Matthew Storrs

357xp- most used saw for me, followed closely by 395xp and 576xp. my worst saw EVER- 339xpt- complete bag of rubbish.

As big as possible!

when i started i brought tools as and when i needed them, started with just landrover- then progressed to an ifor, then got asked to fell a 3ftdia ceder so got a big saw- few years later got a chipper and so on, i had the money there for when i needed to get equipment but doing it this way so can buy the tools you know you've got the work for. Spend a bit on some quality advertising- parish magazines can be good. its a little bit catch 22, you really need to jump in at the deep end and concentrate your all your efforts into getting work but by doing this just at weekends your current company is bound to find out.

f you have worked for the same company for 13 years i wouldn't try and be too sneaky with regards starting on your own- it just causes bad relationships if they find out and you never know when you might need to call on them for a favour. If you believe you can get the work just be honest and make a clean break- unless they would be willing to still employ you part time?

Good ole dartmoor conditions for you i see! i bet those strainers didn't shift in a hurry when you strained up:001_smile:

This is my aim- to have a Bryce hd2 with rockspike to do all the strainers and a towhitch to pull the mini digger too, that way i have the best of both worlds plus the ability to use the digger to do any grading/ clearance etc which needs doing.

The p10 is mounted all wrong for a mini diiger in my opinion, it would be a lot better on Big Bolts boxer, but on a mini digger you hitch it on half way up the mast so you have to lift it quite high (and consequently out at far reach) to enble enough height on strainers and other tall posts. I agree anything is better then a sledge but i think there are much better designs out there for minis. I would certainly look into the pecker cup ones, iv not used one of these on a small machine so im not sure how well they cope with large 7inch posts. What i did was get a compact tractor model which had a 10ft mast and shortened the mast to 6ft, I then welded the digger mounting bracket down at the base of the mast so that when you lift it you can easily get the height for tall posts (i can even knock posts in on top of a bank). I then have two chains (one on either side of the mast) with about 4inches of slack- these are attached from the postcap to the base of the mast so that when you lift the knocker onto a post you can press down untill the postcap slides up the mast untill the chains go tight (about 4inches) and then start hammering, this gives you the benefit that the weight of the postdriver is taken by the post and you can also press down onto the post at the same time as hammering which makes it far more effective, the digger is also a lot more stable as the boom is not bouncing up and down each time the weight goes up. because the knocker is hitched to the digger at the same level as the post cap(at the bottom of the mast) you always get the full height of the mast for the weight to fall on every stroke. The protech p10 weighs 190kg with a 100kg weight, this kind of weight at full reach is pretty hairy on a sub 2ton machine if there is any kind of slope. My machine weighs approx 140-150kg with a 90kg weight, you can fling it around no bother at full reach and because you have the ability to press down on the post it is actually more effective then the protech despite having a slightly smaller weight. I use mine in conjunction with a hydraulic auger which is neccesary to predrill prior to knocking in large posts. The vector postdriver is the best commercially manufactured postknocker iv seen on a digger yet BUT at 220kg with a 100kghammer it is really too heavy to be used to maximum effect on a machine less then 2.5t. Hope this helps- if the description of my machine made any sense.!

Had one once, on a takeuchi tb016, its quite good but really you need someone on the ground so one can operate thedigger and the other can get the post ready and activate the chains on the postcap to raise it to get the post under, otherwise you end up getting out of the cab 2-3 times per post which becomes a bit of a faff. The best designs for diggers are the Vector ones where you just drop the postknocker over the top of the post and you can press down onto the post at the same time as hammering, Its alot quicker as you can do it all on your own without getting out of the cab, Hard to explain really but i have alot of experiance with small digger postknockers- I ended making one myself converted from a compact tractor but works in exactly the smae way as the vector ones.

To be honest- im not fussed if they stop the current defender, i know alot of people with the newer models and they are the worst of both worlds as far as i can see, all the leaky roofs/no arm room etc etc but only with far more electrics to go wrong then the (IMO) heyday of landrover which was 200/300 tdi. Local farmer has a new one and has been back to the deakler 16 times in 2 years. As far as i am concerened anyone who currently owns a defender should be able to make it last as long as they want it to, with a galvanised chassis/bulkhead and as long as there is aftermarket replacement parts a defender could outlive all of us BUT emmision controls are likely to be the killer:thumbdown:

Not really anything to do with original post but sundays are my favourite day to work- the roads are dead quite on the way to work, my partner works funny hours anyway and id prefer to have Monaday (for example) off so that when i go somewhere there arn't loads of people out and about cos they're all at work, and if i want something the shops are open, I just work a job in the sticks somewhere so i don't ruin my customers sunday. However it is important particularly if your self employed to allow at least one day off a week otherwise it all gets a bit much!

I agree, rather then try and bring the defender down to compete with all the jap trucks (of which there are loads) why not really go full hog and design a utilitarian beast capable of serious towing designed purely at farmers/contractors etc, surely the market is big enough?

When its a sunny day, it reminds me how much i love this job, its a real treat to get a dry sunny day tho- the rest of the time its just soul destroying because everthing seems to take so much longer to do that you can't crack the jobs out as quickly, iv got about 2 weeks worth of backlogged work to catch up on. I want to be a blacksmith and work in a nice dry warm forge!!

Everthing is a bloody struggle in heavy rain, been trying to put a stock fence up on a bit of a bank, just kept slipping all over the place, plus cos i wear glasses they steam up and then i go to wipe them clean and i get mud all over them and can't see what on earth im doing- definiately going to get contacts next week!

Yes i saw after i posted that youv got the reverse drive position, i bet that makes it much easier, what HP is that tractor?

very nice, surprised you didn't go for running the auger of your mini digger instead, i find they are much better suited to this purpose then off the back of a tractor- just my thought tho!

Yup +2 for sleeping with Brian Cox, But i also sleep with David Attenborough, I find them both very interesting but there is something soothing or lulling about there voices that just lures me to sleep with them. Drives the girlfriend nuts when she finds out iv missed half the programme

Here are a few of mine the last one is extracting timber out of a sensitive woodland with no tracks or any thing, I had to snake my way through the trees to get it out- about a 100m extraction route. First one is my postknocker doing some fencing on the moors- again the digger suited this job perfectly have the ability reach over bolders etc to knock stakes in.

I hope not many folk in my area are reading this thread- Iv always felt having my takeuchi and grab have made me piss over the competition on alot of felling/clearing jobs, sure- a few have large tractors and cranes but on alot of jobs my little digger will run rings around them and fuel wise get a days work out of it for about a tenners worth of red diesel. Ref using the grab to pick up a 6ft long and use it to clear/level ground, i have done this lots with mine- works great. I have tried quite a few minis and i totally agree with eddie the jcb is gutless compared to the takeuchi, I have done 2000 hrs on my tak and it literally has not cost me a penny in downtime, and i give it some stick on some jobs where i think to myself i could do with a 3 tonner. There is a new takeuchi out called the tb219 which has slightly longer reach and a bit more weight behind it- this weighs 2 ton and could be a very useful compromise between a 1.5tonner and 2.5ton. I also use my digger with a postdriver and in average conditions it is much faster then a tractor knocking stakes in and all on my own too. I certainly would reccommend the takeuchi for tree work- as Eddie says the basic tough casing on it can take a knock or two with out cracking all the casings which most of the other makes have.

I would tend to agree with this-a 3 tonner is certainly better and many times i v looked into replacing mine but the trouble is transporting around, 3 tons plus trailer, buckets, grapple and whatever else is going to be near 4 tons which puts it out of tranportability with a pickup, Thats the beauty of the 1.5 ton is its so easy to move from job to job without involving tractors etc. Just make sure you get one with expanding tracks- and defo reccomend a cab in these weather conditions! When its peeing down i love just sitting in my digger with the heater on moving/ sorting logs and brash etc:thumbup1:

I have a 1.5t (nearer 2 ton in practise tho) which i use alot for tree work- not so much domestic arb jobs as usually the hassle of getting it to sight isn't worth it, however for scrub clearance, felling general sorting jobs its excellant. it'l do the work of 7 men without a sweat, there are 2 types of fixed arm grabs- one is a fixed brace thumb which welds onto the dipper arm and works with the opening/closing of the bucket, the other type is a purposebuilt grab which replace the bucket altogether and usually has 3-2 tines, this is what i have on mine and it pick up to a maximum of just over 2ft in diameter. a 18inch log 10ft long is no problem at all for it I use my mini digger with a post knocker- post auger- grapple and loads of different buckets and its the most essential bit of kit i own and makes me more money then any other kit i own. Get one!

Well we all knew that. what worried me was all the lads in his office playing with lego and stuff- god knows what went on in there:sneaky2: spridge was a legend but to be honest I kinda felt sorry for the guy, I mean imagine having to live in that little room of his day in day out for 30 odd years- nuts.

fair play to you then- keeping your outgoings to a minimal is the way to go IMO, Its no good stressing out over high overheads- takes the fun out of the job.

that just machinery costs or does it include insurance/yard rental and stuff?

thats alot, I reckon before wages mine is more like £130 per day, thats all usual buisness costs, plus replace landy, mini digger+ attachments, tracked chipper, trailers etc from new every 10 years.Crikey if i had to pay £336 a day before wages I'd be on the stress thread all the time!

most chainsaw collisions with the leg will be either kick back or on the run down, I can't possibly think of a situation where you'd be cutting into your leg full bore, you'd have to be a total plonker for that to happen in which case natural selection and all that, I actually find ppe can give a false sense of security- occasionally i use a saw without trousers when im fencing and just need to shape up a strut or something and im never more careful when doing that.