Haironyourchest

From the Daetwyler Rubber site (they make the rubber for Stihl) Stihl relies on expertise from Daetwyler Rubber For more than a quarter of a century, Stihl has relied on moulded rubber parts from Daetwyler Rubber. The products of the world’s leading chainsaw maker deliver high performance, even under extreme oper- ating conditions. This places tough demands on the components used in them and means that the mani- folds and hoses made by Daetwyler Rubber must be resistant to all sorts of chemicals like oil and fuel. At the same time, they are exposed to high mechanical stress and a wide range of temperatures. “Daetwyler Rubber offers all the materials and engineering ex- pertise needed to develop and produce these complex moulded rubber parts”, says Klaus Baumbach, Head of Purchasing at Stihl. In recognition of Daetwyler Rubber’s expertise and quality, together with its reli- ability and flexibility, Stihl has named the international rubber specialist Supplier of the Year three times. And not long ago, Daetwyler Rubber was the first com- pany ever to win this award two years in a row. From the "Stihl USA" site  "To ensure that any remaining ethanol is removed from your equipment, STIHL recommends adding a small amount of STIHL MotoMix® premixed fuel to the tank and running the engine for a few minutes to circulate the fuel through the carburetor. This will flush any of the original gasoline out of the system and protect the fuel system components from water absorption and fuel decomposition. If the machine is going to be stored for several months, it is good practice to empty the STIHL MotoMix® from the machine’s tank, then start the engine and run at idle (do not rev up the engine) until the machine runs out of fuel." So Im not worrying too much anymore...

Well Stubby, that's really upsetting to hear....Im going to have to obsess about it for a several days now, and compulsively search for evidence to the contrary to make myself feel better. I shall most probably walk to the toilet several times this evening to stare at my saws (keep em in the lavatory for security, shed security is nil) and visualise the fuel lines cracking. Thanks.....

No need for a special handle, just use any galvanised pipe that fits snug over the handle-stubs. Look after your cable, don't kink it or let it grind over rocks, and grease the cable and inside of the tirfor too. I use Lanotec lanolin based spray. If you want to have more fun-than-a-sonofagun look up rigging forces and angles etc. Easy to decapitate oneself with a busted cable if one gets:thumbup: it wrong. You'll feel like a superhero when you move something that shouldn't be possible to move by the hand and arm of man!!!

Good Man Yourself!

Hmmmm....interesting. If the coating is stripped would the aspen not keep the rubber supple, or does it have to be pump fuel? If so, better just keep them full of pump fuel. But I would have thought the newer saws rubber components would be way better than the stuff of years gone by. They supposed to be ethanol resistant anyway, which as I hear it is what is causing the problems. We did have rot in the fuel line of a couple of saws once, but they were going on fifteen years old...

Welding's a black art....maybe keep the amps up then but try a thinner rod? Keep the arc shorter maybe?

"Tirfor has legendary status as far as i'm concerned....Rock steady pulling power!" Well that's two supporters! Relieved that you guys love the tirfor! That's what I think Jon, the tirfor is like a scalpel to the plant machinery's sledgehammer. There is a time and a place for big winches, but a trifor will go where a big winch never can. Part of the beauty of the thing is the zen-state you get into while cranking the handle. Sure, it seems like nothing happening, but its all about the journey....crank...crank...crank...rest...crank...like, "wax on, wax off"...

Have you seen the "Artesian Firwood" guy's video? So mad it could work...

Promise Of Prometheus - Heritage Hearth Supplies

Have you tried turning down your amps and going slower?

I really love this thing, and the more I use it the more I appreciate what a truly elegant tool it is. There's a lot of ballyhoo on arb forums about chainsaws and heavy machinery, but hardly ever a mention of the humble Tirfor. I find this sad, so I'm going to undertake to champion this divine gadget. Before buying my 800kg tirfor I tried to glean information from the web, only to come up with nothing much. There are a couple of youtube vids and a few mentions on various boards, and thats it. No real reviews, no fanboys.... Cant understand why this gadget doesn't have a massive fan following?? Its bloody brilliant! A real honest-to-god work of inspired engineering, elegant, reliable, simple to build, astonishingly effective, incredible versatile. Mine is a chinese copy, but TÜV stamped etc, and has been fabulous, for €145.00. Some years back there was a thread on Arbtalk about what size of tirfor to get and the consensus was 1.6 tonne. I personally feel that the baby tirfor is better, for the simple reason that I can position it with one hand and tighten the shackle or lock the clutch with the other, basically that I can manage the weight of the thing on my own. I often want to rig it at head hight to get some lift on the end of the log I'm dragging... I also use this little guy with two massive snatch blocks and 12mm dyneema capstan winch rope to pull 2400kg. Below is a vid of me pulling a rhododendron stump with this setup. The combined weight of all the gear adds up to a big tirfor, and takes longer to set up, but the versatility is unbeatable. The one thing I want to finish with is that tirfor cable isn't really designed to be used with pulleys. It works, but puts a hell of a strain on the rope wires and will prematurly ware out your rope. There's been a pile of research done on this...So I only ever use the winch for a straight pull, and use the dyneema extension if I need compound rigging. Next addition to the collection will be a 2 Tonne ratchet lever-hoist. Anyone got any Tirfor stories? I dunno about the rest of yous but I'd love to hear them.... [ame] [/ame]

If you worried about it just empty the petrol tank, half fill with aspen (orange bottle - with added 2-stroke oil) and idle the machine for a few minutes, let the aspen saturate the works and clean out any petrol mix left in the carb, lines and filter. Then leave the machine to overwinter full of aspen, next season start it, run for a bit, then pour the aspen out back into the can and use petrol mix as per usual. Should be able to make a gallon of Aspen last forever that way.

And get the biggest chinese ratchet cable puller you an find, and plenty of heavy-duty rope (not cheap blue stuff) and read up on rigging. You will encounter trees that are leaning the wrong way you want them to fall, or, like stubby said, are stuck. Better to pull from a distance than mess around close up to a dodgy tree.

My (yesterday's) job somewhat more pedestrian than the previous posters...Clearing some 20-30 year old ash, birch and sycamore that were planted close and never thinned. Wires on the side they were leaning, so had to pull them over with my wee ratchet puller and then skull-drag them out of the mess with my baby Chinese tirfor. Love that little tirfor, what a gadget! https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipMCcbzrJ3im0s0y3-Qb46p2jx8yBne7ED_fQAvv/photo/AF1QipOa_ijuTAsovkl2VAY5tpzyVgXuGP7i3n2QPfUm

Strim with a mulcher blade?

what about a cheap small quad and trailer?

I drive a '04 1.5 diesel Kangoo, and tow a 4x7" Paxton car trailer with mesh box. The box is pretty rigid, and with a few planks strapped on the top makes a great stable work platform. Kangoo is nice cos you can drop the passenger seat for longer cargo space if you want.

Kveldssanger, I just started reading your thread, way back fact 3 or 4 about the failed attempt to reforest the Black Country and how some of the derelict land greened up naturally. Im fascinated by the regenerative power of nature, around here, when they harvest spruce and leave a no-mans land of sticks, mud and churned up bog and clay, it takes about ten years to completely regenerate a forrest of sallies, birch mountain ash, holly, rhododendron, just from windblown seeds.

Seconded. If it's your own home, and older than a few decades, why mention it at all? If the house burns down, and they question it, just say you don't know anything bout it, the previous owner must have installed it , it was always there etc. House unlikely to burn down with a properly installed flu liner anyway, less creosote buildup, easy to sweep etc.

Aspenarb that's awesome mate, that's what I'll do. Cheers buddy!

bodge it with a clamp or vice-grips until welded

Massy 35, big mesh sided trailer. Ladder. Chinese Kombi-System.

Micro Arb Truc | Timber Transport | For Tree Surgeons | Woodland Owners That what you mean? Looks handy!

Yeah, that's what I'm hoping! And I think ur probably right, I mean especially with the climbing saws, if you couldn't run them for snedding what would the world come to?

Thanks Harrythecat, I'll ask them and see what they say.