sandspider

Many thanks for all the suggestions. Engines Plus don't import Yanmar stuff any more (good quick response though!), Barrus do now - and they can't get parts for it. Still waiting to hear from a couple of other suggestions. If I can't get a proper gasket sounds like one of the liquid types is worth a try. I did strip the tractor down over the weekend, and got as far as the rocker cover - it didn't come off easily so I decided I'd wait until I have a gasket or some sort of replacement before I start splitting things!

I've got a bigger Burley, 8KW nominal I think but ~12 peak. The moisture meter that comes with it protests about wood that's more than 16% moisture, but it actually burns damper wood without problem - just a smidge less heat, obviously. It really does punt the heat out anyway, and having just had mine swept, there wasn't much clag in the chimney, even after a long winter of burning "dry" logs I bought that were not. (Once I ran out of my own properly seasoned stuff). Though I did do my best to stack em by the fire for a day or two before burning. Does get through quite a lot of logs, but it's heating a big cold room. Oh, and the draw on my flue is pretty bad when lighting, but fine once it's going. Agreed re room kit, no one needs a cold draught down their bum crack when feeding the stove.

Thanks chaps. As above- approx costs and can they cope with slopes? Also, can they cope with towing a small trailer? Perhaps I'm better off with a (newer) tractor!

Thanks both. I'd not heard of Seddon plant, but have sent them an email as it's too late to ring. Still waiting to hear back from LS Engineers too. Fingers crossed. Given that the gasket (rubber I believe, but haven't taken the cover off yet) is $9 in the US but postage is $35 it stings a bit! A decent UK supplier would be great, but failing that I hope a bit of JB weld stype stuff would do the trick... I'll take Ratman's advice!

Hi all My ancient Yanmar YM1600 tractor seems to have an oil leak, which I think is coming from the rocker cover gasket. I'm struggling to find a new gasket in the UK, and postage from the US is 3x the cost of the gasket! Given that the rocker cover gasket doesn't have to resist huge pressure, I was wondering if liquid gasket / silicone sealer type stuff work work? Either to plug a hole in said gasket, or to remove the gasket altogether and create a new one using the liquid gasket / a bead of silicone. If this is a sensible option, can anyone recommend a good brand of liquid gasket? There are several on ebay at different prices, but it would be nice to have a good one recommended that will resist warm oil, and last! (I do have high temp silicone sealant already to hand, but guessing there's probably a better product than this available...) Cheers.

Thanks Jonny, I feared as much. Suppose I'd better try and keep the tractor going, and fix my old petrol lawn mower!

Thanks GA That's a good bit more than I was hoping to spend, but you never know! Will it cope with thick vegetation, small trees etc?

Thanks chaps. I've looked at both of those (something therapeutic about watching videos of mowing!) and both look good options, especially the Efco. However, they're both pretty pricey. Maybe I'll see what I can hire. And look at contractors too! Forgot to add, ideally the machine would be diesel, and would be able to collect the grass cuttings or mulch / just spray them wildly depending on where I'm cutting. Total area to mow is about 1.5 acres, but only about 1/2 of an acre needs to be neat.

Hi all I have an ancient compact tractor (18hp ish) with 1.1m topper that I use to cut a paddock and some patches of lawn. However, it doesn't do a great job on the lawn (especially in tight corners), and is getting a bit long in the tooth. I was wondering, is it possible to get a ride on mower that will do a neat job on the lawn but will also handle topping a paddock? Paddock has long grass, lots of bracken, brambles, the odd small tree etc. It's also fairly steep in parts, so a fair amount of power would be needed. I'm guessing that a ride on mower won't be up to doing the paddock on a regular basis...? Thanks.

I seem to remember that PG Tips (or one of the big tea bag makers anyway) recently committed to going plastic free in their tea bags. A step in the right direction.

Hi all Just wondering if anyone sells the above in small quantities? Looking for a hundred or 200 for personal use only. Wood wool, natural wax or whatever... Cheers.

If I had more space and more acreage I'd have gone for an old international of some sort. Compact tractors are expensive compared to bigger tractors, but I don't have space to store a bigger tractor, nor really a need for one. And they're thirstier.

I've got a Yanmar YM1600 to mow, carry etc. round my 2 acres of paddock / orchard. It's 16-18 horsepower and doesn't struggle with a 1.1m topper mower. Does a reasonably neat cut but is not much good in tight corners. It's 2wd which is fine for me - diff lock gets it out of most sticky situations, and if it's really wet I just won't use it - don't want to cut the ground up. It's an ancient import so no roll cage etc. and it can be a bit hairy - most of my paddock is on a slope. It was fine for the first year, but have had coolant leak problems this year which I don't seem to be able to permanently fix - I just use it with a weep of coolant, which I probably shouldn't, but it keeps going! it also need front wheel bearings and some other bits and pieces. Oh, and it sips diesel - probably uses about 0.5 litres an hour! A bit more when mowing maybe. Cost me about 3K to include a mower and a link box if I remember right. Tempted to get a log splitter for it one day, but in retrospect I should maybe have spent a bit more and got one a bit newer!

Been members for a while. Never been charged to enter a house, the whole lot has always been free. Decent cafes and nice gardnes / parks wherever you are in the UK, but the cafes aren't cheap. As mentioned above, I've queried their attitudes to country sports and things (taking bequests with the promise of maintaining hunting etc. traditions then reneging on those promises as soon as they have the property), but on balance it's worth it. Some lovely properties they have.

I tried to buy a few M3 of mixed hard and soft earlier this year - maybe April or May. I struggled to get calls returned, never mind a load delivered. Managed it in the end, in about July, once the chap had a pause in his fencing work. So it's not seasoned for as long as I'd like, but hopefully it'll be ok. I've got my.own more seasoned stuff to burn first.

Whoever thinks wood burners put out black smoke has obviously not seen a well fed stove burning correctly.

I try not to light the fire or turn the heating on before October. But our house is cold and my wife complains. Still, that keeps her warm.

Give em a try! I was tempted, but I don't live in a sheltered area so went for more robust fruits..

(Not for espaliers, just standard orchard trees - MM106 rootstock, so probably a bit bigger than you'll want)

I've had good service, plants and advice from Adam's Apples - http://www.talatonplants.co.uk/ The man seems to know his stuff.

Thanks. Be interesting to see how it lasts. Going to oil / finish them or just leave them to it?

What wood are they?

Look good! I'd have those in my garden. Did you screw the 45 degree angle pieces into the seat and the legs, or joint them somehow?

I dry logs in a polytunnel. Works well. No fans or anything, just leave the windows open, one door open and one door unzipped a bit at the end where the rain falls. There's a reasonable breeze which helps and logs certainly dry quicker inside it than outside.