doobin
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Everything posted by doobin
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What tractor is it? If you've got a 3-point linkage then you've got a hydraulic pump. Fitting a spool valve should be under £200 for parts and a lot less faff than a PTO pump combined with another oil tank that you have to hitch and unhitch every time you change from a trailer to an implement. The only snag is that if it's a really baby compact tractor, the oil reservoir might not have enough to fill the trailer ram, but that's unlikely if the trailer matches the tractor size wise anyway.
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If you need an 18" bar then it's some reasonable size timber you're cutting? All saws weigh the same in the cut....
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You're right about quality- you have to watch them otherwise you end up with bent posts, etc. My suppliers are pretty good, they know that if stuff isn't up to scratch it will be coming back at them. They're also pretty flexible re delivery, unless it's to the yard where we have a loader I always spec hiab delivery so it can be swung onto the transit or dumper to get it closer to the job. Meter rate is definitely better for a contractor, but only if the contractor has control of ordering the materials.
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Coupled with the username, I did smile to myself. But we've all got to start somewhere. I wouldn't hire a plaslode though, I'd buy a small compressor and cheap air nailer.
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I'm cool with it when working on day rate. The rotting thing is not a problem anyway, I make sure they know that a 5 year guarantee on the posts is just that- the labour to replace them is not covered. All my suppliers will deliver direct to site. My point is that a customer who thinks they're the big spiv, the project manager, ringing around hassling Jewsons, Coomers, Chandlers and every other builders yard going for 'your best trade price' for thirty yards of materials before doing the same to every fencer in the area for a labour price only, is a poor prospect. You can guarantee that a customer like this will order the wrong stuff and keep you waiting, meaning your rate in real terms is much less than you quoted for. And that's not on. Either I have control of the job and a defined spec to work to, or some other mug can have the hassle. Or I work day rate, which I do quite a bit of.
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Realistically speaking, any time a customer says 'I will supply the timber, you just quote me for your labour' you should tell them to do one. They want to have their cake and eat it, and 90% of the time they are penny pinching timewasters best avoided. Let some idiot who hasn't invested in all the tools do it with a spade and hammer for £10/m cheaper and make a hash of it.
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Any grease will do.
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I love Airstreams. I'm also getting along very nicely with Arbotec Scafells. Either are worth the money over the WoodWalkers, although they are a very good boot also and I had four pairs of them.
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I was using my MS 250 today, just for fencing. With a 12" 1.1mm bar it's incredibly quick. It's become my go-to saw for odd jobs, fencing, carrying on a machine, replacing the MS181. I couldn't go back to every cut taking over twice as long yet the same weight of saw. Once it dies, it will be replaced straight away with an MS241. What an awesome power to weight ratio!
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Any saw of that power will struggle with a 16" bar. It's happiest with a 1.1mm (thinner than the standard 1.3mm kerf) 12" long bar. What size bar do you think you will need to run? Remember that the odd large piece of timber you may encounter can be cut from both sides.
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I'd go with a 181 rather than a 170. A bit more power and much more robust. The oil pumps on the 170s are particularly weak.
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Rear springs keep it looking from being overloaded, but won't give it any more legal payload. Plus your front springs only ever take the weight of the crew and engine...
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From the sound of the first post, the contracting tree company expected the OP to operate under conditions of unnecessary risk. No rescue climber, cars in the way etc. Why take those risks? I reiterate my point- a company that thinks like that would be the first to try to pass the buck to the OP when it all went tits up due to the aforementioned risks- which COULD have been mitigated. I'm a can do man, but I need the right tools or I walk. Never done me any harm.
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This. It's all very well saying you managed this time. What about next? It'll be your reputation on the line if it goes wrong. It won't be 'A. Tree Company ballsed that job up, dropped a branch on a car'. It'll be 'that idiot climber didn't know what he was doing'.
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There may be a little bit more power to be had (if you cover the nozzle the revs rise so the airflow is indeed providing resistance and therefore defining the top end of the revs), but on a blower what's the point? It won't help you get the job done faster, if you're thinking you need more airflow then it's time to pick the rake up for a couple of minutes and clear the pile
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Very true. The modern grain-based diet is poison.
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Proper job guy, those sound like pukka meals.
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Back coffee is the way it's meant to be drunk, get yourself some proper stuff You can't have cereal at all, dry or not
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Can you remember the make, James?
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When milling you're asking the saw to work much harder and keeping the chain in contact with full width timber for a lot longer than when using a saw to crosscut. From a mechanical point of view, it's a lack of lubrication due to this extra work causing the heat and associated stretch. Therefore surely a cheap additional oiler should be the first point of call?
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You stick em in at 45 degrees. If you put them in vertical they only bend over to 45 degrees otherwise, what with the top of the ground being softer than the lower down. So long as you get get them to start to bite, a good lever bar will get them on and out. Never a bad idea to use two if you are unsure whether one will hold.
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Your earth auger won't put a ground anchor in, scratch that idea off immediately. Been there, got the T-shirt. These guys make some OK stuff- Ground Anchors | Security, Garden, DIY and Commercial Anchoring - Military If you want to go bigger than you'll need a hydraulic auger to install and extract.
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Report it to the police.
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^ Semi auto just means you don't need to dip the clutch. Like an auto box but you select the gear when you want it. The reverse thing might still be an issue but you can usually adjust them slightly.
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An update. Whilst I am very happy with the mulching and collecting ability, the Kohler engine is giving problems. 2 months old and the recoil start has snapped. The spring slipped the housing and after a three day wait and then finally repair by the shop the spring slipped again first pull. The governor is all over the place. Finally, the deadman cable has snapped this morning. Not impressed for an £800 mower that has been used two days a week for only two months. I'm even less impressed by the dealer's attitude to rectifying the problems. Especially after buying three FS70s, a polesaw, an FS490 and £500 of boots and trousers from them. I've been starting the bloody thing with a bit of string wrapped round the flywheel for two weeks now.
