Big J

The unloading was of course preceded by coffee and biscuits, but I unloaded the trailer at lightening speed with K's uncle inbetween showers

It was braked and it was single axle. About 1800kg I think. With the Woodland Mill it will be much lighter so it's unlikely you'll need brakes.

Ya big girls blouse! I was up in Dulverton today dropping off firewood for my wife's aunt and uncle and it wasn't that bad! ?

In the UK you're limited to a 7m bed length, plus drawbar. Stick to that and you'll be fine. Full length will be fine to tow - I used to tow a Woodmizer LT40 at that size and it was a breeze.

TCD rather than TDC? I'm not complaining really. The rain is a pain, but we knew it could be wet down here before we moved. Better that than continuous drizzle and biting easterlies, which are characteristic of the East of Scotland.

I think we must be in a wet spot near Cullompton. We've not got a rain gauge here (yet) but judging by how the buckets and pots fill up in the garden it's been at least 12 inches.

That it has been. My firewood that I brought to Devon in July (in a shipping container) was 12% then. It's now 22-23% after the foot or so of rain we've had in the past month.

I had a bad experience with them about 4 years again. Massive pedants, causing me a lot of inconvenience for something that was thrown out by the procurator fiscal immediately. I take your point, and their original intent might well be what you stated, but in practice they penalise the self employed ruthlessly, virtually ignoring the genuinely dangerous (occasional caravan and horse box towers). I don't object to them stopping people to check their vehicles, rather how they put it into practice.

Having moved to Devon, it's so bloody mild down here, I'm wondering if I'm ever going to need to burn overnight again! ?

Like putting a pair of sunglasses and a trilby on an elephant. Ultimately, when I see a truck like the one above I just think "little man syndrome" or "little penis syndrome" or a combination of the two.

The frightening thing is that there is someone out there that thought that was a good idea and spent their money on making it look like that. Utter clown.

Yeah, I saw them as I passed. The chaps in the cab didn't look best pleased, but to be honest they did look overloaded. The load on the tipper was only secured by ropes (instead of a net, which it needed given the shortness of the lengths) and the trailer must have been 3000kg. I actually added 15 min to my return journey yesterday taking the long way home from the sawmill as I had a (legal, but looked heavy) load of sawmill offcuts on the trailer. Given that the Pollock Scotrans lorry (brand new, super shiny and completely empty) that loaded up at the sawmill got pulled, I didn't fancy my chances. F**king VOSA.

(from when we were north of the wall) Scotland when the locals talk about the weather being "no too bad" which means only that it's not raining. It could be grey, blowing a gale and 10 degrees below freezing, but if it's not raining, it's OK.

....Devon when you get delayed by stray sheep on a lane, have to catch a bedraggled spaniel trotting along another lane and find someone who might know who it belongs to and when you have to spend 15 min over 3 phone calls directing a haulier to your site who is all the time cursing the ridiculously tiny little roads. Oh, and it's raining. But it's really really warm for December! ? Go on - what defines your home? You know you're in.....

I don't fancy that rear overhang for towing, not at all.

General sawmill stock, so cabinet making, flooring etc.

Oh good god no! Just using the services of Dan Franklin and his excellent Serra Bavaria. Highly recommended

The ash is all gone. Fitted very neatly onto two lorries as it happened. Good quality too

I'm very close to the point of not being arsed to do it myself any more. I bloody hate processing firewood. If you totted it up, nearly all of us would be better using that time earning and paying to fill the oil tank.

I generally enjoy work, but don't like to do the same thing for too long or I get bored. Hence the switch from sawmilling back to forestry. Money is honestly my main motivator. I started out with an old Stihl 044 with a second hand chainsaw mill, a shitty old LDV tipper and about £200 in my bank. It's been an uphill struggle since then but I'm doing better now for it. I financially support my family, and without me going out, there is no money. I like the structure of big jobs. I work best in the company of others as they motivate me and I like to think I motivate them. I hate faff and don't deal with frustration well. Like Stephen Blair, I love a good repetitive (skilled) task that I can get my teeth stuck into and I'm very number (obsessive?) driven and like to set myself targets to work to and beat. Forwarding fits in well with that. The weather kills my motivation, but interestingly less so in the woods than at the sawmill. A forest in the pissing rain is an infinitely more pleasant place than a sawmill. I think it's important not to measure yourself by others, and understand that what makes one person happy won't necessarily work for you. Equally, what motivates you might not motivate another. We're all individuals......... .......( I'm not!)

I'm possibly at the stage of needing to increase my capabilities with forestry work locally, and I'm investigating 5 tonne class forwarders and tractors. I did my medium trees ticket today and was chatting with the assessor about it, and he recommended considering a tractor and trailer as an alternative due to the versatility of them. There is a locally available 2010 Valtra N92, fully guarded, 6m Botex roof mounted crane with 9t steering drawbar trailer with disc brakes. There is also a 6t winch that could go with it. It's done just over 3000 hours but it's completely pristine. Looks like it's barely ever set foot in the woods and my understanding is that it's mainly been used as a yard tractor for a firewood business and for tree surgery too. Does anyone here have experience with them, good or bad? Sensible to consider as an alternative to a 5 tonne class forwarder? Am I just trying to bankrupt myself?!

I would concur

Only an American pickup I think.

Are you married to the idea of a Husky? I ask only as a Makita/Dolmar EA7900 on a 20" bar would pull nicely.