IronMike

A pal of mine approached me about coming to look at an “emergency” job that needed doing. We both sacrificed a half day to go look as it is a 2 hour drive away. Got there, checked it out, happy days. It would have been a days work for my machine and another mates digger with shear on, a long day but a day nonetheless. 500m of Hawthorn hedge to come out next to a canal, with no heavy plant allowed on embankment. So my mate put his price in and then got told the EA are going to do it. And they’ve said it’ll take them a week. Brilliant lads, well done! It’s an emergency we were told, it must get done immediately we were told, time is of the essence we were told. Ok, we’ll let someone take a week to do it rather than a day. Genius!

I’m going 5.175 ton.

In case anyone was interested..... This months edition of Forestry Journal has a nice 3 page article on my fledgling business! It was a pleasure to have the editor, John, down for a chat about the Logbullet. Im adopting the happy moron pose in the main photo, I’ve got the look absolutely nailed after so many years of practice ?

I’ve not had mine on piece work. I work on an hourly or day rate, if it’s done on piece or tonnage I think it’ll be difficult to make the numbers stack up whilst delivering a good service with a satisfactory and pleasing outcome. I think the job my wee machine does is so niche, that folk accept it has to be beneficial to both parties financially and that hourly/day is the best way to achieve this. You could pay less and get the job done but leave a mess, so ultimately I guess it’s a money talks and bullshit walks scenario.

Has anyone stopped to consider that the OP’s tree man might have whacked that price on it as he didn’t really want the job? I.e. I’ll price it silly so I don’t get it, and if I do get it I’ll bank a mega profit? Just speculating.

A good friend of mine has your initials, and has a firm called AW Tree Care. Simple and effective name, so you could go for AW Garden Maintenance perhaps?

Yes Don! A proper weapon!

Ah you see, here in is the problem. I cut trees down on my lonesome most of the time, so all I do is think about new chainsaws! ?

I'm going to have to rethink my saw situation I reckon. Got two 555's which are reliable and simple, my Mk2 550 and a Spud sorted 390xp. Think I need to ditch one or both of the 555's and fill the void with a 572.

I’ve been slamming some big old trees this week with my 550 mk2, and it is just awesome. It’s a big upgrade from the mk1 I reckon. In all honesty I should have been using something a bit bigger like 372 but it coped with the extra I asked of it with ease. Im sure you’ll enjoy your new one Kay 9.

I finally got to unleash my Spudded 390 recently..... It was sensational! Cheers Spud! ?

Go on, humour me and put a price up. I have a figure in mind, it would be intersting to see how close I am!

That's a beauty!

Hi Pete. I guess I just fancied something different really, and I had been looking at Big J’s new venture and really liked it. There was a gap in the market locally for a compact forwarder and I knew there was work to be had, so after some research and deliberations I opted for the Logbullet. Price was a fairly major factor, and it was very reasonable in comparison to others on the market. I did a bit of research into alpine tractor and trailer but thought the Logbullet would be much more efficient overall.

I’ve got a Mk2, and have had a Mk1 previously. The new model is a beast! Performs way above its expected level. I run an 18 inch bar on mine, and it still rips it like a real one!

That doesn’t sound like fun mate! The worst stuff I’ve had to deal with was thin slimy Ash branch wood. Literally a few degrees down on a slope and it just slid off the bunk, nightmare.

Cheers! It’s quite a photogenic machine, it looks well in most photos. As for the original Logbullet master Big J, he will be busy I’m sure!

Just thought I'd share some photos of the machine in action. It's been a great 6/7 months getting used to the machine and it's capabilities. There have been a few bumps in the road, but nothing that slowed me down too much. I've had a lot of positive messages and enquiries about the machine too. And I'm pretty much stacked out with work too for the foreseeable future, so very happy with that.

The high stumps would give me nightmares! ?

I’m in exactly the same boat. Took mine back the dealer I got it for to be told they could get some new parts, but it would be £19. I said no thanks, and replaced the faulty bits with some spares from my old helmet.

V10! ?? Superb choice mate, enjoy!

One thing I will add if going for the battery version.... Don't forget to top up your chain oil! It is very easy to forget as you don't ever reach for a combi can as it does take petrol. I've known them be ran dry of oil on a few occasions, so try and get into the habit of always checking!

I spent years working in retail selling waterproof coats and outdoor gear. There are a few rules to abide by when it comes to cleaning and reproofing garments. As mentioned, make sure you wash it on a cool setting, with the machine cleaned beforehand of all “normal” detergent. Pure soap, lux flakes etc are fine, but never use the stuff you clean your regular clothes with. Nikwax, Grangers and others all do specific products for these type of garments. Some are wash in, some are spray on. If you have a jacket or trousers with a drop lining inside, it’s important not to use the wash in reproofer. It’ll waterproof the lining as well, which you don’t want! You need to use the spray on type for these. If you have just a shell type garment the wash in one is best. One of the other major things to remember is the application of heat to help make the DWR (durable water repellency) return. This is the beading effect you see when the water just runs off. It doesn’t last unfortunately, and the jacket or trousers will hold the water on the outer fabric. This makes them cold, and heavy, but a blast in the tumble dryer on a cool heat will help restore it.

I think I might get a G coupler. Does look good Eddie. As an owner operator I was sick of manual greasing, and became very envious when I saw how good the battery ones were. I take the time to clean and check the tightness of all the grease nipples before giving them the appropriate dose!

My dads mate had a V10 Touareg, my dad said it had so much grunt it felt like when he planted the go fast pedal it would just spin the earth rather then spin the tyres!