Haironyourchest

Get horrifically stoned on superskunk, then watch it again - it makes perfect sense!! ?

Well, I went and bought one. After spending probably 50 odd hours online researching over the last few months, I could find precious little in the way of useful reviews about these machines. I've hired the heavy duty deisel hydrostatic drive version before, but those are way too much machine for my purposes, both money wise and weight wise. This is from a crowd called AgriEuro, in Italy, was €2700 Inc Vat and delivery to Ireland. From payment to delivery was about 10 days, I think, will check later. I had to generate a fake Italian social security number to complete the purchase, apparently this is a matter of course for buying anything online from Italy. There's a website that does it for you, and it's legal, just one of those weird things. My intention is to fill the information gap online about these machines as I use it, and update this thread as and when. I was so disappointed at the lack of in-depth info, just bunch of low-res, wobbly YouTube vids. There has been some brief mention on here about mini dumpers, but not really exhaustive by any means. If you find this thread in the future, please feel free to bump or message me, for info, and I will be delighted to tell you everything I can! Ok, I've had a couple of screwdrivers (vodka and orange) so this post may ramble a bit, but what can you do? Ok, the machine arrived a few days ago, and I put it to work this afternoon, moving a pile of logs from the bottom of a field to their final destination. Can't say the distance as I didn't measure it, but boy oh boy was I impressed. The power of this thing...compared to pushing a wheelbarrow, like going from a Fiesta to a Bugatti Veyron. I didn't take pics, sorry, but had the sides extended and loaded up with logs, probably four more times than what I could move with a 2-wheel wheelbarrow, and when I unloaded, weighed each log with a digital luggage scale, the whole load was 150 kilo. And I though that was a big load. The rated capacity is 550 kilos (500) uphill. Well, grand, I think I'll avoid going full capacity for the sake of longevity, unless flat ground etc. But I was more than happy with the performance. A job that would have taken 4-5 hours and knackered me by hand took and hour and a half with nearly no effort. Full petrol tank at start, I checked at finish and couldn't see any difference (though it was getting dark). The chassis is made in Italy, 100%, by Italian law, if it says made in Italy, it is. Ands it's heavy duty. Welds look good, metal is box, about 3mm, will check with calipers and confirm. Motor is Honda GX200, made in Thailand. Gearbox made in Italy. Tracks are from ITR America, the AgriEuro website says made in Japan, but I can't confirm this. The ITR website says continuous cable etc, so they're bound to be ok. I went for the manual tipper over the hydraulic version as it was €600 more, and the kind of stuff I do don't need to tip often and if I need extra power I'll just use a cheater bar on the tipper handle. I'm going to make a proper detailed video of this yolk, if there's anything you want to see up close, let me know. Plan is to use it as an equipment carrier for saws, fuel, hand tools, hand winches and rigging and so on, to bring everything from the van to the worksite in one go, instead of hiking ten times back and fourth across fields. Also for light skidding of logs and pulling brash piles, magnitudes larger than what a man can pull. Also as a mobile work station so all the gear is in one place, instead of strewn about getting lost. I have cunning plans for building attachment points for chain and rope, mounts for clamping saw bars for filing, work lights, umbrellas and so on. The only criticism I have so far is the gear changes are very sticky, and the instructions were in Italian. Used the Google translate camera app to figure it out, you have to very lightly engage the drive clutch to get the gear lever to shift. It's a pain, but I expect it will loosen up as the gears break in.

Don't know about the checks, but you should probably send you employees on a Ladder Safety Awareness Course, so you can be sure they've been trained by a competent trainer, and have demonstrated the required knowledge.

Yeah Tom, most of what we do is wood-butchering, as per customers specifications. No degrees required, better to research and understand the physics of rope rigging, vectors, leverage, calculating the hight of trees and so on. There's an excellent book called The Fundamentals Of Basic Tree Work that will teach you more than most people who haven't read it will ever know. It's out of print but available as a PDF for about £16.00 Best money you'll ever spend... link below. https://www.educatedclimber.com/beranek-fundamentals/

Going to hard to find something that does all that. Give withing glove will be prone to slippage, possibly unsafe. For manual work in the cold I use generic industrial freezer gloves, they cheap, like 10 euro a pair, so you can buy a bunch and swap them out if they get wet. They're nitrile palm and fingers, fleece pile inside and elastomer top and cuff. Dexterity not as good as the platinum black and grey rigger (fitter?) gloves, you know the ones, but better than wool. The nitrile grip surface at least gives you some traction

Sounds a lot of money for a crappy hatchet and some gloves.

CT Quickroll. It's pricy but convenient, you can rig an instant 3-to-1 couple and and de-couple in a flash. Makes like easy.

Don't know about splitability, but Lignum Vitae is pretty tough stuff, still used for propshaft bearings in modern ships!

Feckers will still skive on the job though. Just being there ain't enough, you got to be there in spirit as well as body.

You could grow your own holey logs but it could take a while. If you start now, your prosperous old age will be assured. Select nice trees and flush cut strategically, or if you want a quicker return, and don't mind smaller holes, collar prune the branches and wait 5 years or so for the wound to start to close. When a nice round lip of new wood has formed, fell or cut off that section of stem, then bore out the center and drill out the dead wood in the healing branch stumps (carefully) so you'll end up with man made holes that look natural. You can then place marbles, windows, glass eyes or whatever else in the holes.

Nah, send it directly to him, just saying that your case is strong and you will be filing in court unless full payment is made. The court will take this into account as well, as chancers (that is, if the OP was a chancer) don't waste money on solicitors over 4 or 5 hundred quid. Aggrieved honest tradesmen do. I don't know how much a short consultation costs in the OP neck of the woods, around here it's about 50 euro.

I have a Lidl ash hoover, was 50 bucks. Very simple thing, just a metal can with a glass fiber filter and a metal flexi-hose. You can even suck hot ashes with it. It works fine.

Pay a local solicitor for an hour consultation to look over the emails, show photos of the job (did you take any?) And find out if it's worth going to court. Maybe get the legal muscle to throw in a letter as well.

A PDF of a study comparing efficiency output of different Iron Horse type pedestrian skidders. Including converted rice harvesting machines. https://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://dev.recoftc.org:4080/publications/uploads/forinfo_aht_rubber-tracked%20mini-skidders_2016_01_en.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjsg_zQ45LeAhWfHsAKHWNEAxkQFjAUegQIAxAB&usg=AOvVaw2sutG4zlCNCssoVubovRQo

I just use the chain grinder to set the rakers, set a depth and just pull the chain along under the disk so it takes off the top of the raker. I eyeball it with a straight edge till the gap looks right. Probably too low mostly but I hate rakers that are too proud.

you could try charring the surface of whatever timber you end up using with a big felt torch, then linseed oil and let cure. Charring was an age old treatment against rot. Also put them in upside down relative to when the tree was alive, this is also supposed to retard rot.

I doubt that your thyroid problem is a coincidence. Well, I suppose it could be...

I doubt it. Antimalarials are poison, or were, if they're using something different now. I know a guy who got permanent bipolar from a course of antimalarials twenty odd years ago. He says he was normal before the course, and is sure that's what caused it.

Some PTSD is physical as much as mental. Sleep deprivation is a big factor, combined with stimulants and downers, for prolonged time can permenantly derail the neurochemistry, hormones, damage the adrenal glands etc. Chronic stress, basically wares out the nervous system. Combined with too many vaccines confusing the immune response, crap food, etc.

I feel your pain. I too have a phantom shitter that befouls the parking area (neighbour's dog, she's a sweetie really but damn its annoying). I think the only option is to catch the animal in the act and give it a blast of airsoft pellets, high pressure hose, fire extinguisher or some other less-than-lethal projectile.

How about less taxpayer money for undeserving migrants and more for veteran's support services? And stop sending the boys into armed conflicts that Britain really has no business being involved in. Use the forces domestically to back up the police instead.

My one melted the crankshaft bearing on the clutch side, just for fun, see if there is wiggle in the crankshaft.

You still need an audible way to attract attention though, like whistle or headset. Complex sign language works well when you have good visibility and can also see facial expressions, head bobs etc. In a leafy canopy, with a visor on, at a distance, it'll be simple, large and few movements only. Like the banksman signals for crane operators. Most important hand signal is the "cut throat" - ie. kill the machines.

Head down to Florida for the clean up and stay for the winter?

You have a duty of care to the public, and if you discharge this duty, then you "should" not be held liable if "something" happened, insured or not. Public Liability is not a legal requirement. You should put up tape, cones and flashing lights to block off the work area, if this means obstructing the free passage of the public thats ok, put big signs up on the cones at least ten yards either side of the work zone with "Apologies for the delay, DANGER!!! Etc etc.." You should really have a person on either side to police the tape and cones as well. But then you will need employers liability cover, because you will be employing them (even if they are SE subcontractors). Take photos of the whole set up. If something happens it will not be because you were negligent and you will be legally protected. I would say get the farmer to help (for free, thus getting you off the hook for EL)...Or do as we do in rural Ireland and don't worry about it. I personally would put up signs though.