Big J
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Everything posted by Big J
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Very good advice. I've never had to do it on the road, but I did have a loaded timber trailer push me and the tractor down a hill earlier this year (soft ground, mostly leaf mulch) and I'm very grateful that I remembered to accelerate into the slide, rather than panicking and applying brakes. I've maintained that driving in the UK would generally hugely improve if everyone had to pass a trailer test. That awareness of other road users with larger loads, as well as learning to drive more smoothly and with more anticipation.
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I knew a psychic once. Not a tall chap. Did a bank robbery and was never seen again. He's now a small medium at large
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I think I remember seeing your photos of that accident. It must have been an awful mile before you eventually came to a stop. Ifors are built like brick outhouses. I don't think any other trailer will stand up to the abuse they take. But they are veyr basic, and there are much more sophisticated designs out there that tow far better.
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Quite probably, but the exchange rate drop (from 1.32 to 1.13) basically consumed the projected profit. Simple economics, combined with total uncertainty about the future. Did you envisage 3.5 years ago that we'd be where we are now? I don't own a crystal ball unfortunately!
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I had an Ifor quite a few years back. I've not had one since. It wouldn't take much to get it fish tailing. I presently have a tri axle Meredith and Eyre trailer, which is pretty good, but the best I had for heavy towing manners was an Unsinn 14ft trailer from Germany. Twin axle with secondary gas struts on the suspension. It did nearly 30k miles with me, and never, ever fish tailed. Lovely aluminium sides, very smart and ludicrously cheap. Went to the factory in Bavaria in early 2016 with a view to importing them, but Brexit and the slide in the currency buggered that plan.
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Interesting. Gap in the market there now then. I haven't worked with them, but have spoken to them a few times.
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Low impact forestry services in Devon and the South West
Big J replied to Big J's topic in General chat
Fire away! Ironmike isn't too far from you in Richmond (around 80 miles) if you need a low impact machine for timber extraction there. -
Low impact forestry services in Devon and the South West
Big J replied to Big J's topic in General chat
No apologies required for the derail. I enjoy the discussion -
Haha, no! The harvester/forwarder is only going to weigh 3.5t so still very much low impact. Just more productive.
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I wouldn't use it enough to warrant it. We're selling the little forwarder and bed processor in spring for an uprated and also heavier machine. It'll require low loader transport, so it's main function would be backup family vehicle and occasional tower
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Haha! I'm not looking to drive quickly, and nor do I with a trailer. Just not being reduced to less than 20mph on a 1 in 4 or 1 in 5 slope would be nice. There are quite a few of those around here, sometimes for 400 or 500ft of vertical ascent.
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Nor me, really. I need something comfortable and powerful as a backup family vehicle and for occasionally towing something heavy.
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Low impact forestry services in Devon and the South West
Big J replied to Big J's topic in General chat
I did have them out to quote on the site, but the landowner didn't want to splash out to that extent. Having the excavator based machine doing it meant that yes, the stumps are still mostly there, but it was a little under half the cost. Lovely machine though. -
That's not too bad really. Only top end Navara type money, or a touch more.
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The G coupler looks really good, I must admit. I generally grease each time I refuel, which is usually every 12 machine hours. I don't go nuts, but you can appreciate that a forestry forwarder has a hard life!
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Thanks for taking the time to explain. Looks far better than a standard manual grease gun but I am still quite fond of my battery system
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I am glad that I am not alone! ?
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I have no idea what a Fuchs Reiner system and G coupler is. Please educate me.
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Low impact forestry services in Devon and the South West
Big J replied to Big J's topic in General chat
Finally got the spruce clearfell finished. With a tyre tearing and it being a bit of a struggle to find a replacement, getting finished on site dragged on a bit. Here are a few photos and a video from site. And an aerial video, with many thanks for Olly Swiggs (Mr Mulcher): -
Feels like there's a backstory there! ?
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That's very lovely, but expensive I'd imagine.
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I agree. I don't generally, and the various tow vehicles I'm looking at (like the V10 Touareg) are quite fuel inefficient on paper. That being said, an underpowered engine has to work so hard when towing on hills that I'm sure something more powerful would be better, even if it was worse on paper. I'm lucky to get 18mpg with the Sprinter when towing the forwarder on the lanes. I can't see that being any worse with a 310bhp V10, and at least I won't end up doing 16mph with my foot stapled to the floor in second, which was the case on Wednesday.
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Rubbish. If you've got two like for like trucks and one does 10mpg more, obviously that's going to be a consideration.
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I owed it a test drive. I haven't heard anything bad about them in the press or otherwise, which is a marked improvement on the D40. I would be using a pickup mainly for towing. If it's distinctly average in terms of acceleration when unloaded, not towing and on the flat, it'll be a PITA towing up hills. It wasn't much brisker than my 160bhp Sprinter. For the record, the Ssang Yong was worse and the Ranger was no better. I just wish they'd stick proper engines in pickups instead of asthmathic little 4 cylinder power plants. I know that the Ranger has 6, but it's a lazy lump of a powerplant. The lowest power output motor offered with a new Ford F150 is 290bhp, which is over 30bhp more than the highest power output you can get on any pickup here.
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We are the second largest importer of timber in the world, after China.
