JamesNI

Onto my second box. Hate stump grinding so I'm forever selling them when I can. Takes a fair few on a big stump and the aren't cheap little fellows. Spare battery for the drill is a good idea, it's a big drill bit!

As above really, wood will be a false economy, temporarily fire two old sheets in up the sides, it'll still be better than mashing! Did my van with box section and galvanised tin, 0.4mm from memory. Hundred and a half for materials, and as said some welding. I used self drillers, (tech screws) to hold the tin on, rivets always come loose but look much nicer.

Thanks for all the replies so far. Despite my ignorance, doing a bit of research on it has been enjoyable. I've had a look at the fungis suggested, can't decide which for sure, i'll maybe make an effort to go tomorrow if it's a dry day and get a few more shots and give it a scrape to see how it is under the surface to help ID it. I'll also get the kit out and get up and have a look at the bark damage up the tree. The tag is from a previous survey which recommended a 30% reduction, but this was approximately 10 years ago and the reduction was never carried out. The client is the kind of chap who will sue me if it falls, which makes me nervous about giving him any advice! Following an aerial inspection would a tomograph be the correct course of action for the next step? Back with more photos soon!

Interested in your opinions on this beech, a customer of mine asked me to have a look, but i'd rather not guess. I'm no expert in fungi or tree health so help appreciated. It sits on a river bank, so the rear buttress roots where the fungi are, are under massive tension, as the root plate on the other side grows back to the bank. The crown appear healthy with no die back or random dead wood or limbs. Running above the fungi there is obvious bark damage in a ten inch strip to the top of the stem. The secondary stem is held on via a lovely inclusion too. The pictures really don't do it justice, if it fell in winds across the river it will do major damage to the garage on the end of the house. The customer would like to keep it, but if I thought there was much doubt i'd prefer to monolith it so it couldn't hit his house should it fall. Hope the pics work and thanks in advance for any help.

Unless I'm reading it wrong are they not thinking of banning the manufacture of them? Surely not?!

I also react badly. Dirty bastids! Nothing really for prevention, I think there is a supplement you can takes that makes you less attractive too them. Will get back to you on that. I have Anthasan and also an antihistamine called telfast for swelling in my first aid box. It's pretty good. As for 'man up' Rich, last year my forearm swelled up enough I couldn't bend my elbow, so it's no craic at all. We call em cleggs or dung flys, mostly with a lot of f words in front!

Thanks Gareth, great information, I appreciate it. A company called saw tech sharpened a set for me. I have been hiring for two years from Johnsons and that's where they sent me. It's just great not to be throwing hire money out every week, though it's an elderly machine and I've had a few teething problems. Going to get it blasted and painted and it will be like new! (Maybe!). Thanks again.

Cheers Gareth, I have a half inch torque wrench here, you have just given me the feeling that it probably won't go high enough. Joy! Like the idea of making up a guide, would make it a very handy job. Was in Hampton Park working the other week and saw your new tipper, very trick indeed!

Had a search and struggled to find much, so... I'm going to change the blades for the first time on my schliesing mx200 soon. Could anyone who has done it before give me a few tips? Really just how close to set the knives to the anvil and bolt torques or anything else that can present a problem. She is a 2001 model if that matters. Many thanks.

I'm left handed, use a two handled saw in both hands, have done forever. Top handle I use right handed nearly always. Random. There is good reason to use saws right handed, all the safety features work best that way. But I'm still here and am sure I'm not alone using it all wrong! For a course you must use it with the right hand on the throttle, apart from anything you won't be able to fell anything close to the ground with your left hand on the trigger!

Out of interest, has anyone any feed back on using it on a sopping wet day? You know the type of day that your rope starts nice and dry and clean, and ends up shooting lovely brown freezing water up your arm when descending? Is it still a smooth, tend as well etc? Thoughts appreciated as it's always raining over here!

No steering lock, crap off road. Drove an oldish 185hp for a few weeks years ago, and the 6900 JD I usually drove was better in every manner bar top speed.

Beat me to it with mazda v6. Fairly sure there is an aluminium 1.8 v6 that came in a mx3 maybe.

Please God no! I've had my snow fun this year. Dry, bright and cold is just grand!

where abouts in NI are you Arbornot?

As far as I know it will be a Renewables UK turbine climber course. Excludes work outside the turbine, blade repairs, cleaning etc. For that irata for the uk and spratt for some european and american sites.

As above, but check for water in the diesel too.

Top effort! Haha.

Would prefer to see that krab method done with a screwgate. It would surprise you how easy that krab could open rubbing about up there.

Go hard, or go home! Groundies luv it!

Too late this year, but do your accounts at the end of April and you have 9 months to find the money.

The Haemmerlin Green Standard Metal wheelbarrow! Have an eighteen year old one here, have maybe twenty self tappers in it but it's still going!

Think there are a few here who have it, including me. First thing to bear in mind about it is that as a course (qualification) alone it's not a job. It's only a method of access, you need to have a talent you can do on that rope once you get in position. The easiest way for anyone with chainsaw tickets/experience is to get the PTS course for railways and do some veg management. That should get you in the door with a company who might start and use you for other stuff. There are 1000 hours at each level, once you have done level one and two, level three allows you to become the 'senior person' on site. Each require further courses. I have five hundredish now at levelone. Working occasionally and fitting it in round my tree work, makes for nice a change, but honestly it's very hard work, hanging for long periods with no where to put your feet and working with anything small and fiddly at big height requires a lot of concentration. We spent six weeks screwing in self drillers on an 87 metre building, try not dropping one!

Awesome work, looks like wild craic! Have to say though, Britney should be seen and not heard!

Just snapped one up myself. Got one of his prussik cords too. Wish I had the patience for splicing! (or knew how!)