William Clifford

Re the training in - house, it's good to explain what's happening and why, the theory etc, but to hand someone a saw or put them up a tree they need the qualification already. Correct me if I'm wrong. I'm talking to insurance at the moment to try to get the ok to be able to give someone a saw, but it effectively makes me a trainer, I don't think the standard policy covers that. Otherwise people could just be having anyone use a saw / feed a chipper etc, but as Joe pointed out earlier, there's enough regs to mean that can't happen and there's an obligation for the employer to make sure staff are adequately trained, equipped and competent for any task they are required to do.

No, and I know, that's why it would be good to get people more qualified so that we can have more people starting to learn / take on more roles. I'm wondering if anyone has tried to enforce a contract of recuperating training costs. I can imagine it would probably be a waste of time if the person didn't have the funds, didn't want to pay back etc. I think the contract could state that it could come out of a final pay check, but with people being paid weekly I could see that being paid over the weekend and someone just not coming backing on the Monday if they were so inclined. I haven't been burnt yet, but it is a concern and I'd like to be able to get people trained with less financial risk if possible.

So does it just come down to good will then if a lawyer could pick anything apart so easily? Happy to look at apprentices at some point but have people already that I'd like to invest in.

I would be a lot more eager to pay for peoples training / tickets if I wasn't concerned that they might leave after a few months and take my investment with them. Has anyone had to try to recover the cost of training from a staff member if they have left within an agreed time period? How did it work out? Would it make a difference if I was paying for a sub contractors ticket as opposed employed? Thanks.

Does anyone have a recommendation where I could get this root ID'd? DNA or species ID would be fine for now. Feel free to have a guess - I'll post the results if the customer goes for it. It is 2 or 3 inches diameter. Could a piece be taken off it as a sample or would it need to be a cross section? - Or follow it and take a smaller piece? Thanks.

Dual purpose vehicle aside, going through the gov.uk points: You need a licence for a motor vehicle and trailer combination if: -the motor vehicle and the trailer(s) are plated and the total of their gross plated weights is more than 3,500 kg = Transit and Ifor tipper would be 7T so needs an O liscense? Transit and 750kg chipper would be 4250kg so also needs an O liscense? -the total unladen weight of the vehicle and trailer combination is more than 1,525 kg = Transit will weigh say 2T and Ifor tipper 800kg so well over 1525kg - so needs an O license? No difference if it's a transit and chipper? -You do not need an operator’s licence if your trailer’s unladen weight is less than 1,020 kg and you only carry your own goods. = Ok so no O liscense needed as long as it is my own goods - I'm guessing as Ernesto is thinking, this 'exemption' trumps the 1st point of being over 3500kg total? I mainly came here to ask about the O liscense for the 7.5T but was curious when I saw the above on the gov.uk website. @Justme would you know if a restricted liscense is enough for myself and one other driver, moving wood chip from job to tip site and towing hired in equipment occasionally?

Also from the gov.uk website: Motor vehicles and trailers You need a licence for a motor vehicle and trailer combination if: -the motor vehicle and the trailer(s) are plated and the total of their gross plated weights is more than 3,500 kg -the total unladen weight of the vehicle and trailer combination is more than 1,525 kg -You do not need an operator’s licence if your trailer’s unladen weight is less than 1,020 kg and you only carry your own goods. Does this mean that anyone in a Defender or Transit GVW 3500kg towing an Ifor tipper GVW 3500kg which of course car license holders are allowed to do needs to be operating from a yard with an O license?

Doing domestic Arb using my own 7.5T, do I need a standard national license or would I be ok with the restricted license? gov.uk says standard covers own goods and other peoples, restricted are only own goods. I imagine if I take my staff and kit to a job, remove wood chip and logs back to my yard then I'd be ok on restricted? If I took the wood chip and logs to someone else's yard or was picking up or dropping off for example a mewp I'd hired in for a day would that make any difference? And would it make any difference if it was an employee or contractor driving my vehicle if we got checked?

I would but it's with the mechanic. I was chatting to him on the phone and he said that despite the size of the machine, they're not that good at pulling material in. This seems extreme though? I'd expect to be able to throw an armful of 1 to 2ft long Leylandii tips onto the belt, maybe spread them out a bit and let the machine do the rest - short of one being at a funny angle and blocking the rest that sometimes happens of course. What happens is we spread them on the belt a little, the roller doesn't get hold of them and then the whole lot gets bunched up as it is brought to the roller by the conveyor. We reverse it, spread them out, keep trying to spread them out with one pressing the reverse and the other trying to spread it out so the machine gets a tiny bit at a time. Then the roller doesn't grab a bit, it all bunches up and we need to reverse and start the process again. I think I remember a thread (was looking before buying) where you (Mick) didn't hold either Saelen or Bugnot in high regard over there? Can't remember exactly so I might be mistaken, but struggle to believe they're this bad and there's not something else going on? Cheers.

It is like that, but worse! Yes if I feed a trickle through then it'll generally just about take it, but it's over a ton of machinery and performs about as well as an electric garden shredder.

Hi, Is anyone familiar with the TS Industrie / Saelen Super Premium 35DR Shredder? I've bought one that needs a bit of work on it but it isn't pulling material through to the hammers / blades very effectively. Hammers, blades, anvils do need replacing but I don't believe that is the issue as when we get the material to or under the roller then it drags it in and shreds it just fine. Branches go though fine, Leylandii trimmings of a few inches to a few feet, leaves and twigs etc don't. We put the material on the conveyor belt, it all moves with the belt towards the roller. The material gets to where the hopper narrows just before the roller and is still a good few inches away from the roller. We use a prodder to give it a good shove (and it takes some effort), the roller grabs some (and often the prodder) and fires it through the machine but the rest of the material sits before the roller with the conveyor rotating underneath it. It seems to me that the conveyor stops too early before the roller, the roller has too much of a gap between it and the bed, and that the conveyor could do with teeth on it to keep dragging the brash instead of just slipping and rotating underneath when the material meets a bit of resistance. I bought it to do jobs that a chipper won't do. I don't think I'm expecting too much from it - they can't be that bad can they? What am I missing? Is it possible to modify or retrofit the conveyor with the teeth as other models have? Would that help, and if the answer to those last 2 questions is yes then I guess I'd need to look at it from the legal angle of modifying the machine. Thanks.

Thanks for the figures Aspen!

I read somewhere that turners like monkey puzzle to be cut down in January and stored upright, otherwise the sap causes grey discolouring of the wood. Could probably be the cause..

I'm planning on taking it to have it pressure checked next week. My initial response when the winch wasn't working properly was that it might not be worth repairing depending on what was up with it. I don't use it much at all so would prefer to swap a faulty part than replace the whole thing if I can. Thanks for the replies!

Ok thanks. Next post will be is there anyone around Nottingham with PA6AW? So even eco-plugs in a domestic back garden away from waterways I need the ticket as it's herbicide and I'm applying it commercially? Whereas a homeowner wouldn't need the tickets..

Ok, fair enough, I'll go back to them and ask them to do that. Cheers.

Ok, I took it to my local agricultural mechanic who said that if it's on it's original pump, constantly running for 175K miles then it might be a little tired! He looked over everything else and said best place to start would be put a new pump on as everything else looked in order. 3 times it's let me down when I needed it. We'd then spend time checking it, test it with a load (eg empty 3.5T van pulled up a sloping drive) and it would seem to be working. Then when it comes to it it isn't up to the job. For example, bogged down in a field only tyre deep, not down to the axles, a load of logs on the low-sided tipper back, but it wouldn't pull it out. We only just got out with a bit of a back up and run and the combo of help from the winch. So I'm thinking there must be something wrong - it can't be that poor? I'm afraid I don't know what winch it is. It was built as an arbtruck but I'm the 4th Arb owner and there's no markings on the winch. So like for like could be tricky if it's an adapted merc power steering pump? Is it much of a job to switch it to a PTO pump if I can't find a replacement or if we need more oomph? Thanks!

Hi, I've got some undergrowth to remove next to a river. Small Ash, Buddleah growing out of brickwork, Ivy all over the brickwork etc. Not a big job but regrowth needs to be stopped. I'm struggling to find someone with PA6AW which I would have thought is needed to apply herbicide to this growth right next to / over the waterway. Is this correct? If so, I need to find someone. Out of curiosity, my local training provider also advertises a ticket for PA6PP (eco plug) - is this ticket needed for using eco plugs either near to or not near to waterways? Thanks.

Hi, 2001 Land Rover 130 with Hydraulic winch fitted. The winch appears to work when tested - pulling another vehicle up a slight incline for example, but lacks any real power when it comes to it. Winch was on the vehicle when purchased with no identifying marks etc. I've been advised that it is most likely the pump - pictured. Does anyone know where to be asking for one? It is constantly running - attached to the belt as seen in the picture so needs to fit / be like for like etc. Thanks.

Thanks Squaredy!

Picture not attached.. Now picture attached, hopefully.

There is a lot more white fly around this year than previous years. Around this way at least. I've always understood June / July / August to be the right time for pruning Cherries. When I read up on it there was some conflicting trains of thought - some saying winter also, but these 3 months seemed to be the right time. I've just done a quick google search and even RHS has slightly differing recommendations. Picture attached. If the tree is very sickly I'd probably be leaving the epicormic growth on until I was confident the tree's gained some strength at least. The tree isn't wasting energy on it, rather putting it out as its best way to quickly feed itself? A response to being stressed?

Hi, I'm pretty sure this is Monilia Johnsonii on Crataegus x lavallei? It's on a customers treasured Hawthorn. What could the significance to the tree be - will it likely just get over it and be fine next year, or is there any control needed or available? The tree is of a size that it could be sprayed if needed, though it wouldn't be an easy task! With me suspecting Monilia, I'm also wondering if there could be a connection between this and what I suspect might be Monilia on a lot of Cherry trees around me. It would have to be a different type of Monilia though? I've just commented on another thread here - if there could be any connection? Pictures: Thanks!

I'm being asked to prune quite a few Cherries this time of year. I'm avoiding pruning any which are struggling (no chance of pruning out infection and leaving anything decent on the one's I've looked at if it is Monilinia), but there's a lot of very healthy looking Cherries and I'm concerned about putting pruning wounds in and letting infection in. I guess it depends on what the problem is?

I'm also coming across quite a few Cherries looking like this. One was vigorous last year when we secateured new growth from the top (it had been heavily reduced years previous). I had a look a couple of weeks ago and it was dead and dry down into 5" timber with the exception of 2 sprigs. Others had signs of life, sometimes dead dry tips for 8 inches, but leaf further down the the twigs. Another had very few leaves, but life in all the tips when scratched and is now starting to come back - and looking like the one in HMW's photo. Dan is suggesting late frost, another local tree surgeon is suggesting drought. On all of the trees there have been a few leaves hanging as if it has Blossom Wilt so was wondering if Monilinia was to blame? The only thing that makes me think not is no gummy bits on the cherry shoots at all, and only a relatively small number of dead hanging leaves? There is a difference this year between trees which seem to have been struggling due to the climate over the past couple of years becoming sparse, and the 6 or so I've looked at since spring which were healthy last year and now look more like HMW's. Any of the above 3 possible diagnosis are plausible in my mind. I'm in the East Midlands if that helps at all.