aob9

Yep, the grinder is still going strong. I had a minor problem with the belt slipping off the drive pulley on occasion. Fixed it by fitting a washer between the tension pulley assembly and the frame of machine. Engine's as strong as a horse, it only dies if the teeth have rounded and I'm pushing too hard. I couldn't keep that up for long anyhow.........too much like hard work.

As OP I have to admit to flinging a small husky 240 as well. It was my first saw and a total POS. One day while trying to start it yet again I lost my temper and bounced it off the concrete floor in my garage and kicked it under the bench where it lies to this day. Luckily there was no bar and chain on it so I managed to save the best bits. That's the some of my machine aggression to date though, I usually quickly calculate how much dancing on a piece of kit will cost and take it out on something else instead.

I would recommend an RHS level 2 qualification to give you a good background in horticulture. Even if you go on to specialise in turf care a good understanding of soil types etc. will help you make good decisions as a service provider.

Or worse again, dumping it in a clearing close to the roadside. My green waste disposal bill was over €1500 last year while (some) these guys litter the countryside with their rubbish.

I just laughed out loud while reading on another forum (sorry ) about a guy that beat the s**t out of his Stihl FS85 strimmer. It was totally unreliable and he had enough of it. The only way he could get any satisfaction from it at this stage was to do a Basil Fawlty on it. So, anybody willing to admit beating the crap out of a piece of gear...........and feeling better for the decision????

Thanks for the link. The Corona is purchased at this point but I see they have other equipment of interest. I would never have found this site only for your link and I have tried quite hard to locate online Irish retailers in forestry equipment.

Yes, I'm going to go for this one. AbbeyGardens have one in stock. The saw blade feature can act as a spare as I already have a Bahco. That would pose a problem alright. Thanks guys.

Just came across this thread. I've had a customer put a spirit level against his kitchen window to check the line on a hedge before he wrote the cheque.

My current "cheapie" pole pruner finally fell apart. I've read a few threads here on manual pole pruners which have lead me to choose between these two. Fiskars Telescopic Universal Cutter Anvil P34-27-3MF Tree Pruner & Pole Two very different mechanisms. The only comment I can make on the Bahco is the telescopic pole tends to loosen during use ( I already have one with a saw blade). Has anyone got a preference for either mechanism.

Hi Nick, thought I might get your attention.

Diesel and waste are killing me too, insurance has also gone up. I'm now being squeezed from both sides and it won't be long before I'll be a loss making business. Add to that the absolutely awful weather and you can see why I'm moaning. That's my rant for today, I'll leave it at that:cursing:

Work is incredibly scarce here in general landscaping/maintenance. If this keeps up I'll have to throw my hat at it......and if I get one more (potential) customer moaning about prices I'll throw my hat at HIM.

I wish I had seen this thread before I ordered some equipment from Abbeypro. Order placed on 1st April, about 10 phone calls and 23 days later I'm still waiting.

My only problem with being self employed is I get worried when the phone stops ringing. I hate January and have often considered packing it in at this time of year, only to be glad I didn't when Spring comes around.

Tried it in all my machines for a while but it worked out far too expensive. Price competition means I can't force customers to stump up for the extra expense. I just use it in hedge cutters now as that's where I get most exposure to fumes.