Stumpgo

Thanks for that info Difflock; as a very content user of LPG Transits, for 12 years now, I find it encouraging that they will remain a Government favoured option. I doubt all the advantages, particularly the very handy 4250Kg uprating, will be applied to existing vehicles. After all a/the major push to alternative fuels is about supporting new sales for the motor industry.

I have a Husky version of the same machine. Enquired a few years back re a spare cutter wheel; they were still available then at around £200 + vat. However got one off ebay for hugely less money. Sharpening them with a 6 inch resin based diamond wheel, on a standard Machine Mart 8 inch bench grinder is straightforward. And they do need to be sharp to be any good. Overall, quite a handy bit of kit for occasional use on otherwise hard to access small stuff. Especially as it doubles as a disc cutter. We don't bother with the trolley.

Thanks Chris and Sawchip. Think I will buy a loop of each before buying reels.

I'm soon in the market for 2 reels of chain - 3/8, mainly for a Stihl 064 (24 & 36 inch bars. And 325, mainly for Stihl 026/024 (!4 and 18 inch bars) Been happily using Stihl Super Rapid (Chisel) for many years but find Windsor is 30-40% cheaper. Going way back I remembered that Windsor semi chisel 404 was my chain of choice for a long barred Homelite 2100S (42 inch) and wondered how it is rated now. Suspect it is made/owned by Oregon? Cheers.

Flap from a packet of cigarette papers has always worked fine for me. Probably a bit thinner than a business card.

I've had the Husky 272S version for around 10 years and have used it as a stump grinder about as many times. If there is a way to use it effectively with the trolley I never found it! However, with its weight on the ground and operated from a kneeling position its reasonably effective for small stumps or bits of stumps tight to walls etc. where no other machine would go. Really need several spare grinding wheels. New from the shops these are around £200 + vat a piece. Ebay can be a good source of machines and grinding wheels. With slight modification to the guarding and the right combination of spacers it will take an 8 inch cutting disc that is fine for cutting away stray steel work around stumps. Mine gets used mainly for that purpose. As a dual purpose tool it justifies its space in the van.

I can confirm Breezeblock's analysis. Last summer I tipped mine on its side. At the time it was running at tick over and it switched off fine. And was back on its tracks within an hour. I let it stand for a while then turned it over by hand, no problem. Then tried it on the starter motor with the secondary fuel cut off held off. All fine for a couple of seconds; then it started!! It picked up revs and ran like banshee belching out unburnt oil and a massive grey/black cloud of smoke. Finally, it slowed down and stopped, not sounding very good. Probably it ran for only a few seconds, but felt like forever! Back at the workshop the obvious was confirmed. (It had tipped on the airfilter side (oil bath type)). Sump oil had drained into it. On the bright side, the only damage was one push rod that had jumped its rocker socket and bent. Its been running since with no issues

You get an eye for it pretty quickly; they are 1 inch ahead of the next row. Further, as time goes on, there will be more polish and wear around the lead cutters. Otherwise just look for the ones with the shattered carbide! - I found the system cut well but the cutters were not tough enough for the hard pebble in the soils around here.

Machine Mart sell the Stihl one for a similar price, only in green and branded as Kamasa. Seems to work fine.

Stereo, I think you will find that low third is a higher gear than high second!

With a tipper it can be done cheap and easy. All that is needed is to plumb in a T piece between the pump and ram and fit a push button valve and pressure gauge to it. With a level load on level ground, to get a weight just tip the body a tiny bit, around an inch, press the valve button, read the pressure and cross reference to your calibration chart. For calibrating I built up a balanced load in stages using feed sacks of known weight. I would not claim 20kg accuracy but still a pretty fair guide.

Try Global Recycling Solutions Ltd. - 01636 594 360 Cheaper than Liston's and without drama.

I have a 98 transit LWB Van on lpg and it runs pretty well. 2.0 dohc 16v. Its at full weight (3.5t) virtually all the time. On gas its 16/17 mpg; on petrol around 21 mpg. Thats mainly short journey and urban driving. With the price difference I'd need around 35 mpg on petrol to match the gas cost. (And what mpg should I expect if I swapped the van for a modern Diesel?)

Have a look here - TIJ Aluminium Ramps & Bridges - based in Doncaster. I bought a pair 6 years ago to put a 1 ton tracked grinder into the back of a transit van. Fully happy with that purchase; durable, strong and light. After using many thousands of times they remain effectively as as good as new. Did I say cheap? - No! But a 'fag packet calculation' gives a cost of 6-7 pence per use.

I've used 1100's on a 28 hp machine for several years now, with no problems at all.