Minotaur

The best DC 4x4 x a country mile!

Built in and owned by Germany!

Hi fella's I am after some video of Bats for my daughters school - any help much appreciated. Perhaps best to pm me and I will send you my email address? Ta Chris

And me!

I don't produce much chip myself, I tip at a another local yard, where they chip for biomass etc. I was approached by a local school who had an urgent need for min 3 tonne to poss 12 ish tonne of chip. I approached a local wood yard as they produce loads. Explained the need, and said I'd pay whatever they got paid plus a bit extra for loading my truck. The guy then told me he wanted £100! Told him what I thought of his greed and left!

Beware of buying kit too early at a show and then putting it in your motor in an unsecure field - there are lots of scrots out there who watch you put gear in motor and then go back to the show. Then it's open season on all your new kit! If buying early leave it with the vendor and collect later.

Respect to you mate, 39 years and counting! I did a bit when I was a teen etc, then seven/eight years ago got sick of all the bull in the motor trade. Took my tickets, worked for a Railway contractor for 9 months, then went out on my own. I had a really good run growong the business, then the recession hit, and I lost loads of work and a fair few small contracts, now surviving week by week, and more competition appears every day - where do they all come from? Ho hum, head up and crack on!

Make surer you check the plate on your truck, friend went to buy a tipper recently to find it was only plated to 3 tonne. So check GVW, GTW and also worth looking into the 30 mile ruling - if you operate with a trailer within 30 miles of yard then no tacho needed?

Too Mulch is never enough!

Come on Matt, Wheres our daily update? are you ill or just slacking ?

Steve thats a fairly large but worthwhile investment

Some people appreciate what you do and who you are. Until recently I did some regular work for an elderly Lady, 98 years old. I have done all maintenance for about 5 years, coz she won't have anyone else in. She passed away early December, I was invited to the funeral and received thanks from all the family for looking after her and her garden! She moved into the house in 1937 and the pair of semi's were the first built on a huge development plot - just fields for acres and acres around them. She had all sorts of stories to tell - Spitfire had a dogfight with a ME109 and shot it down - it crashed in the field behind the house. She was a true Lady in the old sense of the word! I received this note in a New Years card from her Daughter, who is in her 70's: "Just a few lines to thank you for keeping Mum’s garden at 44 ******** ***(as she wanted it to look) I know you had a bit of a trial with her in 2011 but that was how she was, I have taken so many photo’s of the garden (thank goodness) as it is the end of an era." Garden as it looked recently:

I worked on the railway and been in your shoes too - my opinion is, if you think you can do it without any prolem then carry on, but do check your insurance. If you are careful then you shouldn't have a problem, anything too big or heavy for a good hand hold, then rope it. Whats your dropzone like? If big enough you could trim up the stems them pull over with rope or winch? Be on the safe side and warn the railway, but its your job and your risk, so your decision. As an aside I took down 3 sixty foot Conifers today and not one bit bigger than my finger went over the 'wrong' side of the fence.

R I totally agree with you on the hiding behind insurance excuse. Appology not required but greatfully received.

I specifically said them, not me or anyone I know, have worked or work with - I would def cover anything that I can that is relevant to trainees particular work enviroment. But some people will or are instructed to hide behind stuff that is usually excuses, or ignorance.

Rupe, agree with the bit about the course - see my first post. But thats why I think there is space out there for someone who can offer an Arb oriented course, covering Arb appropriate scenarios and rescue techniques. And then give the guys all the info on products like Cellox, so each of them can make their own informed decision. Bombadil - thats why I think we should have an Arb oriented course David - I I first repond, its a personal choice- each to their own.

Agree with Justme and most of what Gareth said I think its better to have a product that can possibly save you in the eventuality of a major bleed, when there is little or no hope of an Ambulance getting to you in time. Might make it more difficult at A&E for the medics to treat you, but at least you have a chance of getting there alive. Just want to re-iterate that this is an extreme situation use item only!

I am an HSE qualified First Aid Instructor and this is my take on the questions/issues above. Industry standard First Aid at Work courses are set to a specific agenda, and the Instructor if not informed or knowledgable about Cellox or similiar products will not cover it because of lack of knowledge or fear of the unknown. It may be that they will not discuss/cover the issue because they feel they are not informed and therefore not insured to cover. They could however, inform you of the uses of the product and leave it up to you to make an informed decisionas to whether you use it or not. Whether you include in your general Green First Aid kit is questionable - I will check up on this - due to the liability that this would leave you open to. Basically somewone uninformed or untrained using it in the wrong manner or place!? However, I think that each member of a team should carry or have one in the central kit - thats my opinion. As I said I am a First Aid Instructor/Expedition Medic, in addition to running my own Tree business. I am considering running some First Aid courses with a bias to our industry or perhaps more appropriate an Emergency and Rescue day - covering chainsaw/Rope/Climbing Injuries and Incidents. Anyone interested pm me with a contact number and I'll give you a call. Chris

Rich none of the links work, surely not the right place anyway!

Superb work there Kim. What chainsaws do you use?

Happy to be on your contact list - one man up to team. Not MOD cleared but no reason why I couldn't be. Hold all necessary tickets, Enhanced CRB, First Aid etc Chris

Gollum, very sharp eyes you have there

Couple of things here, and I'm not necessarily pointing the finger, but some here would say its wrong for someone unqualified/untrainned etc to be doing treework or any other job come to that that requires the use of PPE/safety equipment, etc, etc So surely its dangerous/risky/illegal and almost certainly infringing HSE and other relevant laws to be using a chainsaw without the correct PPE which I'm sure includes the relevant boots!

Found this the other week on a huge London Plane, not sure whatitis or what would cause it?

I've always enjoyed a beer or two even before I got into the Arb world. Like to have one or two beers, whether its been good or bad - suppose it can depend on the mood - especially if its dark! Also I look after the garden in my local, so regularly do a bit of tidying when we arrive, and they pay cash. So an envelope with a lump passed over with my beer goes down rather well from time to time.