so you don't overload small tools on big machines? The maximum power listed for most 6" chippers seems to be about 60hp? The other answer is a bigger chipper but I don't want to hang too much weight off of the back. With a chipper and load of chip it must really strain the back axle so having a 1000kg+ 9" chipper on there isn't going to help such a small Mog!

I've looked at a few PTO chippers and the two I like are the TP200 and the Timberwolf PTO150H. I wouldn't need any bigger than those. I'll wait for a well used example of one of those to come along. My Trukloder seems to have lead quite a busy life before I had it and it still works perfectly (touch wood)!

That's a smart looking setup. It would take me most of the day to deal with a tree that size! How economical is the lorry compared to a Mog, or is it more a case of it just being a more suitable tool for your needs? It seems you've had no shortage of toys, sorry tools, in your time!

I don't do anything that heavy just yet but I can see where you're coming from. I've pulled timber off of some steep banks with the Landy before and I found it quite hard work. What's the 4x4 lorry you're running now? That sounds interesting. I'm picturing something not quite as hardcore as a Mog but still pretty capable. I assume there are no PTOs etc and you run a towable chipper?

That makes sense. Perhaps that's something else I should put on my shopping list. It's a cheap piece of kit that could save it's cost in five minutes on some jobs! That really is a smart picture. It looks like you've done well for yourself.