difflock

Cardboard coffins(and a very very sound idea btw) are actually more expensive that a bog standard wooden/fake Oak one. Wicker work is even more expensive again. From a conversation with the friendly local Funeral Director. A strange bloody world we live in.

^wot e said^

erm, well, oh, um, far far too simple an straightforward an idea to ever work:blushing: Seriously though, I would have probably thought that getting the bundles OFF the spike ud be the difficulty. I definately need a better way of (i) measuring an marking my 1.0m lengths (ii) having the logs presented at waist height for ease of cutting. Hence my plans for a log deck I suppose. I will end up with some kind of Heath-Robinson firewood processer set-up:lol: before I am finished:lol:. I, on reflection, Should prob have spent wot I spent on the 3PH Baker sawmill on a store-bought firewood processor and simply reckoned the too-good to cut up for firewood Sitka Spruce . . . were actually the perfect feed-stock for a store bought firewood processor. And the product thereof easily saleabe for cash. SIGH!!

Are you working in Australia? Cos silly as it sounds that background does not look Austrailian, more north European. Or where else was the photo taken? m

Logs had been sitting "in the round" from early Spring cutting, readings were in the middle 20's mostly, with the obviously wet ones in the bottom in the 40's. Giving my wet=250kg figure. PS "Crane scales" simply was the term I found used to describe a set of scales suspended from a crane, when internet searching for such an item. Surprisingly expensive, especially for the higher tonnage ones. The set I purchased goes up to 500kg if I recall. PPS Yes to grip the billet bundles "end on" so as to minimize distortion from the grapple squeezing/distorting the round. So unless I buy or fabricate a better/more suitable grapple, since the small one I am using is not particularly good at gripping the bundles as they can relatively easily squash and distort off the round and therefore fall out. Therefore better to grip "end on" = no distortion. An old block grab might actually suit, Hmmmm?

erm, At that sorta money for a LHD Toyota, ow much ud a 461 "Worker" spec "G" Wagen imported from Germany be? I also wonder if MB will ever offer the Aussie Mil-spec 6*6 "G" Wagen for straight commercial sales. Now they are sexy kit. see linky G Wagon - Australian Army Another aside, the 6*6 seen driving through the mud in the wee video clip, very very much reminds me of the famous American WW2 "Duce and a half", Marcus

( I) Tractor bes a 1984 vintage 1490 (ii)Sappie? my fearsome homemade tool is essentially a pick-up or reach out tool, especially handy for wet wood. I have finally got a few billet bundles stacked in the shed. So plan is: (i)Process into billet bundles and stack mechanically, and I can stack 5 or 6 rows high, which minimizes the storage area covered and also the amount of tarp required to cover, the rounded profile is also kinder on the cover. (ii) When dry mechanically transport to shed and stack 3 or 4 high. (iii) ONLY When required cut to desired length with the wee PTO cross cut saw, and either into a wheelbarrow, to go to the boiler, or up the elevator into a trailer, for delivery. Am getting there. My creaky 55 year old back is a great motivator for minimizing manual handling. Next purchase needs to be a tractor loader or preferably an Avant type tool for the mechanical handling aspect, the tractor forklift is WAY too clumsy. cheers m

Depends, One customer buys the bundles, the brother prefers to run them through my tractor PTO cross-cut saw. Not really in commercial sales mode yet, still testing the water, and busy other directions forby. Currently studying up fabricating a 1.0m long hydraulic clamp to grip end on. oops dinner "is up" back later Marcus

Since I bought the crane scales, I have weighed a few 0.5m3 billet bundles. When wet 250kg (single representitive sample only) When dry 165kg at 12.5 to 15% max (average of 10 bundles) So at 4KwHr per kg= 660KwHr each = equivalent to burning a 30Kw oil boiler for 22Hrs. I actually find that hard to comprehend. My bloody Solarbayer must be well inefficient. cheers m

regardless of the fuel, I would suggest burning any stove inside a vehicle is potentially sucidial, especially if pissing with rain and windows wound up? m

Our back field of rough natural years old grasses an rushs is stonking full o it. I noticed cos I was towing a tarp round to clean it, the nice clean Sitka pole I was using for a spreader bar turned orange, as did the blue rope. m

Idea as posted ud be a non-starter due to stumps fouling the pick-up and stones being fed into the chipper. However at the last APF J Deere had a brash Baler, working on the demo circuit. An ungainly cumbersome looking machine, from my recall, and fed with a standard grapple on a forestry crane(again from recall) Marcus

Quite a few of those wee beasties in the Lodgepole Pine I was cutting n splitting yesterday. Also intended to ask re which creature left the 4mm 5mm 6mm dia holes in a Sitka Butt. Must be quite an impressive beastie. . . a Beetle larve presumably?

I only took a look at this thread out of idle curiosity, my only relatively inexperienced (but recent experience) would be that rubber tracks are VERY limited in respect of their traction/flotation capabilities. Having had an 8 tonne rubber track Hitachi on hire recently. Quite perplexing how much worse they are than the equivalent steel tracks. Working in peat mind, not really wet peat, but wet enough to be slippery though. And recalling the oh-so-nearly badly bogged 10 tonner on rubber tracks that came back to the same site in v similar weather about a year later on steel tracks instead, and performed like a different digger entirely. Same professional operator in both cases btw. marcus

A guid feed o hot Vodka. Bound to have the same effect as a feed o hot whisky/whiskey

Are the Trimax flails not murderous heavy? Simply Cos they are so well built. I had a notion one of the "stander" type zero turn machines (all American built as far as I recall) were a very tidy easy to transport(cos so short overall) for a owner operator/one man band. Step off to lift litter and step on again. V good practise for downhill skiers too. All fuel guzzling petrols when I was looking, but it may not be practical to fit a small enough diesel. I still have time for Kubota diesel engines, but had formed the opinion, that since the days of the virtually indestructible G1700/G1900's they had gotten lighter built and flimsier, some of the so call Kubota decks for the Euro/UK market were subbed out/built down to a price. That said we bough 2 Kubotas this spring, because they were the only compact ride-on diesel hydrostatic available. I considered the JD petrol engined equivalent but quailed at the predictded extra fuel costs. The Kubotas will have paid for themselves inside of 3 years running on red diesel. Double the fuel at double the price sure adds up! PS The 3060 outfront Kubota is still "Oldskool" engineered.

Sniff! Do i see concrete posts mentioned in here:lol: "Oh sorry sir i forgot about them, and btw, how much will that new tyre cost for your Fendt 930?":lol:

A good flail behind a tractor, if only 6 years growth over 12 acres. Especially IF IT was Lawn before.

Brand new loppers "borrowed" and left back well busted. An enquiry elicted the response that they really need bolt croppers but seen the loppers first. For to cut off a padlock. Strangely this "outside the box" thinking did not work.

Spirograph and Creamola foam(in the wee tin)

see; 7500kg-3240kg=4,260kg for Dvr, diesel an Payload So with the 260kg for the Dvr and diesel = 4,000kg payload. With a simply beautifully balanced gas strut assisted tail-ramp. Phew! Already planning my next purchase, an alloy body tipper, on the same(ok shorter) chassis, in my head/dreams. new truck.pdf

Then one is employing a flawed business model, travelling long distances for minimal wages. Or, In farming parlance a "busy fool", working hard, yes, but not achieving a lot. Cheers Marcus

The new Iveco 7.0t van chassis is also very light. But simply not light enough to claw back the missing 500kg (from 7.5t) But nearly!

(i) If I required to drive substantial distances on a daily basis, I would run a newer car, possibly with Green Star cover. Or simply change every 3/5 or 7 years when the manufacturers warrenty expires. Plus have contingency plans in place, like short term hire or loaner. (ii) See above. Simples.

per above, we went with the Mitisu fuso canter merc chassis. Weighed today with complete 5.5m beavertail body work, full width gas assisted tail ramp and 24V winch Total chassis and bodywork came in at 3240kg So 4260kg for payload, less a driver, piecebox and a tank of diesel(say 260kg for these) So a nice round 4000kg legal payload. I am very pleased. Partly because most bodywork suppliers/coachbuilders, that I spoke to, said it could not be done. So a big thanks to Norman Hueston, and his fabricators, for their paitence dedication and downright coachbuilding skills. I will post photos post delivery.