wrsni

I'll definitely be giving it a serious go. Thanks again for your help.

Our little 13yr old rescue springer left us in October last year and our 13yr old collie who we've had since a pup left us in May this year. Both had been in deteriorating health for a while prior to their demise so unfortunately dog ownership hasn't contributed much joy over the last couple of years. If I didn't care so much about them it wouldn't affect me so much but as I've posted on other threads as I get older it's harder to loose them.

Hmmmmm, you're not an idiot are you!

Pestons take on it. Makes quite a bit of sense and seems the most likely scenario given that it would mean the middle east producers are suiting themselves and not actually doing anyone elses bidding.

Most modern bikes have a throttle position sensor which is presumably the same thing. It's just a potentiometer which operates within a certain range of impedance and if it goes outside of that it'll trigger the engine management light. Usually adjustment will sort it provided you know the range.

If you were anywhere near me I'd give you some petrol, genuinely. Unlike sympathy (or violins) that might actually help.

No!!!

But that's it you see, I can sit here today and be all positive and logical when I'm feeling fine. Describe to you how I've figured it out and how I know what the problem is. That counts for nothing when it hits, all reason and logic evaporates. But I genuinely will try it, I don't seem to be able to do anything about it when it hits me but maybe I can do something to help avoid it in the first place.

Certainly prettier than the Burley. Maybe it's just the engineer in me but I liked the principle of the Burley, I liked the fact that while it was new to the market it had actually been designed by a man in a garden shed over a period of about 20 years of trial, error, and tinkering. Not enough things like that ever get to market anymore!

.............and not as cold!

That's my problem, I've no problems! Everyone else on this thread can say "I'm down because......................" Well I can't, yet increasingly I'm getting down about what MIGHT happen next. No reason for it, no logic to it, don't feel worthless, quite the opposite in fact, I look back at what I've managed to achieve and feel quite proud but then think that there isn't really anything left for me to do but to sit back and get old and decrepit. Sometimes it gets me proper for a few days or even a week, usually triggered by something totally insignificant. There's a trait of mental instability on my mothers side of the family so every reason to suppose that this is something inherent rather than circumstantial but that also means there's no particular circumstance I can change to improve things. Medication really will be a last resort, I figure I should be strong enough and smart enough to beat it and I certainly will be giving the meditation a go. Also have high blood pressure (inherited again!) and I've resisted all the advice to go on permanent medication for that as well so anything to de-stress will help there as well.

That's a really, really, interesting video. Thank you.

Mate, with the greatest of respect, I think you should keep your money in your pocket until you have a NEED for something. Then it'll be much easier to pin down what you should be buying. I've been in the position myself many times where I wanted to buy something rather than needing to buy something and it never works out that well.

I had a look at them last year but ended up going with the Burley instead. Price was broadly similar but I liked the principle of the Burley for burning wood only, good recommendations for them on here, and I wanted a room seal kit. Same local dealer had both so I could have bought one as easy as the other but Burley took it every way. Sorry, not really what you wanted to know I suppose but unless you'd want it as a multi-fuel that's how it looked to me!

Iseki is good as well, in fact you probably wouldn't go far wrong with any of the Japanese stuff as far as working goes. But none of them come close to having the parts back up that Kubota have, my ST30 came in from England with a knackered clutch but despite it being an older model and him not even having supplied it, once I knew what was needed my local Kubota dealer had all the parts for me next day.

When there were more new entrants in to biking over here and therefore more people going through all the various licensing stages, I'd get a lot of people wanting me to just sign the 33 horse power restriction certificates but not actually fit the parts, something which I resolutely refused to do. I illustrated the reason by pointing out that supposing they were cruising along quite safely well within the speed limits and some tube pulled out in front of them and they were killed or seriously injured. The insurance companies involved, seeing potentially big payouts, put the investigators on it, find out there's no restrictors fitted so the bikes not as declared, he's not on the road legally, etc, etc. No insurance claim, other numpty off the hook, the guy on the bike probably ends up being prosecuted (if still alive), future insurance loaded for whatever number of years, in short he ends up taking all the grief when the other muppet caused the accident. A few people took it on board but most just went to another bike shop which would quite happily take 100 odd quid off them just for signing a piece of paper!

Always worth disconnecting the battery for a couple of minutes to see if that resets it. Bear in mind that as above, if whatever fault brought it on in the first place is still there then it'll just come on again, and be sure you've the code for the radio as it might need reset.

I'll give another vote for Kubota either ST or newer STV depending on your budget. Don't think you get anything else as narrow with the levels of horsepower, our ST30 measures up at 4ft 7ins wide with grass tyres and drives a 6ft roller mower comfortably. Excellent pulling power as well although that's probably not going to be as much of an issue for you as the PTO performance.

I do the VAT every quarter and then hand everything over to the accountant once a year for the tax return. Because it's all in good shape as supplied to him charges are very reasonable and while I'm totally at ease with the VAT I'd never ever consider doing the income tax. I also give the stuff to him in good time to get in ahead of the rush, my tax return was submitted in September!

:thumbup1:

Visions of a 40 gallon barrel sized can with "WORMS" written on the side of it and a guy about to take to it with a 3ft can opener!

Sawdust burners are terrific, made one out of a large propane tank last year. Would be ideal for something like a glass house or polytunnel as above, takes a minute or two to get loaded up certainly but then you just leave it. Very good also for a workshop or anywhere just needing a constant background heat.

Very much so, seems to be their exceptional level of intelligence combined with that instinctive drive for work that makes them such complex characters. Put them in the wrong environment and they'll go rogue very rapidly, put them in the right environment with the right owners and they're absolutely terrific.

So sorry, we should be better prepared as they get older but it doesn't seem to work that way. He reminds me so much of our boy who left us in May this year.

I suppose you might as well ask why humans generally live for 70 or 80 years while dogs are in the low teens. There'll be a scientific explanation somewhere but I try not to waste too much thought on things that can't be changed.