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gdh

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Everything posted by gdh

  1. gdh
    Do you know anyone with a bigger drone to hook it out? I caught mine in a tree before and felled the tree (drone survived) but it's not the best option. 😉
  2. gdh

    oregon

    gdh replied to chico's topic in General chat

    I've had it a couple of times when I used Oregon. It happens with all brands I think, I just sharpen it at more of an angle for the first few strokes to get through.
  3. gdh

    Chainsaw chains

    gdh replied to H and J's topic in Chainsaws

    I think I must have used about 100 rotatech chains now (just bought another 40 for this year last week) and I don't remember having any major issues. I get the odd hard tooth but I got that with Oregon before. People have their favourites but if I handed someone a saw I doubt most would know which chain it was running.
  4. gdh

    Chainsaw chains

    gdh replied to H and J's topic in Chainsaws

    We've been using them for years now on processors and chainsaws and other than initial stretch they're very good. They last as long as any other brand and cut as well so we've switched to just using them. It helps that they're a third of the price. 😉 I don't rate their bars as highly unfortunately but I know a lot of people who have switched to them and no complaints. Especially those who run them on firewood processors.
  5. gdh
    I've used Farmi and Farma and both are pretty good. The Farmi is probably slightly better built but the Farma has more features and the full electric controls are great to use. We've current got our Farma 14ton for sale because we're upgrading and it's been a great trailer to use. With the hydraulic extension and extra height bolsters you can get a big load on and visibility is good. We've got the 8.5m crane with double extension. You have to keep an eye on the chain tension now and then or you can snap them, as we found out, but it's worth it for the extra reach and it still lifts plenty. Edit: We're looking at Fao Far and cranab at the moment but they are a lot of money depending what you're looking for.
  6. gdh
    It will always be wetter after splitting because it's harder to dry the middle but it sounds like yours are too damp either way. Getting different readings is normal but anything over 40 is probably inaccurate as the meters aren't designed for it. Anything under 25 should be fine to burn though. If they're slightly damp they should be ok after a few days stacked by the fire but if they're really bad I would get them swapped (assuming they didn't get wet after delivery).
  7. gdh
    I also hate bottom barb, we had 500m before where it was added on after we had finished and that was a horrible job... I'm a big fan of the quickfencer for tensioning. 🙂
  8. gdh
    There's quite a few ways of doing the diagonals/struts. I like to dig the end in then notch the post and attach with a Tek screw (easier than a 6inch nail with oak posts). These are useful for tensioning single strands: Draper 57547 Fence Wire Tensioning Tool: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools WWW.AMAZON.CO.UK Free delivery and returns on all eligible orders. Shop Draper 57547 Fence Wire...
  9. gdh
    Ideally £6+ with good quality materials in mid Wales but I know plenty much cheaper and that's easy for me to say when we don't do much.
  10. gdh
    £30-35 per ton is the going rate for extracting hardwood to stacks around here. Unless it's milling grade you couldn't justify a lot more because of the end price.
  11. gdh
    The only reason an identical log will burn longer is if it's damper, then it will produce less kw anyway. Any drying method is just taking water out basically and not changing the structure of the wood. I'm not going to pretend to be an expert but I've done enough of both to see no difference and no science has shown otherwise that I've seen.
  12. gdh
    If they're the same moisture there shouldn't be a difference, they'll produce the same kw. Density shouldn't change and extra weight will only be moisture. Kiln dried is just a faster version of air dried.
  13. gdh
    Kiln drying should only take moisture out, you would have to be extremely hot to do anything else.
  14. gdh
    Yes we had an older one and now a new 6140 but it doesn't do much haulage, the trailer stays on the valtra all the time because it's reverse drive and we've got the controls in the cab. Both the deutz pull well enough and on flat roads they do 12ton plus no problem but they do suffer on hills compared to the valtra (or the bigger deutz).
  15. gdh
    Can't help with the N series but we're using a T174 and the steering lock on them is impressive so I wouldn't worry about maneuverability too much. For an 11ton trailer I would want 6 cylinders if you're doing a lot of haulage but depends on the hp. If I remember correctly the t series uses the same engine through the range so our 174 could be changed up to 254. It might be the same with the N.
  16. gdh
    It would be interesting but I think there's too much regional variation for a definitive price list, not to mention species, age, quality etc.
  17. gdh

    Drying floor

    gdh replied to gdh's topic in Firewood forum

    Weird seeing how long ago this was, we've expanded a lot in the last 8 years. I still think drying floors would work and I've seen them used successfully for chip but in the end we went with potato boxes in a heated shed because it means we have more flexibility with different sizes and minimal handling.
  18. gdh
    £65-68 plus vat delivered in for mid Wales.
  19. gdh
    Our 572 has been reliable and runs well on a 24inch bar. Nice and quick to rev up as well.
  20. gdh
    The Valtras are good gear boxes and handle well on the road. Just have to be careful on hills if you leave it in auto C D mode because if you run out of revs with very heavy loads and don't change down yourself it can start to roll back during the change down. Also turn the engine braking down if you're in slick mud/ice or it gets interesting. 😉
  21. gdh
    25+ cube in a day is easily achievable, I've done 55 before and could do more on tidy wood but it's only done with a day filling the shed, siding up logs and sharpening first. So in reality 25 cube, or whatever figure is actually done in two working days. As you say, there's a big difference between contract work and a full time business but either way the setup time is costing you. Pentland have at least 4 processors and their biggest 650cm capacity does 75cube plus in a day I believe, obviously they're grading their wood ready for it to keep up effeciency.
  22. gdh
    It's green in that the trees absorb emmisions and as a general rule the larger boilers are far more efficient than domestic fires so less emmisions. Some are designed for wet wood as well so they're even better again because it doesn't need drying. At current rates though I don't think it's sustainable. The fact we have to import wood shows that.
  23. gdh
    It's not really a big risk at this point, we've been at it long enough to limit most problems. It's not easy by any means but at worst we just wouldn't buy wood back in one year. There's no chance of making a massive loss because we just wouldn't sell if the price crashed. It always looks easy from the outside to make money with firewood but in reality there's a lot of hidden costs that until you try and make it a full time business you don't really notice. It's the old saying of 'if it was easy everyone would do it'.
  24. gdh
    It depends on what you cost your own time at but if you put it in at a minimum of £10 an hour I think it's about 5% after labour.
  25. gdh
    Domestic loads include vat at 5%. There's not a big difference between that and trade because delivery is basically break even for us. The profit is (hopefully) in the processing side. Putting it up £5 has lost us customers to cheaper suppliers in the past. We've got a loyal ones who stay with us but £10 would be too much of an increase, especially when the oil price is relatively low. I've no plans for a massive increase but if we did increase it by £10-15 I expect sales would be less than half of now and that would have the knock on effect of it costing us more per cube because the machinery, sheds, boiler, loans, insurance etc would be divided over a much smaller amount.

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