doobin

I missed that bit. What modern engine still uses oil bath filters??

There's definately something wrong with the air intake system somewhere. I'd get an independant report. A machine should stop running (first at high revs) due to lack of air when an air filter cloggs. There has to have been another route in for the dirty air. My money would be upon a bad union in the pipework. If the same company who fitted the new engine are the ones telling you you have to pay for a third, it's likely they discovered the cause of the problem whilst investigating, and fixed the leak to avoid liability for not fitting it correctly 600 hours ago, sorry to say. How long did it take for you to rack up 600 hours?

I thought Stihl were phasing out/had phased out 4-mix? No?

When felling bigger stuff (2-3 ft diameter Scots pine) I tend to fell with the MS462, then switch to the MS241 with a 16" bar for snedding. I've never found one saw that fits properly for this type of work, and it doesn't hurt to have a backup saw on site.

I don't know what you're on about Andy. Any pikey worth their salt has a jammer to render a tracker useless.

Santa clause you c*nt! Wheres me fucking bike?!

Don't worry- the theiving scum will doubless be using one anyway!!

When I kill something to eat, I do it humanely and with respect. Bollocks to halal, this is a Christian country. I say ban it, and if they don’t like it they can move back to bumfuckistan. Apologies for tipsy post, but something I feel very strongly about.

Matt, how does the Makita compare to a Stihl 181 or Husky 135?

Sounds like you should have used a digger for the whole job.

.... I thought it was green, not blue? i use Stihl red because it’s never given me any problems, and most importantly, you can actually see that the fuel is mixed. Not so easy with the green oil n

There's a pretty sensible way around it- register for CIS 'gross contractor' status. Otherwise known as bona fide contractor. https://www.gov.uk/what-you-must-do-as-a-cis-subcontractor/gross-payment-status "You must show HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) that your business passes some tests. You’ll need to show that: you’ve paid your tax and National Insurance on time in the past your business does construction work (or provides labour for it) in the UK your business is run through a bank account HMRC will look at your turnover for the last 12 months. Ignoring VAT and the cost of materials, your turnover must be at least: £30,000 if you’re a sole trader £30,000 for each partner in a partnership, or at least £100,000 for the whole partnership £30,000 for each director of a company, or at least £100,000 for the whole company" Sounds reasonable. The whole point of CIS is to catch out those who say, "yeah, I'm self employed mate!" and have never filed a tax return in their life.

Digital works great so long as you don’t mind the screen and the quarry aren’t spooked by IR light. I’ve used an old one for years, think it’s a nite site. Certainly more affordable than any traditional starlight scope.

I can take some if you like. PM me your email.

Have a Lewis winch here, not done a huge amount of work. I took the rope off as it was fraying, was going to replace it with Dyneema but apparently that's a no no on these. Has to be steel. So comes with a new coil of 50m 4mm wire rope, you'll have to wind it on. £550 inc VAT posted, have all the adaptors to fit various saws still. I just don't use it, I can almost always get a digger or truck with a winch to where need to pull something. Was really handy for a job pulling branches out of a river, but apart from once recovering a Transit from a muddy field that's almost all I've used it for in eight years. I tried using to pull some roots out- it worked, but a Tirfor would have been less faff to set up for two stumps.

I personally wouldn't buy a 441 when the 462 weighs less and puts out more power for under £100 less.

To be fair we're probably about 60% commerial if you count some charity type work. I'm sure for LTD you just get the accountant to register you as such? Heck, I still run out of a personal bank account!

I'm a sole trader and I have three staff. I'd quite happily call myself a company. To my mind this is in keeping with the (presumably) original terminology- 'a company of men'

Kin hell, you're a braver man than me!!

Respectfully disagree. Any inverter MIG will do arc as standard with an extra £20 lead. However, a wire feed unit for an inverter arc will cost in excess of a basic inverter MIG that will do arc too.

Do you find the oiler keeps up OK? I have the same bar on a 462 but it wants a bit more oil when ringing up. Found it OK on a full compliment chain too. Great bars aren't they?

I had a recent experience felling a 6ft ash with my MS462. It will pull a 36" bar OK if you're gentle and it's sharp but the oiler won't quite keep up when ringing up. Were I to do it every other week I'd buy an 880. But it's OK for one-offs, with a quick spray on the chain inbetween cuts whilst ringing up. It's happy with a 24" bar on it, and positively flies with an 18". The heated handles are nice. Stubby, you're welcome to come have a play. It's really quick to rev up, that's for sure. At the other end of the spectrum, I agree with guys who prefer a light saw. My go-to for most of my work (small scale land clearance, tangled laylandii) is an MS241 with a 16" Picco bar. You really notice the difference using a Picco chain, and whilst a big fan of Rotatech for a decent chain at low cost I did treat myself to some Stihl full chisel Picco loops for the 16" and can highly reccomend them. Probably a further 30% cut speed, quite incredible. I ummed and ahhed about an MS261 with heated handles, but decided that the 'middle ground' as it were wasn't worth the kilo of extra weight over the MS241, particularly as it's often a few quick cuts then back in the cab. I'd go as far as to say that the tree has to be over 18" for me to want to use the MS462 rather than the MS241, as the picco chain on the smaller saw makes them pretty much the same speed to cut.

So long as it’s safely propped there should be no issues.

MIG and TIG are two very different animals, for different purposes. For general fabrication of mild steel and repairs a MIG is the way forward. An inverter MIG as discussed will also do arc, although you may need to purchase a lead (only £20 or so). Arc is a good skill to learn, but to be fair it's rare that I can't do something with a MIG and the right gas, even outdoors. Disposable bottles are hopeless. Personally I'd steer clear of BOC. Easiest way is to use someone like SGS gases or Hobbyweld. Pay a deposit on the bottle, use it, exchange it and only pay for a refill. When you no longer want to weld, return the bottle, get your deposit back. If you give your local motor factors a call they usually stock it. I have mine delivered- the savings on my time to go and get it more than cover the negligeable extra cost of the gas per m3, especially when you remove rental from the equation. BOC is only cheaper if you are using the largest size bottle and refilling it at least twice a year in my experience. When you start getting into it, and needing bottles of argon, 5% welding gas and 15% welding gas for heavy stuff, plus oxygen, that's a lot of rent for bottles you may not use completely in a year. Compare the colums in red below. The BOC totals assume, as per header, that you use just one bottle a year. Hobbyweld Ultra at 300bar are the best value. Happy days if that's what your local place stocks.

Result! Looks like you've got the customer relations part down. They will recommend you to others and you will have plenty more jobs to hone your skills. The hard part is not going bankrupt whilst honing your skills...