Big J

Well I test drove the Disco 4 that I linked to earlier and consequently bought it. The devil's car indeed! The most comfortable car I've ever driven. If it all goes spectacularly wrong with breakdowns, I shall report back!

200000 miles on a nearly 10 year old van - it's a no brainer. Get rid of it as it is costing you money and will let you down. I bought (hire purchase actually - VAT as a deposit then £283 a month) an 8 month old Citroen Relay long wheel base van at the end of February. It is outstanding (apart from crap rear door hinges). I have done over 16000 miles in it since then, with an average of 32.4mpg thus far. I tend to usually drive quite steadily and rarely in cities, but it's very often (as in at least 1/2 the time) with a heavy load, whether it be a trailer, or as was the case the other day, an 1100kg tracked chipper in the back. The lease will cost you more per month than the repairs are presently costing, but on 2000 miles a month, you'll save £135 a month in diesel. It also drive beautifully, has cruise, sat nav and blue tooth.

Hi all, Just popping a message up to see if anyone is working near Longton near Preston and needs to offload tipper loads of literally any kind of timber. It is for some very good friends who have just put a wood burner in. If there was a load or two of chip, it could happily be used also. I realise that it's a little cheeky to ask, but you never know unless you ask. Jonathan

Off to the dealer tomorrow where I drove the Shogun to drive these two: http://www.formula1carcentre.co.uk/used-LAND%20ROVER-DISCOVERY-Falkirk-Stirlingshire-722192 http://www.formula1carcentre.co.uk/used-LAND%20ROVER-DISCOVERY-Falkirk-Stirlingshire-722205 One a Disco 3 and the other a 4. Any significant differences? I rather like the 5k price difference and the service history on the 3 seems better. It also has a tow bar already, which would save about £500-700. However, I'm wary of vehicles that have been towed with. You do give away 65hp in the 3, but that is nothing a remap couldn't address. The 3 looks a little more utilitarian, which I like also. Advice?

Test drove a GL320 today (would have liked to have tried the 4l diesel, but none available anywhere close) and was generally very impressed. Extremely comfortable, quick and quiet. Just a bit bling and there was a fair bit of low frequency tyre rumble. Not a deal breaker by any means, just a consideration. Have two Disco 4s to try at the weekend, so I may yet be tempted.....oh dear.

I get 65c at the end of the cycle with a 233kw boiler and a badly insulated 40ft container.

Oh good grief. Incarnations of this thread crop up so often. To summarise. Dry firewood good. Wet firewood bad (unless free, in which case good). Species is largely irrelevant. Bad firewood is still better than nothing, especially when free. Mix it in, doubt anyone would notice. I've burnt plenty myself in the past and it's fine.

The Shogun was less refined than the Navara, which isn't great. The GL is pretty bling!

Thank you for all the feedback - lots of vehicles to test drive and consider! First one down - went to drive a Mitsubishi Shogun today and not impressed. No refinement at all (engine sounded like a tractor) and every single bump on the road was transferred to the cabin. It was a 10 plate with 25k on the clock. Popping back to the garage on Saturday to try a Disco 4, but I'm very very cautious of them. Basically, it just has to be very comfortable, 7 seats, offroad well and tow a minimum of 3t. And I'd rather not look like a berk, so the likes of an Audi Q7 are out. I'd love a G Wagen Marcus, but I think lack of power would be a struggle and they are extremely expensive.

I shall speak to the customer and look at haulage. What sort of diameter at chest height?

Hi all, With us selling the Navara (only drive my van these days - comfortable and frugal, though a little underpowered) I would like to replace it and the Skoda Octavia Scout we have with a single vehicle. I don't find the Skoda comfortable to drive as with my knackered back, I need an upright driving position. So, mainly looking at Landcruisers and Discovery 4s. About £20k budget. Only stipulations are that it must also function as a part time work vehicle (mainly for taking up north when the weather is especially poor), tow well (ie sufficient power for Highland hills) be very, very comfortable and have cruise control (a must for the knackered leg and back). In my own research, all I can really see are the aforementioned Landcruisers and Discos, but I'm open to any suggestions. Also keen to hear the good, the bad and the ugly about both vehicles. Up in the Highlands and Morayshire, most landowner types have Discos, and the ones that don't have Landcruisers. Thanks in advance.

The 880s seem to be very unreliable now. I had one go bang at a year old, and I know several other people in similar situations. I'd probably opt for a 395xp now or buy a good used 088.

Thanks Mark. I shall keep trying. Let's hope there isn't too much of a shortage - I enjoyed cutting it over summer and is quite a big contract!

Thanks for the thought! Surrey would be a fair old drag, and sadly not really worth it for sequoia. Unless you want me to send you a load of elm down and we run it as a back load!

Thanks Mark

Hi all, Need a bit of sequoia at some point in central Scotland (just west of Edinburgh). Could be as little as a couple tonnes, but a full large tree or an artic load would be fine. Anyone got anything kicking around? Not wanting to haul it far. Jonathan

Micro forwarder like an Alstor will be the best bet in my mind. Winching that size of material is time consuming and cost ineffective. If you are looking to invest in the machinery yourself, look at the Kranman Bison.

Andy - a friend in Kincraig bought a Venom 22t on my suggestion last year and he is delighted with it. I used it the other day on the knottiest pine/larch imaginable and burr elm and it did the lot. If it couldn't split it, it cut it. It could be a bit better, ergonomically speaking, but for the money you'll not go wrong. I did 5 cube of brutally tough timber in 3 hours on about 3 litres of petrol. It also fits nicely in the back of the van. If you are in Kincraig, give me a shout. I'm sure Mike would be happy to demo the machine for you.

Needing a lot of western red cedar next year. I did have a good source lined up, but they then delayed harvesting until 2017. So from about February I will need up to 500 tonnes, with it being spread across the year a bit. Ideally 3-4m lengths, 20cm minimum diameter underbark, good clean quality. I will consider hauling from anywhere in the country if I can get a reasonable quote and the roadside price is workable. I cut 170 tonnes of cedar this year and the order is likely to increase by quite a bit. Thanks in advance.

I really think that in a country with such dodgy weather, you have to be a bit accommodating with your firewood MC. I have a large (20kw) stove and it will burn just about anything. It really doesn't need to be that dry, though it is obviously better if it is. So many modern stoves are so tiny that I imagine it needs to be bone dry just to keep burning.

Exactly. We've had three months worth of rain in the past three weeks. There is nothing dry that is not stored in a moisture controlled environment. And storage of one's own firewood is key. Buy it green, save the money and control your own moisture content. I'm very intolerant of customers (in general really) moaning about the firewood not being exactly the right moisture content, exactly 233mm long, exactly the right loggy type shape etc etc etc. You're only going to burn the sodding stuff!

3c and pissing it down. The last month has been absolutely horrible. Wind and rain.

Thank you for the offers of assistance - it's much appreciated. From speaking to a friend yesterday who puts a lot of timber through a WP30, the best conclusion is that the bar and chain were in poor shape from the outset. Whenever he hires out his, it's a new bar and chain each and every time. This wasn't the case with mine, in addition to which I think that the engine isn't 100% as it was labouring more than you'd expect. Either way, I do think that the ram was insufficiently powerful (which seems to have been addressed with the new machine) as it jammed many many times. I'm back into the hire company today with a chipper, so I'll chat to them about it then.

Some high depth gauges there! Get a file on them!

Well done Jeremy - having seen it in person, I can indeed confirm that it is a fine construction!