sandspider

Yup! It's a risk. I'm fairly mechanically competent (given time and the internet) but I've never worked on a tractor before. And wouldn't really know how to check if I was buying a good one - but I suppose if the engine starts from cold, runs with power and without smoke, all the gears engage, the PTO spins, the 3 point linkage lifts, the brakes work - it can't be too bad? I'm aiming for an older tractor, both because of my budget and because they're simpler. Suppose I could spend a bit more in order to get a better machine, but I have seen reasonable looking tractors within my budget.

Thanks all. Food for thought. To answer some questions. Budget - not much! £2,000 maybe? Looking second hand, but wouldn't need to get log splitter immediately, if at all. (I actually split pretty well with a Fiskars, just thinking for the future - personal use only). The ability to pick up grass would be useful sometimes, but not all the time. The plan is for a patch of neat lawn (though that could possibly be cut and picked up by a normal walk-behind mower). Some of it will be kept as rough ish (sloping) paddock, possibly with orchard trees. Paddock is currently pretty rough, too much for a ride on mower I think. I also want to extend a copse or two into the paddock area by planting trees, and I think a compact tractor could be useful for that, though probably not manoeuvrable enough to mow between orchard trees / new woodland. I'd prefer a pull-behind mower rather than belly mounted, as there's a bit of a rough ride to get to the paddock. Rotovation would be useful from time to time (veg patch etc.) but probably not often enough to need to buy a rotavator. I suppose realistically I could manage with a ride on mower once initial rough cutting of the paddock is done. But I would prefer a diesel tractor! (More versatile, better engineered, longer lasting...) There is a fair bit of wood about locally that I'd like to be able to drag home (with permission, of course) - and I think doing this on a regular basis would not be good for a ride on mower? Thanks again for the suggestions and advice.

Thanks chaps. Will let the wife stand down(!), and look into sulphur and sprays!

Hi all Just wondering if it's possible to get a ride on mower with PTO and a decent towing capacity? I'm tempted to get a compact tractor, but will only have an acre or so of grass (partly neat, partly rough) to cut. So I was wondering if a (cheaper but less versatile) ride on mower would do? As well as grass cutting, I'd like to be able to pull a trailer, maybe run a log splitter... I suppose a loader might be useful on occasion but not often. Hmm, reading what I've put, I think the compact tractor probably would be the way to go! Would towing with a ride on mower kill the clutch / drive? Thanks.

Good thinking. I humbly accept your suggestions, thanks!

Ha! Worth a try then! Thank you.

Really?! I'll ask the wife!

Thanks all. I've taken out the worst affected sapling. Hopefully most of the rest will recover and keep going. If all goes well I should be able to plant them out in q couple of months. Not sure what else I can do to keep mildew off them..

Where did you get the second one from, and what sort of money are we talking, if I may ask? Thanks.

Thanks chaps, yes, that looks like the one. Hmm. Can't find much about treatments online. I'm watering with rainwater, and the trees are in light shade. Not sure I'll be able to repot them, but I'll hopefully be able to plant them out in the next few months.

Hi all I've got about 20 oak saplings (recently transplanted) and about 5 of them seem to have some sort of whitish mould on them. Pic hopefully below. Can anyone tell me what this is? Is there anything I can do about it? And is it contagious? And terminal? One sapling is looking pretty sickly, but the rest just have a lighter sharing of the white for now... Many thanks.

Any update here Marko? I got an email saying there was one, but can't see anything new...

Does it look decent quality for the money? I'm really after a strimmer, but guess the hedge cutter and lopper might come in useful if it will last a few years...

Also, I had a look at the guidance, and it is basically common sense and keep an eye on things.

Thanks again. Chris, I feared it would be down to us. Will look at the guidance you mention, thanks. Sloe - I think so, but am not entirely sure. We haven't got to the nitty gritty details yet. Spandit, yes, that is the more likely outcome! But I imagine branches and debris could still fall into the road. Not as bad as a whole tree though.

Thanks guys. As I remember, there's the road, then crash barrier type fences, then the trees on what I thought was our land, but might in fact belong to the highways agency! Oh, and the house is in Wales if that makes a difference...

Hi all We're looking at buying a house that includes a few trees in a bit of land. All very nice, but one stretch of the land is next to a fastish road. If a tree on my land falls into the road who is responsible for damage / cleanup costs? Me? My insurance? Local council? Highways agency? I assume it's probably me! And also that I'd have to prove the trees had been regularly inspected etc. (even if just by me) in case they fell on a car or person? To make it worse, the land is quite steep and on the far side of a river, so not easy to get to, and not an area I'd want to be felling trees in either. To be fair, they're not huge trees, so it may not be an issue for a bit. And I suppose if it does look like becoming an issue, I could pollard them or replace them with pollards? (Not sure what species they are offhand). I wouldn't want to lose them altogether as they're a good screen from the road... Thank you.

Awesome bug house indeed, and a great log store! I'm jealous. Also, JPAJS, very little wrong with your English!

Not at all helpful, but I like your profile pic! Classic song.

I was in France a couple of years ago, and the villa we were staying at had chickens. Normally fairly slow and docile birds, these would hunt the little common lizards, catch and eat them! I've never seen a chicken move so fast...

Post 2 is spam, there's a link in the text.

Visited a cork oak forest in Portugal a few years ago as part of a university field course. Some lovely old trees, harvested for hundreds of years in some cases. I believe many of the cork oak forests are suffering now, due to reduced usage of real corks in wine.