Pedroski

Very nice looking place there Bald Monkey

"Minimal outlay cost" - you're kidding, right? We use hedgecutters that cost the same as expensive chainsaw, we use an extending hedgecutter (well, the Stihl extending pole saw but with hedgecutter on the end) to do the wide and high ones, we use a £3500 tipping trailer and £7000 tipping truck to chuck everything in (or else use the chipper to shred everything), we use more fuel hedgecutting than doing tree work, we use chainsaws/pole saws/loppers/Silkys for thinning and cutting back harder, we use an expensive blower to help clear up, we need the same money to live on as someone who climbs a tree. The outlay cost to do a good a proper job is certainly not minimal. Two people for whole day gets priced close to £400 + vat (although I only ever get £100 of that meself regardless, and have to pay my own tax and NI and other expenses!!!!). Half a day gets charged at £200. BUT, we get at least twice as much done in a given time as some of the other pro outfits round these parts!

Man, there's nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about. You shouldn't have to feel that way. Is there a different doc who you might find it easier talking to? I avoided doc for nearly all my life, only recently I've been at the docs and the hospital more than anyone I personally know! I thought I was the healthiest person in our family till I nearly popped my clogs a few months back. Now I've realised the doc is alright!

The one I bought recently is fantastic, and there are several people here who swear by them. It would seem parts are no problem either - I got in touch with Makita UK last week to enquire about parts list, just in case, and they are confident in ability to supply parts. Brilliant handling saw. They're made in Germany too, Makita own Dolmar (the first manufacturer of chainsaws) who make them.

Not sure what you mean by your retina "being stuck wide open"? Speak to the doc, explain everything to them and get them to explain everything to you. I've had eye probs, but only scarring on the corneas and loads of floaters.

Good on you. No need to put up with crap.

I've never seen a bulb primer go that that from normal unleaded. I've got a Klippo mower with B&S engine that has a primer bulb, and no such issues at all after sitting all winter every year for past few years. The ONLY problem I have ever had from old fuel was in my enduro bike after it had sat unused for a year and I had neglected to drain the float bowl - some resin had come out of the fuel and lodged in the float needle so it wouldn't shut properly. Soon cleaned it out and all good again. As for oil separation, well I always use decent 2 stroke oil and again it's just never happened. That primer bulb...... is there any chance the owner had tried to run to injector/carb cleaner through it or something?

We lost so many mowing jobs when we tried to charge old biddies an extra quid. They just don't seem to get it!

Any more updates on olive blocks/bars/logs? A fella down near me is starting up importing them, and reckons he'll do well out of it selling them at £10 for 3 'logs'. I think he'll find it hard.

In my manual, the manufacturer recommends running some NEW (not used) engine oil through the chain oiler if you're going to be leaving the saw sitting for some time after using bio/veg oil. It helps to ensure you don't get residues building up.

2T is an abbreviation for 2Takt, which is German for 2 stroke. 4T is an abbreviation for 4Takt, which is German for 4 stroke. It's as simple as that.

That boiler for DHW wouldn't have to do much work is inlet water is already fairly high.

If a manufacturer like Stihl states they have a 12 month commercial warranty (which they do) and the product doesn't live up to the durability that the manufacturer claims, then surely that is misleading? And what about a sole-trader, self-employed subbie or whatever - isn't that person a consumer?

There are good alternatives to Stihl and Husqvarna..... Petrol Chainsaws Makita including: Makita DCS500-45P

Another problem with vacs...... DUST! The amount of potentially hazardous dust that gets breathed in when using them is a nightmare. Risk assessment should specify wearing of masks and goggles. And when it's raining......using one with a wet bag is a nightmare. And another THUMBSDOWN for the Stihl ones is the really really bad zip they put on them that ALWAYS fails within weeks. We ended up tying up with a bit of rope instead.

Ahhh, of you'd mentioned the flat caps an trainers before then I woulda known they weren't legit!

Quite often the paper catches light, then they come down still burning. Was at Camp Bestival year or two back and some pleb sent one up from the crowd and it got caught straight away in a nearby oak. Fortunately it burned itself out without setting anything else alight. In my opinion, anyone setting them off should be prosecuted for littering and for attempted arson endangering life and property!

I don't think ANYBODY here has tried to justify them. The problem with programs like Watchdog is the whole sensationalisation of it. What people should be doing is making complaints to Trading Standards, and where deception has taken place then make complaints to the police. And if people offer big discounts for cash then dob them in to HMRC. What programmes like Watchdog do is to make the general public suspicious of virtually every single tradesman, then you get Trustatrader and Checkatrade ads telling people to only use people who are on their listings. Maybe what is needed is a database held by the local authority, that we can all be listed on free of charge, but then removed if verifiable/justifiable complaints are made about our work. At least then we wouldn't be expected to pay £600+/year for a Checkatrade advert.

Can you not just run the slack end through another krab clipped on your harness? I've seen this done in access work, and also on the Petzl web site, to keep the rope direction correct for the device in use. No need for an extra pulley really, I wouldn't have thought.

The only thing the blower/vacs are REALLY decent for is clearing up on some of the town centre work we do - ideal for fag ends and sweet wrappers!

I assume you're after a hand held blower/vac?? Up until recently, I would have said Stihl was the best. BUT the one we are using now we no longer use as a vac. The impeller in it is made of about the softest foamiest plastic I have ever seen, and even small twigs and tiny bits of gravel smash it to smithereens in very short time. Something like £30 for a new one as well, and we're eaten 3 so far. From now on it's blowing only. Blowing ain't too bad though - just blow everything into a heap and either shove soil and grass over it, and explain it's the most environmentally friendly way to deal with the waste (by making a compost heap) or just bung it in a in or bulk bag and take it away. Seriously looking for a make other than Stihl that might be a bit more robust!

How about looking into geothermal/ground source heat pump to raise the water temperature, thereby giving your existing oil fired system less work to do? With geothermal, you can generally get 4kW of heat out for every 1kW of electrical energy going in. You could retain log burners in each part of the accommodation for the 'ambience', but get the heat for central heating and hot water from the ground source heat pump, enabling you to ditch the oil altogether, and not completely clear your 25 acres while knackering yourself. There are also grants available for this.

With a washing machine, yes. 12 month warranty on it, had a circuit board replaced at 9 months. At 14 months old it broke down. Wrote to supplier and manufacturer stating that the £500 washing machine was not fit-for-purpose and not of merchantable quality if it lasted barely any longer than the 12m warranty without breaking down for a second time (quoted various statements from trading standards). The supplier replaced it with different model, same value. If you browse the 'consumer direct' web site, you will see that even if something is outside of manufacturer warranty, you can still get refunds if it's crap.

Not being funny, but there is actually nothing wrong with putting UPVC capping over existing wooden fascia boards, provided the existing ones are sound enough. I had this done on my house about 10 years ago by a local guy who also did the soffits (again capping over the existing painted wood) and gutters. The cost was a tiny fraction of what I had been quoted by a 'large reputable firm', and the whole lot is still perfect now.

Difficult with a private sale. You probably need to be able to show that the seller would have been aware of the other problems (bearings, fins, electrical probs etc) and knowingly mis-sold it. Bit late now, but there is no way I would have taken it without it being looked over there. You wouldn't look at a car, find problems with it that the seller hadn't mentioned, then agree to pay full amount for it with some promise he'll pay for subsequent repairs. And if I was selling, I wouldn't agree to that either! As for what to do now, you could always pop round and speak to the fella and ask if he'll refund some of what you paid so you can put that toward repairs, or you could get someone to fix it for less money. There's a bloke works on my mates truck for £30/hour compared with garages charging £75/hour, the electrics shouldn't be too bad to sort out, there's nothing magical about bearings. And also, even if you buy from a trader, things like "fair wear and tear" doesn't mean goods are faulty. A 13 year old chipper is possibly going to have a lot of "fair wear and tear", and things like bearings are certainly liable to wear and tear. Not much help I know. Get the chipper fixed as cheap as poss and make it work to pay for itself might be the least stressful option! Visit him, if no luck then tell him you'll be involving the courts if he won't pay toward repairs or refund in full. But the court might not side with you anyway.