Billhook

I thought that seven grand was quite reasonable compared to say a Honda Quad or certainly the 15K Gators and larger heavier versions. The full cab seemed ridiculous 3.5K so I just bought a sheet of polycarbonate for about £100 and some large P clips to attach to the frame and a plywood roof, fine for our needs.

Think I would call that one an Ass rather than a Mule!

You have exactly the same problem as us. No way could we work in the woods or the steep grassland in this weather without making the kind of mess that would take years to put right., So the Mule gives us the opportunity to carry on working rather than sitting in the kitchen drinking endless cups of tea and reading all about how many people have died today.

Not sure if this has been mentioned yet but I am fairly sure that the Massey 35 had a live pto operated by a two stage clutch and I hope that the Ford has an independent pto which is much better so good choice. We ran Ford tractors for over forty years having had John Deeres and Masseys before. Always seemed to have a reoccurring weaknesses with the Deere (engine) and Massey (hydraulics and Multipower transmission. Fords always seemed more sorted. Hope this gives you confidence and good luck with your good choice

Like 'cos it's far out dude, cosmic, mind blowing, tangerine dream and it's free, man! ( If you can grow it!)

WWW.WOODLANDTRUST.ORG.UK

That is interesting. I know my father spent a lot of time finding different sprigs ,some from his brother's farm in Norfolk, and also went around with his pocket knife trying different methods, sometimes lifting bark and binding it, other times just shoving it into a small gap, but the secret may be having to pass though a bird to start the process. He just was perplexed by his brother in laws garden in the South where it grows like a weed and is treated like one as it seems to overwhelm some trees.

Exactly what my father did forty years ago with success. I was just wondering if the Mistletoe has a lifespan shorter than the tree. He planted some bamboo in a wet area which lasted for thirty years ever increasing until one year the whole lot suddenly died for no obvious reason. Could Mistletoe be the same? And why is it so difficult to grow above the line between the Wash and the Severn?

We have had this sprig of Mistletoe on a Poplar for maybe forty years. The tree seems healthy. Does Mistletoe have a certain lifespan? I remember my father trying to put Mistletoe around the farm. He read up about the method and went around a load of different trees but this was the only one that grew. I think that he read that there was a line from the Wash to the Severn Estuary above which it was rarely found. Anyone know any more? Perhaps a couple sneaked down at Christmas and had a snog under it and gave it the virus!

Good advice thank you

Glad to hear you have that level of confidence in them. We did have an idling issue with ours from brand new. It was idling too fast on the new injection petrol and no adjustment we tried made any difference so we sent it back and a new throttle body was fitted, apparently costing over £1000 though glad to say not our money. It is fine now and I have heard that ours is not the only one. Been using it today to haul rounds out of a steep grass field so wet that if you jumped out of the cab you were likely to end up on your bum. No problem for the Mule and I think a lot of it is the quality of the tyres which seem to be self clearing of mud.

Fair comment, and if you are cutting in the same place all the time it would work well. For me the ease of fitting all the bits into the back of my truck and taking the sawhorse to different locations is the deciding factor. You do have a bit of flexibility on the width of your cut simply by cutting closer or further away from the uprights

Cecilia Henrietta Dolores Blount La Touche, Lady Congreve, quite a mouthful. Do not think that she would have spent much time cutting firewood or laying fires as she probably had lots of servants to do that. Her husband and son were both awarded a VC which was unusual and they spent a lot of time in India and South Africa so probably had some very different woods out there. I think I would agree with here about the Ash, not green from the tree but if it has been down and split in a dry well ventilated store for a week or two, it can be used in emergencies but obviously better to do the job properly.

Years ago my parents hired a new daily help called Mrs Short. Her first job was cleaning out the ash from the fireplace which she put in the large dustbin next to the wood store. Father luckily came home just in time to see flames leaping out of the bin and it would not have been much longer before the whole building was alight. After that we called her Mrs Mentally Short or Mrs Mentally for short!

Length Overall - 106.7 in. Height Overall - 73.4 in. Width Overall - 52.6 in. Weight Curb - 1,082.7 lb. Ground Clearance 8.1 in. Wheelbase 70.1 in. Turning Radius 11.8 ft. The grass field has some very steep banks. A friend broke the back of his Subaru trying to compete with my Panda 4x4 and during the war they were used for Bren gun carrier training, but the Mule handled them well. Lock and ground clearance not an issue so far. Road speed about 25 mph But it is about half the price of its bigger brothers, which seem to be too heavy and clumsy. We have had Gators on the farm with contractors and I feel that the Mule wouild have done better in the same situation Sandringham Sydney did not do very well either in spite of being six wheel drive We do have very Friendly clay soil here and it does like to cling!

Just bought a new Kawasaki Mule for around seven grand, which seemed reasonable compared to quads. Tipping rear body, I fitted a polycarbonate screen and plywood roof which was about three grand cheaper than a cab with doors and works well for our needs Just gave it a big test today hauling a heavy load out of a steep grass field where the frost had left the ground like a quagmire. It is so light that it hardly leaves a mark and doesn’t struggle in four wheel drive so I never used the diff lock. Only single cylinder 400 cc 13.5 go but it seems to be boss of the job Very pleased with it as we do not need to travel very far and we need something small and nimble for the woodland tracks Arb Trolley also excellent bit of kit, both loaded with very heavy Ash and Thorn, must have weighed half a ton together. Arb trolley wheels left more of a mark. Far too wet for the Teleporter which would have made a terrible mess Bought a heated seat for it operated by the cigar lighter, Bliss!

Forest Master looks good Quite like the Truncator for the non metal parts but less capacity and less portability Some quite good demonstrations here. The last two of the one I favour. Not a very good demonstration of a sharp chainsaw in the first one! Also he has not slipped a length of wood in the frame under the logs to protect the chain. The second one shows how small a package it is when taken apart. All the vertical rods just slide in and out, there are no pins or screws. The legs have a knobbed screw to hold them in place, very easy and very stable although the guy in the video is making hard work of a simple task.

Similar to Forest Master both in design and price, but I like the ease of assembly and compact stowage, Thoroughly recommend. Height adjustable saw horse made of steel - with positioning brackete WWW.EBAY.CO.UK The saw horse also has alocking strap to secure the wood you are sawing. With this robust saw horse made ofsteel, you will cut your wood in an instant. The comfortable working height...

Always worth a second read, not sure if I agree with her about Elm which burns hot and well here and Sycamore is nearly as good as Ash here also. Is she right about the other woods? I By Lady Celia Congreve Published in The Times: March 2nd 1930 These hardwoods burn well and slowly, Ash, beech, hawthorn oak and holly. Softwoods flare up quick and fine, Birch, fir, hazel, larch and pine. Elm and willow you’ll regret, Chestnut green and sycamore wet. Beechwood fires are bright and clear, If the logs are kept a year. Chestnut’s only good, they say, If for long ’tis laid away. But Ash new or Ash old, Is fit for a queen with crown of gold. Birch and fir logs bum too fast, Blaze up bright and do not last. It is by the Irish said, Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread. Elm wood bums like churchyard mould, E’en the very flames are cold. But Ash green or Ash brown, Is fit for a queen with golden crown. Poplar gives a bitter smoke, Fills your eyes and makes you choke. Apple wood will scent your room, With an incense like perfume. Oaken logs if dry and old, Keep away the winter’s cold. But Ash wet or Ash dry, A king shall warm his slippers by. Oak logs will warm you well, That are old and dry. Logs of pine will sweetly smell, But the sparks will fly. Birch logs will burn too fast, Chestnut scarce at all sir. Hawthorn logs are good to last, That are cut well in the fall sir Holly logs will burn like wax, You could burn them green. Elm logs burn like smouldering flax, With no flame to be seen. Beech logs for winter time, Yew logs as well sir. Green elder logs it is a crime, For any man to sell sir. Pear logs and apple logs, They will scent your room. And cherry logs across the dogs, They smell like flowers of broom. But Ash logs smooth and grey, Buy them green or old, sir. And buy up all that come your way, They’re worth their weight in gold sir. Logs to Burn, Logs to burn, Logs to burn, Logs to save the coal a turn. Here’s a word to make you wise, When you hear the woodman’s cries. Never heed his usual tale, That he has good logs for sale. But read these lines and really learn, The proper kind of logs to burn.

Sorry if I am being a bit thick , but if the seeds are sterile how do they grow like weeds?

Brilliant explanation, thanks

Could not see the video on the first reply but found this

I suppose that we will have to wait for the beetle or the fungus to mutate instead of the Elms Our hedges and woodland sides are stuffed with English Elms that grow for about fifteen years until the bark starts to crack open and the beetles enter. They just have a long wait which may take decades or centuries but they have all the time in the world . Bit like us waiting for lockdown to end!