alexm

Here's the Fergie now after a full engine rebuild and refurb

Yeah know what you mean. The reason I ordered this in the first place was my old type spout started sticking open, as they do. I thought at the time what perfect timing, I can get the new type.... and then after I ordered it Husqvarna delayed it for months Ended up buying a new spout for the old can last year which is still working fine so I guess I'll keep the old can as backup

Finally came today. It's been so long I'd forgotten I'd ordered one! First impressions are very good. Seems solid and well made and has some nice features.

Thread hasn't been updated for two weeks so here's an updated pic of mine.... long overdue engine rebuild under way. I suspect it's the first in nearly 60 years but I'll know when I get in there. I know I was the first to do the back axle, hydraulic pump, hydraulic top plate and steering box so hopefully the engine will just be worn.... and not farmer bodged!

It would be easy to say stick to good brands and avoid anything Chinese, but then lots of good brands are made in China now so basically I'd advise not buying too good to be true cheap, buy from a respected vendor but above all, use them with finesse. A cheap, horrible bit made of cheese might fit right but deform off as you apply torque.... or another cheap, horrible bit made of glass will shatter as you apply torque. In either case, if you feel your wrench starting to turn but you don't see the bolt starting to turn then abort, you need to change something. 'One more try' = ££. Use touch, not impact wrench This isn't necessarily true. Ever tried drilling stainless compared to mild steel? Strong/weak isn't really the right description... just right/wrong material for the application and for this sort of application you really need to go by the manufacturer if you ever wish to make a successful insurance claim in the future!

I've actually used Torx bits to get rounded Allen bolts out in the past by tapping in a sacrificial bit as a last ditch attempt before phase two... the 'weld-a-nut' A good quality, well fitting and unworn Torx bit should not strip. That's what they were designed for but obviously a lot also depends upon the quality and material of the bolt, the material it is going into and how heavy handed the person who put it in was or whether they've used adhesive/loctite. For example, steel into alloy can be a nightmare, or a bolt driven in with an impact wrench. I agree with the posts above about swapping material from OEM in this application. Don't do it. On chippers you've got impact/brittleness, you've potentially got corrosion of dissimilar metals, you've got galling and you've got shear and in all cases the consequences of the bolt failing could be much worse than not being able to undo it come blade change time! Use OEM bolts with high quality tools, or use bolts to the same material/spec Also pay attention to torque values (and whether wet/dry). You might think under-torquing will make them easier to remove... but if the blade is able to slide back and pinch the bolt then you are trying to remove an oval bolt from a round hole! Or it could shear it through like a pair of secateurs! Small investment up front could save big time later! Alex

Dimensions aside, (and assuming the bolts are the same spec) surely allen heads are as likely, if not more likely, to strip than Torx with a properly fitting, quality Torx tool?

Standard Sugi 18" on mine, handles nicely

One squirt of WD40 and your hands and pint glass are clean and smelling good! I burn a lot of leylandii too... season well and control the burn in a good stove it's good free heat (no one else wants it!) [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16RKEqiQEFA]Stovax Inset Stove - YouTube[/ame]

The old Fergie after a log splitting session... [ame] [/ame] Also I seem to be accumulating winches lately ... Grey one at the back is a Ferguson badged winch (made by Hesford sold by Ferguson) and the one on the tractor is the same winch except for a few minor differences which Hesford made and sold themselves.

That's what happened to mine too. Felt like a seal or something inside had swollen up as by the end it was extremely stiff to open and close

I've placed a couple of orders with Skyland recently and felt they deserved credit where it is due! It's often hard to find great service and great products at the same time these days but this was such an occasion so it's worthy of praise! Amongst other things the two main items were: 1) Husqvarna 560 XPG - despite a slight hiccup with the courier it still arrived promptly (they actually sent out another saw for me!) with helpful and prompt communication throughout! As for the saw, have put a few hours on it now and it's a cracker! It's running an 18" Sugi bar with stock .325 chain and feel it comfortably out-performs my stock 346XP which is only running a 15" bar. As a keen 'hobby' user it's too much saw for my needs being brutally honest , but I do love my machinery! Only two very tiny gripes (these are aimed at Husqvara really)... 1) They have moved the decompression button on top and recessed it which makes it tricky to push with a fat gloved finger. 2) Compared to my 346XP (maybe I was lucky with that saw because it has always been the easiest two stroke to start ever!) the 560 can be a bit fussy to start warm (like after refuelling). I think I've got to grips with this now by using the warm start throttle setting as it seems to prefer a bit of throttle. Basically the performance boost with this saw overrides the slight extra weight in my opinion. Yes it's heavier, but it goes so well you are actually having to hold it less! 2) Arbortec Breatheflex Chainsaw trousers - ordered with some other bits and arrived next day. Brilliant service! Have been looking for some light weight summer trousers which are hard wearing, comfortable but still safe. Obviously it's early days on the hard wearing bit but they look well made, they are certainly comfortable although I only went for the type A's because I wanted light and cool as possible and they certainly look like they are worthy of their rating. Overall very happy customer, well done Mark and Barry! p.s. having handed a few around my work colleagues we are all of the opinion that Husqvarna should give up making sweets and stick to what they do best, making saws! The sweets are certainly an acquired taste! Alex

Thanks everyone for the suggestions so far It's just a Bearcat 5" PTO shredder/chipper so we're not talking huge volumes

Does anyone have any experience/ideas about the best way to catch chips coming out the chipper spout and redirect it straight into dumpy bags? I'm thinking about something like the funnel type top section of a rubble chute held in front of the spout (about 6' high) to catch the chips and direct straight downwards? The trick would be to catch the chips but not all the excess air coming out which would just blow it straight out the bag. Any ideas? Alex

This. Just because traditional 2 stroke fumes smell doesn't mean they are more likely to smother you!

That's why I shouldn't go on the internet at one in the morning after several pints of cider... can't really remember what point I was trying to make

If that was near me I'd do it for pretty much nothing (I only do jobs for my own consumption anyway). Reason being that there is unlimited space (easy to remove fence and avoid cable) and disposal isn't going to be a problem. Take the stock fence out, shoo the ewes away, fell, dismantle, put fence back, burn waste on site. If it was me I'd negotiate a percentage of the wood for myself. I know not particularly helpful to a pro pricing a job with overheads etc but if the customer has that field then they have the upper hand.... they've got room to deal with it how they like.... if you price it at £500 then they bung the farmer £100 to smash it down with a back hoe It's crap I know but that just looks to me like a fairly non specialised job which means he can risk cheaper labour... Alex

Only upper left or right femoral artery protection depending on which side you prefer to work your saw

Better photo required of the metal finish required then (although struggling to understand how moderator of aborist web site can own a wood burner with a finish other than 'wood stove black' )

Yay! My manky old 15" Husky bar is going in the bin then... no pressure!...

What I don't get about questions like this is that you've already made a decision to go with a particular brand (no reasons given) and yet you still don't know what that brand offers in direct competition to your existing brand?! Maybe outline your requirements and constraints (like why you are tied to Husky) and folk can advise you on suitable machines for the job (p.s. no axe to grind... Husky user myself) Alex

This... followed by stove blacking

It's like an older version of this: https://www.weberbbq.co.uk/product/one-touch-premium/ You can do all sorts with them, like splitting the coals and using the lid like an oven you can do a joint of beef or a haunch of venison too

To be honest I've never tried using wood in my Webber but there's no reason why not. As above, you'd have to wait for the wood to burn down to embers and then you're basically running on lumpwood charcoal. The only trouble is if you need to top up mid cook then you are back to square one whereas if you dump a bit of lumpwood on you are cooking again much quicker. I burn wood in my chiminea for heat (like a patio heater) then when it reduces down to a nice ember pile I can take the chimney off and stick a grill on and cook. If you were running purely on wood then it would take a bit more planning to let it burn down but I suppose you could stack the Webber right up to begin with and then control the burn using the vents....

Not seen one round here, would love to see them fly! Beetles that size look like they are too heavy too fly! We get quite a few cockchafer's though. Got a turn the other night with a cockchafer flying against the bathroom window (which I leave permanently open a crack). Sounded like someone strimming the window frame!