duncanswood

Hi All, I have been extracting some oak butts from my woodland and would like to get them slabbed. The biggest is a handsome piece of pippy oak about 40 inches diameter at widest. Butts have been towed to level ground in private wood near Catsfield, East Sussex TN33. If anyone local-ish has a mobile rig and would like a day's work please do get in touch. Many thanks, Chris

I use an Igland 3201 3 tonne winch purchased a couple of years ago from JASP Wilson. It was not overly expensive, works every time, is quiet, not a heavyweight, mechanically it is simple and straightforward with very little to go wrong. There may be better winches out there but I am completely happy with my Igland. Good support from Wilsons also. Recently they were delivering in my area to another customer - a chappie from Wilsons rang me to say they would be nearby and would they like me to call in to check all is well with the winch. Nice.

I run a BCS Invictus 38hp machine. It is a great little thing which does all I ask of it in our woodland with little ground disturbance. It goes places no other tractor can get to and given that our ground is hilly it is far less likely to roll over on slopes than conventional tractors. Recently I have been looking at replacing the BCS with something equipped with a shuttle gearbox. The hydrostatic or shuttle gearboxed BCS tractors, the Ferraris, Pasqualis and Carraros are all fearsomely expensive but I found a machine made by a company named Wisconsin Engineering, the Yukon W-5000. Made in the Czech Republic, 48 hp, shuttle gearbox, permanent 4x4, articulated, front and rear linkages with PTOs, cab or ROPS, choice of tyres and a two year warranty all for circa £15k. In design it is no looker but if it gets the job done and is reliable then it could be outstanding value. I am giving serous thought to bringing one into the country and giving it a try. No UK dealer but details at: http://www.wisconsineng.com/en/produkt/w-5000-yukon-articulated-utility-tractor/

I am looking to purchase a PTO chipper in the next couple of weeks. 5 inch max capacity would be ideal, no need for anything bigger. It will not be for commercial use - the machine will be used to keep a private 55 acre woodland neat and tidy, getting rid of brash from thinned out areas and dealing with windfall, etc. Tractor has 38hp at the PTO. The Woodland Mills WC68 chipper looks very good value, has its own hydraulics for the feed roller, and comes with a 3 year warranty. It is made in China but lots of folk here on Arbtalk have good things to say about their sawmills which I presume are also Chinese made. The Canadian made Wallenstein BX52 is similar-ish money but has no hydraulic feed roller. Please get in touch if you have any experience of above or any advice on alternatives, and if you have a decent PTO powered machine you are thinking of selling for circa £3k please let me know. Thanks.

Just out of curiosity - what does one do with 2m lengths of thick hazel?

Hi Richard, I have thick brambles rapidly spreading their way across 15 acres of sweet chestnut and mixed woodland. I have another four acres of open ground, tracks and rides which need mowing. I will not use chemicals and sadly I do not have the time available to manage the brambles on about 19 acres of land with a strimmer, hence my interest in a ride-on brushcutter. The Canycom machine's shaft driven blades are thoughtfully protected by a shear bolt which will fail if a solid and immovable object is struck. Replacing the broken bolt looks to be a three minute job as access to it is a doddle. I do really like the idea of having pigs do the clearing job. Large Blacks appeal, and water for them would not be an issue as we have ponds and three natural springs. But would pigs not eat up all the bluebell bulbs, snowdrops, wood anenomes, foxgloves, campion, etc, as well as the brambles and bracken? I would value your opinion. As you are in East Sussex too, PM me if you could spare half an hour sometime to look over my woodland. Best wishes, Chris http://www.wealdenlogs.co.uk

Grillo Climber 8.22 looks to have plenty of ability. Two year warranty and about half the price of the Canycom machine. Interesting.

I have been looking out for a decent used machine. I did have a demo of the Etesia Attila AV88 - good machine from a manufacturer with a fine reputation for top quality tools. The Canycom is the better of the two though, but at a price. £3.5k more for the Japanese machine is quite a wack.

£10k for one of them. Could probably haggle a bit with the importer / dealer. A lot of cash but given its ability, ease of use, and engineering I'd say it is good value. I am told that it will put a blooming good finish on lawns too. My problem is that I would only use it in my woodland seven or eight days a year. If I could find a few folk locally who could also use it, I would indulge.

I had a demonstration in my woodland yesterday of a Canycom 4WD ride-on brushcutter. Amazingly competent, easy to use, and beautifully engineered bit of kit. Japanese made, shaft drive to both axles and the cutter, 18 horsepower V twin Subaru engine, blade change is tool-less. It safely coped with steep (25 degree slopes) and blitzed through thick dense brambles. Highly impressive. Imported to the UK by Ian Stanbridge at ICB Plant Ltd. Video on YouTube: [ame] [/ame]

The only comparison I made was that a curtainsider is cheaper and more durable than a polytunnel. No need to tilt at windmills mate.

I am thinking of getting a twenty foot curtainsider for my storing and drying my logs and kindling. Open the curtain on the windward side for airflow when it dry. Close it up if it is wet. Simple, and it seems to me a lot less bother than getting a solid container and cutting holes in it. Quite a few curtainside boxes on ebay. Cheaper than a polytunnel and more durable.

I bought a John Deere 2140 recently. An extremely versatile machine that is proving to be superb at every task I throw at it. It was cheap, 82hp is plenty, the SG2 cab is roomy enough for me, spares are abundant and not expensive, but most importantly the nearest local agricultural engineer is a John Deere man. I think this is the crux of tractor selection: if you are relying on the machine to do work for your income, make sure you check out the local spares and servicing facilities before buying. I have heard that Zetors are tough and reliable but if your nearest engineer / source of spares is a distance away it might not be the best choice. The only criticism I ever heard about the more modern Zetors is that the large areas of cab glass are vulnerable in woodland / forestry situations. That stated, every tractor has its problems. Front axle on the JD 40 series are known to be a weak spot - I knew this was a potential problem before I bought mine but at least I know I can get it fixed quickly, locally, if anything goes wrong. Last little bit of advice: horsepower is the capacity to do work. The more hp you have available, the more work your tractor can safely do. Good luck, Chris

Thanks for all your responses fellas. I will give Arborcut a ring in the morning. Seems like everyone her thoroughly approves of how they do business. Thanks again, Chris

Hi all, I am looking for a decent PTO driven wood chipper to hang on the back of our John Deere. 5 inch capacity would be plenty. It is only for use in our woodland so I don't mind something scruffy, as long as it works. If anyone has such a machine and is thinking of parting with it, or if you know of a chipper for sale, please do get in touch. Many thanks, best wishes, Chris East-Sussex

There’s a good number of very interesting threads on milling and the costs of the various kit options to be read here on Arbtalk. . The spend to get something decent, i.e. productive, safe, reliable and economic, appears to be more than just a casual purchase. Initial cost is one thing one must also factor in running costs (fuel/oil/blades), wear and tear, insurance, and speed / availability of spare parts too. A viable return on investment can appear tricky to achieve, at least I am finding it so. I have been thinking about buying a mill of some description for a while but have yet to be convinced that such an investment is the right thing to do. I own a small woodland (53 acres) and there is a fair bit of mill worthy oak, ash, beech, and other hardwoods on our land, but not really enough to justify the purchase of a £4-5k mill. Doesn’t stop me wanting one though. I would love to share or co-own a portable mill with someone in the area if such a scheme is workable. I doubt I would use a wood mill many more than ten or twelve days a year so a cooperative approach with like minded others in the area would seem to make sense, or at least maybe it is worth investigating. It could be a great way of reducing purchase and start up costs. I have a friend who flies a light aircraft as a hobby. He owns a single engine four seater with seven other guys, all members of the same flying club. They all pay an equal share of running costs, hanger rental, maintenance, instrument upgrades, insurance, etc., and it works. No one in his syndicate could afford to buy and operate the plane individually but collectively, and by sharing the costs, they all get the benefit. It would be nice to think that similar schemes could be workable in this business around the country. If three or four guys in one area, each with an interest in using a mill occasionally rather than every single day, got together to buy a rig then collectively they could get something really rather tasty (and more productive) rather than trying to make do with something crude or basic. Good way to share knowledge and experience too. Reduce the start up and running costs by a third or a quarter and the potential return on investment begins to look very attractive indeed. If anyone in the Bexhill / Catsfiled / Battle area of East Sussex is interested in exploring this idea further then please get in touch – PM or email to: [email protected] Best wishes, Chris

Interesting thread on milling and the costs of the various kit options. Initial purchase cost is one thing but I think one must always factor in running costs (fuel/oil/blades), and speed / availability of spare parts too, while not forgetting very carefully consider the market for milled timber. Predicting return on investment is a tricky business, at least I am finding it so. I have been thinking about buying a mill of some description for a while but have yet to be convinced that such an investment is the right thing to do. I own a small woodland (53 acres) and there is a fair bit of millable oak, ash, beech, and other hardwoods on our land, but not really enough to justify the purchase of a £4-5k mill. I would however love to share or co-own a portable mill with someone in the area if such a scheme is workable. I doubt I would use a wood mill much more than six or seven days a year so a cooperative approach with like minded others in the area would seem to make sense, or at least maybe it is worth investigating. It could be a great way of reducing purchase and running costs. I have a friend who flies a light aircraft as a hobby. He owns a single engine four seater with seven other guys, all members of the same flying club. They all pay an equal share of running costs, hanger rental, maintenance, insurance, etc., and it works. No one in his syndicate could afford to buy and look after the plane individually but collectively, and by sharing the costs, they all get the benefit. It would be nice to think that similar schemes could be workable in this business around the country. If three or four guys in one area, each with an interest in using a mill occasionally rather than every day, got together to buy a rig then collectively they could get something really rather tasty (and more productive) rather than trying to make do with something basic. Reduce the start up and running costs by a third or a quarter and the return on investment starts to look very attractive. If anyone in the Battle area of East Sussex is interested in exploring this idea further then please get in touch. Best wishes, Chris

Just put my lovely Defender 90 up for sale - quite a nice one. Sadly got to go as I need a tractor. LAND ROVER Defender 90 - full specialist rebuild | eBay

Hello, I have a lot of quite chunky standing sweet chestnut. Mostly coppice but a number of maidens too. Much of it is very straight indeed and looks good quality. The woodland is near Ninfield in East Sussex, nearest postcode is TN33 9BJ, OS grid reference is: TQ726123. Please PM me if you would like to come and have a look. It would be a pleasure to show you around. Best wishes, Christopher Duncan

Thanks for your advice guys. I like the look of the Same machines but these leviathans are too large for getting about comfortably in my woodland. A Same Minitauro would be ideal - 60hp in a compact 4WD package, but cannot find one. Any other ideas/advice/leads will be most gratefully received. And if anyone knows a good and trustworthy used tractor dealer, please let me know. Thanks all.

Hello, I am looking to buy a small to medium sized tractor to use in my recently acquired 55 acre wood down here in East Sussex. The ideal machine would be 4WD with 50hp or thereabouts. I am not looking for anything pristine or a collector's item - I would rather have something scruffy but sturdy and reliable. I would be very grateful for any leads on a decent tractor which might suit me. Many thanks, Christopher

Have a look online at a woodworking machine named the ShopSmith. There are usually one or two on ebay. In one machine you get a table saw, pillar drill, sander, lathe, a router kit can be added, as can a bench planer, a bandsaw, and many other useful woodworking machine tools. Everything runs off one 240volt motor. I bought mine a few years ago from a chap who was emigrating. It has all the above mentioned options and loads more, and I paid just £400 for the lot. The ShopSmith is a compromise I will admit. Nothing I as good as having all the dedicated machines in a workshop but if space and budget is tight, nothing beats a ShopSmith. I love mine and would not part with it for any money. Good luck. C.

I have two oaks to take down in our woodland in East Sussex, site is near Ninfield/Catsfield, nearest postcode is TN33 9BJ. The two trees were damaged in high winds last year and were made safe by National Grid emergency crew who left just the main stems standing. The trees are close to an electricity line and next to a public footpath so experience, the right tickets, and sufficient public liability insurance is a must. Access is tricky, about a ten minute walk from nearest road but I have a Polaris Ranger to get personnel and kit very close the site. I can and will apply to East Sussex County Council to temporarily close the public footpath if necessary. Not looking for a cheap job – I just want it done safely and with no damage to nearby structures and other trees. OS grid reference for job site is: TQ719121 Please get in touch PM or email me (Chris) at [email protected] if you fancy the job or know someone local who might be able to help, or need more information in order to give me a price. Pictures of site added. Many thanks Chris