kentjames

I have one too, as above, cant fault it for the money, I've used it to the point of it nearly needing a new chain and i believe you have to get a compatible oregon combo for it which is probably no bad thing. Some times it has it moments starting first time but after that starts first pull and is very good on fuel consumption. For the money, new, i don't think you can find better. Id love a new stihl top handle but cant warrant the price tag for the amount of work id give it at the moment. James

thank you sir... I do have a picture the warden sent me via email somewhere showing it in full leaf the following spring. I do think its important to keep these country skills alive and its great that the National Trust, and others, do these courses.

Never said it was easy, I did find it a very interesting skill to learn, and since it was only 2 miles down the road from me at Sissinghurst Castle it was something to do in the cold months. Here's a snap of a section of what we did that day, about 7 of us were on the course so its not all my work.

I want one! I'm not sure my groundie would like it but hey thats why they are there to clear up behind me lol

I did a day course at my local (in the same village) national trust property with the warden. It was cheap to learn something new and interesting but I so far have never needed it. Although I say this but I haven't advertised it on my website but maybe when i do my new improved website I will and see what happens??

Nice video but notice it wasnt a very big chunk of tree on that lift I know its not helicopter logging with a twin rotor chopper but I would have thought with the costs involved that the maximum size of timber would be more cost effective? j

I always have the camera with me, its only a nikon coolpix which is fairly tough and forgiving of being left in the van. Since I only do around 25% tree surgery works and the rest is landscaping and gardening I tend to have a huge variety of images on a weekly basis. From planting schemes to lawn renovations to crown reductions to garden rebuilds to tree removals. I facebook blog everything apart from the very mundane works like maintenance and weeding since they dont make very good images Interesting to note that I have gain quite a lot of work through facebook, its a huge place online for essentially free advertising. I find the transparency of posting my work online brings assurance to those new to my services via the medium of photography. Lots of before and afters is key! This week I removing a hedge and erecting a close board fence, so far day one images have had 100 views in less than 12 hours The backoffice of the 'pages' on facebook is fantastic since they updated them, you can really see who is viewing and a break down of demographics, huge help to a growing company like myself to ensure marketing is working to the correct target markets. It must be worthwhile, im nearly booked until the autumn and thats before autumn maintenance one offs and more tree works

Having bought cheap kit a few years back when I was only doing garden maintenance on a small scale, I have rather been there and done that with cheap and second hand kit. This year Ive only bought new, so far Stihl 291 and hs81r. I was considering cheap combi kit simply because my step brother has one and abuses it and finds it great, however once bitten twice shy and I think a new Stihl kombi is the way to go. Having said this, I really need to find some time to finish my workshop so I can have maintenance and storage areas for all this kit lol

Indeed thats where I get all my kit and think I will get the whole new kombi kit from there in the coming weeks, get the kettle on jonsie

Very true Jammy I guess we just put this down to the weather we have, as you said, had huge differences in our weather down south. I will continue to monitor the tree as i go there every fortnight anyway and let you all know of any developments

I know what you mean, I watched several Stihl Kombi attachments go for at or more than they can be purchased new from my usual supplier. Madness

No gusts of note recently and the tree is no higher than the other 5 which form the group of trees in the area. Im afraid I dont have any more pics of the tree, the root flare is minimal, the soil level hasn't been raised to my knowledge either. The tree is rather one sided as they are part of a group of trees, overall the health of the foliage seems good but no aerial inspection has been made. Thanks, James

This statement of bank account for payment stuck in my mind, and today on ebay I find it once again on another item. 'For payment i require Bank account.' However I was watching this MEWP only the week before and it sold, so unless the new owner is selling it for what he bought it for a week later I think this listing is fake?? New user selling it, zero feedback?? I have reported the item to ebay. Avoid IMO access platform octopussy cherry picker | eBay

nice one josh, thanks for the vid, enjoyed watching

Anyone else? thanks James

Hi all Today I was at one of my usual garden maintenance jobs and noticed this oak down near the composting area with a significant crack in the bark. To me it looks like it could be possibly drought related but since the other trees are fine I thought it would be interesting to hear the thoughts of others. I notice also the double swelling on the trunk? The tree is fairly skinny and doesn't offer much amenity value so if its dangerous to the owner then it can be removed, thoughts from everyone please? James

Hiya I have sourced parts in kent from C.J. SINCLAIR LTD - The Power Tool Repair Centre in the past, I got a throttle cable which was only about 8 quid I think, however I picked it up in person. Maybe worth giving them a ring. Either that or go on Ryobi's website and go through the support, servicing, parts sections and email them, they are very helpful and pointed me in the direction of sinclairs. Alternatively, bin it and buy a Stihl like I did recently

Forget the age of the tree's now, surely if its a blanket TPO then its applied to all trees planted before or after the TPO was applied? If in doubt ring the LPA or look online as many councils now have interactive planning maps which show all TPO's on them

Anyone got any ideas of websites to source a crossbow suitable for throw line setting? I have a naff aim at the best of times and can see the major advantages of this. Thanks in advance, james

I picked up a new 291 the other day, and been very impressed by its power and performance so far, stihl for me

I got the stihl timbersports one which can be found here, good value and well made Stihl Timbersports water bottle and pouch | F R Jones and Son

Thanks HCR, i have just been looking at google images for harlequins and found this image Source: Harlequin Ladybird Survey - home They certainly bare a resemblance to the ones i found, so does this mean we should we be looking to control these invasive ladybirds to protect our native species?

Ah ha Gollum, that would explain their existence and the sooty mould, I could see any other aphids present but if they are carnivorous at this stage too then i guess i must have missed that bit. Thanks

Thanks Rob for the reply. I have just continued my google searching after i posted this and discovered the answer, Ladybird pupa I was aware of this stage of life cycle however the details can be found here - Ladybird Beetles - FAMILY COCCINELLIDAE They seem very destructive at this stage, i wasnt aware how much damage they could do. Im guessing the will soon mature and fly off so probably not worth applying a chemical control Thanks anyway, i'll leave these images up for anyone else to take a look at in future

Oh as a side note, they appear not to have legs, the mouth is right at the front, they dont move around hardly at all