Matthew Arnold

Cheers Spud will have a good strip down to have a look see but sounds like it is will out of my league of mechanical expertise so off to the dealers it goes unless it is a simple fix like a clogged air filter/fuel filter or coked up exhaust.

Been using two new KM130R today and what a difference 12 months make. No snap back from the valves/early firing. Almost like an Ergostart it was so smooth. On an unrelated issue, we have a HL101 long reach which is a right arse to start. Its been in for a new carb but still floods. Once it fires it coughs and splutters into life. The only thing i can think which is the problem is the spark arrester is clogged with soot as the smoke is black but bogs down until it it warm. Would it be worth removing the arrester (if it has one)?

Our containers are locked down tight at the moment as seen a few "herberts" milling around the industrial estates in high side barn door trannies/LDVs. Our metal skip was rustled through whilst we were out but the yard is a multi use yard so all manner of stuff goes into it.

Good news about the beech. It isn't signed off for the chop but 3 other trees on a town centre site are for the 99% reduction this winter due to the failures this summer. The Beech may have its lower branches reduced a bit and the crown dead wooded. Its a shame about the 3 town centre trees but they are due to be re-coppiced anyway.

Same ere.

Got a moth trapping session this month. I have said i don't mind staying the night but have been told i don't need to unless it is absolutely necessary. Butterfly Conservation - Dorset: National Moth Night

Oh dear, oh dear oh dear. I think i may have jinxed it. Although great things have happened at Old Trafford.

Thats the trouble down your neck of the woods mate. The borough council just get them moved but their defences are crap.

LOL. I wont be the BCS pilot for another week now as a colleague said the clutch cable was letting go (it wasnt), the motor/deck mount point had excessive play (not my fault) and because of the excessive play it had worn the PTO shaft which needs to replaced now. Not happy as needed that on Friday. Oh well back to the fungi dance:thumbup:

Basically, willow is a soft (hard) wood anyway and is prone to tears/limb failures. Add a saprophtyic or parasitic fungi at a weak point in a willow and it can't defend itself quickly enough due to the openness of the rays. So the fungus goes crazy and goes on a gorging run before the tree can react thus causing failures at an accelerated rate in comparison to Oak or Ash for example.

My colleagues and i have been discussing the recent limb drops on our sites and have come up with a theory as to why we are seeing more this summer than we had last the past two summers. Our theory is because our spring was later than usual the trees are growing at stunted rate and producing lots of leaves and lots of fruit/mast/etc to make up for last years very poor summer. But because they have grown so quickly, the longer and weaker limbs can't hold the sudden weight gain where in the past the growth has been steady so they could adapt the fibres to hold the weight. We have also noticed that most of the limb drops occur during or just after rain where the weight of the leaves effectively treble in weight. We have also checked for any rot in the breaks and found nothing in our failures. Could we be onto something? We had a failure last night/early hours caused by the rain on a perfectly healthy hyper extended limb. I noticed two days ago it was sat in a lower branch of the same limb and told my colleagues about it. It hadn't failed but it was contorted/twisted as there was a two inch branch hooked into a fork, keeping it up. Please note, the lack of rot and and the fibres at the failure point.

Got a KM130R in the workshop with what sounds like a dropped valve from what my colleague told me. Basically it was running flat out with the hedgecutter attachment going through some very thin brambles and it just made a big bang and stopped completely. You can't pull the recoil at all. Also have the "ultra reliable" BCS flail in for a new PTO shaft, deck to motor mount tightening, new clutch cable and a new first gear in the gearbox.

Heard Hinder the other day on Planet Rock and really liked a song they played atleast twice in an hour by accident. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYIxUM-CnSw&list=HL1375130849]Hinder - Get Stoned (Uncensored) - YouTube[/ame] The have been playing a bit of Sevendust as well which has brought a few tears on coz i am a soppy sod. [ame] [/ame] [ame] [/ame]

Not the best start to the working week. Was on route toour top depot when i noticed we had a very soft trailer tyre with a black sidewall. Just as well i spotted it out it would have been rather messy when it let go on the way to Yeovil with a tractor on the trailer as well.

Nothing will be extreme where we go. The will the odd challenge but nothing that will be vehicle breaking. Will be the odd bit of wading but hoping a few of the puddles we went through will have dried out. What tyres you got?

Some pics of a fair sized lump of deadwood which was dislodged in last nights gusty showers. Having some pretty unpleasant squally showers tonight so may have a few more out.

Lots of heavy sometimes torrential showers are the name of the game this evening. Just got soaked running back from the shop with much needed supplies. Its stopped as i stepped foot in the house.

On a young Oak.

Some of todays piccies.

The stuff that has been sprayed a couple of time last year isnt too bad about waist high. But the unsprayed stuff is about 6ft high, 10 foot in places.

Time to get the ball rolling for who wants/is able to come and which weekend is best for them. P.S if you have a shiny new toy that you don't want to scratch to hell and have an older scratched/dented one. I wold bring the older wagon. 6 vehicles is the Max we can have in one group so space is limited.

Oh yes. Its basically a compact bridge camera with a massive zoom. Its a big bigger than my old compact but it is much tougher build quality. Got 2 SD cards and 2 batteries with it with is a major bonus. Ordered a well padded pouch for it tonight.

Pics from the new toy.

Time for a quick update of this weeks antics Lots of bridleway clearances done on foot as the paths couldn't be driven by a tractor. And lots of pic taking with my new compact. A Canon Powershot SX260HS.

This rain today is going to cause havoc on the hyperextended/sunseeking limbs. We've had 6 come down of vary sizes and a couple which look like then are gonna be on the way down overnight.