doobin

If you put proper mud tyres on a Corsa or a 106 it totally transforms them. Plenty good enough if you're just a cutter wanting to go down forest tracks- just carry a hand winch in case. PM me if you want a good supplier of tyres. Trust me when i say the Corsa WILL take the abuse- I finally managed to kill mine by putting it in a river. You can pick up diesel ones with MOT in good nick for £500 if you look around. Don't discount them, they're by far the cheapest option. If you REALLY need 4x4 then maybe look at a cheap quad to tow behind. Otherwise a Diahatsu Fourtrak is an insurance group seven. Miles more practical than an SJ, as good on fuel (I've had both) and the 2.8 turbo pulls like a train. Obviously, as you'll only be towing 750KG that doesn't matter...... What exactly will you be doing with the car?

Shredder knife is the only way forward IMHO. FS 400 is the minimum- power is less of an issue with a shredder knife on soft stuff like brambles, but the anti vibe system is worth it's weight in gold. You may want to think about hiring one in. You might think you've a lot to do, but be pleasantly surprised when you crack on with a professional machine. A weeks worth of FS400 time will get a serious amount of work done. Are you anywhere near Sussex? I know a company that hire out FS450s for about £50 a week.

A farmer down the road has one of these with the 6.9 turbo diesel engine, and an artic turntable in the back. He says his is just shy of four ton unloaded.

I threw one of those in the scrap bin four months ago. All it needed was a set of clutch springs. Just couldn't bring myself to inflict it upon someone else

Sorry bud, it was a joke! The old 400s have served me well- one is in good enough nick and the other a year older is getting low on compression but still good enough for now and will be kept for spares when it dies. Seriously mate, the last person you should buy used machinery from is me! I had to have the valves on a FR-130 rebuilt THREE TIMES in a year! The big strimmers do at least twenty hours work a week each over the summer. I well remember one evening last July when we finally packed up and went to the pub at quarter to eleven- just made last orders! So you can see why I needed a new strimmer for backup. The two 100s are no good for anything but hedgecutting and the 550 is too heavy for grass trimming.

Every little gripe about the old 4xx series has been addressed. These are running the new '2 mix' engine- instead of valves (as per 4 mix) it injects a 'cushion' of air inbetween fuel charges to meet emissions regs. Haven't run it enough to comment on engine. No adjustment screws so I hope the carb knows what it's doing! Very, very impressed. Seriously. #1. Choke lever has been completely redone. Push it to switch it- no accidental knocks or vibration turning it. Blip the throttle and it automatically switches off. #2. Push to kill- as per 660 blower. Very nice. #3. Taller handlebars. BIG improvement- way easier on the wrists. #4. Handlebar adjustment/flip round- Now has latch similar to the fuel tanks. Also, no need to unscrew it almost all the way out to get the handlebars to lie parallel with the shaft. This was a major gripe on the previous model. Nothing more annoying than unscrewing too far and the whole lot falling off. #5. New harnesses- PLENTY of room to get fingers under buckle to adjust on the move. Also have option of chest straps and a tool bag on the bag (pricey but will be worth its weight in gold on the footpath clearing). Nice one Stihl :thumbup1: Now, who wants to buy a pair of old 400s?

I knocked up a spreadsheet to answer this question for myself. Running an old R reg Peugeot 106, including all insurance, tax, diesel and all repairs/servicing over the course of a year, I arrived at a figure of 23p per mile. This was about a year ago, with diesel at £1.18/litre, and I covered 16,000 miles. Was 20 at the time and it was a new policy in addition to the van, so rather expensive insurance at about £130/month. Not a bad verified mileage cost. The AA tables assume that you're Joe Public with a newsish car that will depreciate and that you pay stupid garage fees. 3.6 pence a mile in 'service labour costs' alone? I don't think so! PM me if you want a copy of the spreadsheet, it's very simple.

I know the feeling. "We've got to spend this money in our budget otherwise we won't get it again next year!"

PM sent.

Why? They're overvalued for what they are. Or are you going to paint it silver and sell it on?

The 480 is not worth the extra money for 3cc more IMHO. Took delivery of a new 460 last week- don't like the look of it much (looks 'domestic' compared to my two 400s) but it runs sweet. 350 is the same engine as the 130 but with anti vibe. Far too small for any professional brushcutting. Bought a new 550 last October but they haven't updated them in years- probably not enough demand. Nice saw though.

You want to try a 300HP New Holland 8050 and three row bed tiller! Water ballasted tyres and it's like wheelying a giant armchair down the A27!

You get the swaying feeling from working out of a boat too.

Machines like that have their place. I run a grapple on a 1.5t- it's unbeatable in thorny scrub.

So roughly how much is the butt worth? How do you price it?

First, check it it's oiling. Next, is this new chain an Oregon chain on a Stihl bar by any chance? I had same symptoms with an 036- with no oil holes in the drive links, it seemed to struggle to get enough oil around A Stihl chain fixed it straight away. Lastly, check the sprocket. A badly worn sprocket will generate heat.

Yewhunter- job is five miles from Chichester, West Sussex- a tad far perhaps? Any ideas what a butt like that is roughly worth?

Tried to search but forum says yew is too short a word I have a few yews of varying size to take down. I also have a dozen big rounds. What's the best market for this timber? I'll give eBay a go selling the branches to wood turners, but what about the larger rounds and a ten foot 16" diameter butt? Thanks.

Now there's a man who knows how to use a brushcutter

Doesn't matter. What matters is how they clip to the headbands. Sonseren will fit to Jonesered helmets. Peltor will fit Stihl helmets. Just unclip from headband, clip one onto helmet, thread wire around band inside helmet to keep it out the way the clip second one onto helmet. So come on, what make are they?

Well I'm felling lots of Ash for a nature reserve and they don't care what I do with the wood. Told me to either take or burn up ten tons of seasoned Oak that's been used as a border around some ancient burial mounds too

What make are they? You'll probably be able to find a helmet they will fit on.

Whilst we're on the subject, Bilsom are distributed in the UK by Sperian. They also distribute very good safety specs- really snug fit but comfy- wear just like sunglasses Pulsafe Sperian Amber Lens Safety Specs - Screwfix.com, Where the Trade Buys No commercial link with Sperian or Bilsom, but you'll struggle to find better PPE. Like many of you I believe in the best tools for the job, and that should go for PPE too, both for yourself and your employees.

I feel qualified to comment upon this as I have tried almost every brand on the UK market. Run six pairs, so everyone who works for me gets music. Well worth the cost in terms of increased productivity from happy workers. Husquvarna are rebadged Sonseren. Auto tune is rubbish, constant fading and switching and hard to tune in to the more far flung stations that you'd have no trouble getting with a manual tune. When the battery gets low, you have a 'beep beep' every fifteen seconds. Five minutes of this and you'll want to throw them in the river. Hellberg TuneUp are ok, not brilliant reception though but do have a 3.5mm line in for ipod/walky talky etc. Peltor are as previously mentioned, crap reception. By far the best are a brand by the name of Bilsom. Come from Australia. Amazingly comfortable, replacement pads easily available and SUPERB tuning and sound quality. First found them as Screwfix: Bilsom Radio Ear Defenders - Screwfix.com, Where the Trade Buys Then I found a yellow pair with line in: SBA - Bilsom Radio HV Ear Defenders. Although cheaper than the black ones, audio quality is the same! Currently have four yellow and two black. Bilsom are the Stihl of the radio ear defender world- everything else is B&Q special in comparison. It really is that different. Trust me on this- I should know as I spent four years trying different brands. Only 'problem' is they won't fit normal helmets- however I'm ordering a pair of non radio Bilsoms with a helmet fitting for about £8 this week and will try and swap them over. Should work fine, does anyone want to know if it does?

If your're running .325 pitch, then your 261 will benefit from quicker cutting and a narrower kerf if you switch to 3/8 Picco sprocket, bar and chain. Would recommend a 12" 3/8 Picco bar in either 1.1 or 1.3mm gauge. 1.1mm is noticeably faster on green birch, but may not be up to the job on seasoned timber. Regarding loss of firewood, well, are you of Scottish descent?