doobin

What's wrong with an Excel spreadsheet? I can customise it to do exactly what I want, print invoices direct from it, etc. And it's free.

Why make tiny profit on a bit of coal when all it does is delay the day that your customers re-order your more profitable logs?

Witty banter aside, if it takes D shape batteries then they are pricey. Simply get some decent NI-MH AA 2800MaH rechargeables and some D-cell adaptors. Sorted.

Northern Tool is overpriced rubbish. That's a chinese saw which is **** and can be had cheaper elsewhere if you really want one.

Here you go bro: http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/general-chat/53360-mini-diggers-anybody-using-them-tree-work.html In a nutshell: JCB = gutless Takuchi= value for money, rock solid residuals (016 supposed to be good, 014 rubbish and gutless IMHO, had one on hire last month) Kuboto= extra quality that an owner operator will appreciate Terex/Shaeff (as per my pic)= best power to weight ratio by far, excellent for timber work exceptionally solid build but if you need parts then expensive doesn't even begin to describe it HTH

Matt have you looked at those stump planing augers that fit your machine?

Get 1.5 ton, 800kg is only any use for tiny sites or doorway access.

Call the police to report it on 101. They will take an interest as it is clear that the sale of cheap chinese saws is secondary to their primary objective- looking for decent kit to steal.

Sweet. Pass them to me first and I'll pass them on to the next guy

I've said it on the elm thread and I'll say it again- this thread is worthless without pics!

OK, so status update. Engine- no issues whatsoever, completely faultless. Despite not changing the air filter for a whole year. Ergonomic, comfortable and even better on the fuel economy compared to the old series than Stihl claimed!! Driveshafts on the other hand is a constant gripe. Basically all three of my FS460s after a years work have started vibrating like mad at certain points in the rev range- critical oscillation I guess. All drive shafts are true as true. I've had the outer on one replaced by the dealer- refused to do it under warranty even though only a week out- poor show. However, this improved it only slightly. I fiddled about and discovered that wrapping small amounts of foil tape in four places on the driveshaft stops the problem for a few weeks use- then it's back. Moving the tape sorts it again, but it's a ballache and shouldn't need to be that way. A call to Stihl technical, and apparently there's a problem on the earliest models with the clutch housing fatiguing. Have two here in the yard at the moment, yes, one is cracked but the other is not. So will be trying to have the cracked one replaced under warranty (Stihl technical say yes no problem, but it has to go through the original dealer. Who were less than helpful, and should probably stick to selling tractors) So we shall see. I have two machines stripped and on the bench at the moment, and am about to run some tests with a drill powering the shaft. Has anyone else any information about this problem?

Seconded. The only time I think a picture works is full wrap, eg. the Sky vans. A clean and tidy van should do the job- the only time your customers will really compute and take note is when it's parked up next to the job- and then your work should be doing the selling, the van is just a giant business card.

Mate, you don't half come across as arrogant. No offence like.

Just checked the ones in my yard. 20ft- 2.28t 40ft- 3.77t Re the original question- by the time you've messed around driving a 140 mile round trip FOUR OR FIVE times, you'll wish you'd had them delivered two at a time and craned off exactly where you want them. How were you planning to unload them anyway? Seriously, it's a no brainer. If you needed to skimp on the cost of transport (although I reckon cost your time and diesel into it and it would be the same) how could you afford five containers anyway??

Now that's a good offer! Go on, you know you want to!

Having seen the pics, not a chance. Your bloke is well out. Then again, if he's paying £55 a ton for hardwood cord he's maybe not the sharpest tool in the box If I were you, I'd pay someone to drop it and leave it. Then get yourself a little MS181 for £200 new, and and axe. Happy days, almost free firewood. If your feeling adventurous, you could even get someone to help you fell it yourself

What size timber and how often will you be using it?

Seconded. Looks like a straight fell, no obstacles. £900 is steep to say the least! Can anyone local give him a decent price to fell and log? Then we can put this thread to bed!

This thread is worthless without pics! Let's have them! On an aside, I think you're making too much of a faff in regards to wanting larch rather than elm (and it would probably be the other way round down South!). Wood burns, water doesn't. Log the lot up for £300 and it's going to be cheaper than buying logs, save yourself buying firewood for a few years. I know I'd not want to mess around swapping logs with a customer, or if they wanted me to there'd need to be a hefty 'exhange rate mechanism' in my favour Half the cost is loading and unloading.

2k is cool. Don't butcher the loader, if you sell it on you will be able to buy rams and much more.

Jesus just bin it!!

Go on mate, how much? You know I'm gonna pick holes because it's a Ford and therefore overpriced! Is it a proper power loader, and what attachments?

I have amazing results with contact cleaner and an air line, but it's probably on a par with brake cleaner re both efficacy and price tbh.

Balliberg- what do you intend to use the tractor for specifically? Early on me and my mate had a 590- it was a god awful clunky piece of junk. Too big to be manouverable, bad steering lock, not enough power for it's size. Even the old International 454 is more pleasant to spend an afternoon in. Replaced the 590 with a 3080, and then replaced that with a Same 110HP. I just think it's too big for a yard tractor, and not enough power for a fieldwork tractor. A loader would be nasty on it, with the gearbox and rubbish steering lock. If you tell us what you want to do with the tractor (exact jobs) then perhaps we can advise better?

Balliberg- what do you intend to use the tractor for specifically? Early on me and my mate had a 590- it was a god awful clunky piece of junk. Too big to be manouverable, bad steering lock, not enough power for it's size. Even the old International 454 is more pleasant to spend an afternoon in. Replaced the 590 with a 3080, and then replaced that with a Same 110HP. I just think it's too big for a yard tractor, and not enough power for a fieldwork tractor. A loader would be nasty on it, with the gearbox and rubbish steering lock. If you tell us what you want to do with the tractor (exact jobs) then perhaps we can advise better?