codlasher

A friend had A Puch Maxi. If you remember those as they were of a similar era to the FS1E? Was more like a bicycle than a moped but he made an expansion exhaust, filled the crank with cork and araldite, ported it too. This tiny thing could get to sixty mph! Waaaaaail.. codlasher

The tree monkey. I'm sure there were several attempts at this sort of contraption in the 60's & 70's. I know the one my boss had, it was brilliant going up but you had to pull on a rope to make it come down........Then it didn't so you had to wait 'til it ran out of fuel, climb up to retrieve or drop the tree it was in.....That's why there are so few in the collectors collections.... codlasher

Stahlwille! Some of mine were my Dads so 50 years old and still going strong. codlasher

Well, predator you've seen my log-burner. It's a fantastic machine to heat my whole house and enough water for three showers, but the days of just using just this are coming to an end as quickly as I can. I'm of a mind that the firewood market is too expensive, as we all know, and even buying in 26 tons at a time 12 months ahead and processing at my leisure (cutting more logs when the shed is empty!) I burn about 14 tons every winter. Even with my elderly machinery to help me, as you have said....'It's bl**dy hard work'!! I have now purchased a second hand wood-pellet boiler and have been busy re-constructing one end of my farm house (the worst and most derelict) for the last six years now. This is now partially roofed and will be finished in July, if I'm lucky..... I have put in many layers of insulation and A rated windows so it will have minimum heat requirements this winter. I won't get rid of the stove but it will only be needed, I hope, on the coldest days. I see no other way as we, like many other folk in rural areas, have no mains gas. I will have an 'instant' LPG gas boiler and the solar panels for heating water are in the store ready to go on the roof when it's finished. This means we have a double back-up system in place coz all things go wrong when it's coldest. Once I have moved into this part I can then start on the other half but my wife won't let me destroy anything (like the drains) until then. I don't blame her either as we have 'done' living in mobile homes! codlasher

I'd go with the camper-van. When my parents were younger they travelled everywhere in their camper-van. They left the UK in Late March and weren't back until late October. We very occasionally managed to borrow it, and as the younger children were small one slept between the front seats and the other in the luton part. We explored the East coast of this country between Brightlingsea and Kings Lynn. At the time we thought we should have grey wigs to wear when pulling into some of the very small 'Caravan Club' campsites but we were always given a warm welcome! Being one of the non turbo machines we were always at the front of any queue!!!! Now I'm older I have found that a lot of my friends are buying these and we're in the market for providing space for them to use as a base..... I wish you every bit as much fun as we had! codlasher

Looks good! Like the disk on the International tractor too. We had a single ripper on the back of an elderly Ferrari and ran on the last set of wheel marks. When I was a nipper in the 1970's we had a machine fitted to a County that firstly removed the top soil 18" wide by 4" deep using a PTO driven thing that looked like a giant toothed cotton reel, the 'screefer' as it was known. The second part was mounted behind on a flexible coupling. This looked like four splitting wedges X shaped which could rotate, it was heavily weighted and dug into the ground as the machine worked its way along. Each hole was 7" deep x 4" wide and 18" apart in good conditions and perfectly shaped for little treelets roots. We planted trees in every other hole. Thousands of them.......:big grin: The trees are still going strong but the men and machines are mostly no more. codlasher

The temptation to speed to and from jobs, general wear and in all honesty safety! You're legally allowed to travel with a trailer at 18MPH. 6 MPH over and you'll still stop reasonably quickly too with a loaded trailer and a worn set of drum brakes. codlasher

I agree with you provided that the majority of your work is no more than an hours run away, so 20 mile circle from base. I use my tractor for this sort of thing and tow a 5 ton trailer behind with all my tools for certain jobs. I drive really slowly as I like to look over the hedges and always pull in to let other vehicles pass. As to the tractor the choice is wide with that budget just make sure not to get a 50k box! Things like 16.9 x 38 tyres are a common tyre so easy to access and these are fitted to many 100 hp tractors. You may find you really don't need a 4 wheel drive machine either. codlasher.

Ha, ha, ha! codlasher

I use the softer mesh for the pines and similar. I wouldn't use tall guards at all as they will die. codlasher

@spandit. I am sorry but I can't remember if you are planting any Douglas fir....? If you are and they get away in years four onwards you may suffer the usual Douglas l e a n which is caused by a combination of rapid growth from then on and the strong South Westerly winds at this time of year and because the ground is wet. It may pay to have some stakes to hand to pull them later. Some of mine have done just that and I'm going to try and upright them before the ground hardens. Unless they are in a sheltered spot it is a common thing to happen:001_tongue: codlasher

Yes, all these kind folk make it worth the work and it is so easy to be pleasant eh? I'm lucky that what few customers that I now have are all lovely! codlasher

Read in valet....VALMET machines. Apologies the settings will not allow me to edit after a certain period. I also added that the VAT implications will be similar to the UK in that you will be exempt having filled in the correct export forms. codlasher

@T C D. The contractors that I last employed to do the softwood/hardwood thinning had valet machinery both the harvester with rotating cab (goldfish bowl) and the forwarder. They told me that they would never consider buying a second hand machine from the UK for many reasons. Both these machines came from Norway. If I recall correctly there is a MOT type test for timber machinery in that country and this results in a very high quality second-hand market for such machines. The harvester arrived headless but they have a leaning to the Viking head and computer being a very simple piece of quality engineering. I was impressed with this set up as it was very versatile cutting both large softwood and a range of predominately beech hardwood for the firewood market. Excepting the usual pipe breaks I only had to weld one thing on the head. Which, considering the tonnage put-through, was impressive. I would agree with your looking to the scandinavian countries for a better quality of machine. codlasher.

Scag Sabre tooth Tiger, 64" cut, unbeatable, nimble, powerful (3 cylinder turbo Mitsubishi engine) versatile, proven with good back up. What more could one ask for in a big contracting machine. Smaller ones are the Etesia Bahia with Kawasaki power. These are much narrower if you have limited access. I'm out of touch with Toro now-days but my dad's old three wheel one lasted from 1968 till 1990 and was still going when I sold it on! Since those days they have gone into green-keeping so may be on the expensive side for contracting type work but don't take my word for this. codlasher

All my current saws; Stihl 056AV, a 5500 Echo (I love this saw) and the brilliant 020AV....A bit like their owner, old:001_tongue:. I did have a small 'collection' but sold them on as I changed lifestyle/jobs, being pre digital camera I only have a library picture of the awesome Danarm saw. The man hanging on the end where the oiler lived must have had some courage:thumbup1: I'm looking for a 460 to do up and add to my current line up. codlasher

@difflock. Here's one; Guilliet Bandrack C/w Stenner Badge, Sawmill, Resaw, Forestry | eBay Just talk to the man, you may get a 'feel' for this? I'm a Guillet fan anyway. codlasher

'tis a lovely county! codlasher

Hello David_chainsaw. Give folks a little time to digest your posts and be patient. Things don't change overnight or for that matter in a week. If you want to work it will come as the weather improves. There will be mowing and the odd hedge trimming job that you could do. Everyone starts somewhere even if it is with a pair of old shears! They were the only thing before petrol hedge-trimmers, don't forget that. If you see anyone in your area, ask if they want a hand....show willing and I bet before long you will get some day long jobs. Don't fret that you haven't transport, I'm sure you can ride a bicycle, that gives you a ten+ mile radius to look for jobs. Forget driving a chain-saw for now 'till you have a steady work stream then see if you can afford the CS tickets as they are NOT cheap! Operating a keyboard is another SKILL.....Don't rush that either. As has been said there's spell check and other aids there to help you.... codlasher

The wedge is one of the best ways to help in this situation. A bore cut is often another useful method of X cutting. Bore cut from just below the centre line and when your saw droops out the bottom of this start again but in an upwards motion. If the butt is laid in dirt go really slow so not to tip the chain. sometimes it pays to stop and clear a little hole so you have a view of what is happening... On the upwards part of the bore cut the worst place for a jam is right at the finish. So you can just leave a 1" piece and move on to the next and your previous cut will break on its own, else just make a small cut from the top. The wedge will again be useful here. Stihl used to make little tiny plastic wedges for just this type of work they were no more than 2" in size. You don't want to be carrying round a load of felling wedges for this! Don't be without a second saw and don't forget you are allowed to cut your own wedges too :-) codlasher

I'm still a Honda fan and would like one of these. I had an XL500 in Australia like this one;

For that scale of planting I'd seriously cost a ring fence. Although I'm not au fait with alder on sand I like the fact you are planting a good number as these will be the nurse crop in the soils that I'm used to. Personally I preferred Douglas as a nurse as the end produce (where I operated) was far more useful:big grin: Still on the subject of the alder and again with personal experience you'll have to be prepared to prune these early to avoid the lower branches obstructing the slower youngsters. A ring fence will also support this planting scheme as alder very soon out-grow their tubes. A liquid manure from a local farm will help with early growth as will 'good' planting. Looking at the pictures of your lovely virgin site you should get phenomenal growth in years three/four onwards if you are lucky. There's something about these sites that really put a smile on your face. codlasher

I think that if you have been doing job along enough you'll be able to tell within a reasonable time if anyone is any use. I'm not sure of the ten minute rule but I get the gist. I had two climbers, one was like a sloth on the ground as gravity works differently up in the air. He came into his own up in a tree. The second was ok airborne but way better and probably the best feller I have known excepting the late Mr Crawford. I know several other good climbers but haven't had the privilege to employ them, except one and this is early days..... codlasher

if your occasional help is on 'Job-seekers allowance' he is allowed to claim this providing he declares his earnings. There's nothing wrong with this. The problems come when he doesn't declare this. It will be his problem not yours though. Just keep records. His disadvantage will be non payment of National insurance and if he is claiming other benefits... codlasher

I took on a company to do 75 miles of roadside 25 metres in, all public FP's & BR's + around 20 miles of permitted routes with a riding trail in this too. The costs were 25k for a five year period. We set up a 'triage system' with the highest risk areas being done first (Public House garden, major & busy road, etc) There were time clauses for each section of the work required. Traffic management played a big part. A simple marking system was important too; Eg, dead-wood in subtle green/fell in bright orange. The more complex dog tagged (and marked in green) trees were kept in a file for future reference and a working copy encapsulated for use in the field. Trees that had been attended to were dotted quietly in yellow. Pick any of these if you want for your interview! Good luck. codlasher