wrsni

The difference between an open fire and a good quality stove is so great it would be hard to quantify. Up until last year, and since the house was built, we had a Stanley solid fuel cooker and open fire with high output Grant back boiler, both linked in to a standard central heating system with radiators. It was well done with two circulating pumps and non-return valves so that whichever of the two was lit was like the only heat source on the system and consequently either of the two was capable of heating the entire house. The main problem was that with the inefficiency of the open fire, you burned about twice the amount of fuel to provide the same heat as with the cooker and it couldn't be done at all with wood alone. So with fuel prices rising over the last few years, we'd essentially abandoned the open fire (much to the wifes disappointment) and just went with the stove only. Oh, the other problem was that we couldn't burn both at the same time as the house was too air-tight and you'd have needed to open windows or something to allow both to draw so fairly pointless. So last year open fire and back boiler came out, Burley 8kw stove with external direct air supply went in. Now the cooker stays in but completely shut down to provide hot water 24/7 and background heat in the kitchen. The rest of the house is heated with the stove which in turn uses approximately half the amount of wood used previously to heat the house via the cooker and central heating system. So the difference from the stove to the open fire is truly immense and probably a combination of much more efficient burning allied with the sheer waste of heat from an open fire. Although interestingly we have a central chimney breast and it is now much warmer with the stove than it was with the open fire! Whatever the reason, it just works and while we still buy coke for the cooker through the winter (roughly a bag per week) we could burn wood in it as well if it ever became expedient to do so. Get a good stove in, you won't regret it.

I've always just used what you guys call a "maul" (over here it's just a hatchet), more recently one with a fibreglass shaft. About a month ago it split so on the basis of the glowing reports on here I bought a new X27 and can happily report that it's all I thought it would be and probably even all I hoped it would be as well. Been chopping firewood for over 40 years now and never split stuff as easily.

Still available in various guises, most common and practical is Castrol A747 but you can still get Castrol "R" as well which is straight castor oil or as our American friends like to refer to it "bean oil". Has the advantage that with extremely high heat or high piston speed applications it will maintain a film of lubrication that wee bit longer than any other lubrication substance known to or manufactured by man, but most of the time you'll be much better with a full synthetic. And not wanting to start something but there are plenty of others about every bit as good as Redline.

They'll be close to other trees yes, but I've 8 acres to play with and many different combinations within that, especially given that it seems a southerly aspect is not necessary, so could find somewhere for them for example close to hazel or along a shrubby edge. Against that I'm in no hurry and might prefer to just plant "pure" pear and let them fit in with everything else over time. Which would be the most robust and by "take a long time to crop" what roughly are we talking about? I thought of conference as (a) I like them, and (b) they're supposed to be self pollinators but would say half a dozen trees in eight acres be enough not to have to worry about fertilisation irrespective of type? Thanks for all replies so far, very useful as ever.

Beating up time for the woodlands second winter and although I haven't been too detailed yet I know that there'll be little needed this winter. Allied to the fact that I've a lot of self seeded ash and plum eyed out in a few locations about the place there shouldn't be much, if anything, to buy. So, in keeping with my intention that it should be as interesting as possible and ideally productive along with it, I fancy trying to add in a few pear trees this year. I know there is likely to be issues with late frosts but we've always had plum trees so know how it goes from year to year. My preference would be "Conference" and soil conditions should be spot on. Anyone any experience of them either managing or planting new and anything to look out for. Thanks.

I've a theory on this. Most of those who worked in industry through the most militant period of trade unionism (60's, 70's and early 80's) are now retired. They were used to getting their way with just about everything and now they are militant pensioners and still want their way with everything. Unfortunately the press still label pensioners the same as they did 20 odd years ago when it was people who had worked 30's, 40's 50's, a completely different era whereas many of the pensioners now have had a lifestyle than most of us, and our youngsters, will never have again.

F**kwits! They exist in all arenas so it's a good generic term I find.

Does it keep an edge well?

Essentially a Fiskars billhook, anybody got or used one yet? If their other stuff is anything to go by it should be a good article.

I'm no tory basher but I can't believe how stupid they've been to try and pull off this stunt, talk about giving labour a stick to beat them with. Ed Balls, surely one of the most obnoxious politicians of the modern era, was absolutely euphoric last night, not good!!!!!!! Can only be increasing desperation.

Just looked, it's a c110.3. I know it's one of the more basic ones, with the PTO beast available there was no point going too dear but it's been very good.

Not necessarily, you also need to factor in water flow. Our PTO washer has no greater PSI than some of the domestic washers but shifts over 5 gpm, it could cut you in half! Pay heed to flow rate in the spec as well.

Another vote for the Nilfisk. I've a PTO driven washer with Cat pump but wanted something wee and handy for bikes, mowers, and stuff. Didn't even know there was any such thing as Nilfisk pressure washers till I did a bit of research on the net. Anyway, bought one, think that was 4 maybe 5 years ago and it's working away, think it was 50-60 quid mark. Hardly had the PTO washer on since. Will check out the model number if it helps.

Maybe the funny looking little holes along the top of the Burley that are supposed to stimulate movement of air actually do what they're supposed to then. Whatever way, their stoves just do a terrific job and that's why the people who own them rave about them.

What really surprised me about the Burley when we fitted it a year ago was just how well the heat spread throughout the house. OK, the room it was going in had double doors (which we have since removed completely) which opened in to a central hallway, so there was always the potential to distribute the heat out a bit, but I was still very pleased with just how well it done it. No fans, no ducts, nothing. The existing central heating is essentially obsolete.

Sorry if I'm being thick here, but surely there's no problem then. My issue is that in my case every search brings up a landline number so if I'm not at it I loose business, therefore the need to divert.

You'd think that but I just don't seem to be able to wean people off the landline number.

Call diversion, costs something like £1.50 a month. You can divert calls after I think six rings, divert immediately, or have no divert. You can also divert to any mobile number you want. Used to work out costly enough as you pay for cost of the call from your landline to your mobile but I now have a contract which gives me free mobile minutes per month which mostly covers it.

Well you're wrong on two counts, it's nothing new and it's not just this sector, it's the same with everything and it's been steadily heading this way for years. Other than that, you're spot on! Also explains why we're being taxed in more ways than ever, yet our public services are getting worse than ever, while the national debt climbs ever upwards unabated. Also explains why hundreds of millions are spent each year on the "environment" while it is still being decimated at an increasingly accelerated pace. I could go on,.........................................and on..........................

Great articles and replacing a quad for many farmers, you can take a passenger, couple of bags of meal, hay/silage, and the dog, all at the same time, running on red as well if you buy the right one. I've considered one and now as a dyed in the wool Kubota man, I'd have to have the RTV, but I simply don't have enough of the above to do at present to justify having one, even s/h they're pricey! Would do his job really well but if he's talking s/h quad then I think it's something that probably is beyond his budget which is why I didn't mention it.

Forget the dumper then, any that I've ever used have been good at going through clabber but also good at creating it in the first place. For low impact on a small scale, 4wd compact tractor with grass tyres takes a lot of beating.

Would firstly echo the other comments about the viability of a quad over a compact tractor, etc. However, assuming that you are going to buy a quad. Firstly, stick to the big four Jap makes plus possibly Polaris. Also don't be taken in by any old sales bollocks along the lines of, "well it might be called such and such but it's actually made by Honda, Yamaha, etc, etc". None of them make quads, or anything else for that matter, with someone else's name on it. Secondly, be really careful when buying quads secondhand. Farmers generally don't trade them up until they are totally knackered, and a knackered quad is a serious money pit. Thirdly, of the four Japs and all other things being equal, Honda definately have an edge on the others.

The Met office can say whatever they want or dumb it down whatever way they want so the townies can understand, but winter begins on the 21st Dec and lasts till the 21st March. That's why when we get snow in March, anybody with a bit of wit isn't shocked or surprised because it's still winter! "When the day lengthens, the cold strengthens". That saying is as true today as it was however many hundred years ago it was first used.

Well as I work at home, strictly speaking I am at work, but............... Son is home for half term, it's 17degrees, sky is clearing, and we're off to Kilrea for a wee game of golf. Played Cushendall on Tuesday after the rain stopped, absolutely glorious. He's back to Myerscough on Monday until Christmas, I'll make it up.

Don't be too disheartened, I had one of the earlier version of your digger when it was referred to as the EX60URG. Bought it straight out of the container from Japan, was a bit of an oddity back then but the price was right and it was a genuine low hours machine. Turned out to be a terrific buy, the knuckle boom and zero tail swing were perfect for a lot of the private work I was doing yet I could still dig a tank for a farmer, clear sheughs, or whatever. I certainly take on board the previous points that it may not be ideal for your type of work and you'll not get much, if any, advantage from the knuckle boom. But by the same token it's not really going to disadvantage you either, and at the end of the day when buying secondhand getting a good machine that you can be sure of counts for a helluva lot. Work away, look after it, and if it's a good article you'll never be stuck with it anyway once you know exactly what best suits the work you're doing. Best of luck.