difflock

off the top of my head R&S systems?, will check tomorrow, but they are now the NI agents for Froling.

I did express reservations about the unsatisfactory Clearskies installations, that I was personally acquainted with and asked would the RHI scheme be better run or supervised. I was somewhat curtly told that "this was not the place for that discussion". And, yes I figgered an unturned stone or two to go yet. I would say though, that the installer I got a quote from, does know his stuff, and I visited and was impressed by a local installation of his. A Froling boiler too. All very simple, no unnecessary plumbing or pipesizes, throughly impressive imho. Also was talk/discussion of simplified heat meter installation, leastwise for the sub 45kw domestic schemes retaining oil as a supplementary heat source. They also appeared to be keen to get "Social housing" outfits to buy in, with "district heating" type schemes. Now where have I heard that before.

I attended a very poorly attended public consultation exercise recently. Basically spent an hour talking us through the freely available info off their website. Then asked for questions. No mention of certified log suppliers. discussion of getting "buckshee" installations commissioned and approved. Some sensible suggestions from the man there from CAFRE. Discussion of problems with biomass willow in North Irish market ( & love to know what that was about?) Also discussion of issues/problems with pellet installations under the Clearskies scheme. Generally a waste of a good morning. I summed it all up by stating that as a potential candidate I felt I was being asked to "buy a pig in a poke" The last Clearskies grant aided scheme here in NI did far more harm than good with shoddy unsatisfactory installation by fully approved but cowboy operators.

I presume the Sprinter has a 4*4 varient. Available as a chassis cab=ergo pick-up/dropside bodywork. job done

I have been accepted (i.e. a voucher granted) in the Northern Ireland scheme. A couple of issues preventing my instant uptake. (i) Is the fact that for 17 years we have lived in this house we have been used to burning the Morso in the living room. (ii) I would wish to retain the perfectly good oil boiler regardless. (iii) this would mean we would need to have a heat meter installed, rather than "deemed" payments. Which running the Morso, would be un-economic. Nor can I get figures for likely payments under the "deemed" system. All rather frustrating. Ideally I should also get a solar domestic hot water system installed and rip the oil boiler out, but more dosh up-front and against my deeply ingrained "waste not" principles. PS The 3 year pay back does sound a "no-brainer" of a decision. I do realize that the timber has to be funded or provided "extra-over" good luck marcus PPS Here in NI the "counter-factual" heat source is oil, therefore RHI payments not so generous, compared to a gas counterfactual on the mainland, and only over 7 years forby.

Hmmm! That answers a question for me Allow £100/m3 for hardwood and multiply by the appropriate factor to put a value on my softwood. Factor lying somewhere between 0.66 and 0.75 =£70.00/m3 hmmmm ah bin undercharging a trifle.(but were still in billet lengths/bundles)

I really really must lay in a large supply of obscenly large Cuban cigars, in acknowledgment of the increasing value of my previously virtually worthless commercial woodland. PS I dont smoke, but could consider starting!

I can kinda sympathise with the filling station staff. From the perspective of knowing a local entrepenure used to send staff to Muff in Donegal to buy the cheaper petrol for his ski boats. Umpteen nominal 20 litre plastic jars in the boot and rear seat of a car. In the summer heat. Some of his drivers also smoked. IF? they had been involved in a collision on the way back it would have been an inferno.

460/461 spec "G" Wagen perhaps. Mind there are a couple of prob 1980's Amazons knocking about locally, very well fettled, but with a lovely patina of age/nicely faded paintwork. I feel a pang every time I see one o them.

I have always shafted my own spades, shovels, sledges, billhooks/slashers, hammers and hacthets. Not shafted an Axe yet. I keep by likely lengths of Ash in a variety of lengths. I was lazy the last time and used a power planer, followed by a belt sander. Seemed to work OK. I oil the shaft when it starts to get a snug fit, prevents it getting prematurley wedged, I figger the oil will soak into the grain and be unlikely to render the shaft any more likely to slip out in use. Use hardwood wedges (glued in) or an old fashioned nail, or suitable shaped scrap of steel as a wedge. Suck it and see as they say. I actually like the slight irregularrity in hand shafted tools as it allows ones "muscle memory" to learn the correct alignment, after a bit of familarization. I know what I am trying to say, but perhaps expressing it poorly. PS All that said, I appreciate an Axe shaft is trickier due to the more 3D nature of most of them

The man who turned up on Wed to fit the gates I had not ordered (true but long winded storey) allowed there is a market for "stove logs" locally, that is split fine and cut short to fit in the multitude of stoves with small fireboxs fitted locally. As the logs in the standard nett bags sold at the filling stations etc tend to be too large. Only rub is I imagine they would really need to be hardwood logs, or one would be firing endlessly. The stove the cousin fitted, which is sized for the living room, only takes what I call "coke can" sized logs. Has the above owt relevant to do with the subject of this thread? not really sure.

ok, transport/tractor but surely transtrac, would have rolled off the tongue easier

I reckon it was the abysmal name that sunk them. How was it derived or why. Surely Tractcar or Cartrac etc., would have been better, or had they been registered by others?

Looks a lovely bit of kit For the show circuit. Hardly "handy" for everyday use. Anyway if the owners of the traction engine based cranes can keep them running and in use. Why not this girl? Agree vis-a-vis the optomistic scrap pricing and the stated weight. Tractor about 30cwt. Guessing the ballast blocks could be the same again (perhaps more?) Those large rams lifting the boom are kinda heavy Say allow about 2 tonne for the whole crane set-up 3+2=5, at a very optimistic £200= £1000.00 But what is the low hours /with excellent tinwork 450 skid not worth? Plus the hydraulic Boughton winch has to be worth a few hundred. Unfortunately probably worth more "broken-up" even if not scrapped. I take it the Vendor is a crane person from stuff in the background btw. cheers m

Walk behind flail type mower. Brambles, if that is all there is, are surprisingly "boast", i.e. a carpet forming a surface, over a whole lot of thin air. Leastwise here in Co Antrim they are. I waded into an absolute thicket last weekend whilst picking blackberries, once I broke through the "crust", there was little below, and I was able to easily tramp them down as I picked "out of a face" Armed with Lowa boots at one end and a done Ackubra hat at the other. With jeans and tee shirt in-between. very deceptive.

I started doing a H&S risk assessment. But on reflection.........................................................................................Nah! No point. Figgered I really needed to ask the camera man for some up close/in line photos first, to make an accurate assessment.

Hedge Cutter Videos PS It is the second "mean" video or for a better one see: Hedge Cutter Videos

A few used hydraulic pressed 10 or 12 " road kerbs chained, or otherwise secured to the front, especially with a bit of outstand, like on a dropped rad guard. Make excellent cheap front weights.

Cessna, Bugger, start with the obvious, Ensure the winch is correctly mounted with the correct size new and undamaged pins, and a strong sound top link. Always winch with the butt plate firmly grounded, test it if necessary, by "tugging" until it is firmly bedded. Is there not a simple "blow by blow" instruction booklet del with the winch. Ask the seller to demonstrate it. They should be oblidged to do so if it was purchased new? I dont think you need serious front end ballast, I am not familar with a MF 280, or was it a 380, I am however passing familar with the 390/390T What weight is your tractor. Your winch will only pull 5 tonne. Should be absolutly stable on the lower pully, less so on the higher pully. Perhaps anchor the winch to a dead weight on an obstacle free flat area and try it first, keep the tractor on tickover revs at first, it should/ may well stall or strangle before harm is done. I have broken the choke chains several times btw despite them being rated for 5 tonne. Never trust anything mechanical, or leastwise only after slow sober analysis. If you are working on your own, as I routinely do, simply do everything in slow time first. Always ensure that you will be safe regardless of mechanical failure. **** happens (even to me strangly enough) think think think. be "risk adverse" I for one took a while to get the hang of the buttons (my winch being electro hydraulic) scared the shite oot o mesel a few times when I released instead of winching in, or visa-versa. But the only way to learn is by experience. This means making mistakes. This does not mean that you should put yourself in any hazard or that there should be any personal risk.

Damm 10 min limit If you have the sense to realize you do not know, and the extra-over sense to ask sensible questions. Before starting. I suspect you will be fine But Probably sensible to suggest you get someone experienced to show you the ropes.

Well (i) Are the trees on the ground, is there any risk, from trapped tension/compression when cutting them? (?) I presume you are NOT intending to attempt to cut while holding a tree on the winch (ii) How experienced or familiar are you with the tractor, on other duties. (iii) How steep and high is the bank? (iv) Is the ground stable and firm at the top of the bank, depending on how close to the edge you are required to work. (v) What size chunks were you thinking of attempting to pull? (vi)Have you a safe and secure place to stand while winching? if not seated in the tractor. (vii) If you lose control of a log being winched, is there any third part property lying downhill of you site that could be damaged? (viii) How experienced are you with a chainsaw? I, me, mysel, see absolutly NO reason, not to proceed, on ones own, thinking all steps through beforehand, with escape routes planned and all possible "what ifs" considered. When I first "played" with the Krpan 5 tonne on the DB1490, I had her stood on her end, more than once, even so it is near impossible to winch a reasonable (4tonne ish)4WD tractor over backwards, even on the high pulley. Never stand where the rope could whip and reach you if it broke. Being in the tractor cab can actually be the safest place, in a protected cage. Regards, Marcus Assuming your winch is rope operated, all you have to do is stop pulling on the control rope. The winch will instantly stop winching. Some will hold on a rachett or band-brake until the other rope is pulled to release. So basically as long as the log being winched cannot do any harm by running, sliding or falling back = no worries. That is one reason I prefer to work alone, no risk of inadvertently injuring anyone else. See highlighted text. I hasten to add I am not a qualifed timber cutter, merely a 54 year old farmers son with 40 odd years experience sawing and limited but very informative recent winching experience.

A trailer snaking or wriggling is most likely either loaded too heavy to the rear, or too high for the towbar, and taking most of the load on thr front trailer axle, therefore effectively too heavy to the rear. Properly set up over-run brakes, which are NOT overloaded per manufacturers spec. Are well capable of braking the towing vehicle as well as the trailer. Bearing in mind the trailer brakes are activated by the nominal 50mm of telescopic travel of the hitch mechanism against the towball. So if one SLAMS on the brakes, instanteanously the towing vehicle is attempting to stop both itself AND the full weight of the trailer. Which WILL destabilize the towing vehicle. BUT if one momentarily feathers the brake pedel for an absolute split second to bring the over-run brakes on (and one can feel this happening) One can then NAIL the brake pedal quite safely and very effectively, especially now with ABS being standard fitment. Without fuss drama or excitment. marcus

Heh, he always intended to take the sub-way. Quite unbelivable.

I liked Farmer Rod's:lol:

I liked Helen Dunn's unforgettable "one liner" at Drip Camp Stirling. "**** me tits" Exclaimed very loudly after she had attempted to breast the 4' wall, slipping perfectly mid stride. During a crisp Feburary morning's PE session And came down very hard, on her rather hard/pert tee shirt clad nipples. There were, if I recall correctly, no shortage of lusty willing volunteers My how we laughed.