codlasher

Most councils are so incompetent in their daily management of staff (what few they do have) the quest for super certification is their only way of ensuring the work is done to an accepted standard! Their 'flexi-time' of being in the office/at work makes a complete mockery of a traditional working mans day/working hours. Average Joe with his saw will be at work by 08.00hrs and continue doing the job either until it's finished of until 16.30hrs or later still. Try getting hold of any CC employee before 10.30hrs on the telephone and the usual answer is, and I hate this one; Mr/Ms 'Is away from their desk'. Meaning 'They haven't turned into work yet.....Grrrr! By all means acquire the most important tickets relating to your work and you will learn a good deal with a good instructor but tickets for tickets sake seem, to me, as a cash cow. A good and well established insurance company with a canny director will see a lot more than you think and I believe that a long term relationship with your company is a beneficial one. There are a lot of fly insurance companies out there too, willing to take your hard earned money for very little return. Hence the wriggling codlasher

I like both although I've neither! I have a Grunsfors small forest axe and love it for all the things it can do. So I'm slightly biased:biggrin: From a splitting perspective The Grunsfors splitting maul has a metal protector at the base of the handle so if you make a cock-up with your shot this should protect the wooden shaft. I like the look of the Husqvarna item so I've evened the choice out. Although I believe the Grunsfors makers number and mark each head in their factory with the makers name which is a nice touch and that swings it for me. I think whichever you choose your fella will be very chuffed! codlasher

Quote from difflock;The last Clearskies grant aided scheme here in NI did far more harm than good with shoddy unsatisfactory installation by fully approved but cowboy operators. I'm afraid that there will be more hiding under the stones too! I think that the heat meter stands on its own but there are still arguments with this method too. My friend has a 300Kw chip burner and is still arguing.... codlasher

Do left handers lay in the opposite direction to right handed hedge layers and if your boss/teacher is left handed which way would he lay? codlasher

I think that if I had to buy big butts similar to those that mendiplogs likes I'd probable go the billet way. I'd need a different set up ahead of the firewood processor to split them but having seen the huge stacks that the French make the idea is always there. Cutting big pieces into 1.0 metre lengths, splitting and stacking seems to be an ok way. You haven't got the issue of bags yet as they do suffer with UV break-down so you make a big pile 100metres long and bag what you need when you need them then these are stored vertically ready for use. codlasher

Certainly a good point. codlasher

Interesting about the Bobcat. They should not be overlooked. I do know that their oil flow rate is exceptional so good for attachments. I'd certainly put it on the running list. codlasher

So true! codlasher

@hedgesparrow, In a previous life I purchased a Scag Saber-tooth Tiger zero turn mower after seeing one working on a County Council contract in Aylesbury. I have had a long relationship with this company; R T Machinery - Welcome and They may be able to advise you on SH Scag machines. I currently run an Etesia Bahaia machine with Honda power but it is not suitable for your purpose as it is only a narrow machine. I went with the Scag as it had diesel power thus economy plus it was quick and nimble. The picture shows it at two days old! codlasher

There's an old GPO pole close to me and my neighbour put a plywood owl box on top of this some years ago. It's painted brown on the outside. This year the barn owls raised some chicks in it which was good. I suppose a long ladder or persuade a nearby forum peep to help you put it in the tree... codlasher

I have a stack of timber that I use on the home fires. I have it in the yard and it is in 2.4 meter lengths straight from the forest, delivered in on a wagon. I am always ahead of the last delivery by a year. I have an ex grain lorry sheet over this years delivery as there's quite a lot of Birch in the load to stop the rain getting in and the rot getting hold. I let the wind do the drying as I haven't the space for storing it all bagged yet. By the time I've processed it is ready for the fire, obviously the last bag is better than the first bag as it has been stored split and has dried that little bit more. It's like the last few logs in the pile by the fire, they burn just that little bit better. I have some willow that I cut out of a private garden with a professional climber, in April, nearby. I ringed this to aid drying and to stop it sprouting! I have not burned willow before and have always taken the same rather sniffy attitude that everyone has about willow.....It's awful...... Well to be perfectly honest I've become a willow fan and would never turn it down now as I have found out that it is a brilliant timber to burn. Particularly right now when the weather is mild and you need to keep the fire going but not produce much heat but be alight. The second bit is the wonderful smell that comes from a smouldering piece if this timber, mmmmm, lovely! It is a lovely smouldering burn a bit like a joss-stick. codlasher.

As a Tekeuchi TB175 owner I'd go for the 106 as I like their controls and simplicity. I looked at plenty of machines in my size before buying and ended up with the 175. As has been said before look as what the utilities companies have on the roadsides....TB's so they must be ok. I used to hire many Kubota's and can't fault their machines either, they go on and on. Resale, well between Takeuchi and Kubota there's not much to choose from. I'm sorry that I can't comment on the Yanmar as I have no experience with them. Test drive some....? Get one with very good tracks. codlasher

I'm exhausted just reading about the running. I think I'll have a sit down..... codlasher

Echo CS-550 Rear Handle Petrol Felling Chainsaw I've owned its earlier model for more than a decade and I like. Not sure of the price now though. Just done a quick look and it's around £464. codlasher

Why a grinder? A 7.5 ton machine would have the whole stump out in no time and then you can put it into a trailer. No heap of chips, job done codlasher

There's a PM winging its way to you. codlasher.

Slightly off subject but I've been campaigning for rural broadband improvements here in EA and have managed to get onto BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC TV 6 o'clock News more recently! I'm not sure if I'll manage to make the slightest bit of difference but I thought it was worth trying. Most people whom I talk to on this subject are fed up with the 'same old, same old' guff that spouts from those in power. codlasher

That's really nice work! I've done a bit of flint-work. I've always gone with the 'if you pick it up you must lay it' method or you will be moving twice the tonnage if you put it down again! codlasher

You are 5 years ahead of me....... Get a second-hand Posch, they come up for £3 to £5k but you will have to be prepared to travel for it and be very quick in securing the deal. Try Wilsons first though they may be able to advise you or have one in. codlasher.

To be very honest, looking at the state of the rim, trailer body and other visible parts I'm not really surprised it broke! The whole thing needs an overhaul. Even trusty trailers get old and this may be an early warning to you to replace it..... codlasher

I spent nearly 50 years of my life in amongst the Beech trees of the Chilterns. 30 of them working in the woods and when we had the time we looked at growth rings. I would expect an average of between 1/2" to 1" of 'increment' per year on a mature stem, in some cases more. We callipered some trees for interests sake and this was the finding. The rule of the game was never to fell more timber than 60% of your increment, per year, as this was like money earning interest in a good bank! codlasher.

I drove a Landcruiser for a while when I was in Tasmania, lovely motor it was too and more common than a LR. If I was in the market for a new motor and had the £'s I'd certainly go for the latest model, I can put my camels in the back too!

There was certainly a BIG all singing and dancin' trailer with a crane, hydraulic powered feed rollers and needing 100hp to pull. Very nice too if you're in that league. Scale it down to your size though and I'm sure you will be surprised how easy things become. Mine is a 5 ton trailer and I load it with enough sticks to make about eight one cubic meter bags. So at a rough guess using the little Fraser trailer as a datum you will end up with enough timber onboard to produce four one meter bags. Plenty to be getting on with. codlasher

I like the little trailer. Horses for courses. What I forgot to say was that I can also ring up the bigger pieces with my chainsaw, similar in size to what is on david wood's trailer. I get near to cutting right through, roll the stick and finish. The hight is perfect for easy chainsaw work. You're half way there with owning a loader tractor no matter what size! There's a trailer out there waiting for you! You will have an item of equipment way more useful than 'just a trailer'. This little project has taken me over a year to complete and in all honesty it has transformed the work entailed from 'very hard work' to 'much easier work'. codlasher

I must say that I am very happy with my tipping trailer method of 'log deck'. I recently posted a picture of it on the original 'Show me your Log Deck' thread. I went through the home build scenario and even gathered some second hand bits and pieces of 2''x2'' box section to make it. What has resulted with the trailer is very much a plus for me in that I haven't had to make anything to start with! Thats the first plus. Second is that I can get a fair pile on the trailer and wheel it nearly anywhere I need it or where the processor is situated. Thirdly is that I can tip it to any angle, but find a slight incline is best so I don't have an avalanche!. I keep one side pin in the rear to stop the lengths rolling off and the other to hand if I have a big length poised to roll..... I seem to have been lucky with the height too as I haven't had to raise or lower anything to cut my firewood. When I've saved a few more £'s I will look at a short hydraulic extension pipe that can be coupled to the existing spool on the tractor to allow me to tip the trailer when the tractor is running the processor and even further in the future I may make a bolt-on frame that has a few rollers set in to it and just bolts onto the rear X-member of the trailer, to make the job of pushing the lengths into the mouth of the processor just that little bit easier. I use about 14 tons of firewood timber each year to heat my house. As I improve it (insulation wise) in the next few years I hope to get this down to half that weight. It's a race against age too in my case, as each year I find lifting a little harder! Hence the mechanisation, or as much mechanisation as I can manage codlasher