Bob The Dog

Was just wondering whether anyone had any success, or horror stories with converting the 365 into a 372? I know there are some old posts on this site, but being a relative newby I may well have missed something. Anyway, I've had a tinker tonight and have managed to remove the transfer cover without lifting the cylinder (really wanted to avoid doing that). Took the starter side cover off, then the plastic flywheel surround, and had access to the 2 lower screws securing the transfer cover. A little bit of fiddling and out it came. Seems that the grinding /polishing of the vertical baffle is quite straightforward with a dremel or similar. Just don't want to ruin the saw, so would welcome any views or advice. Thanks.

Recently bought a rock machines venom 22 ton for £1500 (optional £100 build up price). Comes with a 4 way head and the standard single head. Nothing it won't go through. Had originally limited myself to £750 for the 12 ton version but glad I went this way. A lot of money but well worth it. Does horizontal, vertical and tows too. Briggs and Stratton Vanguard engine, so what's not to like!

Love my sequoia. Just like an armchair!

Had a look at loads of splitters, from electric to petrol driven. I initially wanted a rock machinery 12 ton horizontal splitter at £750, but they were out of stock and no idea when more would be in. In the end, after loads of YouTube surfing, i went for a rock machinery venom 22 ton splitter which does both horizontal and vertical, which I find really handy depending on what I'm splitting. Tried it out on some really big knotty conifer trunks and it was like a hot knife through butter. the type and size of wood I suppose should dictate the type of splitter. I have seen some terrible efforts with the smaller electric ones, on some not so huge pieces of wood. I can highly recommend the one I have, but at £1600 incl the build up, it's an awful lot of it's just for home use!!

Having read the manual first, I wasn't exactly sure about the anvil clearance and how I went about setting it all up. Following the discussion with the greenmech guy, it was actually straightforward. The machine chips really well now with sharp blades. I'm waiting for Saturn knife guys to get some cs100 blades in so that I have a spare set. I think they were £60 each plus vat, whereas greenmech want £90 each plus vat. Perhaps there's a reason for the extra money, but I'm gonna try the cheaper ones first!

Bit of an old post, but just thought I'd add to it. Bought a used cs100 recently and needed the blades grinding. Thought it'd be a nightmare, but actually went very well. I soaked the torx bolts in WD40 overnight, cleaned the torx heads thoroughly, and used an old torx bit with a hammer to shock to bolts first. I then used a t40 torx bit with a breaker bar, which gives plenty of leverage, allows the torx bit to stay square in the head, and I can also apply downward pressure. All 12 bolts came out like a dream. Probably helped by the previous owner using copper grease on the threads. I read somewhere a while ago that it's always the last bolt which causes the trouble. That's because (apparently), when all the other bolts are released, the retaining pressure increases on the remaining bolt, making it much more difficult to undo. Therefore, I tend to slacken and re tighten all bolts first and undo each gradually to alleviate this problem. Works for me! When I reinstalled the blades, more copper grease was applied, and following advice from a helpful chap at greenmech, i torqued the bolts to 30nm instead of 35 as per the manual. Fingers crossed for next time! Great grinding job by will and the guys at Saturn knifes.

I think I'd have to increase my public liability insurance if I start running around with a bow and arrow!! I like the look of the Jameson poles, so may invest in a set. Thanks.

I'm looking to buy some poles for getting the rope up into the tree. Have found them useful when the tree is in leaf or there are a lot of branches in the way making a throw line awkward. I've seen a couple that I like, which come to a couple of hundred quid. I know you 'get what you pay for' these days, but was just wondering whether any of you guys had successfully discovered any cheaper Alternatives? Plenty of extendable fibreglass poles on eBay, but not sure they're man enough for the job. Thanks.

As I'm not going to be doing it full time, for now, it'll probably take a lot longer than 3 years! Fingers crossed eh!

Nice to see loads of positive comments and support. If you never try, you'll never know. Managed to get a greenmech cs100 18hp chipper, so all systems go. At the moment, it's more for the love of tree and outdoors work, rather than a whole new career, so it's going to fit in around my day job. Really looking forward to getting it up and running. Lucky enough to have in-laws with barns and space, so an opportunity to season logs and make some winter money too. Hoping my little lad will be a helper in some way too!!

Thanks for the support guys. Hopefully it'll take off and I'll get a steady flow of work to keep me going. I'm doing it more for the enjoyment, and as a break from the norm, so will see if it leads into something bigger!

Hi folks. First time posting on this site, although I have been a follower of the forums for quite some time. Interested in your thoughts on this: I am looking to start a small business in the Herefordshire area for tree surgery. I am qualified in cs30,31,38 and 39, and will get 32 next year. I have all the kit and some experience through a few years of this type of work (purely amateur though). I have a good, well paid job, so am reluctant to give that up completely, but more than anything, I enjoy tree and outdoors working. And of course, there may be the opportunity to make a few quid in the process. My question to you guys, for your honest and professional opinion, is do you think the work is out there to support the expense of setting up a small business such as this. Herefordshire is very rural and full of gardens and land with trees, so on the face of it, it seems ok. I don't need any more kit (bit of a kit monster!), but need a chipper - so the next question is: I'd love a greenmech cs100 18hp, but they're quite expensive, albeit I believe very good, and just the right size for me. However, has anyone got any views on a second hand greenmech GMR100? It's about 6 years old but in good condition with minimal use (obviously have to take the sellers word for that). I'd obviously prefer the cs100 though. Sorry for the long post, but keen to gather the thoughts from those who know. Bob.