AHPP

You couldn't make the undercarriage for £1500. How on earth is a full machine coming from the other side of the world for that?

A mate keeps going on about a Chinese digger (with a Kubota engine apparently - I'll believe that when I see it) that he can get delivered for £1500. It's just going to be 1.5 tonnes of disappointment and breakdowns, spending a fortune on new fluids and hoses and then ending up with something nobody will buy, that you can't bear to run in for scrap.

Someone take a picture for my curiosity please. Haven't been near a Husky in years.

Harder on Stihl. Had to (carefully) grip the splines on the clutch drum with water pump pliers and tap those to drift the drum off. Doing it often would unduly mar the splines. None of the manuals had any less destructive ideas.

If a bloke who does lime mortaring and leaded windows graffitis a nice old church, is his crime greater or lesser than a builder who uses expanding foam doing the same graffiti? Obviously there’s no bloody difference. They’ve both graffitied a nice old church. Load of bollocks. Waste of internet. Not aimed at you particularly, Mick. I should use the quote function more consistently.

THE jailing of two “experienced tree surgeons” for felling the Sycamore Gap tree should serve as a reminder to rely only on recognised arborists, the Arboricultural Association has said. Former friends Adam Carruthers and Daniel Graham have begun a four-year and three-month prison sentence after being found guilty of two charges of criminal damage, one to the tree and one to Hadrian’s Wall when the tree fell on it in September 2023. And speaking in the wake of the pair’s sentencing last month, officials at the AA were keen to point out the difference between a ‘tree surgeon’ and a fully trained and qualified arborist. A statement from the AA read: “We welcome the judicial system’s response to the destruction of this heritage tree, and we are encouraged by the public’s deep appreciation of the importance of trees for individuals, communities, and society. In this context, the expertise and knowledge of tree care professionals has never been more important. “We note the judge’s description of the men convicted in this case as ‘experienced tree surgeons’. This is an important point for clarification. Anybody can call themselves a ‘tree surgeon’ but, although this term is generally understood, it is not one that guarantees a level of competence or professional integrity. By contrast, professional arborists are highly skilled practitioners who at times need to cut or remove trees as part of their work.” Urging members of the public to rely on the AA’s accredited list of consultants and contractors, the organisation added: “We strongly recommend that tree owners and land managers choose arborists who are members of a recognised professional body.”

Jailing of Sycamore Gap pair a ‘reminder’ to rely on tree care professionals – AA WWW.FORESTRYJOURNAL.CO.UK Former friends Adam Carruthers and Daniel Graham have begun a four-year and three-month prison...

I meant I had only just read (red) it. I’m a reckless reactionary like that, Mick. Harmlessly on this occasion but reckless nevertheless.

Just read it. It’s exactly what the headline suggests: Here’s something in the public eye. Now here’s a barely related drum we want to bang.

Yes. Foresters. Come in.

I wasn’t drunk.

I fycking hate the thing anyway. Heavy, loud bastard. Fcxk off. I want a 40 foot birch I can do with a zingy little 2511 and a packet of sweets.

Yep. That. I've probably just signed my 661's death warrant by putting the caged bearing in with some chain oil just now. I shit you not, the rollers were spinning freely before I lubed it and then bound up with the oil.

The Microbull grab with the hydraulic capstan on it still sounds like the bollocks to me. A shame they didn't catch on more. The controls are gash and the showroom is far less easy to get to than Chesterfield. Both surmountable problems. Someone must want a small machine on tracks.

It's as disjointed as telling the public to not hire groundwork contractors who also use JCBs to steal cashpoints out of walls.

It's mainly a con I think. I worked with a bloke who leaned hard into compliance, the book, the manual etc. I remember watching him twat away a morning revving and idling a new saw. He greased the nose of Husky/Oregon bars. I'm convinced that's the beginning of the end of them because all he talked about was nose sprockets shitting themselves. Meanwhile plenty of bars (i.e. Stihl ones) that never see grease, still work.

Parking Eye, ELF. You're putting the big boys in their place one at a time. Who's next!

@doobin greases hedgecutters in a novel and enticing way. Tell the other children how it's done, roobie doobie.

Right. That's convinced me because the old one came out bone dry.

I filled a long reach hedgecutter gearbox with chain oil about fifteen years ago and it still works fine.

Fucxsake. I want the proper stuff now I think about it. Don’t cut corners, dickhead.

And since we’re now here, what oil/grease for the needle cage bearing? Manual calls for special Stihl lubricant. No, I didn’t read the manual before going to the shop. No, the bloke in the shop didn’t sell me any lubricant when he sold me the bearing. No, I don’t fancy going back to the shop tomorrow. Yes, I will if I absolutely have to. Have chain oil, machine grease, engine oil, maybe 90w gearbox oil on hand.

Just in case anyone’s struggling doing these, I just found a lovely way to make it easy. Screw it to the bench and use a cable tie instead of the special hook tool that the manual wants you to buy. Nothing earth shattering. Just a very little bit of joy into someone’s life hopefully.

Let AI and idiots lap up shit. The more chainsaw accidents the better. Let’s get this mess to its conclusion.