Logan

In forestry, when making felling cuts low to ground on a tree with heavy lean, cutting the holding wood at a slight angle to the ground means the saw is cutting 90 degrees to the grain, ie. the fastest cut possible. It can also be done from more of a standing position, starting with the bar nose the far side, then dropping the saw motor end to finish. This means you can keep your head up and watch above easier. Dog tooth needs trimming off after or the person paying for the tyres on the forwarder gets pi$$ed off.

As I see it, a chain swipe's big advantage is it can tolerate hitting large stumps or forgotten logs to a better degree than anything else. If you have neither hidden stumps or chunks of log then don't need chain type. But you mention running through woods before felling, so you may want to think of the stump element. The finish left by chains is comparable to a flail that has lost a good number of hammers, with the remaining ones dulled and covered in some old fence wire it hoovered up, but- it's definitely a good enough finish for strolling among the trees felling.

I still prefer the old style husky hat, the rain flaps don't last long it's true, but the hats are simple and comfortable enough. Actually, find the head band part more comfortable than the jazzy technical one is. If you drill the blanks out at the top it gives a puny amount of ventilation, whether it is noticeable or not...

yes, the figures don't add up very well in this kind of forestry. So if you want to be a forestry contractor, you have to fool yourself by creatively tweaking the figures until it looks better. Like this: 1) fell 8t/ man/ day @ £160/ day=just £5000 2) spend just 3 days on the tracked machine making routes to all logs, pull out and finish hang ups, etc= a measly £1000 3) spend just 6 days forwarding at rate of one load per hr, every hr, don't stop, and don't get stuck and have to unload to get through= a laughable £2000 4) completely forget about any transport costs for machines, 5% mark ups for the time spent viewing and all that, or any other sensible rainy day allowances that aught be factored. £8000 + £3750 for the beautiful wood = £11750/250T = £47/T roadside= b-----, further tweaking necessary, or ask £48 roadside, or get delivered for less than £12 locally @£60 delivered price, or offer £10 per tonne standing, or £12, depending on how "keen" you are to be a forestry contractor and work too hard for very low returns! Best regards, and if your cutters are having good day and the wood is not too small, you may achieve a better daily average. It's not as bad as it sounds. Honest.

The upcoming shortage of commercial conifer with the lack of any meaningful planting going on is about the most common subject in all the forestry trade journals, magazines, confor messages, you name it. The FC at least in the south east are also involved in this policy, there are going to be plenty of scrubby broad-leaved woodlands around in the next decades, fewer woods of timber grade hardwood, and a decreasing number of straight timbered, conifer stands. We shall have to rely further on shrinking global supplies of 4x2's to build our structures, or get into building rustic hovels and benders with all our environmentally friendly (bendy) hardwood sticks. I wouldn't mind such a dwelling myself, but I think a lot of housewives and their fellas might be in for a shock...! At best, if you have 35 yr old trees with an average stem diameter of say 25cm at breast height in your stand, you may reap a small amount by clearfelling 23 acres, if you were granted a felling licence to do so. However, to establish a new wood is not without cost, or if you only remove the conifers, either way a young hardwood plantation will not likely provide much to reap for your children, perhaps for your grandchildren? Unless we're talking cricket bat willows maybe. Firewood harvesting provides a small income, but on 23 acres it would be hundreds a year rather than thousands (especially if you are not going to do the work yourselves, but sell the timber standing). I think Alastair Stirling is the FC woodland officer likely covering your area, you could call him if you get that far. 01223 773053/07748 336714. I'm not sure his stance on conifers etc, but you're forewarned anyway. All the best.

ditto above. depending on whether the stand has enough potential, a thinning program may be best idea. As slack ma girdle says, removing half-way established conifers at this point will see no advantages, will likely just cost you money. If they are growing straight, look into thinning out some of the ugliest that are standing next to the straightest, nicest form ones, and your stand of trees will go up in value and be in demand in the next few decades. anti conifer or conny bashing is an out of control trend that may be looked back at with embarrassment.

seems like stihl are trying to answer my wishes, the ms462 is 72cc and 6kg. Funky looking thing (oddly curved and styled compared to previous stihl saws) but if it has longevity better than the 362c then we'll be using them.

It's not difficult to empty the tank on a less used bit of kit, it just goes back into combi can. Hard part is judging the moment: Often after I drain it I find I need it again, then don't drain it again "just in case" then completely forget about it and end up with hard to start saw anyway. Definitely noticeable on some of the big or old saws, if put away dry then given fresh fuel later, seem to fire up quicker.

I bet Husqvarna or stihl have a series on youtube with explanation of the crosscutting,the dangerous parts of using the nose of the bar, standing uphill of log when making final cut etc. For simple crosscutting, you can cut twice the length of the amount of bar sticking out clear of the saw. Beyond twice the length, you have to cut a hole to allow your saw in further to the middle uncut bit, or if it's only firewood, cut all round then split some chunks off with your ax or wedges. Just don't dick around with the upper corner of bar nose in any kind of flaky, upward cutting careless way. Also, don't cut around metal barrels or wire etc, metal contact gives the worst kick back and catches a lot of home owners out. Don't get your neck in the way of the saw, or your main arteries.

Depending on where it is in UK, how good access for loaders and trucks, how much of it ie numbers of truck loads, how good it is in quality; anywhere between £50-£100/ tonne roadside was the price range last year. Exceptional quality may even be over this range, and of course firewood is at the lower figure.

Whereabouts are the oak trees, UK? Which area, thanks.

Hello Elfinwood, we use a botex/valtra setup for forestry, the advantages as you say are the road ability plus the pto can make it winch tractor, run other equipment etc. Though this clocks hrs on an expensive service machine which is trade off. Biggest drawbacks I've noticed is poor stability on any ANY sideslope, brash damage to wiring and sensors, hoses underneath and around back axle, and slow crane function when using tractor pump which most are built as. Separate pump or newer high output tractor would be improvement. Only other thing with reverse drive tractor is, although better ergonomics to kneeling over a county seat, it's a little cramped facing rearwards for day after day forwarding compared to a purpose built machine or 360* etc, personally gives me indigestion some days hunched up in there over rear valve block, particularly in thinnings where you're peering out side windows etc. Botex new wider frame looks interesting in that respect When we bought ours they were having trouble with the armrest style joysticks they were using at the time and when i asked for them i was warned away from them, since then apparently they using better ones with greater reliability, this would improve the ergonomics. Think the sideslope issue is the biggest hurdle, that makes me want to go to purpose built. They can't handle anything even slightly sideways. Cheers

Hey Shavey, do you get any to fit stihl? Cheers

Morning, My wife went to PO yesterday and posted it to you. You may receive it today possibly? It came in as a "medium" parcel so 1st class was £8.95. Cheers, John

https://www.avogel.co.uk/herbal-remedies/luffa-tincture/ I've had bad hay fever since 1977 the day I ran across a wheat field chasing a tractor that happened to be spraying the field at the time. Had 2 years of a 3 year trial of some new hayfever-cure injections as a child that stopped because too many kids swelled up and who knows what, didn't do anything to me, perhaps I was the control. Had antihistamines, lately loratadine, blue inhaler, brown ones, cream ones, eye drops, nose spray, all sorts of fun. Quitting being a spraying contractor made life a lot easier, but it wasn't until I packed in the hay baling contracting that I could stop wearing the mask. Then last spring, just as I was contemplating what antihistamine to go for this year (which always make me drowsier that normal), my wife bless her presented me with this little bottle of something herbal. Because she cares, and means well, I didn't laugh at her and say something about it being as effective as tap water, I said I'd give it a go. Luffa. Tastes like very watered down whisky when put in water. After all these years of sneezing, red eyes, wheezing, last year I had almost no symptoms of hay fever. So this year I'm having this Luffa stuff again, so far so good! So much better than all those little white pills, puffers, eyedrops! Can't believe it works, maybe it just cleared up on it's own? Haven't really pushed my luck- eg running through a hay field as it's being tedded, but can get away with brushcutting stinging nettles in flower, something that would have floored me previous years. Really no hay fever symptoms so long as I remember to take it morning and evening. Apologies for long post!

In the last year a colleague of mine has swapped from 2 problematic 9month old 362c over to 2x 560, happy at beginning, 6 months both had seized, another 6 months and same thing again, he has couple of 361 etc in truck with him while the "fleet" of newer stuff rotates in and out of shop being fixed... Seems that 60cc saws are in doldrums, shame as we find them useful size all rounder in forestry. Good weight, almost enough power to satisfy. Need a 70cc that weighs 6kg...

As said, early 362 reliable and pretty good saw really, having ours crank seals done next to keep it going. Want to keep it going because it has good 60cc power, whereas the newer 362C as monkey business said, has not been as straightforward. Low power after about 6 months use, etc. Though I now wonder if this is due to confusion over the starting procedure with the switch. Seems it needs to be all the way down in the "choke" position EVERY time it is cranked, as the computer can then manage it all from there. Doing this seems to have improved it's power.

Have boxed up the shroud, muffler and oiler. Will get it posted either today or tomorrow. I can post you an invoice then, £25 plus vat, plus postage. Standard 1st class package ok, or do you want recorded, signed for, anything like that? Cheers, John.

Email sent. Let me know if you want them, and I'll get them boxed up.

Email sent. What's wrong with your shroud, looks ok in that picture above. This one is intact and the holes look pretty true, just a bit dusty and faded. Might polish up!

Hunter, I got one, looks same apart from the single hole your picture has just behind the scalloped channel where the spark plug spanner goes. PM me your email or phone no. and I'll send you a few pictures. I haven't managed to find a way to post pictures yet from this phone... John

Think I have that part, will have a look when I get there this morning.

Got a cannibalised 075, which part do you mean? The lower part of handle? I can't recall a shroud.

Hi Alec, we have some near Braintree also. Cheers, John.

Another vote for having choice of bars here, an 18" or 20, plus the 25" for bigger stuff. Leave the 261x15" as is. Having only a 15" saw and a 25" would be clumsy for a lot of jobs. With all respect, guv.