Big J

I'm trying to get my wife's head around the fact that the only way to do long distance reversing (an almost daily fact of life around here) is to use the wing mirrors and not to look over her shoulder. That's ignoring the fact that two out of our three vehicles are vans and as such have bulkheads. She's OK at it, but gets flustered easily on the back roads. I'd be curious to see what the accident rate is down here versus other parts of the country with better infrastructure.

Quite agree. I've met a chap in a 55 plate Silver Polo 4 times in the valley where we're working in the past 8 months. The first time he charged straight past a passing place so I had to pull over (in a Sprinter, which was more challenging given the lack of space). The second time he took a full 5 minutes to reverse 150m along a straight lane to a large passing place. No fewer than 5 instances of having to pull forward to correct. Just bouncing from hedge to hedge, overcorrecting every time. Third time was shortly after the 2nd time so I reversed 300m to let him past (he was 50m past a passing place, but I figured it would be quicker for me to go back). Fourth time he crashed into me. He came screaming around a blind bend at 35-40mph (way too fast for the lane), I was doing 20mph max. I came to a complete stop, he ploughed into the banking and his car tipped into my van and then rolled back down. Thankfully no damage to the van (the 4x4 Sprinter is very tall, he just hit the plastic bumpers) but the front end of his Polo looked pretty bad. I don't think you could do anything to teach someone like that how to drive.

Most of the roads on the continent you wouldn't even think about the width of your vehicle. We haven't upgraded our roads to keep up with the development of vehicles in the UK. For instance, on a site we're working at the moment, the pinch point was the road on one side of the bridge adjacent to site. A 2.9m wide bridge with a right turn after it meant that the lorries were having to turn right whilst still on the bridge. It was tight even for 6 wheelers. So I put a ruddy great big layby in straight on from the bridge so that the lorries can now completely cross it before turning and now we can get wagon and drags in. The whole network just needs an upgrade.

It's side protection for the crash tests mostly.

I was just saying to Kathryn the other day that following an old (W124) Mercedes E class in the New Forest, it was smaller in width and height than the new Vauxhall Astra it was following. And then Autocar had an article on that exact topic the next day. I'm inclined to get an older car like a first generation Volvo V70 as a school run run-around as it's 10cm narrower than our Citroen C4 Grand Picasso people carrier. My wife (and then my father in law yesterday) seem to continuously scratch it on the lanes, which is really frustrating.

Haha! It's just like stepping back into the 19th century. I can imagine men with top hats engaging in protracted and heated manoeuvres trying to wiggle stage coaches past each other on the lanes and in 200 years no one has done anything to improve the roads at all!

Old ones are now very expensive on account of new ones being purchased by posers.

Still an adapted SUV rather than van, plus only tows 3000kg. Why are there so few 4x4 vans? They are brilliant!

I would love to, but they are massive for the lanes here. I just lost my first wing mirror (just the glass admittedly) on my Sprinter last week. The only thing that is size appropriate for Devon lanes is a medium sized horse.

Don't think it's made anymore. Can only see the Shogun Sport and the L200 on the Mitsubishi website.

True enough, but even so, you're going to want 180-200bhp and the corresponding levels of torque.

I'm not interested in trundling up hills at walking pace - it's the 21st century man! The aforementioned 25% hill reduces me to second gear and 20mph when towing the forwarder and that has 160bhp

It's just frustrating really. The Delicas look lovely, but they're underpowered for the hills around here. For instance, my present route to work is only 18-20 minutes, but involves climbing a 400ft hill, descending 300ft, then climbing another 400ft, descending 500ft, then climbing a 500ft hill then descending 400ft. Steepest incline 25%. Stick a trailer on and you'll understand the requirement for BHP.

Lovely trucks, and I have spoken to Iveco about them. Not the same class though, in terms of being a compact 4x4 along the lines of a Landrover Defender 90. The Iveco has the same footprint as the Sprinter.

It's certainly worth milling. Assuming the crack is orientated in the same plane on both ends, mill it so that the crack is 90 degrees to the cut. The boards might split along the centre, but full width boards are overrated anyway. 2-2.5ft wide is plenty.

Fourtrak isn't available new, the Landcruiser isn't a van, rather an SUV adapted, the Transit is huge and not a proper 4x4 and the Transporter is still fairly large and doesn't have much ground clearance without modification, as well as being horendously expensive. I just like driving vans as opposed to conventional 4x4s. Better driving position, better load carrying capacity. That 4x4 Berlingo in the video above would be spot on if it had an extra half tonne of steel in the form of a larger engine, stronger chassis and uprated suspension.

Sweet! Though still a light van, so low on towing capacity I'd expect?

Both light duty. The Commission had Kangas I think. I feel that there is a need for a small, tough 4x4 van, much like the 90, but without the back breaking ergonomics and lack of reliability.

I was thinking about how there is a gap in the work vehicle market on the way home from site today. I have two work vehicles. A 4x4 Sprinter and a Citroen Berlingo. I love both and they both have their place. The Sprinter is however annoyingly large for day to day use and the Berlingo can't tow anything, and despite having a clever series of off road modes, is nevertheless 2 wheel drive. Now if I want to get a 4x4 work vehicle that can tow (new, not used), I'm limited to pick ups. They are oversized with cramped cabins and have five seats, which most of us don't need for work. I then thought that the Berlingo is a really good van, and about the same size as a Defender 90. Three seats in the front, comfortable, well equipped and cheap. Why couldn't they build a heavy duty version of it? Same footprint (including the 440cm total length, which is 90cm shorter than a pickup), but 180bhp engine (instead of the 130bhp is has), heavier chassis, greater ground clearance and 4x4. Shouldn't cost any more than a pickup, but much more practical for the majority of us. The load space is larger than that of a pickup, the cabin space more volumous (accepting the lack of a second row of seats), the maneuverability superior on account of it's compact dimensions and it's now tricked out with bling like half the pickups on sale today seem to be. At 203cm tall, I find vans much more spacious, and modern pickups are anything but work vehicles. What do you actually buy (new, not used) these days is you want a decent 4x4 work vehicle that isn't the size of a house and adorned in chrome?

Pretty sure it's grey poplar. In a well managed plantation, it'll do 1.5-2m a year, and yield class is something silly.

It's the exact strain that I posted photos of on this thread. Grows like stink.

We've a site we worked a month or so ago that has thousands of self rooted/seeded poplar stems that you're welcome to take as many whips as you like from. Free of charge too. Near Chulmleigh in North Devon

I can well believe it. If a neglected stand here can reach 2.5 cubic metres and 90ft per tree in 26 years, imagine what they could do if they were managed.

Holy christ, that is quick! We're working out of a field at the moment that would make an outstanding poplar plantation. Nearly always wet, floods occasionally, bottom of a valley so trees would be drawn up. Just need to find some money!

It's not the most inspiring food. The last one I saw was in Livingston, in the shopping centre. It had the unfortunate priviledge of being sat next to a Thai noodle bar. No contest at all. Curry every time.