doobin

I'd sooner have a 360 with tracks, blade and the ability to steady yourself with the boom than an alpine and backhoe on a hill. Can't be much in it with centre of gravity either. Tractor backhoes are clumsy and expensive compared to a second hand digger. A 3 ton mini will outperform any backhoe you would fit to an alpine. Poor value for money, in essence. Having to jump on and off to move must be a right PITA also. The one I posted would be a good value way to try it. If I had only the tractor and no mini digger I'd be tempted at that money. But buying a new backhoe? Not a chance, second machine every time.

The bloke at £30/hour for a 13 tonner is a muppet.

How does this differ from any other timber? Genuinely curious as there is no money for a firewood merchant in it whatsoever at £85/ton. I thought RHI was for equipment?

^ Plenty of people get away with it. They get themselves a good lawyer, say they'll have to let workers go etc.

That depends entirely upon the operator...

Skidsteer Bobcat backhoe attachment with buckets, Gehl CAT, Over £7,500 when new | eBay Fit linkage mounts, sorted. If you're looking at a new backhoe then forget it and get a second hand mini digger.

Callum, does that quad (and associated specialized quad mounted machinery) really hold it's own in terms of cost per hour & output per hour against a 4WD compact tractor? I'm not knocking, but I can't see it myself. I used to have a 500cc 4WD quad and even my 20HP Chinese compact tractor pissed all over it in terms of output and running costs. It just couldn't put the power to the ground, and cost a lot more to keep running.

This looks like it'll be an even better buy than the FS-70, same sort of price but solid shaft. FS 94 RC-E - Comfortable 0.9kW brushcutter with loop handle, ErgoStart and ECOSPEED If you are constantly swapping between a telescopic and a regular shaft the FS70 would be quicker to swap due to the integrated handle.

I've run a Stihl hedgecutter head for 8 years with only one repair needed due to abuse. The polesaw head is 7 years and never had a spanner on it save for sprockets. Never broken a strimmer head. I would buy a new FS-70 or even better an FS-94 (solid shaft, might not be launched yet though) for about £260 and then buy the hedgecutter, polesaw, tiller etc second hand off eBay as they are pretty bombproof. Whatever you do don't buy a 4-mix combi system- nothing but hassle. Here ya go: http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/general-chat/62516-heads-up-good-replacement-engine-stihl-polesaws-pole-hedgcutters-combi-units.html

Compact tractor all the way. Much more bang for your buck in a woodland work environment.

Nothing wrong with a .177

Did you not think to get out and check the wheel nuts yourself?

We had the same thing locally two months ago with a big old oak and a gas main.

Doesn't matter if it's only topsoil, you still get a lot or resistance from a 6' width of it! Plus the strut is of course angled so it's directing some of the force down the ground too. I dig a trench about a spit's depth. Knocking it in works fine, but there is more chance of the strut rotting and slipping around it (particularly if it's been vee'd). If the strainer twists then yes, you have a problem. But that's down to bad fencing (not wrapping around the strainer) and you'd still have a problem with a morticed one, you can't rely upon a 2" mortice to hold indefinately if it's the only thing stopping a strainer from twisting. Re the strainer mortice- think about it. You cut yours say around 30mm wide? Water will run down the post and collect in the mortice. The first place to start rotting will be where the cross grain is severed- your tenon at the top of the strut. So not only will this rot faster than the whole flush face of the strut nailed to a slight notch in the strainer would, but once it has started to rot your aforementioned bullock will snap it off no problem anyway. As soon as the strut starts to rot the fence will start to sag. If a bullock can knock it off when it's been nailed, the fencer was a cowboy who didn't use long enough nails. Some folk use nail guns, but for this sort of thing a 90mm from a nailgun is only a holding tack, you need to follow up with 6 or 8 inch nails whacked in with a clubhammer.

Agree. Miserable sod that I am.

I think nesting the angles like this - << - is a lot harsher on the wire than using scaffold pole and an angle like this - <o I'd say that would might make the wire liable to snap. I've never had an angle and scaffold setup slip.

Top tip- match your chisel to a wood bit (idealy Forstner bit) of the same size. For example, if I am asked to do morticed struts then I drill a row of 3 holes 30mm in diameter then use a SHARP 30mm chisel to take away the tiny bit that's left between them and at the edges. Match this to a jig (I found a metal rule was 30mm wide and therefore ideal) and you can mark the ends of struts quickly for cutting also.

You will realise more individually I would think. Goodwill/contacts aren't worth anything unless you have managers, council contracts etc in place.

I used to do the same. Then a Kiwi fencer pointed out that, as aesthetically pleasing as the above is, it takes much longer and more importantly rots much quicker The strut won't move if you notch the post and nail it. And a half round lengthways in the ground means you just turn it until the flat face is at the right angle for the strut, no messing about. Much more surface area resisting the push of the strut also.

^ Fair enough. I hate jobs like that. I'm such a bloody perfectionist, that's why I never make any money

^ Good point. Fit a brass inlet filter or always use a funnel with filter to fill up.

Sounds like either a lump of crap at the tank end of the pipe or an air leak in one of the connectors you re-did. Re the hand pump- don't remove it otherwise you will be cursing when you need to bleed it. However feel free to replace it, they can perish and allow air into the system. You could go the whole hog and replace it with something like this, wired to the ignition: NEW 12V 3-6PSI Electronic HEP-02A Diesel Petrol Fuel Pump 145MM UK | eBay This will help provide a consistent flow of fuel, but can still come unstuck if there is a lump of crap at the tank end of the pipe. I have that sort of pump on my tractor, which was originally gravity fed but wasn't brilliant. No problems since fitting. Glad you got it sorted, keep us posted.

Fair enough. There may well have been a wire at some point to make that a proper box strainer. I would add one, the top rail is pointless otherwise. Is that angle strut jammed against the bottom of the first post? It doesn't take much rotting before the strut can slip sideways past it, always better to bury a half round lengthways IME.

Fair enough on the top rail. The strut might be pinned but you are still in danger of the whole strainer lifting out of the ground due to the high mounting point of the strut. Trust me, I've done it. Always best to learn from others mistakes...

Ah, gotcha. Yeah, that would make sense. Trouble is it's not actually a cruise control, it's just a friction throttle lever like on a blower. So it would never be set right.