green heart

I remember buying my first 2511, I think, most of ten years ago now. As I picked up the saw, I remarked to the dealer: I'll be needing a replacement exhaust cover in a few months by the look of them. But just one, in all that time! I think that's the only part I've ever put on the saw, apart from chains !? Stunningly reliable

After a year's use with mine, I'd say you'll find that you get used to it, within a week or two. But do avoid/be extremely careful when cutting with the top-side of the bar... it does have really lethal kick back. Always use cut resistant gloves AND sleeves. No 'one handing ' ever ! The set-up on the equivalent 40v Makita pruning saw however, is much nicer to use. Tho the 18v Makita version is a bit underwhelming for professional use IMO. The Sthil AGT40 was OK, too.

Covex, the office at MDL POWER UP have printed their own (brief) paper manual, in English, if you need one. -I doubt you'd need it tho! I really can't see any chance of making clean, normal-sized chippings using this machine, sadly. I'm now looking at the more expensive G l & d chipper, with tracks -but no feed roller. 🙄

So yesterday I had a chipper demo over at MDL Power up, in Carlisle. Also present, was a well-known contributor to this site, and his hound.. From the demo -and subsequent discussions with MDL's office manager, it only now transpires that this 4'' tracked chipper is actually designed for the production of wood-pellet feedstock ! -No, NOT wood chipping!? So it's great at very slowly turning 1'' to 3'' diameter branches into saw dust-like particles -that do happily blow everywhere... We didn't bother trying to chip 4'' hawthorn or cypress, that would be just asking too much, I think. In an effort to produce some actual wood chippings, I swiftly removed the substantial main screen -but no real change, just as covex said above. We then proceeded to remove the 8 off swinging drum hammers, leaving just the two chipping blades. Surprisingly, there was still no change to the particular size output... It has many plus points -but is useless for my needs, unless I diversify into pellet production ! In defence of the unit, the engineer did insist on turning the hydraulic feed-speed down to a snails pace.. 😏

PeteB and Dan, I'd 100% agree with you, re: supporting UK/EU manufacturing, every time -I always detest/avoid buying Chinese goods or tools.. I'd actually spoken with the Greenmech designer/director about two potential improvements to the CS100, prior to likely buying one (-and he was already independently considering one of the mods, then ). But that was 2 years ago now, and sadly, it's evidently gone nowhere, in the light of recent sad takeover news there.. So, against all my principals, it's likely to be the Chinese/MDL chipper ( itself a copy of a Japanese machine !), the best replacement for my small chipper. It has the valuable addition (to me) of a feed roller and tracks, over the M500 JoBeau unit. 🤔😒

Oh yes -a 3D printed stiff-one, that sounds like a winner now, especially for those older climbers amongst us... Is anyone offering to model the prototype? Perhaps Kram or Alex might patent it: The Handy Stiffy Mk1 😆 Sorry, I'll get my coat now..

Well yes, maybe its crap when compared to a bigger tracked 6'' Forst/Jensen/Timber wolf/Greenmech etc However -it's smaller, lighter, suitable for those awkward little 'back garden' type jobs -and significantly, it costs a fraction of the others listed.. I don't suppose it'll last 25 years like my current Cramer and Timber wolf, but hey, horses for courses !

So I tried a welded addition/modification to the metal ring that's supplied with the standard saw lanyard, to try and hold the ring at 90° to lanyard. I think it might work, with some more dabbling, but too busy to sort it, currently. I also noticed on Sorbus marketing photos a rigid alloy-looking ring, that fitted onto the rear attachment point of a top handled Sthil saw. However, I couldn't find this on their website anywhere ? It looked useful. I think the clip on your dcs2500 is the gold standard, tho. I've put a screen shot up of something like the Sorbus device.

Thanks for your correction -I didn't realise it was actually a 10cm thick branch . So, that's actually quite good productivity, for a machine powered only by a 13Hp engine.. When I quizzed the Carlisle agents, they were insistent that their bigger 25Hp engine unit made no discernable difference to chipping performance, only to tracking speed up an incline. Hence they would only now sell the 13Hp engined units. Perhaps I'd better get up to Carlisle, to test out the demonstration unit.

I've noticed these things only usually get stuck when: you're under pressure to crack on.. Or the clients talking to me about something/hanging around/being a pain Or when I'm looking forward to an early Friday afternoon finish... Pretending to be some patient Zen Master tree worker has no effect either! 🤦‍♂️

It looks fairly slow operating in the video, only chipping a 2/3'' diameter branch -can you not increase the feed-in speed any more? Also, I thought that the internal grill could be removed, to give a larger chip size? Not too impressed -I guess it's only powered by a 13hp engine tho. 🤷‍♂️

Hmm.. sounds worrying! I had been meaning to go and trial a Power-up unit, at MDL in Carlisle, in the absence of any useful user feedback on here.. I spoke to one Scottish landscaper who still liked his unit, after a year. So I travelled up to the Carlisle yard and saw their demo unit, but there wasn't any branches available for a working trial, that time. Whilst the tracking controls seemed rather counter intuitive, it actually otherwise appeared to be a fairly well thought out design(!), with the option of a Loncin engine instead of B&S powered version. I think a year of hard work is the only way to get a clue to it's performance. It makes a very good value for money offering, on paper only, perhaps!? Keep us posted with your progress, please?

Some people prefer tea-bagging. Allegedly..

For fast growing evergreen screening, I'd suggest Scots Pine, or maybe even Eucalyptus (if you're free to use non-natives ?), they grow like stink !

With the background knowledge, subtle questions and a name like Jimmy Jugerlugs, it has to be a wind-up.