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gdh

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Everything posted by gdh

  1. gdh
    These are very useful for tensioning short runs or a bit extra on ends: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-57547-Fence-Wire-Tensioning/dp/B0002GUM6Y/ref=asc_df_B0002GUM6Y/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=226152056294&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14042839393762843869&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045390&hvtargid=pla-421602825083&psc=1&th=1&psc=1
  2. gdh
    We only do netting but find that a strut dug into the ground and notched into the post with a nail/screw as well is best.
  3. gdh
    Bank transfer is easiest but depending on your account there's usually limits on payments you've just set up so they might not be able to transfer the money straight away.
  4. gdh
    I use a husqvarna 572 for most ringing up. Goes well with a 24inch bar but it's still light enough to use day to day. 550/560 are good on 15inch bars for smaller stuff. Our 3 have done a few years now with no issues.
  5. gdh
    Tractors are designed to have all the torque at low speeds and usually then they're powering a machine behind them as well so they have to sacrifice higher end speed in the gearing. They'll pull anything up a hill just not very fast.
  6. gdh
    25mph/40kph is the legal limit (except fastracs and unimogs can go faster). It went up from 20mph a few years ago. Nearly all 150hp+ new tractors are sold at 50kph and you can get 60kph although I think a bit of paperwork is involved with that now. Weight limit is 31ton but only 18 of that can be towed.
  7. gdh
    We've got a valtra t174 (174-190hp) and a deutz 6215 (215-220hp), both Vario,and they'll both pull that fine. With the full 18ton on a very steep hill the valtra will be down to 5mph and the deutz 7mph but that's the extreme. They're fine on your average main road hill. The valtra is 60k so a faster tractor but the deutz has better Vario and amazing brakes.
  8. gdh
    Hard to say without seeing and knowing the size of the trees and if it needs winching etc but we work off £30-35 a ton for thinning work. Less for clear fell.
  9. gdh
    I think splitting at least a year in advance and investing in storage is the only way to go unfortunately. We ended up kiln drying (technically a heated shed) when we sat down and went through it a few years ago because it was cheaper in the long run and we couldn't risk selling out but it was a big set up cost. If we consistently had weather like the last couple of months you could cut heaps while dry then sheet it during wet periods but that would be a lot of work and no guarantee on the weather. Even cutting into bags you need to space them for airflow and keep them covered so that's just as bad. You could look at sheds or polytunnels but then you're limited to what you can store. Or just sell over 2cube at a time and leave it up to the customers.
  10. gdh
    You must know some very lucky farmers, I hardly know any that aren't struggling or working other jobs to keep the farm going. If you have internet banking, use the live chat to give them a reminder, we waited 10 days then 3 after that. As far as I remember there's been no grants specifically for tractors on the forestry or farming sides but with ones like the rural development programme you could get 40% back on forestry equipment if it met a lot of criteria, mostly sustainability and job protection, and that included forwarders and forestry spec tractors in Wales at least. All the grants of that size are a lot of paperwork (you'll need help) and usually you have to prove it's a viable business and pay up front then claim back.
  11. gdh
    I had similar. The rotatech chains are great, I don't buy anything else, but the files wear too quickly. It doesn't help that the chains are very hard but my husqvarna files are fine with them so that shouldn't be an excuse. I have a theory that Rotatech spent a lot of time developing the chains and got them right then pushed the other products out to make sure they had the full range. I prefer supporting smaller companies so hopefully they improve but for now I stick with the chains.
  12. gdh
    Isn't the bigger question which moisture content is the best value? Kiln dried/air dried is more of a processing issue than one for the customer to worry about even if it is used as a marketing tool. If the maths are correct in some replies it looks like damper wood is better value, I'm not sure that's accurate, but either way there's also emissions and stove/chimney life to take into account so the initial p/KW might not be the only measure of value.
  13. gdh
    I would be interested in reading from someone with more knowledge on the KW side but I'll give it a go. Just to be picky, the comparison above should be weighs less per cube and in an ideal situation 20% moisture wood should last longer as it isn't using energy to dry itself. Admittedly in reality it can burn faster and hotter as people keep chucking wood on instead of closing down the fire. I've seen a few studies of KW to moisture including Here but they always vary a bit, then I suppose you just have to work out the cost of drying another 5%. Kiln drying costs us around £10 a cube to get to below 15% so say £6 to 20% We get RHI so it's around break even for us but if we had to put £6 on top of our price (smallest worst value load) of £147 for 1.8cube it would go from £82 to £88 roughly so a 7% increase in price. I can't read the study because I'm on my phone for a conclusion on KW per £ unfortunately.
  14. gdh
    Has there been a misunderstanding somewhere? I would think £40 a cubic metre would be more accurate.
  15. gdh
    My Milwaukee 1/2 inch is basically the same and will do wheel nuts no problem but isn't quite enough for our Heizohack blades so I do the first) last bit with a bar. Luckily I have a 1inch drive with twice the power on its way to fix that. ?
  16. gdh
    There's also robocut and similar and you can get wide push flails with spiked metal tyres - I've seen a demo on bracken that was impressive but I can remember the make at the moment. Edit: This sort of thing Koppl remote control 23hp power unit | PSD Groundscare WWW.PSDGROUNDSCARE.CO.UK The Taurus is a versatile remote controlled and walk behind power unit...
  17. gdh
    I would go for 100hp, you'll soon appreciate it towing, especially on the road and it will have the weight to help you brake on hills which is the main advantage. I wouldn't worry about using it for topping either. It will have bigger tyres to balance out ground pressure and have enough power to run a flail topper or even hedge trimmer if you wanted to go that way.
  18. gdh
    Tynllwyn? Yes, that's the one. It was originally resting about 10ft up on the stump.
  19. gdh
    Looking around locally there's already a lot of dead hedges, I've removed a few fallen trees already and the council are telling farmers to fell roadside ash now so I'm getting calls about that. Only problem is in a lot of cases they're getting tree surgeons in who are felling decent trees in short lengths which is no good to us. The only reason I'm looking at felling work is in case there's a shortage, we're alright at the moment though and I've got 200ton cut ready for wholesale orders if we get any which means no immediate worry. The other problem is that dead trees I'm offered to buy always seem to look like this (had this one free in the end):
  20. gdh
    We don't usually sell much this time of year anyway so it's the oil price for next winter that matters. I think the majority of customers will keep buying wood though . I was actually hoping to sell more wholesale this summer so it will be interesting to see how much I do if people don't want to risk investing for the winter.
  21. gdh
    My saws are 550 and 560s on 15inch bars, 576 on 20inch and 572 on 24inch and they all run well in any wood. Cutting firewood I tend to just pick up whatever is closest but I would probably just have a 15inch on a 560 and 24 on one of the other two if I had to choose.
  22. gdh
    If I'm reading right and it's the inch diameter ones on the bottom of the blade there should be a very small gap from memory. The blade should only touch them when you're pushing hard.
  23. gdh
    I remembered the model wrong, it's a p220+ with a 300kg weight but it's 500kg overall.
  24. gdh
    Thanks for the idea, that could save the annoying slips when trying to straighten a post. I might look at that for some places. Unfortunately most of our stuff recently seems to be under trees so I'm always having to keep the knocker low and at full reach so can only do little taps sometimes. I'll try and remember to check if the weight is on ours tomorrow. It's just about usable at full reach but it's on the limit. That is with the weight and extra length of a tilting quick hitch though.
  25. gdh
    We've got a protech 230 (300kg) on our 8 tonner which matches up nicely. With tilt on the digger it's slightly quicker than the identical one we have on a tractor but loses out by not having a rock spike and obviously increased travel time. We always have two of us when knocking but the one on the digger can level fairly easily on their own, sideways is easy and I use the top of the netting to eye it forward and back. I don't bother putting the foot on the floor so I do one knock to steady the post then level it after.

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