Landrover130!

Hi all, I have got 16 well established "skyrocket" trees that are planted either side of an avenue in our cemetery. 10 out of the 16 are now leaning to varying degrees after the high wind a couple of weeeks ago. These are memorial trees so I need to get them up right again, but I don't want huge tree stakes that are visible from space to hold them up. They are all about 12ft high, and you can just about pull them upright by hand. I was thinking of driving a stake in at an an angle and cutting it off at about 12" and tying it close to the bottom of the trunk. Will this work? If I have to use full size stakes then so be it, but they really will ruin the aesthetics of the place. Secondly, which is the best tree tie to use in this instance? Do I go for rubber belt type or do I use a nature tie or something similar. The tie needs to be reasonably strong obviously. Pressure is on for me to get this done asap in case we get more winds, I don't want to lose any trees. Any advice would be much apreciated.

Thanks treequip, point I was trying to make. The fact that the car in question was sign written with the mobile on it does put a different slant on the whole thing (not mentioned on previous posts). Now finding it hard to understand the reasons for taking the saws, unless its as treequip says above, in which case everyone has a limit to how much grief you can take, I have dealt wth some nasty young lads and you are accused of beiong nazi, racist, whatever just because you have stopped them. But if they weren't known to the police for being a criminal, then the chances are you wouldn't get hassled. Samthescam, it seems to me that your brother was an innocent bystander who had his pants down on this occasion because of who he knocks around with. Not right I know but it happens.

Depends on the situation. Possession of an offensive weapon is an arrestable offence. However, if this was a double crewed police car, and they arrest the guy, that means that car is now out of the game for however long it takes the officers to process the prisoner, thats convey to the station, present to custody, book in, interview, charge if applicable, and if charged a crime file to give to the CPS when said detainee is up before the Magistrate the next morning, bearing in mind this is 930pm. This can take on average between 4 and 6 hours. Now take in to account, it is 930pm and the shift has lost that car and two officers for that amount of time leaving them short. When I was in (came out in 2003) we should have 10 on a shift, but usually had between 4 and 6. Lose 2 and you are seriously depleting the reserves if something serious comes in. If another crew gets an arrest then... I think the right choice was made in this case. Don't get me wrong, I know that some police are heavy handed, some are jobsworths, some also make mistakes (some of which do get covered up rightly or wrongly) but isn't that the same as everyone else? I know tree surgeons I wouldn't give a steak knife to, let alone a chainsaw! My point is, unless you have been there and done it, I find it frustrating that some think of the police as a bunch of wasters who like throwing their weight around because the law is behind them. It's difficult to comment unless all the facts are there. I can see both sides having worked both sides, but some of the comments on here are more than a little short sighted and i find that dissapointing. Still everyone is entitled to an opinion which is why these forums are good for thrashing things out lol.

Cor, loads of anti police on here, funny how they are the first ones that people call if they have any bother... Somebody may well be insured and have all the relevant paperwork to drive a vehicle, however they may still be found guilty of taking a conveyance without the owners consent if they have no permission to use it. Just thought I would clear that one up. Lets recap. It wasn't, the lads car but his brothers. He had in this vehicle a known felon. He also had in this vehicle items that could be used to injure, whether the intention is there or not, and he could not say why he was carrying said items at 930pm, and had no reason to have them with him. I have thought a lot about this ove rthe weekend and I may well have done the same if I were in the PC's boots. Lets not forget the known scrote in the passenger seat. What is he known for? Drugs? Violence? If someone had broken into the vehicle and taken said items and used them to injure someone, who would be to blame? The owner? The person using the vehicle at the time? The police for not taking the items? Loads to look at here, but because someone is inconvenienced (yes I do feel sorry for you mate) the police are branded as heavy handed and useless.

Mmm, if your brother was driving with a known scrote, it puts a different slant on things. Also, if your bro was being a bit tasty with his driving (they do take the piss these young uns...) that would have attracted attention. It may well be that they saw the passenger and gave it a tug to find out what he was up to. I personally have seized items from a car that the driver can't give good reason for having with him at that time, which your bro couldn't really. Also, if your bro's mate is known for drugs, he would have been searched under s23 drugs act, and that means they can search a conveyance that he is being carried in too, during the search, saws found bish bosh job done. Not sure why every one is slagging the police off, the job is tuff enough to start with without people getting on their high horse every time they do their job. If it turned out that they had stopped a car that was carrying your stolen saws, and they let it go because the driver said "me brothers a tree surgeon" you would be incensed! On the flip side if they stopped a car and recovered stolen items everyone would be happy! sounds lke the feds can't win in this case though. I know the tools weren't stolen in this case, and yes the police were perhaps overzealous, but isn't it nice to see them being cautious? Still it's all done with now so happy days!

I used to be old bill so I'm particulalrly vexed by this one! Offensive weapons are classified as items made or intended to cause injury to others. As saws are made to cut wood I would be suprised that these have been seized, especially if your brother explained what you did for a living. If it had been a works van, there is no way I would have gone down that road, and even if it was a private car, as soon as I knew the profession of the owner that would have been job done. Always a sticky wicket carrying items like that in a car, especially at night (why would you need to be carrying a chainsaw at night?) and also there is the insurance issue, would you be covered if they were stolen from your car? I digress, the only reason I could think of a seizure would be if they were suspected of being stolen, but if so they would have nicked your brother, so I really am at a loss with this one. Probably a jobsworth proby PC who thought he was doing the right thing. Very strange indeed. Get down there, stamp your feet bang the desk but don't swear, you will get potted for that! Good luck...

Love my defender 130, not much room in the cab but who cares!? Only wish tne boss would have a winch too but she said no:0(

Being a lucky sod and getting to drive a brand spanker defender 130 tipper, I woulod have to say that the landrover is always going to be the best vehicle. In my previous job, the transprt manager swapped from a fleet of landrovers to ford rangers. Big mistake! I used to tow a ransomes triple mower on a challenger double axle trailer, it struggled like buggery to pull it, you had to gun it through the gears to get it up to speed, and with the soft suspension it actually made some of the guys feel a bit travel sick. Plus when it came to fuel consumption, the ranger used to do 10.2mpg!!!! Obviously used to get more with the trailer off, but we used the trailers all the time and the ranger wouldn't cut it. They also trialled vauxhaull (isuzu) and isuzu troopers. They are now thinking of going back to landrover as they have the new ford engine and the off road prowess is there. If I were you, I would go Hilux or landrover and give the ranger a miss, they look the part but I don't think they deliver as a work horse.

Mmm, looks like a cotoneaster to me as well, but as you say, leaves don't look quite right. Difficult to tell from the pic but I'll have a think...

I have used GreenMechs for many years, and have just ordered an EC150TMP to go on our compact tractor. Looked at the whole range (and other makes) at Saltex this year and i have to say for innovation, ease of use and maintenance the Green Mech is streets ahead! Plus these machines are british built and are substantially cheaper than the nearest competitors. The quad is too big for what I need, but it is very impressive. The disc blades are a fantastic idea, and last for ages. I would recommend Green Mech machines to anyone, however I'm no expert although I have been in the game for 22 years and used loads of machines.