doobin

You'll need to be careful speccing the machine to the flail. Oil flow is important, and so is the arrangement of the pumps on the machine. On most machines, it will be next to impossible to track and flail at the same time due to the fact that the pumps that power the track motor also provide the extra flow for the auxillary. The thinking being that you don't tend to track about much when using a jackhammer Just slewing whilst flailing is OK for some jobs but not hedges or verges etc. Probably the wrong machine for the job it that's what you want it for. Remember that flails are very power hungry. For small machines this would be much more effective (rotary chains) http://www.clark-engineering.com/media/uploads/cat-110/clark-engineering-land-cultivation-slagkraft-chains-swipe-mower.pdf You'd need a bloody big exclusion zone on that beast though. Shame they don't make a mini model.

Mini digger can be used as a loader- you can bundle brash under the arm, use pallet forks on the blade etc. I had the same thoughts as you and went with the digger. Much more versatile. 1.5t is probably a far better bet for domestic stuff than a 3t, particularly with transport hassles. Just make sure you get one with some guts for timber work, not a JCB.

Innovative should read overcomplicated in this case! A year of using 2-mix for my combi engines (plus three years faultless engine performance on two FS460s, two years on handheld blowers and MS181s) has turned me evangelical in my quest to get everyone to stop worrying about 4-mix, just replace it with 2-mix and crack on. 2-mix really does work, I have blown the air filters out once a year on my 2-mix engines and thats all. The 'benefits of four mix' do not exist in my book. No extra torque, the noise is no better or worse than any engine. Just marketing by Stihl- they only tried it to meet emissions standards. Apparently 2-mix is Husky X-torque used under license, that must be why it works so well! Looking at it that way, the 4-mix concept must be pretty rubbish if Stihl would rather pay royalties to a rival for their technology than develop 4-mix further. OP- check this out: http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/general-chat/62516-heads-up-good-replacement-engine-stihl-polesaws-pole-hedgcutters-combi-units.html

That looks mint

The general consensus is to bin them and replace with 2-mix engines. You can spend a lot of time and money on them and they still won't run right.

Ecospeed is basically a throttle lock like on a blower. Totally useless for strimming.

Would a LOLER'd hiab be OK to use a proper man crate on do you think? Might be a handy rig.

Insightful first post...

4600 is probably a lot bigger than the OP was thinking, a 4ft topper would be lost between the back wheels! What about a baby International or David Brown? Cheap and small.

Really? I had a Siromer 20hp model once, thankfully it got stolen I couldn't see it lasting 2200 hours even without abuse. Didn't the 30HP ones come with an Iveco engine? Perhaps the rest of the build quality is also better.

Kioti are good from what I've seen.

You'll never fix them. Just change for a 2-mix engine and leave the hassle behind.

As said, Berthoud or Cooper Peglar are all you can really consider even for just semi pro work.

To be fair the Stihl attachments are easily the toughest around, and if you've got a few that's quite an investment which would not realise enough value if sold separately without an engine. Although I've used an Echo polesaw and liked it. I've been very pleased with my two FS-70s. I've just this week sold them both for £140 a piece locally to a mate, and replaced them with two brand new ones at £276 a pop. That's akin to a fixed cost of £136 to have a new engine for a year, under warranty, to run the polesaw, garden strimmer, hedgecutter, tiller and edger. Works for me- I've not had to worry about a thing except petrol.

Can't see the point in mesh sides. If it's loose hedgecuttings, fill ton sacks. If it's long lengths (leylandii reductions etc) then the mesh sides will just stop you filling the trailer properly. You need to be able to load it, strap the bejesus out of it then trim any overhang off. No offense but that trailer looks a pain. Too big to park easily, but not strong enough to be filled properly.

Stihl 036 and 034. Not sure how old, turn of the century maybe? They are my frontline 'big' saws All the smaller saws and hedgecutters/strimmer are a year or two old though. Would love to splash out on an MS461 one day.

The ones with a hydraulic tommy screw are good.

You forgot to put it back the right way up!

100%. There's land there, therefore there's access.

Just whack the one on the right off, job done. I see this sort of thing all the time in the work I do- usually on ground where the trees haven't even been thinned let alone managed. You get some proper weird shapes, it's quite cool.

Are you saying that you can't just get a 13 tonner and grab through the field behind to access it? If you have to do the rootball too you will need some serious muscle. Grub that bush out as you come through, burn it all up. Day's work for a machine and driver plus chainsaw operator. Tirfor etc is a waste of time for that size timber and rootball!

Add necrotizing fasciitis ('flesh eating' bacteria) to that list. Take take.

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^ Once the job's done it's done!

Nice. You could go a lot wider on that machine too, for quick distribution of loose aggregates and topsoil. I have 6ft on a 1.5t.