spandit

You'd have to join to find out

I may do in future. Branch logger currently just a personal purchase. I'm allowed to sell 2m3 but I'm assuming the exempt stuff doesn't count towards that

Thanks! Bonfire society thing...

You're allowed to fell 5m3 a quarter - this is nowhere near that amount (and a lot of it is under 8cm diameter so exempt anyway)

Felled a few decent sized alder (big for me) as well as some willow, birch and oak. It's soaking in that part (and some of the stuff was cut on the smaller of my two private islands 🙂). This alder was planted 11 years ago The branch logger does choke up on the brash but it does the job. Got 6 nets out of the smaller stuff - would be really useful to be able to swing the bag chute out of the way as I think it would help with jamming. The arisings help grip in the mud anyway

So it will die anyway? Loads have been attacked in a similar fashion

Bark almost completely stripped yet there are new buds ready for the spring on all the twigs, which are still green when I snap them. I thought ring barking a tree was enough to kill it (although how cork oaks survive I don't know either)?

This year's is impressive too but I won't spoil the surprise

My bonfire site is covered in thick vegetation. I get the impression your opinion will not be swayed and I suspect we're veering away from my branch logger review a touch

Methane is an even worse greenhouse gas! Biochar has been found in archaeological records - it doesn't break down that fast

I think the attraction of biochar is that it doesn't break down as quickly as wood so keeps the carbon captured

They soak it in compost tea. Check out the prices in a garden centre - not the worst product to sell, especially if it's just the bits you sieve out of bigger charcoal

People are interested in improving awful soil and it's one way of improving it. It's supposed to be charged with micronutrients before putting in the soil. Not a bad use of otherwise waste stuff

I think one of the ideas of biochar is that it captures carbon long term whereas woodchip breaks down and releases it again fairly quickly.

Doesn't capture the carbon, though. I think most of mine will just end up on the ground. Been burning some this morning and it's a pain to get out of the nets and although it did make a nice bed for larger logs, I didn't have a lot of time to get those on before the embers started fading. Eucalyptus and willow this morning (stuff we'd cut for wreath making last year that was in the barn to get it out of the way - was so quick to deal with!)

Further to my original post, I'm getting more familiar with the machine and what it can and can't do. Today I fitted a guard for the PTO shaft as the one it came with doesn't fit over the PTO clutch. I bought a flexi tub and just cut holes into it. Does a good job to help stop stuff falling into it. Tractor end still uncovered but that's less exposed: Had a friend round who wanted a play so winched a willow tree out of the ditch where I'd cut it a few weeks ago. Although it didn't look like much, the branches were quite long and spindly and when we piled it up ready for the branch logger, it took up a lot of space. Turns out putting small stuff through works fine but snarls up the nets so we ended up just dumping it straight onto the ground. When the outlet chute gets blocked, which happens really quickly, it just dumps out of the bottom. If I'd had a spare builders bag, I'd have put it underneath but I didn't so just let it pile up. What is left is so much more compact than brash and should just rot down fairly quickly and condition the soil. The larger stuff fills nets effectively and my friend took a net home to burn (it was pretty dry). I'd also spent most of the morning fitting an electric fuel shut off solenoid which is linked to the yellow bar on the logger. Unfortunately, with the vibration of logs going through, it quite often triggers and shuts the tractor down. There is a nut I can tighten to make the bar a little stiffer which could help as it would be a shame to bypass it. Nice that it turns off with the key now (previously needed to pull the manual shut off which was difficult from outside the cab) So in conclusion, still happy with my purchase and reckon I'll be able to make charcoal with the larger bits. The smaller stuff could be used for biochar, I suppose, although how I'd get it into the soil I don't know (or do you just dump it on the surface?)

That's awesome but probably less effective on smaller stuff

Wherever it's made, it seems pretty well made. Mine does have a large pulley as a flywheel. Not sure I'm actually running it fast enough - but 1900rpm on my tractor (for a 540rpm PTO) makes it sound like it's screaming The smaller bits would probably be best burnt in a boiler at high temperatures - might experiment with burning them in a cage in the wood stove. Otherwise, they can just rot down and nourish the soil and I'll salvage the bigger chunks

So the cutting mechanism is made in PRC or somewhere? Still a pretty simple piece and the steel is really thick - glad I had a tractor to lift it with

Wood chipper / Branch logger / Log splitter Archives - Machinery Sales EU MACHINERYSALESEU.CO.UK New agricultural equipment and machinery for sale. Mine is the Remet CNC R120, made in Poland. They're very simple machines

It's a branch logger with a flywheel. A branch logger is the same as a chipper anyway, just produces larger chips. I take your point about warranty etc. - I bought it on a credit card so have some comeback and the business is UK based, although the owner is probably Polish.

Yeah, fair point. I shall refrain from doing that and use the chop saw

OK, it arrived and here's a very brief review: TL:DR - I like it It arrived on a pallet, wrapped in black plastic. After taking the plastic off, it was apparent the machine was in component parts but everything well strapped down onto a small pallet. There were no instructions at all and the user manual doesn't contain assembly information but it's reasonably simple to put together. Essentially, there is the main cutter unit, with a PTO shaft one side (and the gears) and another shaft the other side, for a flywheel. All the metal is a heavy gauge and it seems well made. I'm not overly keen on the lack of spring washers or Nylocs on many of the fasteners, but we'll see how it fairs. The flywheel was a bastard to fit. Fortunately, I have a tractor with a loader and winch hoist so I could lift the cutter unit up and also turn the machine onto its side to install the flywheel. Took me a couple of attempts to get it in place but I'm a little concerned that there is no central fixing bolt. It's on tight, though, and contained in a metal box. I'm sure if it works free, the noise will be horrendous. Anyway. Got it assembled and attached to the tractor. PTO shaft was too long, which was a nuisance, but after a few minutes with the angle grinder, I got it all on. One complaint I'd seen in a YouTube video was that it is supposed to be greased every time you use it but that meant taking a whole panel off. They've now installed a grease nipple. I applied a liberal coating to the gears before fitting the panel, though. Tried it first with some fairly thick (80mm+) branches, of birch, willow, oak and pine. It chomped through the lot with frightening efficiency. The logs are about the size of a drinks can. That was cut directly into a builder's bag. Next, I put through some thinner, but dry willow. Again, no problem, and I now have a good supply of BBQ fuel. I then fitted the bag holder and attached a net bag. Put some pallet bits through - didn't bother it, although they got a bit snagged on the bag. The unit sits fairly low to the ground so the bags can't fill very well but if I mush them up around the spout it might be better. The dry willow filled the bags with little issue. I've noticed that once the outlet chute is blocked, the arisings just drop out of the bottom. Next I tried it on a pile of pretty damp willow brash that's been lying in a pile for weeks. This blocked the chute quite a lot and I just let it all fall to the ground - should rot down fairly quickly. If I'd used a builder's bag, it would make for a very neat job. I'd imagine that bagged up and left to dry, it would make reasonable kindling. I'll post pictures tomorrow when I have more time. Planning on putting some fresh cut willow through it tomorrow and maybe some tile battens that are full of nails All in all, it's processed a load of smallish wood far quicker than I could with a chainsaw and has the convenience of going straight into a bag if required.

Open a glampsite

Planning on more thinning this winter. The branch logger should arrive soon and sort the ones I chop pretty quick. Got a double row of poplar and think I'll take down half of them to allow the remainers to flourish. Assume they'll survive and coppice anyway. Got masses of willow and birch to remove, as well as the odd oak. May see how it copes on gorse too