John Russell

Nothing special really; it's fairly common. Here are two in my woods (mother and daughter). Picture taken at dusk so quality is not too wonderful. Problem with white deer is that they're easy to spot and are attractive, so they tend to be picked off by stalkers. Best wishes, John Russell

In Devon it was/is called 'letter boxing' and has been going on on Dartmoor for more than 100 years (that is, pre-GPS). Here's more about it: Letterboxing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia My wife is a mad keen 'Dartmoor walker' and is up there twice in most weeks. Keeps her well fit! Best wishes, John Russell

In order of importance. 1) Enthusiasm, 2) Reliability. 3) Common sense/nous. 4) Ability to get on with others and to take instructions. 5) Qualifications (or being keen to learn). 6) Good references. Think of as many instances from your experience to date that illustrate the last 2,3&4. Demonstrate, by your manner, no.1. Show no.5 (or demonstrate your willingness to learn). You'll have No.6 or not. Do try and get some -- I'd be suspicious of someone with no references at all. If not have some good reasons worked out. Think up a lot of good questions to ask that show you understand the business (and indirectly demonstrate your enthusiasm). Show that you're keen to get on (but try not to appear too cocky). These come from 30 years of interviewing people and it's 30 years since I had an interview myself! Best of luck with the job, Ian. John Russell

I might have a bit of work for someone in Nottingham (near IKEA). We have a hedge -- mainly a mix of blackthorn and hawthorn -- 50 metres long. It overhangs a 6-foot fence and goes up to about 20 feet high -- no big trees amongst it. Access possible both sides. It needs cutting back to a manageable state and chipping on site by someone with the necessary kit. Can anyone give me a price? Ask any questions on the thread and then PM me if you're interested. Best wishes, John Russell

Pascal wrote: "What I heard from collegues using this kind of equipment, the fuel consumption is about 1 l/hp/day. So if the tractor has 250 hp...." I'd be interested to know how much finished wood chip that represents -- if anyone knows?

The 1164 was made up to '76 and the 1164TW was made after '76. They are all 4WD. Not sure what the TW stands for but I think it's to do with the Ford designation.

1) Keep them off the damp ground. Ideally stack them on old pallets. 2) Plenty of air movement through them -- (which is not possible in a closed shed unless the shed walls have gaps in them). 3) Keep the rain and snow off them with an overhanging cover. Anywhere that meets these criteria will be fine. They probably won't start to dry much until the spring/summer, because the air is damp. Best wishes, John Russell

I don't think I've cut enough wood to reach that point, Chris, but thanks for the tip -- I'll inspect it regularly. Any tips for sharpening before I get my teeth into it? Best wishes, John Russell PS: sorry about the puns -- can't help myself!

Don't know anything about the details of this but it seems to me that you feel very confident that you've not done anything wrong and it appears like you're working yourself up unnecessarily. Calm down, don't jump to conclusions about who's done and said what. Hold your head up, answer any questions slowly, thoughtfully and truthfully and don't allow yourself to be drawn into any speculation about anything. Stick purely to the facts as best you can remember them. Best wishes, John Russell

Here's my 641 which I've had for about 9 years. 60inch bucket with digging teeth. Here we were knocking through between one part of the building and another so instead of carrying all the rubble (stone and lime mortar) down the stairs, we just opend the window and tipped it into the Bobcat's bucket. It's really fast for moving and lifting sand, gravel, logs, ballast. Not so good for digging -- there's a limit to the amount of pushing force before the wheels spin. It's useless on soft ground -- if there's nothing in the bucket then the rear's very heavy and the front's very light and if you have a bucket full of heavy stone the rear end will almost come off the ground, then the front wheels sink in. In summer though, when the ground is hard, it's really quick for moving loose stuff around and loading a trailer. It's old and knackered, air-cooled -- so very noisy -- and the brakes are useless, but in use you don't need brakes except for parking (hence the wood under the wheels). It starts on the button, good tyres and bucket and all the joints are well greased. I keep it in a shed. I'll be selling it probably sometime this year as I now have a new 2.5 tonne Kubota digger and trailer for the tractor so I'm not really in need of it any more.

Point taken. The Hakki Pilke Eagle cuts extremely well with that 700mm blade -- but then I've no experience of anything else. The tungsten-toothed blade is an option that is well worth having (I think they charge about £120 extra for it). Hence I've never needed to sharpen it -- but then I've only had it a year, and I only use clean, newly-felled green wood. Best wishes, JR

Correct. It was me that said 30cm was the limit, but that was probably pushing it a bit. It could, arguably, be modified to allow it to double-cut something bigger but I wouldn't recommend it. It would mean handling a big lump of wood near a 700mm circular saw and would be dangerous and slow -- and then it wouldn't go in the screw splitter anyway. Best to just accept that the machine has a limit. Any less than 25cm -- brilliant. If you're cutting wood bigger then you need something else. Best wishes, John Russell

Butler wrote "...to be honest i respect you a have a feeling your a great climber..." Gibbon took offence (perhaps understandably). Classic example of why it's important to punctuate, read back what you've written and correct if necessary. Butler meant to say, "...to be honest i respect you. I have a feeling your a great climber..." That full stop and the capital 'I' makes all the difference! I bet some of you think I'm a smart arse. You're probably right. Best wishes, John Russell

If you spent £100 on fuel you wouldn't claim back £20 VAT; you'd claim back £16.66. The VAT fraction is 1/6. To claim back £20 you'd to have to have spent £120. Best wishes, John Russell

If you're going to be running it somewhere with electricity available and intend to make good use of it, I'd seriously consider converting it with an electric motor. It's air-cooled and looks like a side valve, so it will be both noisy and rather in-efficient. I think going electric will cost you a lot less in the long run. Of course, if you plan to take it into the woods with you...

Have you come across many trees with it yet, John? Right next to where we are (15 miles north of Dartmoor) there was an old Victorian stately home -- now gone -- and as a result the woods around us are full of rhododendron. Best wishes, John Russell

They've been warning us about this for months now. I'm very worried as I have about 90+ acres of trees growing -- though, thankfully, no larch. The thing that's most worrying is that the disease seems to be evolving to affect different trees. It started out infecting rhododendron in the South West of the UK and then spread to larch. It's spread by the wind and larch produces a lot of spores in spring and summer which can carry the disease a long distance when the air is moist. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that the prevailing wind is from the SW so it's very likely to spread up-country. It seems to have got as far as Somerset, Wiltshire at the moment. I suggest familiarising yourself with the symptoms as many of you could be the first to see them. All you need to know is here... Forestry Commission - plant health - P. ramorum in England I suppose it's an ill wind that blows no one any good, so some of you might be in for a bonanza time. Best wishes, John Russell

RangerMatt writes: I bet the govenrment will put this down to an Extreme Weather Event caused by us releasing CO2 into the atmosphere. If we stopped using every fossil fuelled machine and power station in the world. It would not make a blind bit of difference. The volcanos in the world erupting or not produce more CO2 per year than any city or country in the world. Let's stick to weather and stay off the subject of climate, Matt. Suffice it to say that climate is extremely complex. What has been happening over the last few weeks is a redistribution of patterns of heat in the Northern Hemisphere. While we in Western Europe have been suffering from unprecedented cold spells, places like Nuuk, capital of Greenland, saw unprecedented warm weather with temperatures as high as +15C! If you want to discuss the science of man-made versus background CO2, then start another thread and I'll happily explain why what you've written is incorrect. Best wishes, John Russell

You might find, though, that companies, local authorities and the like will provide you with more work (because they, of course, claim all the VAT on your bill back). Some organisations will only employ VAT-registered suppliers, so new opportunities might arise. And, of course, you can now reclaim all the VAT on purchases (except private cars). One idea worth proposing -- if you ever get slow payers (don't we all), ask your accountant to send them a letter. It's amazing how helpful it can be to have a debt pursued by someone else -- it means that you don't have to fall out with someone with whom you have a working relationship. You can distance yourself from any unpleasantness which could result in you losing a client. Large companies always use this trick. Best wishes, John Russell

Are you sure about the fuel efficiency, Dean? I think an hydraulic splitter on a tractor at tickover is using a tiny fraction of the fuel being consumed. I'd love to see a test comparing the energy being used by a PTO hydraulic splitter and an electric motor driving an hydraulic pump intermittently. I'd bet a pound to a penny that the electro-hydraulic splitter would cost only pennies a day compared with the PTO splitter. Anyone tried a test like this? Best wishes, John Russell

Excellent: but be careful if you make one! That looks seriously lethal and is, by any definition, an illegal firearm! Best wishes, John Russell

People have made some good points. Re., Volvo's point about a good accountant: find an accountancy firm who is not a 'one man band'. Most good accountants actually employ a person as a tax specialist who is ex-HMRC. They will know all the right jargon to talk to the VAT office. A good, small accountancy firm with the right specialists can actually save you a lot. It can be a false economy to go with someone who works out of their back bedroom. A good accountant should have warned you in advance about the pitfall you have fallen into (if that's in fact the case). Let's hope kernowstu is right that you can claim back vat on previous purchases. It might even be for the best and you increase your profit! Best wishes, John Russell

Have you tried asking on this forum? Or checking the FAQ? Kubota Tractor Discussion Board Looks very comprehensive. If they can't help I shouldn't think anyone can! Best wishes, John Russell

To be precise the vat should be charged at the rate that was pertaining on the date the supplies were made or the day the work was done (or, if it takes several days or weeks, the day the work is completed*). The date an order was received is irrelevant. The date the work is completed is called the 'Tax Point'. In practice when there is a change in rate I'd try to invoice all work done before the rate changes. If you're using a good basic accounts package you should be able to backdate an invoice (rather than raise it on the day you're sitting at the computer). Example. You do the work on 22nd December, therefore the rate is 17.5%. You come to 5th of January to invoice it (because you were too merry to bother over Christmas) so date the invoice 22nd December and charge 17.5%. This has the added benefit that the client puts it in his December invoice pile and might pay it a month before he would if it has a January Tax Point. The important point is that the date on the invoice -- the 'tax point' -- is not necessarily the date you write the invoice out and post it (it's not a letter!). In theory the posting date could be many weeks later -- though always make sure all invoices are up to date before you close the vat quarter. More at: HM Revenue & Customs: VAT invoices: what they must show Personally I recommend Quickbooks for accounting (I've used it since 1995) -- though many accountants are too anal to like it. It's incredibly flexible, intuitive and therefore easy to use. Business Accounting Software Special Offer | 20% Off | QuickBooks UK *If a job goes on a long time why not issue a 'stage payment' for work done up to a certain date? Check with the customer first though, because some organisations don't allow this in their terms of business). Hope that helps. Any other questions just ask. Best wishes, John Russell

It took me about 1 minute to dig up the info I posted above. Good internet searching skills are now incredibly useful -- and just to think I didn't have any before I was 50! I can recommend using the 'advanced search' options (found to the right of the box you type in on Google) and then, 'Date, usage rights, numeric range, and more' -- they're great for homing in on info. Best wishes, John Russell