doobin

I run digga, augertorque are also good. Unless you are on really good ground, I’d spec to towards the top end of the larger machines flow rate and just accept that it will be slow on the smaller machine. At least it’ll have the torque to finish the hole that way. im about to buy a slightly smaller head that will be optimum for the Sherpa and the e10, but so far the pdx2 has been a good match from e10 to e27. You probably want the one down from that. It certainly earnt its money this morning!

Mine is the PTO version, and has a foot pedal to disconnect drive in an emergency. Apparently they are not producing them anymore, as it's too much effort to meet new safety standards. I thought the guarding around the blade in particular was very well designed. Anyhow, Davies Implements are the only dealer with any stock left so if you want one, get em quick before they're gone. 26hp runs it great. The TCT blade cuts through 10" timber like butter- an often exaggerated phrase but apt in this instance. With two guys it's surprisingly efficient. As you say, great for the little bits that are a pain in the butt with a chainsaw.

Well, I don’t know about optimistic, but at the very least I want to be able to process odds and sods for my own use with ease. I’m also considering starting doing a few bags for the locals again- as high oil prices will make wood much more attractive.

I will get ymself some- didn't even know they were a thing! I used my 3/4" UJ for the first time the other day in anger. Sort of thing you think you'll never need, but if you do it saves a lot of time. I also used for the first time in anger the genuine (£250 each!!!!) 12AH Milwaukee high output batteries. The knockoffs I use are great for most things but the big 150mm battery grinder has so much startup load that it needs the high output batteries. The 3/4" gun wouldn't budge it, I swapped out the battery for the 12AH high output and away we went. I wouldn't spend out on them for all my gear, but I did think to myself as I watched the smoke coming off the nut, "that's where the money's worth is"!

How do they prove that the machines haven’t just been used on an exempt task? Sounds unenforceable to me.

THAT is what it's all about!! Nice one mate.

Glad I don’t employ you mate.

I think you mean 'client' rather than 'employer'

What's the going rate for a day with an airspade? I'm looking for a compressor to run a mole, sounds like a handy add on. Anything to do with TPOs and building works seems to be mega money.

Never replaced a clutch in ten years of FS410 use, and I shout at my lads if they use more revs than needed. It's a throttle, not an on-off switch. If it's engaged, it's engaged. To 'ride' it, you would need the load to stop the head from turning- and that's not gonna happen with two pissy little bits of strimmer cord!

The thinner stuff, sort of. Might have to drill out the locating hole for the end of the line, and ve agressive when bumping from memory.

How much? How well does it grind the ripper blades?

Aint just him mate... I stick one on and that's it, no stretch.

If you're going to be using it just around your own place for milling, then a rough terrain forklift is very good value. You'd pick a very very good one up for £10k, an old but serviceable dog for £4k easy. Will laugh at big old lumps of oak. Put some longish forks on it and it will be much more stable when loading the mill than a telehandler too. Often they are sold with a toe tip bucket which would also be handy. My local sawmill use one and they are on the roughest, muddiest shithole you can imagine when it's wet. It's not 4wd and it does just fine.

I really really rate the Oregon hydraulic one, with the Baltic Abrasives CBN wheels. Worth every penny, gets them as sharp as a fresh file and you don't need to take much off at all.

I'm not knocking you for getting as high a day rate as possible. But trying to justify it because it takes you ages to collect together all the bits and somehow fit them all on a little pickup truck is just silly IMHO, when it could all be on a trailer ready to go. Justify it as a unique service, wide boards and planed/thickenesed- that's where the extra money is for sure. I'd pay the extra for thicknessing if I needed it.

Will do. Do you run the Oregon grinder? As that will be my base, but so long as I know diameter and lock thread I guess it could be made to fit any grinder.

You need to get a bit more efficient at the maintenance and unloading by the sound of it! An hour to unload and blow off, wtf! 🤣 Backpack blower on site, get home, unhitch or forklift off. Let alone and hour and a half to load up and check the oil on a 14hp single cylinder petrol, don't be silly. And perhaps try keeping a few ten litre jerry cans handy, filling up at a garage is a total waste of time in my book, I have 150l of petrol and 2000l of diesel most of the time. I take your point about pricing and what you can earn bricklaying, but I can't see many takers at £600 a day although good luck if you get that rate, I'm not knocking you, anyone can be a busy fool and it's good you value your time. At £450 a day plus any blade damage this mill will easily pay it's way (it costs about the same as an auger plus breaker for a mini digger for crying out loud). It's a relatively unique service that can easily be sold as a bolt on to a tree job when the rest of the kit is already on site. No brainer. For me, it's not about what I can earn bricklaying (which I hate anyway 🤣), in my business it's about how many times you can duplicate yourself by putting men in the cabs and behind the controls of your machines. I then just drift about and do what I fancy (usually welding and running the yard). Works for me. But if you are a one man band then I agree it's best for you to make every day as profitable as possible. For me, there's a sweet spot and I need to keep a volume of work/recommendations coming as well. I'm also keen to see how much I can save by doing things like halving sleepers for thinner sleeper walls (might warp too much but worth a go), milling my own oak or chestnut posts (£110 net to buy here, I resell on the quote for £160, got to be some money there) and milling basic things like 4x4 posts (costing £16 to buy these days). My local sawmill are great but everything is a month's lead time.

I plant to offer it with the MultiOne for £450 a day- both should fit on the wagon/trailer, and the loader won't be doing much work. Just replacing a man, which is what it's all about for me.

I prefer your indexing system, nice. Baltic Abrasives did my CBN chainsaw wheels, I'll get a wheel off them to suit the ripper. I have a lathe, so fitment no problems.

What setting tool is everyone using? Can I use the Woodland Mills setter for Ripper blades?

Thats great. Will be piece of cake to weld up similar for my Oregon grinder. Thanks so much.

You’d just buy a Menzi surely. Better spec out of the box so to speak. That doesn’t even have an extending boom, and think of the work it took to convert it! And it looks like it’s on street pads 🤦‍♂️