Big J

No, sadly not. As much as I like it, it lacks (the legal) towing capacity and 4 wheel drive. 4x4 to be purchased, and as daft as it sounds, the Jeep Commander is the present forerunner. I need a big vehicle in order to fit in it, and it's also got the 3.5t tow capacity as well as a 3ltr Mercedes diesel powerplant.

I don't have any issues with travelling a little way. I'd just have to add a bit on for mileage as I can't see me getting more than 20mpg towing the forwarder and trailer. I'm really excited about the variety of work available.

We're planning to live in the Culm Valley, which I believe is amongst driest parts of Devon. Whilst Edinburgh is one of the driest bits of Scotland, we have a high number of rain days and a lot of cloud. The one thing it will be is a lot warmer, even if it is raining! Josh. As soon as I've got the machine into the UK, I'll start a thread on it. End of June. I was lucky to get it as soon as that, as they are getting busier and busier with production. My machine will be the 15th he has produced. Quite exciting to be part of the development of it too. Andrew. Thanks mate! I'll be needing a new Dolly from you to get started with as well. I'll have a 5ft wide track with this machine and to illustrate how soft the ground can be for it to work on, I'll borrow an Alstor video (skip to 1 minute 25 seconds):

The beauty of a machine that small is that it is able make productive incredibly small blocks of woodland. It could be as little as one or two loads from as little as an acre stand. Equally, the volume of woodland owned or controlled by charitable trusts is proportionally higher than in our neck of the woods, and a sensitive approach is highly valued in that sector. I wandered around an amenity woodland near Street in Somerset that had been recently thinned and the extraction had been with a delicate machine as the tracks were minimal. If you give the land owner the option of such a low impact approach, they'll always go for it, especially as the machine is fairly productive and would have no issues chucking 500-700kg sticks around all day every day. But I do appreciate the candour. I am realistic that I'm not going to have 5 days a week for the machine initially, but I'm confident that demand for it will eventually outstrip supply

It's good to get the other side of the coin, as up to now I've only had positive feedback. I am cautious about the move, but the versatility of the machine means that I can turn my hand a wide variety of different jobs and not just work in forestry. These machines can work on tremendously steep with the aid of bands, but I would avoid steep slope work. On fairly reasonable terrain with an average extraction distance extracting reasonable size timber (say 3.7s at an average of 25cm diameter), 40 tonne a day is about the limit. 25-30t is more typical (I'm told). The Alstor operator who used to follow us around (very skilled operator, but lesser machine) did a few 50 tonne days. My plan is to principally focus on standing sales, and work other jobs around those. If you give a land owner the option of having their woodland thinned sensitively and still pay a competitive rate, then I can't see them favouring more traditional (using heavier machines) forestry practices. I'm hoping just to carve a niche, and I'm pretty confident that I can.

Can't wait to get down to the South West. I've lived in Scotland for almost all my adult life and it's time for a change. As soon as I have the machine and get it out onto site, I'll have a better idea of productivity and capability. My first job is extraction of 120 tonnes of spruce which has been felled by chainsaw course candidates, but is in a stand too tight for anything else to access.

It is hydrostatic drive, yes. My machine will have fully guarded hydraulic lines going into the bogies as well as a slightly larger cab so that I can comfortably fit! I do remember the Alstor that followed us round mangling it's UJs on brash. Thanks for the well wishes chaps. Huge move for us and somewhat terrifying, but will be worth it.

In a complete change of direction professionally for myself and a relocation from one end of the country to the other, my family and I will be relocating from just outside Edinburgh to East Devon in late July. Reasons for moving are mostly personal, but principally to be closer to family and actually see some summer weather. The sawmill will continue as it has, being run by the two chaps that work with me, and I will be operating a mini forwarder in Devon and the South West. I have chosen to buy a Logbullet mini forwarder from Finland. The machine has a capacity of around 2 tonnes, permanent 8 wheel drive (and tracks for working on very soft or steep ground), a straight lift capacity of over 700kg and an ability to go almost anywhere without leaving a trace. The machine can work on bog and climb very steep slopes with the aid of floatation band tracks. My plan is to do a variety of work, including purchasing and harvesting standing timber, contracting in for timber extraction, assisting tree surgeons (ideal for working on delicate sites, or where larger machines don't have access), footpath work and indeed anything else. As well as the aforementioned lift and transport capacities, the machine is equipped with a winch and a tipping body with clamshell attachment. The real beauty of these small forwarders is that there is no job too small. They are transported behind a normal van or 4x4, so incur no haulage costs. Even fully (or over) loaded they weigh less than 5 tonnes, which spread out over 8 large tyres means minimal impact. The track width is only 5ft, so access to extremely tight stands is easy. I've got a forestry background, having spent three years doing self select hardwood thinning, and I've done some quite large elm harvesting jobs in the North of Scotland in the past. We are planning to be based in the Culm Valley, somewhere around Cullompton. We'll be very close to the M5 and travelling up to an hour in any direction is no problem at all. I'm keen to hit the ground running in August, so please get in touch if you think you can use me and my machine. Introductory rates will apply for the first three months. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8cjSevoc_M

I'd never fit in a Defender. I've driven one half a mile down the track and almost needed physiotherapy afterwards. I'm way too tall and getting to be too wide now too. Love Discoveries from a comfort point of view but didn't enjoy the towing experience too much. Long overhang on the back meant it was a bit wallowy compared to towing with the van. Wouldn't have any form of Japanese/Ford pickup either as they all have their reliability issues, they are all massive as well as having cramped interiors. If money were no object I'd get a top not Landcruiser Amazon, but it looks very likely to be a Jeep Commander or if I find a really good example with the optional rear diff lock, possibly the V10 TDI Touareg.

I do like a G Wagen, but that one is hideous. Hate it when they get pimped out like that. It's really cheap too - it's been ages since I saw one for under £10k. They make daft money now.

https://www.gumtree.com/p/outdoor-settings-furniture/extra-large-garden-logs-would-make-fantastic-garden-feature-seats-or-tables-fk1-area/1288486566 Only £250! We're all millionaires!

Definitely not a fir or the Norfolk island pine. To look at the saw log side on, you'd swear it was western red cedar

Thanks for all the help folks. Japanese red cedar it is. Now to try to convince my western red cedar customers to take it!!

I think that the foliage is different. The redwood has a flat needle whereas this (I'm going to go with popular opinion and say Japanese cedar) has very spiky, three dimensional needles.

The timber in question are the logs in the middle with the clearly demarkated heartwood.

I reckon the Prados might just be a bit low on power for day to day use with 2.8t plus tools in the back. Even the newest versions only have 171bhp. I'll be working on some pretty hilly terrain with it and don't want to drive the vehicle into the ground stressing it with a full load all day, every day.

Good thought, but unfortunately not that. The wikipedia listing states that Japanese cedar is extremely fragrant, whereas what I have isn't. It's from a big batch of timber that is supposed to be western red cedar, but isn't. A bit of it is lawsons cypress, which is really easy to identify. About 70% of it is whatever this is. The logs in question have bark just like WRC, not much taper and a fairly wide and distinct sapwood band. The timber seems to be quite brittle (like WRC) as there is some minor, but frequently occurring fracturing from the harvester cutting it (often happens with cedar on longer lengths). The grain seems a little coarser than WRC, but hard to say. On the mill (we've only cut a handful of logs) it's a bit tougher than WRC with a lighter heartwood, little in the way of fragrance and some boards are peppered with tiny knots (almost like pipping in hardwoods). Any help would be gratefully received. It's not WRC, which is really annoying, but I might still be able to use it.

Does anyone know what this is? Bark looks just like western red cedar bit no aroma and wood is paler. Im a bit stumped!

On reflection, the Jeep Commander is looking like a very good choice: * strong Mercedes engine, ample power (215bhp) * cheap to buy * well equipped * strong off road * square boxy shape and surprisingly compact dimensions make placement on and off road easy. You can see the corners - I like that. * £6k seems to get a low mileage, full history model 10 years old. * tows 3.5t Anyone any thoughts?

I'm still not convinced with the reliability of Land Rovers. I think if I were to go with an older luxury vehicle for towing I'd take the V10 TDI Touareg. Similar price, similar mpg, similarly expensive to repair, hopefully better reliability with it being VW and the allure of 10 cylinders and 300+ bhp

They are lovely cars but I'm wary of anything Land Rover. A friend who runs a pub up in the Highlands said that he absolutely loves his, but in almost 50 years of driving, it's the first vehicle he's ever had that has had to be recovered on the back of a lorry. And his was quite new and very low mileage at that time! I'll have at them online though

Looked at the Commander and I don't think it's my cup of tea. Does anyone have any experience with the Landcruiser Prado? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Land_Cruiser_Prado These are the Landcruisers that are most common in the UK. I had a lift (off road) in one a few years back and quite liked it. They are reasonably priced too. * Edit. The Prado only tows 2.5 tonnes which is not enough for me as the machine I'm getting weighs 2000kg with all the extras I've put on it.

The Jeep Commander isn't a vehicle I've ever come across - I shall research it now! Thanks for the heads up. Hand throttle isn't necessary as it is getting better. More cars have cruise than not these days, so it's not such a limitation. I asked a VW specialist friend about the Touareg V10 TDI and he really rated them. Hard to ignore the appeal of 10 cylinders, over 300bhp and a 5 litre displacement!

Big difference between 6ft 3" and 6ft 8" when it comes to cars. My seat was a long way back and my head was brushing the ceiling and knees were up against the dash. Lovely 4x4 though, and ideal for anyone a bit shorter than myself. Apparently people taller than 6ft 4" are statistically insignificant so car safety features don't work for people taller.