WorcsWuss

Or, the muppet who merrily throws stones up while they're strimming tight to the floor - because let's be honest here, it's unlikely that a stone big enough to smash a window would be 'floating' a couple of inches off the ground in grass - get's the 60 quid taken out of his pay packet and he learns to be more careful in future. That would save our money. Sort of....

Can we have a 'Like' button on Arbtalk please?!

A friend of mine in the trade HPI'd a car I bought off eBay for me. All he told me was 'it HPI'd OK..' whatever the hell that means! To be honest I don't know whether it was worth doing, because if I decide I want something, I find it very easy to discount the fact that it's two polish coffins welded together inside out anyway.... Ref chassis number, you'll need the VIN off the car to make sure it matches up with the one which comes back via the vehicle check anyway....

The planners are on shaky ground there. Someone has complained. Where abouts are you in the country? Do you operate the land as a bona fide agricultural holding? If so you could probably argue that your operation is a natural extension of the agricultural activities taking place on the property and is not change of use at all. The planners just need to tick the right box, so if you can clearly demonstrate that it is not change of use, they can put a letter on file, case closed. If it is change of use, you need to get your planning officer on side, get him to buy into it and then make an application for whatever he says you need to on the basis that he will recommend it for approval at PC level. I wouldn't get too concerned about it but you do need to take some advice on it...

This is like black magic the first time it's seen! The guys I work with aren't pros at all but they are fascinated by all this stuff.... I love watching them trying to reverse engineer a bowline....

Lift one end onto an old axle & ratchet strap it on, other end on your skidder winch, home brew trailer, job done...

If my car was parked on my drive and my neighbour's kids were playing cricket and smashed a window in my car, I don't think it would be unreasonable to expect them to pay for the damage, it would have been an accident, but they would still be responsible for the damage. This is no different. Claiming it's not their fault because 'these things happen' is fine, but they should pay for the damage, and I'm pretty sure a court will say the same. What's a shame is that it WILL get that far because no one in the public sector would risk putting their head above the parapet and saying 'actually yes, that was my fault, sorry..' and let it get sorted out. And it's been made worse by ambulance chasers persuading every pillock who can't read / walk / think to exercise their 'right to compensation' when they make a mistake. If I dropped a tree on someone's car I wouldn't say 'yeah, sorry mate, but I followed the guidelines in the handbook for the saw so it's not my fault, I'm afraid you're on your own buddy....' That would just be ridiculous. Sorry, I've been to a County Hall this afternoon to look at some work, I find it hard to bite my tongue when they whinge to me about how bad all these cuts are, then tell me that we can't allow a cost saving to use the welfare facilities already on site and must provide separate kit....

I don't think anyone's saying that they shouldn't carry out their work, but, like the rest of us, if something gets damaged they just need to own up and put it right. We pay for this work to be done, they do it, but accidents do happen, it's no problem really! Or maybe they know that just as when some idiot trips over their own feet and sues them for wobbly slabs, they're bound to get sued for this eventually so why take responsibility for it themselves now, when they can just keep their head down and let the LA's solicitors sort it out without them having to own up to their incompetence? Afterall, it's not their money that gets spent, so why admit they personally made a mistake for £65 of our money when they can get off scot free for a few thousand....? Or am I being all cynical and private sector about this....?! BUT DON'T START THAT AGAIN!

I think he's already had his screen replaced, it's not the sort of thing that can be left for long! As I understand it, Simon's car was parked on his land near where the council were strimming. A stone flicked up and smashed the glass. They admitted they did it but did not admit liability. The windscreen has been replaced under car insurance. This cost £65 excess. SO, all that need happen now is that whichever prat at the council offices - sorry, prats - think that they can fob everyone off with flannel believing us all to be as incompetent as they are, who claim it's not their fault because they followed some rules, to be made an example of, the excess be refunded and a fairly damming article to appear in the local and national press highlghting the incompetence, lack of common sense and accountability, not to mention dangerous bureaucracy blindness among local authority management and everyone's happy. Or that's what I'd aim for anyway....

Pretty sure he said his car was parked on his own land.....

That'll be why then!!!!

Is that a Holder with the floatations on...?

Stihl Digital Wood Moisture Meter Allegedly in stock....

Simply write to your local MP and tell them the whole story from start to finish including copies of all evidence, what you want to achieve and, with a bit of luck and if he's anything like Bill Wiggin, he'll contact whichever pillock you have the misfortune of leading your council and tell him to sort his incompetent workforce out pronto. Herefordshire Council had the bailiffs round to our house because THEY lost the parking ticket in their office which we sent in with the cheque for a parking fine. No matter who we spoke to they simply would not admit it was them who had the power to stop the bailiffs nor discuss the matter. As ever they just stuck their fingers in their ears and denied all responsibility. Afterall, not their problem personally is it? I don't know what Bill Wiggin said to them but 3 days after writing to him I had a VERY grovelling letter of apology from the chief exec of the council and the ticket overturned. Got to be worth a shot and won't cost you a penny.

But what about this one instead....?! mercedes 4x4 versalift cherry picker tipper | eBay I think I need it... god alone knows why....

Our local tyre fitters runs Kumho KL71's on the back of their Transit duelly tail lift truck, don't know if they swap them over for the MOT but they've run them for a while.... He's made it across some pretty slick stubbles to repair punctures on the combine in the recent soggy seasons we've had....

Doesn't mean it's actually better than anything else though, just that you prefer it!

Ref the OP, I take my springer with me when I'm working on our own land and he's a bloody liability, particularly when working near a road... he is fascinated by cyclists and tries to mount them as they pass.... and chases them down the road barking at them. He also sits on my climbing line and gets himself tangled up the ropes. He's a pain the ar&e but he enjoys himself.... I wouldn't take him to someone elses property. We used to use a carpet fitter who brought his Alsatian with him. A bloody Alsatian! Into peoples offices! What kind of drugs was he on you ask?! Well, weed most of the time I think. His mate was a pillock as well. I forget what the dog was called but it was something like Killer or Ripper or Chopper.... So no, dogs on site probably not the best idea... any kind of site!

I don't think anyone has said the 260 is a bad saw, it is in fact far from it. I think what comes up a lot is that it's 'overrated', that's a slightly different proposition. Stihl have sold HUGE numbers of these saws and the sales figures suggest it's the most incredible piece of engineering in the history of intelligent life which is, perhaps, something of an over-statement. The 260 is a brilliant saw, I have one, but it's not the saviour of the human race implied by the vast quanities of them out there....!

You're right, I'll only do this if I don't have to pull my rope up for anything else. I've not had anyone help me yet who can put one in properly! As with everything there are a million different answers and some great methods I've never thought of using coming up here...

Mike, pulling it up your climbing line is fine unless there are limbs between your line and the lowering line, so it's not always the answer, quite often you will need to pull the line back from the pulley end rather than the floor... Quickest answer is usually just a whippy stick sent up from the floor. Before I ascend I stick a marling spike hitch & a crab onto the climbing line for anythnig I need sending up, be it the sling & pulley to rig up in the first place, or a stick to retrieve a rope...

This EZ file thing appeals to me.... can I give you my NPTC certificate number off my card to get unlocked... can't find the paper certificate and NPTC want 30 something quid for copies! I hate filing my rakers, they make that noise that goes up my spine.... ! I tried one of those electric abrasive wheel sharpeners once, as said, didn't seem to get it as nice as a hand file and it definitely didn't last. I also have an Oregon file guide but I never use it, I have always just used a file in a brace which seems to suit me fine. Would definitely like to try an EZ file though...

I just get a stick sent up to me to pull my rope back in! I quite fancy one of those telescopic Stein retriever hooks.... I have thought about running a lightweight rope through the crab holding the pulley in a continuous loop round a pulley next to wherever I'm stuck, and hanging a short prussik and another crab off it which the lowering rope runs through. Pull the line in and the crab will bring the rope back to me, then pull the line back the other way to send the crab back to line up with the lowering pulley for the drop. I'd need twice the distance plus half again of rope [probably 6mm?], 1 60cm ish prussik, 2 crabs, 1 small pulley plus a sling to fix the pulley to the tree. A pinto might be better in place of the crab round the rope.... with one end on the becket and the other on the usual holes with the rope running through the sheave... keep it all nicely in line then... Unfortunately I don't have that much gear to spare nor the patience to rig it so I'll just go with a stick for now....

Or David Bowyer at Goodwinch. He really is Mr Winch, one of the pioneers of Dyneema winch line and has been floating around the scene for 30 odd [plus?!] years. Goodwinch Winches & Parts, Electric Winches and Winch Bumpers, UK – Goodwinch.com

I wouldn't go above a 14 if you don't want to spend all morning bogged down. We have an old 025 with a 14 on somewhere at the farm as a firewood saw, that's quite handy. Depends what flavour you're cutting up really...