aspenarb

I think the answer to that is down to the efficiency of the team leaders. Our domestic tree team side of things pretty much run their own show, the lads on tracks and landscape manage ok without too much of my time , forestry work is generally long term and never that pressing in as much as you get as far as you get and the rest runs into the next year, site clearance is balls out within a tight schedule and you have to be there . Other than that most of my time is spent on maintenance, running about making sure materials and kit are in place, the odd spell in a machine when needed and some office work , most of the man management, H&S , pricing and paperwork is full on and done by the two in the office. Bob

Because my lads cant keep their traps shut and discuss their earnings over tea breaks I have to pay them all the same . In reality some are worth double what I pay and others half, I also keep tabs on the onus of earnings per man before I make anything which is currently around £200 a day per man . Bob

Only if you believe the figures thrown about Mick. Take out the government job avoidance schemes like further education and add that to the numbers on permanent sick notes, early retirees and the unemployable that just bounce their unproductive arses around from one job to the next there would be a different picture painted . Bob

Its a bit of a yawnathon but worth having a squint at the pdf http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2018/19/pdfs/ukpga_20180019_en.pdf. It seems that sub 750kg unbraked trailers will be exempt which I assume will also eliminate the smaller chippers.( page 12 section 13). Haulage permits wtf? Most will be better off with a proper truck if this kicks in. Bob

I have mulched off vast areas of neglected coppice over last few years, nobody seems that interested in it around here anymore and the ones that still do a bit just seem to tit about leaving a mess. Bob

A lot of these hitch`s throw the bucket geometry to feck, the whites hitch on the three tonner makes the bucket fall short of the dozer blade for crumbing up and also spills when loading over the top of a tipper . The older machines without a quick hitch keeps the bucket flat to the dozer blade and wont leave half a shovel on the floor, the one below leaves a barrow load out of reach. Bob This full in. Full in and crowd

Its on the to get list Matthew Mick Dundee knocked up a four feet wide steel curved grading tool that bolts in place of the teeth on a bucket, that forms the small camber on the scalps prior to rolling. Works well but that to could do with a power tilt, may get him to add a ram. Bob Edit. Just getting around to butchering a Pel job I bought a few years ago, its getting a 2ltr perkins, extra pumps, services and caged up. Will take some snaps.

Should be here in the next week or two Lee, machine is being supplied by Boss plant. Jon Wiseman their sales manager has been a star, got the machine at a good price, he has sorted out the factory parts and retro fitted the extra services, sorted out a better hitch and kept in touch throughout. Was not happy with the last Whites quickhitch setup on our other machine , gets very sloppy on the buckets in no time , its a very narrow pin bearing so Jon got onto another crowd that are tailor making the hitch to our specs which should be a lot more stable. As soon as the hitch and buckets are made/fitted it should be ready for collection, will get some snaps. http://www.bossplantsales.co.uk/ Bob

We are all in the same boat Al, most of them spend all day on twitterbook or facetube, do the bare minimum and will jump ship for a fiver a day. The colleges are pumping them out full of tickets and failing to teach them any work ethics , often wonder what the drop out rate would be if the first few days at college were spent dragging brash up a steep bank on a hot day. Access to bank of mum and dad does not help either, we get loads of no shows followed by a pathetic call from a parent over a runny nose. There is no need or want to work amongst the majority of nippers these days and its leaving a huge hole in the skills market, we then wonder why we have to rely on foreign labour Bob

That could be the first aid kit if you have just poked a saw into your leg. bob

Its 13hp and the same weight bar a few kg as the rayco RG13 , there is an old willow stump in the yard so I will bounce it off that tomorrow and see how it goes. Bob

The lads doing the domestic work have been moaning their holes off about getting a stump grinder they can throw over a fence so I bought one. Got a T mech , phoned up the guy selling them and he reckoned of the hundreds he has sold only one has come back with problems. So here we go and a grand including delivery later What lurks within ? Comes built up with the exception of the wheels, brake and the frame with the throttle and brake on it, Throttle control is decent with a ratchet/thumb mechanism. Kill switch and deadmans cord Cutter wheel is mounted on a couple of plumber block bearings with the industry norm exposed and vulnerable grease nipples, teeth have a good amount of carbide on them so should take a few sharpens, a new set is £65. Skirts are made of some sort of hard vinyl shite , think this will get changed for some rubber. Fecking thing is blue Started first pull, its on a centrifugal clutch . will see how it goes.

Telehandler with a beak by a long chalk, it picks up the tracked chipper at the same time as dragging the stump grinder up the ramp . Your hydraulic thumbs and rakes are not far behind.

You can if you interrupt the prop to the back axle and fit a pto splitter. Its all done with one lever that disconnects drive to the back axle and transfers power to the upper flange ( to the pto). Just happen to have a new one lurking in one of the containers Bob

Fitter managed to get a day in on the landrover, found some plated suspension bits in the container I had forgotten about so used them. Fitted the new discs/pads ,reverted to the style with the holes through the pad so there is no chance of them dropping down onto the disc. Just need to repipe the brakes now. Changed that gurt joint over the axle. Poly bush kit, Tow hitch and exhaust back on. And a new wiper switch. About £285 in bits so far, next up is chassis waxing, brake pipes and refit the body tub. Bob

I wanted the JCB 8025 but could not get any sense out of the main dealers so I bought a U27-4 Kubota with an extra service instead . Its not due here for a few weeks but I am curious as to how or what they have switched/diverted to achieve the two extra lines. Bob

My thirst was broken today Bob

Chassis`s and suspension components don't get prepared or primed prior to a slash of black paint Kevin , its just a cosmetic black coating that's either sprayed on or dipped. If you are concerned about protection I would get the thing thoroughly steam cleaned off, leave it to dry for a few days and wax it. Bob

The jak-a-box system is worth looking at, still leaves the truck able to pull a trailer.

Very temporary, my youngest nipper has decided he wants to take over the company so instead of retiring and flogging everything off I will be getting lots of workshop/toy time to get all this stuff finished off and pushed into service. Bob

I sharpen my own TW knives Mike, I have done both hollow and straight grinds on them. The hollow ground knives are definitely better on conny and willow, cant say there is much in it on hardwoods. You get a finer cutting edge on the hollow ground vs the straight, exaggerated below but you can see whats going on. Bob

And who would object to that if it was spent wisely? Its not and thats why most people object to paying what they do, the government is top heavy, expensive, wasteful and inefficient in just about every department.It all needs stripping back to bare bones and a rethink. Bob

We used to run three of them but could not keep up with the mayhem/damage the lads caused on the roads and the constant costly mechanical repairs, they are very much an owner driver vehicle . I have kept one back for the odd occasion we need a mog with a chipper over the common or if the grinder is needed within a few miles of base I just hook it up on the mog otherwise it goes behind the telehandler and is dropped off with the low loader. . The new laws on fast tractors only apply to non ag/forestry use so wont affect many that run mogs in this game. Bob