Mick Dempsey

Well there is that I suppose. If you’re doing repeated cycles, like pulling brush to the hopper all day then a hydraulic one makes sense. An electric one will quickly overheat and drain the battery. Apart from yankee chippers a winch on a wheeled chipper will likely pull it in half fairly quickly.

If it’s just to pull an odd backleaner over and self recovery an electric winch is more than enough and a lot easier to fit.

Warranty issues on the chassis I imagine.

It does seem a bit daft. It is in line with the trend in this business for work that needs to be replicated in ever shorter time frames, thereby increasing the work and revenue. All the time telling the clients they’re wrong and idiotic if they want ‘bang for their buck’ On a French forum a guy posted pictures of a medium size eucalyptus close to a house. The guy had given it a light internal thin, barely even a season will pass before it’s right back where it was, lots of backslapping all round from his peers about his professionalism etc. I posted that I thought he’d wasted his time and the clients money, got a bit of stick, a bit of support, thread was withdrawn in the end. But what was the scenario for the coming years for this tree? Pay a tree surgeon every year to do the same, all the time the euc rocketing up to the sky before a topping (heavy reduction whatever) or removal becomes necessary. I’ve said it before, and as I’m off work ill with time to kill I’ll say it again, it’s not just the do as you likey sorts that can give this work a bad name, it’s the light thinners and 1 metre reductions, leaving monoliths in front gardens and other assorted nonsense from the self styled arbs with a conscience that can leave clients feeling bewildered and ripped off.

Why? What difference does it make to what your doing? Just figured it out, you’re saying that you bring the Ivy down to a certain point but not remove. Explain the rationale please.

In the south east where I come from the problem is new arrivals, who buy the houses in the expanding villages and quite legitimately start exploring the local countryside using the footpaths that were barely trodden 20/30 years ago. When their behaviour conflicts with the long term residents, sparks fly. My old neighbour, who’s son is my brother in law recounted an incident to me a few years back. We lived on a farm on the end of a lane that petered away into a footpath that became increasingly popular with the public as the nearby village expanded. He had the old lodge house at the top of the lane. Anyway there was an old dew pond in front of his house that he re instated, and a female mallard took residence and raised a clutch on it. One day he’s out there and a female jogger trudges past with a Labrador alongside, the unleashed dog leaps into the pond and kills the mallard, he shouts out in complaint but she continues her run explaining in no uncertain terms over her shoulder that he should have put a fence round it.

A lot of farmers think his honest appraisal of the issues and difficulties involved is refreshing. I’ve never seen it mind, my brother who’s in farming told me, so that’s not gospel.

In a word the problem is Countryfile. Back in the 70s/80s/90s the countryside was to be avoided, boring smelly and full of thick peasants covered in animal shit. It was great, we had it to ourselves. Thanks to that program, everyone wants a piece of it, all thinking they’re Kate Humble or that ginger farmer bloke, all centering themselves with the help of Mother Nature.

No one I know on here is anywhere near there, sorry.

Northern France is a big place. Can you be more precise?

I’ve usually cut them with the saw before it becomes necessary.

Outdated maybe, but I have lived in both scenarios. In the UK after the ‘94 Sunday trading laws it all changed, England changed, and not for the better. The continent stayed the same (or at least France where I live) Sunday stayed special, a different day, shop workers didn’t have to work Sunday, tradesmen wouldn’t dream of making unnecessary noise/disturbance, everyone respected downtime one day of the week, doing what you want, with who you want. It’s better. You think you gained freedom with a 7 day week, but you lost it, now there’s no respite from work over there.

But what about the people living next door to the client when you rock up with your unimog and chainsaws to take a tree out yards from their front room with their family round for dinner? What choice do they have? To sit there and spend time with their relatives while you rattle their windows all day? Its selfishness, fook everyone else, as long as my needs are met.

I’ve told this story before but it bears repeating. Left à tracked chipper on a trailer and it got nicked (yes I know!) over £10k of uninsured stuff. Put up a reward and the guy who nicked it figured it would be an easier payday than trying to sell it. So we arranged to meet in a Newhaven pub car park to pay the reward (£1000) and I’d get my chipper. I phoned the coppers dealing with the theft, and said if you can supply a plod with a warrant card we can nick him. They declined, asked if I could delay it till someone was available! Anyway I called in some big mates and just took it, no money changed hands. Unhappy thief phoned me up as we drove home threatening to burn down my house etc. Pissed ourselves laughing at him!

Haven’t seen it advertised, I’ll try and catch it. I remember Robert Kilroy Silk spent some time with some as part of a documentary. They didn’t come out of that looking very good either

Interesting twist!

You’re trolling us now aren’t you?

I have to admire your willingness to opine on stuff of which you have almost no knowledge.

What species of trees are the victims?

It’ll climb walls and buildings, fence posts and treated fences. No trees are immune, none seem particularly attractive The real unanswered question is why doesn’t it overwhelm the crowns of living trees? Yet a dead tree gets engulfed. How does it know?

Yeah, seen a lot of his stuff of the sosh. Great set up.

You are a spectacularly ill informed. The tree hugging sorts you speak of are (at least in my case) time served tree pros who have worked around and often in Ivy for many years, tree huggers we are not. Ivy does not strangle a tree to death, otherwise there would be dead trees everywhere as there is Ivy on trees everywhere. What do you do John?

Got a nice little freebie yesterday. Customer was clearing the workshop belonging to her ageing father. Gave me these unused ropes. The thicker blue one is at least 70 meters long. Splice an eye in the end for a steel Krab and that’s some grade A natural crotch rigging rope.

I thinks it doesn’t refer to ADB, more that ash has a thin crown. Ivy doesn’t overwhelm the crowns of trees anyway, it stays just below in every case I’ve seen.