Big J

More to the point, does anyone want my bloody Navara?! 80k, excellent condition, £7500 plus VAT. It's on Arbtrader, but I don't think many people look at it anymore.

Thanks for that Jon. Merry Christmas to you too. It's not going to get worked hard, so fingers crossed.

Only picked it up yesterday and it's going back in tomorrow for a couple of teething issues (central locking not working on passenger side rear door, engine management light comes on intermittently and a very minor knocking from the front suspension bushes over broken surfaces). It's 6 years old with 85k on the clock, so I was expecting something. It is wonderful to drive and extremely quiet and fast. Not hitched a trailer up to it yet, or taken it off road yet.

Bumpity bump. Can be literally anything - there must be someone out there needing to dump a couple of loads of horse chestnut or leylandii?!

Yep. I'd say so. Things that will devalue it were the aforementioned flaws as well as occluded bark.

Fresh sawn, air dried or kiln dried? How burred? Any shake, defects or discolouration? Need some pictures Clinton! In all seriousness, when you get to burr, there is no real price guide. It's what you can get for it and what your customer thinks it is worth.

I have a Nissan 2.5 tonne lifting counterbalance. You see a lot of them on eBay, and they are good trucks. I've had mine a little over 3 years, cost just over £2000, I've spent just over £2000 on it in repairs/services and it works hard over terrain it was never intended to cover. Also lifts 3.8 tonnes, not the plated 2.5. Recommended.

There will be, but it's way too far north for you. It's all around Aberlour, Speyside. Clive - you wanting to pop up to have a look at some?

We're doing a lot of elm felling at the moment. About 150 tonnes about to come to roadside at the moment, with another 200-250 in March and possibly another 200 or so in February. Most of it is likely to go south, but if there is anyone who needs some, let me know. All grades and sizes. I can saw it en-route if required (not expensive and means more efficient haulage from Edinburgh south). Jonathan

I have a DCS 9010 (the Makita strain) and I'm not entirely convinced by it. It is still on the solid nose, I'll admit, but it's had a few repairs required (oiler screw on warranty and more recently the bar studs stripped and required replacing). I think to give it a fair chance, I need to get a sprocket nose on it.

Another recommendation for Cornish Chough. That man does love his Chestnut!

Could you be persuaded with good quality douglas fir? I have stock in the yard, would come in 8/10ft lengths and would be in the region of £750 plus VAT including delivery by pallet.

In Aviemore this week for work and 5 inches of level snow here this morning. It has all fallen overnight.

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.