codlasher

Thanks Eddie. I like the idea that will combine two tools in one and I have the bits too. A close up if you can, when you can, later in the week....if you can........ codlasher

Alastair has a nice tracked RT 400 Ahwi mulcher.

Fair comment! It's upsetting though, when the young Oak/Beech stands that were planted in the late 70's are almost all completely destroyed thirty years later, just when the young trees are half way up to their parents and the tops fall out! Within the five mile circle of the keepers beat........ codlasher

To LGP Eddie. Can you post a close up picture of your clams attached to the grapple please. I have an idea that the old 5' JCB ditching bucket sitting in my scrap pile may be suitable, if cut in half and with two pieces welded into the resulting open ends...... Cheers, codlasher

Well, two ideas; I'd get them to sent their senior engineer out and make a written report of all the work that the machine needs to get it working correctly and go from there. Alternatively I'd go with an independent engineer of similar calibre who would act on your instructions. Get the machine fixed and send them the invoice along with an offer of settlement for 30 days. Failing that I'd consult a specialist solicitor on the matter and proceed that way. I'd be paying ALL the bills. Wait for the courts to sort it out. This way you will have a working machine and some leverage over their failure to supply a machine 'fit for purpose'. Name and shame works too! codlasher

In the Chilterns, where the squirrels have much townie support the battle has been lost. This happened at least twenty years ago! Unless they, as a species, can be completely eradicated from oak, beech, sycamore & hemlock plantations there is not much point in bothering. The so-called 'modern game keeper', who is only really a pheasant rearer for London shooting syndicates, has to be called out and take much of the blame for the population explosion. They couldn't be bothered to do proper keeping for a decade, if at all! The shoot captains who employed these people should also take a considerable amount of the same blame too for being ignorant to the forests needs and this horrendous problem. The next generations 'big trees' simply won't be there when this crop is either felled or comes to its natural end. The spring trap is a good tool. The light-weight shotgun is also a good tool. Carrying a 12b all day is a heavy job. A 20b is a better option. There is a prototype air powered rat trap that is lurking in the side-lines which may even the situation as it re-sets itself. It was so efficient in dealing with squirrels in the trials that there was a need for a counter to be fitted! I have heard nothing more of this so I can't be more specific. Plus I'm out of the squirrel killing loop. The best time was during the foot and mouth crisis when all the public footpaths were shut and we waged war on the little blighters and tallied near to 1000 tails. This helped the trees for a little while. I took Adrian Hartley of Stalker Rifles round for a day to experiment with his fantastic air rifles and telescopic sights and we were all exhausted! I still preferred my 20b! codlasher

A tip from an experienced winch man; take a spade and dig your winch spades (and possibly the tractor wheels too) into the ground before starting the pull. This will give you an idea of the holding power of the ground. The last thing you want is for the winch and operator merrily pulling themselves towards the tree, and a nice furrow, when the felling cut is in! codlasher

Love this Minnie! codlasher

I still have a Parmiter contractor model in fetching blue and rust. It sits in an out of the way part of my yard and only comes out to play on the odd occasion I do fencing jobs. It has knocked in thousands of posts and strainers and would go to work instantly now if I so cared. I bar the holes and stand the 3'' to 4'' x 5' 6'' posts in these pilot holes then drive along with the tractor and knock them in. Yes you do have to get on and off the machine from time to time to adjust the setting but you can get hydraulic rams to do this if you so want and this makes things easier. On the other hand a second pair of hands are so much more useful to assist and more economical in the long run! This model holds its value around £1100, so still quite a bargain. It works on both sides and straight out to the rear. Avoid the one sided models unless you are desperate. They'll still bash but only on one side. codlasher

I found the Honda fourtrax/big red a really useful tool in the woods. I had a large range of machinery and preferred this for maintenance jobs. I really should have made a carry box like the one pictured for tools instead relying on bungees! Remember the bigger the machine the worse the turning circle and also the weight. Getting grounded on a hidden log/stump was never a problem as I could lift the machine off easily. I'd not be so sure even with a Foreman, it's just that little bit bigger. Yes it was more powerful and perhaps faster on the good tracks but I preferred the smaller. Ferrari was great but slow and you had to be careful with the pivot steer over stumps....County, well the perfect workhorse but a little like a sledgehammer to crack a nut! With all these jobs there's never the perfect machine, or there is but it lives in the shed nine days out of ten and you end up with such a shed full there is only space for a tiny quad! codlasher

Bad luck in the damage! You'll find the second hand head ok on t'internet. One piston may be a problem as you might not be able to buy just one.....Being a LR though I wouldn't be surprised if your local dealer says yes! I know you used to be able to buy just one for a Series 3. Try DINGOCROFT for your spares. Avoid Sh1tpart with a vengeance though!!! I've just seen this on ebay....Land Rover 300Tdi Engine With Ancilleries, Now Removed From Chassis. | eBay This seems to be an average price and you'd be able to sell a lot of the other bits you do not need:biggrin: cpdlasher

Pretty! codlasher

I've only watched harvesters work. From my perspective on a very mixed range of thinning and occasional clear fell jobs the Viking head came out on top by a long way. It was able to handle everything that was thrown at it from the usual larch/spruce/wrc/corsican in pulp to saw-log sizes and beech/oak thinnings up to 300mm and some over that size too. Only two breakages in this time. One pipe (messy) and a metal shroud that I re-welded. It's simplicity kept it reliable and the build quality was good too. codlasher

Ha, ha, ha, brilliant! codlasher

I suppose the bottom line is the increment rule; never take out more than 1/2 your annual increment. A bit like interest in your bank/savings. codlasher

Still a spring chicken then! Not that much older than me at 55:thumbup: codlasher

I have a tiny wee Honda 1.4 which is comfy, cheap to run and reliable which I use when I'm not working. I love my LR but not clocking up miles @ £0.70p is a good feeling. The tax man just looks at the LR so no fuss over %ages. codlasher

Like! Great lateral thinking. Stripes too as peatff has suggested. codlasher

......And remove the dual mass flywheel to enable fitment of a heavy duty clutch and pressure plate. It's never that easy! codlasher

My daughter has been working in OZ for a while now and she sometimes sends pieces of art to us. On each and every occasion this has happened we have been caught with a customs demand nearer to the £100 mark than less! They are HOT, HOT, HOT with things coming into the country but always seem to 'be on tea break' when the containers go out full of HOT stuff....... codlasher

Thing is; Where does this stolen stuff go? I know one or two folk who've lost considerable amounts of equipment in similar circumstances to the posts above. This equipment has never been seen or heard of again. !!! codlasher

I hate cleggs with a vengeance but after several summers of being bitten, aged fourteen, fifteen & sixteen whilst weeding, I'm sure your mind develops a subconscious swatting reaction to their buzz and landings.... codlasher

Yes geoff that's a fine looking set up. Thank you for the picture! I have an older Echo 50cc saw so am already a fan. No the plastic's not nasty and apart from loosing a nut and bolt over the 14 years of me owning it it has always done exactly what I asked. I did use the top handled one about fourteen years ago, when I was asked by Echo to help provide the 'forestry environment' for their original brochure picture shoot. I remember vaguely that it was much lighter than my 020!! I'd be quite tempted, as I'm not going to be using the saw every day, to have it gently tweaked........but I'll have to think further on this. No decisions yet codlasher

You should do your 'set out' first trying to get the poles in as upright and as square as is possible. A tractor/360 driven auger will be a great assistance here. Try and work the building in with the timber available and consider snow loading...... Don't worry if the poles wobble the ground will settle around them eventually but a little concrete will help there. Not too much in case you want/need to move in the future.... So, the poles are in. Using a datum peg (finished floor/concrete/earth) measure to where you want your roof height to be. You will have decided your pitch aspect and I'd allow a fall of 18" in 20'. Monopitch. Mark the highest two poles, work your fall & mark the rear posts. Pull a line between the front & back and mark the slope on the centre poles. You will need a tower scaffold to go round each pole for the next phase. Cut all the posts with your chainsaw to these marks, unless you have the tops level to start with? You now have six posts standing like soldiers. Your main rails should go from front to rear and can be lapped on the centre posts with a scarf joint. All joints should be scarf joints including those on the poles you can 'improve' these with butt plates on the horizontal timbers. I would use carriage bolts for joining the horizontal timbers to the poles and a selection of foamy glue and carriage bolts for the horizontal timbers on their own. Wind-bracing is important too, like an old fashioned barn. In fact look at al old timber barn and you'll get the idea! A diagonal in the roof will not go amiss. Google 'purlin cleats' and you'll get what I mean as these are a useful item to stop purlins rolling... Good luck! codlasher

My 360's tool bin housed a 3'' thick layer of grease from leaking grease guns. The only positive from this is that it hasn't rusted! Biggest downside was the tools all had a layer too so you were instantly covered even for the smallest job. I've binned that self emptying grease gun and have another, cartridge one, that seems to be a little cleaner. The biggest problem I have found is the seals are not compatible with grease so don't fit well plus the tube is always under pressure and this results in constant slight leakage. codlasher