N1ck

Thanks for the replies. I had forgotten about Kilworth, I will give them a call as the Sovema VFM flail looks good although possibly outside my budget. Implement geometry and PTO length is certainly an issue. I have a 3.5 tonne Fransgard winch and I have to have the top link set up just right or the 2 halves of the PTO shaft come apart when you raise the winch. Even then it catches on high stumps. I could adjust the lower arms to set the winch further away from the tractor but that puts the weight further back and increases the tendency to pull wheelies when skidding. Here's a picture of the tractor with a Zanon flail as used by it's previous owner - he kept the flail so it can't have been that bad!

This summer I want to try and pick up some mowing work to fill in the gaps between the forestry stuff. I have a 75hp reverse drive alpine tractor and I have been asked about doing some footpath / bridleway mowing. I have been on the lookout for a secondhand 1.6m - 1.8m wide heavy duty flail ideally with side shift. I don't want anything bigger as it would then be wider than the track width of the tractor. I want it to cope with long grass / heavy scrub and maybe small diameter brash so I could also use it for woodland ride swiping. I can't afford a full blown mulcher and anyway I'm not sure 75hp would be enough even on a 1.6m machine (that's if you believe it actually delivers 75hp at the PTO). There are not many tidy used flails that size. I saw a secondhand Bomford recently but the dealer wanted over £2.5K + VAT. For that money I could more or less have a new Zanon flail from Pasquali. Yes I know they're Chinese but they are light enough for an alpine and sold by a dealer who at least knows a bit about alpine tractors. Has anyone out there got any experience with Zanon flails or any other manufacturer used with alpine tractors, or has a flail mower sitting in their barn that they don't use? Cheers Nick

I've done the side window up-ending a grab load to level it out then when I picked it up it swung in and just kissed the glass! Has anyone tried mounting lights on the crane? The work lights on the tractor don't let me see the second bay of the trailer so I end up doing Jedi unloading - "use the force."

I have always been a stihl man, I trained on a 026, have always used 020 and 200 top handles, used a 441 and 461 and had a super reliable 260 as my small ground saw until it was stolen earlier this year. There is an excellent main Stihl dealer nearby with whom I have a good relationship (there is not really a local Husqvarna dealer). However, I bought a 261 to replace the stolen 260 and it has given me trouble from the start despite not being used hard. I now need another small ground saw and despite all the above and a bench full of Stihl parts and spare chains I am going for 550xp. That must tell you something!

I have had a MS261 for a few months now to replace a MS260 that was stolen along with my Land Rover earlier this year. To begin with it was fine, but then I started getting a problem where the saw would struggle and eventually stall when the chain break was on. It got worse through the day as the saw got warmer. I have had it back to the place I bought it several times - a main Stihl dealer who I have used many times in the past and have only had positive experiences with. They have replaced the sprocket roller bearing, they have swapped the sprocket from the original rim and spline to a star sprocket along with a number of other minor tweaks. The first time I took it in there was excessive play in the sprocket and it had jumped off the oiler pump arm which also needed replacing. On subsequent visits to the dealer they have said there does not appear to be anything wrong or it is caused by a build up of material around the sprocket / chain break during the day and it is just a case of keeping the saw free of debris. To be fair the problem only occurs when the saw has been running a while so is hard to replicate at the dealers. I never had a problem with the old 260 and I was initially reluctant to buy a 261 because of the issues with it, but I was assured by the dealer that these had been addressed. Has anyone else had something similar, are there any easy fixes?

I need a couple of self employed cutters for some thinning contracts coming up in the New Year based in North Oxfordshire and South Bucks. You must have your own saw, PPE, etc. and hold relevant qualifications. Ideally I want experienced cutters but I would be willing to consider someone with less experience and the right attitude. PM me for more details and to discuss rates.

The cut material is to be extracted by tractor and trailer crane for use in the estates woodchip boiler. To be honest I only expect the larger diameter spruce to collected, the rest will be cut to waste. My understanding is that the estate would rather have the certainty of a fixed price. However, I know they have a number of other contractors that they use. With the brashing, pruning and tube removal as well, I was thinking about 12 man days per hectare, or about 24 man days in total. Does this sound too much?

I've been asked for a price to thin this plantation of Norway spruce and oak. Originally it was going to be done on day rate, but the estate have now asked for a job price. The compartment is 1.88 hectares, as you can see it is currently un-thinned. They have asked for us to cut racks every 5th row, thin the matrix favouring hardwoods then trees with best form, cut everything to 8ft and stack ready for extraction, break down lop and top, brash up NS to 6ft and prune oaks to the same height, and remove and extract tree tubes to ride side. Now the tricky bit, I am really struggling to decide how long this is going to take for a team of 2. FC standard costs give a figure of £600 / ha for thinning and £300 / ha for brashing. Even if you add a bit for removal of tubes etc. this seems really low. There is a lot of work there and I don't want to be left making a loss but this is the first time I've worked for this estate and they are dangling the carrot of further work so I want to put in a good price. Has anyone got any idea how long it should take to get through a hectare of this? Cheers

I read "The Last Grain Race" by Eric Newby on holiday this summer and can highly recommend it. It is about his time crewing a four masted barque on the grain routes between Australia and Europe just before the outbreak of World War II. Very funny and very poignant description of the last days of crewing tall ships. Also, check out Newby's bio - there's one very interesting guy who's seen a bit of the world.

Maybe the reason why there are no good cutters anymore is that agents and estates still expect guys to work for £100 a day less costs. With the price of petrol and diesel, insurance & PPE going up it is getting harder and harder to make a living no matter how good a cutter you are. I appreciate that new hand cutters have to learn their trade and should expect to get less while they are new, but the other problem we have down south is estates that have not kept up their maintenance programmes and still expect commercial piece rates for cutting when there has been no thinning, cleaning, ride swipping, brashing, cutting fire breaks etc. Commercial piece rates are for commercial production felling, not for maintaining neglected pheasant cover. For that they can pay day rate. If enough good contractors insisted on a minimum rate for hand cutting and at the same time invested time and money training a new generation of cutters we might be in a situation where there was a pool of good forestry workers making a decent living. Maybe if land owners didn't pay so much to agents . . . but don't get me started on that!

Top tip don't bother with a woodland management company, they will charge you lots of money to do something you are capable of yourself with a bit of research on the internet etc. If you do pay someone you are likely to end up with a fairly generic management plan and trees marked for felling with no thought to the practicalities of how they can actually be felled and extracted. Find a good experienced contractor you can trust, listen to their advice and cut out the middle man.

On my rotator the hoses always face the tractor cab, that way I can see when they start to weep and can jump out and tighten them with the adjustable. Nick

This picture gives a better idea, to be fair I don't think that was one of the biggest of the lime butts. Plus my crane is a 570 so has a slightly lower capacity but greater reach. The second picture is mixed product from a recent softwood extraction. Nick

Just remembered another con - you have to watch the dowl pins don't come loose, particularly on the grapple. I've replaced a few on mine with the heavy duty swiss roll type, these seem to stay put better. Someone I know broke the axle on his trailer but then he does a lot of road work behind a Fastrac moving big timber. Otherwise enjoying the Botex love in! Nick

These were large lime butts so not oak but still heavy. The big ones I couldn't get over the bolsters and everything was creaking and groaning, but still managed to wrestle them on. I try not to make a habit of serial equipment abuse but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Nick

I liked the look of the KTS trailers but they don't appear to have a UK importer and I didn't fancy a private import. K.T.S Forestry Equipment As regards Botex trailers in the woods, I can't really comment as I've only ever used mine and a small Farma trailer which certainly didn't impress me. One day i will probably upgrade to a bigger drive trailer or a small purpose built. However, I know of half a dozen other contractors or private estates near me using Botex trailers for genuine forestry extraction so they can't be that bad. Whatever you use remember to put both legs up before you drive off!!! And before anyone takes the p1ss I know for a fact I'm not the only one who's done this. Nick

Pros Very strong has lifted everything I've asked of it including big oak butts Good value - a lot cheaper than big Scandinavian trailers Dealing with a UK manufacturer so spares advice good Relatively simple design so easy to maintain, repair etc. Each one made to order so can specify features i.e. 4 wheel brakes etc. Cons Quite top heavy, I've had mine over a few times, you have to be careful when the trailer is empty. Hoses a bit exposed Position of hydraulic filter on King post reservoir means you can't change the filter without draining all the oil My valve block has a very slight leak which drips hydraulic oil into the cab - annoying but not a big problem. I have some replacement o-rings but I am reluctant to strip out block Support legs drop slightly from upright when left for any length of time - someone else I know who has a Botex trailer also has this problem - mine might be linked to valve block leak. Some of the grease points are a pig to get at I have a 570 on 11 tonne Euro trailer. I've moved thousands of tonnes with it in the woods and it's never really let me down. Cheers Nick

Lyncombe-Climber Only just caught this thread, I couldn't trouble you for a copy of the graphs could I. Many thanks [email protected]

Went into my local Stihl dealer today to try and buy an MS460 to be told that they had sold all their old stock. I looked and a couple of the on-line retailers are still showing them for sale but as I have a good relationship with my local dealer and as they were £50 cheaper than the best on-line price I came away with a shiny new MS461. I just hope its as good as the old 460. Is anyone else out there using a 461? If so what do you think of it? Cheers, Nick

I was extracting it down the busy road in the background and there is quite a kerb - I didn't fancy loosing a lump as I pulled out!

Originally it was going for chipwood, it now looks like its going as firewood to someone who's not too particular, as lime doesn't burn too well. It's the product of some roadside tree safety work which needs moving so any income is a bonus.

Short extraction, being paid on tonnage, happy days!

Here's one from a couple of weeks back. Large dead oak, meant to be dismantled, end of the day knocked it over. I had to thread it between 2 picnic benches that were dug in to the ground, a litter bin, a young tree in a metal guard and a large sequoia. I put it down with inches to spare either side - get in! Well I'm getting too old for all this climbing lark.

Took some pictures of the forwarder moving big lime butts today. The old girl lifted everything I swung the crane at, although I had to take the bolsters off for a couple of the biggest lumps and driving out of the woods with the big load on was a bit sketchy in places!