doobin

And if he wants a price to install only, DAY RATE ONLY! Because you know he'll mess up and get the wrong stuff, keeping you waiting. He can't have his cake and eat it. A quote means the contractor assumes some risk, and adds profit for doing so. If he can't comprehend it when you put it in these simple terms, walk away.

For much more effective clamping force use scaffold pole and some angle iron as the clamp.

Only a muppet carries on using a machine without investigating the cause, much less lends it out with a casual 'oh, watch out by the way, it overheats'.... Radiator is the usual suspect. If you're going to do it do it properly and take both rads off the mounts and blow through from each side on both. With them out of the way you will also have plenty of room to check the fan belt tension.

A 2-mix FS-70 is £70 less than a 4-mix FS90, but the same power. The FS-70 engine is great, but it's a flexi driveshaft. I'd be tempted by the Echo TCD posted- £30 more but a solid driveshaft. Quite a bit heavier, but also quite a bit better vibration figures. Throw in a 2-year commercial warranty and that looks very attractive. OP, where are you located?

FS460 is a 2-mix engine. Low speed power is where it's at with a nice big machine like that, and power in reserve for heavy stuff. Many on this thread (and I think the OP) are confusing Stihl 4-mix technology (valves on a 2-stroke, which are crap) with a true 4-stroke engine as used in Honda strimmers.

If you want power and half the vibration of normal strimmers, you need to look at either the Stihl FS310 + range or Husky 545 (I think). These have full length anti vibration thingys.

3 or 2 rail?

Tell that to VOSA....

Good plan, I do similar. I make it even easier on myself by having only 12" 1.1mm bars for the 020t, polesaws, MS181, MS211 and MS250, then only 15, 18 and 24" bars for the big saws. I bought a 8t sprocket from Rob D the other day, to make the MS250 really fly. I'm not going to use it because I would need a different from standard chain

Post a pic?

Unless you have the original quote written down and signed by both parties, it will end in aggro. Both you and the customer are being underhand there.

If you take the time to read the thread I linked, postage is £65....

When the clutch begins to slip is generally a good rule of thumb.... Think the timing belt interval is about 40k.

Not expensive at all, especially considering it doubles the jobs the digger can do. Vemac Engineering would do you a 3 ton model for I'd say about £5-600. Vemac Pallet Forks review - The British Construction Equipment Forum

Pukka. Don't spoil it by not painting it. I've made a mount up for mine so it fits into the hole where the dropside supports go in the truck or trailer body. Also made similar to mount a cement mixer on. Thinking about it, you could have done the same on your tipper! It's a lot stronger as there's none of the leverage like in yours. It's also a far more comfortable position, I set it about the same height as the workbench.

I sent a request for some new buckets to a company on Friday, was checking the email all day until I twigged it was a Bank Holiday after I went to town to draw wages!

It's Easter weekend. Try again in the week!

I think any minute now he'll start posting links to Chinese factories!

Please tell me you put more straps than that on it before driving off?

Don't even think about it. Customers will think you're trying to have them over. Your hourly rate needs to take account of fuel and maintenance time, etc. By far the best way to make money is to charge the job at what it's worth to the customer, not by how long it will take you. Sorry mate but this is business 101. I'm not so sure you're ready. And with that attitude I'm not sure you're cut out for running your own show at all. If you want to try, then to paraprase Nike, just do it. Start with a couple of low risk jobs on a weekend.

No, I was agreeing with the poster before re Stihl's attitude. What I was trying to say is that I their don't let their attitude bother me as they are good machines.

This thread is worthless without pics! Welcome Neil. What's your role as a forester out there? Are they hot on sustainable forestry or is illegal logging a problem?

Then I refer you to this post... If you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen. Simples. Don't bitch, whine and run to the headmaster, then come on here and brag about it. We couldn't give a toss about you and your tuppence ha'penny 'authorised dealership'.

You've got me thinking here. I love your idea for tree work and would have done the same already if I was a tree surgeon. We do site clearance work, all our helmets have 3.5mm inputs for mp3 players/phones already. We use radios but the quality is rubbish and I would have to do a lot of fiddling to plumb them into the helmet (poles the wrong way around) or buy a whole new set of non-binatone radios. I've just realised that the most cost effective thing for me would be to set both our phones to auto answer, and a speedial key for each other. So dial your mate, the music from both phones stops automatically for the call, you hear the other guy and can talk normally. Hang up with the push button on the clip on mic, carry on. Want to redial? Push button mic twice and you'll call the last person- your mate! We're on GiffGaff, and it's free to call each other. Result. Sometimes I just can't see the wood for the trees!

I hadn't considered it's reduced 'throwing ability'. Perhaps I should experiment. It would be easy enough to run small in an FS-70 and force the lads to use that rather than the big strimmers around windows.