GardenKit

Apparently aspen is very popular with fire eaters, as it tastes better than petrol and is better for their health..

Let them try to reset the spring without it. They will soon invest!

Patent.

Very nicely put Andy.

I finally got round to something I have been meaning to do for a long time after struggling once again. It took less than 5 minutes to make, why didn't I do it years ago?

Hi HRG, these are very concerning comments on Aspen. I deal with many users of Aspen and have not encountered the ill effects of you mention at all. I have seen instances of engines needing a little retuning, but its not that common. Southern Electric is a very large company, with many employees, have you really talked to ALL the cutters, and what percentage of them are suffering ill effects.? Is it possible to be a little more specific on the nature of the problems with the saws? I would be very interested to know. And, as a matter of interest, have you tried it yourself, and if so have you had the same problems?

Another reason I use Aspen:biggrin: glad to see its working for you Andy.

this works

I think he is in a parallel universe, weird..

When I logged on earlier, it was to a different version of the Forum with a thread from Steve Bullman letting us know that it was the old forum. Steve was there as were several others. I logged out and came back in via a browser instead of a bookmark and came onto the new forum. But Steve seems to be still missing, is he lost in the server?

So do I Rich, thats what makes this so frustrating:thumbdown:

Had the usual mix of machines today. Chain brake on an MS200t, Stop wire on another 200T, plus several hedgecutter services and sharpens as well as finishing a ride-on service. But the memorable one was a 346XPG coming back. It only went out yesterday and was running perfectly whilst here. The customer took it to site today where it started playing up and cutting out as soon as the trigger was released. He brought it in and I sorted it there and then for him, it needed a retune but I don't understand why. I hate this sort of thing, for a start I hate not getting things right first time, and I feel bad to have inconvenienced a customer. This customer is relatively new to me so this sort of thing is even worse. I have to say he seemed very understanding, so hopefully not too much damage done to my reputation. I will brood on this for a while, but tomorrows another day.

You are correct to mention that Treequip. I was not thinking of the bet when I posted, but was talking in general terms. Sorry for the confusion.

There are 2 sorts of dealers (and other businesses). There are those who are 'proactive', and those who are 'reactive' The proactive ones will become aware of a product, and say " I will be able to sell that" The reactive ones will say "lets wait and see if anyone asks for it" So sadly, if you want it, you, and others, may have to ask.

It will probably just need a little tweak on the L screw, most likely to richen it slightly. It should not need more than 1/8 turn unless there are pre existing problems to fix first.

The real test will be when you go back to petrol Andy, I'll bet you notice the fumes then and want more Aspen. I'm dead chuffed you have given it a try at last, keep us posted. I am now seeing back for annual service some of the first machines I converted to Aspen. They are amazingly clean, the exhausts are totally dry, the plugs look almost as good as new and the fuel filters look brand new too. They don't really need an engine service. Aspen does not stop the hedge trimmer blades going blunt though1

i would guess that for some reason your clutch drum is not spinning freely on the crank. It could be that you have assembled the clutch wrongly, possibly the backplate, or the oil pump drive is not spinning free and is driving the clutch drum. It could also be the drum needle bearing seized, but you should have noticed this on assembly. Either way, take it apart, check it and reassemble.

One of todays jobs was this HS61 hedgecutter from 1996. There was no spark, so it needed a new coil. Certainly not the easiest coil to replace, This all had to be dismantled to get access. However, its all done now, the carb has been cleaned and re-kitted, its sharpened and converted to lovely Aspen. It runs like a dream.

I know that the Ethanol in modern petrol is a very strong solvent and will attack many materials. I have seen its effects on plastics and rubber materials and have heard that it attacks aluminium and other alloys, but have never seen these materials effected, until this example today. Whether this corrosion is down to Ethanol is debatable, but if its not, then what caused it?

Dont get me wrong here, I am not suggesting all you pro users get a MItox, but TBH they are pretty good. I have sold quite a few now and have very little trouble. They have an Oregon Bar and chain, and a genuine Walbro Jap carb. They have a 2yr warranty and are fully supported by spares. I sold a 60cc to a local firewood contractor over a year ago and he loves it. As regards one of the previous posts that a saw came from factory with the chain on backwards, well thats rubbish, as the saws dont fit in the box with the bar on. Its the dealer that puts the bar on, so blame him.

I know what you mean skyhuck, but too many people judge the price on what it would cost to do it themeslves if it were theirs. The reality is that many customers with a hedge like this simply would not know how to do it, so its a big problem to them, and they are willing to pay to get it done. They would be quite willing to pay £120 until they find that someone will do it for £45. If you all assume that they will find the cheaper option you will always quote cheap. I would have thought it better to quote higher and risk losing the odd job. I only say this because I do really think that too many self employed gardeners etc are working much too cheap, I would like to see them earning realistic money. I have many such people as customers. I admire many of them for the efficiency of their business and the money they make, but there are others who work in the same area much too cheaply and have a job to make ends meet which I find frustrating when I know they could do as well as some of the others.

Most of you will know I dont do this kind of work, but I take an interest in what you guys think and do. I strikes me that many of you are thinking too small. There seems to be a general opinion that it should be cheaper if done by a small busines rather than a large one. WHY? Surely the job is worth the same to a customer whoever does it, as long as the standard of work is the same. If this is this case then the small guy should be charging the large guys rates (or very close too) and making a decent living. The argument of 'end of day fill in job' 'get the job every year' etc is all very well, but if it was me I would sooner get every year at £120 rather than £45. Once you have started cheap it will be impossible to increase the price, and next year you may not have the opportunity for a fill in job. Sorry to be critical, but I think many of you guys work far too cheap for your own good, and spoil it not only for others, but for yourselves in the future. Value yourselves and others will value you.

i agree Alec, Aspen really does seem to clean them up, although in theory, as it contains no solvents it should not be able to. i think it is because Aspen is so pure, it does not leave any fresh deposits, either in the carb or the exhaust, and the old deposits slowly disappear, rather than carry on building up as they would with petrol. New, or rebuilt machines of course, will remain perfectly clean on aspen.

Might be something else, but if you have a good carb around its really quick to change it and should prove if it is the carb. Quicker than looking into other causes. If its the carb, fit an S16a from an 020, its less fussy.

Assuming it is actually a carb problem, the only way is to dissmantle,clean, and rekit. Spraying carb cleaner through the air inlet of the carb will only clean the air inlet and butterflies which wont be the cause of the problem. By all means use carb cleaner to clean the dissmantled carb.