tomlt

They seem to have embraced it pretty well, all the new saws and serviced items are now carrying aspen tags/stickers so thats good to see. I ran my first couple of tanks and I must say the 281xp ran lovely on it. Interestingly the smell is different to the stihl motomix I was using before so that was a little unexpected, not bad just different (i would say the motomix is more akin to regular fiel smell). I did notice that despite having a slightly rich running saw I couldn't detect a trace of aspen on my clothes afterwards which was nice, I do usually stink of 2 stroke especially on that 281. All my 2 stroke kit has now got a clean tank of aspen in it, so we'll see how thing's like the strimmer fire up in a few months. Need to buy some 4 stroke and sort my generator out next ready for long term storage. Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

Im told by my local place that the 24" mitox is a bit gutless, better at 20". Spuds post makes sense from the little experience i have, id be looking at a 70cc machine, however ive heard that the echo 620 punches above its weight here, some vids on youtube with the running 24" without too much trouble, might be worth a look for occasional use and available for around £580 which seems like good value compared to the husky/stihl competition. I quite fancy one to fill inbetween my ms251 and 281xp. Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

Been and got my first 5L today, so we'll see how it goes over the weekend, got an apple to mill on sunday with the 188. Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

Eddie, Thank god! Ive been asking the guys at Baytree to start stocking it for months!!!! Happy happy happy. Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

Got mine delivered today, put together and mounted the 188 on it, makes the 28" bar look small. Hopefully give it a go at the weekend, cant complain for 75quid at all. Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

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The other British alternative, of which I have the pleasure of partly designing. Sadly there arent many of the old school backhoe drivers left, but in the right situation, what a tool! Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

Yes spend a bit more and buy from the pro-range, the 270/290 are heavy for what they are, this put me off a lot when looking at buying a couple of yrs back. A few more quid would see you into the pro range, less weight, better AV etc. Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

Sadly Im not an arborist so im not much help, but as a motorist i drive round junction 20 everyday of the week to get to work and keep thinking its massively overgrown and needs sorting out so glad to hear you're on it! Good Luck! Tom. Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

If you've got low head but reasonably high flow then by far your best solution is a crossflow device, forget Pelton wheels unless youve got a decent (10m plus head). Cross flows can be installed with 2-3m head and rely more on volume of water than pressure. As part of a university study i once surveyed a park in Bury nr Manchester for similar such devices to recommend micro schemes at 4 locations ( upto 100kw). Looking at the photos o would estimate you could get a 10kw device out of that easily, but you do need to account for the minimum flow during summer or b e resigned to switching it off. Have a look at Gilkes pumps, they make turbines and iirc their website had lots of useful info. Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

J, Honestly I think you'll struggle to get 4t out of that machine, the problem is the kinematics of the linkage, its not a straight lift like a forklift so you have to factor in the boom weight and boom angles that the ram has to overcome. Its probably got near a ton of mass to overcome before you add any load. You should get 3-3.5ton i would think, but she'll be light as anything on the back end. If you find its doing this regularly ask a local fab shop to weld some additional counterweight up under the rear, a couple of slabs of 20mm plate will help significantly, we do this on our test machines from time to time to overcome big attachments. Cheers, Tom Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

Ive got a little experience of the 926 machines and I've always been relatively pleased with them, they'll generally lift over 2.6t fairly easy, just makesure you buy one thats been looked after, parts are cheap and easy enough to get as there common with a lot of other jcb machines, check for wear on the carriage as that can get pricey to repair/re place. Best thing is you should be easily able to pick up an ex hire machine for your budget, they're not as popular as telehandlers with farmers etc. So dont command the same prices. My friend Mike at MAC timbers has an old 926 and that has handled some huge timber in its time and is still pretty reliable, if you get a good one with low hrs you should be pretty happy i think. Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

They're ok machines, just keep it well serviced and plenty of grease round the boom pins, hitch pins, waxoyl the boom fully out every 500hrs and grease the axles and prop uj's regularly. When driving them watch out for boom out without your wheels straight, full turn tipping load on articulated machines is usually 50-70% of straight tipping load (~2.9tons in your case). With the teleboom this will decrease significantly as you boom out so get your wheels dead straight before booming out with a load, loads of these end up on the side due to this on farms and inexperienced drivers. How many hours has it done? I assume since its a 2002 its prob got a tier 2 perkins 1104 in it, good engines usually very reliable but do service every 500hrs and they should go on to 10k+ hrs without any major issues. Hth, Tom (Ag/Construction Equipment Engineer) Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

Heres mine... Air Arms S410 Carbine .22 Logun silencer Tasco varmint mil dot 2-12x Beamshot laser Bushnell bipod. Puts 8 shots from the mag inside 10p at 40yds no problem off the bipod. Always fancied a theoben rapid 7 especially a mk2 thmbhole. Ive had a daystate huntsman as well in the past but didnt really use it enough to justify keeping it. Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

I paid £169 for my mitox topper, im not a pro just a serious homeowner with a lot of trees, but so far in 2yrs mines not missed a beat, seems to run very well on stihl motomix. Its no echo/stihl/husky but solid enough for occasional use and very light. Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

Ive got a festool kapex 120, it actually has one of the best depth of cuts going and can tackle 5" skirting board in a special position about 2" out from the fence. Its an awesome tool but my set up with the wings and trolley cost the best part of 1.3k a few years ago. The dewalts are pretty good as are the top end bosch and makitas, but i wouldn't swap you my festool for all the tea in china. Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

Interesting post Barrie, very informative. I was wondering if the quoted shelf life of 2 years for the motomix was the result of it being alkylate or a product of some other added inhibitors in the mix. I think ive found a perfect use for some 4t Aspen, my little used generator which stands idle 364days a year but is a god send if we get bad weather or snow, I reckon a gallon or two of aspen in the tank will prob save the usual nightmare I have starting it even after being drained down. What do you reckon? Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

Those in the know (Barrie etc.), how much difference is there between aspen 2T and Stihl motomix? Reason i ask is i bought some to Motomix from the local ag supplier to try over the holiday and so far everything loves it, all running a lot smoother and starting better even my nightmare cheapo leaf vac, plus i didn't stink after running it (stupid exhaust position toward the operator!!). If Aspen is basically the same Im definitely a convert, its just a shame no one stocks it within 20miles of where I live and delivery of small qtys of flammables seems rather pricey. Cheers, Tom. Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

I reckon I must have bought one of the first MS251's in the country back at the start of 2012 (took 2 weeks to get it shipped from Germany), it had only just been launched when I took the plunge. In all honesty its been a fine saw, never missed a beat in the 3yrs I've owned it, and it's tackled all manner of jobs. I have no doubt it's not as strong a saw as the MS241/261, but it doesn't seem to have suffered any of the associated bearing problems, despite me giving it some serious grief at times. It's mainly used for logging up for our 2 wood burners, and having also got an MS180, I usually reach for the 251 when tackling most jobs, it's heavier than the 180, but the extra grunt makes up for it. I found mine really opened up after about 6 tanks of fuel through it. I'm running on a 16" and to be honest I wouldn't put anything bigger on it, but it'll happily pull this buried in all but the hardest of woods. I logged up a fallen 30" chestnut for a friend in about 2hrs with only 3 tanks of fuel, I'm always amazed how little fuel it seems to use, but then it is one of the "strato" saws. It's never failed to start, 2-3 pulls even after standing, the only thing I would say is that on cold days it needs 30-60s to warm up otherwise it's a bit "boggy" but once warm it goes well for a 45cc saw. As others have said best to avoid the CBE versions, the quick chain tension is crap, and to be honest with side tensioning it's totally unnecessary. The quick turn caps however are very marmite, I have on several occasions ended up with chain oil dribbling down my trousers Anyways heres some photos of mine on the bench earlier for a quick sharpen before some logging up this afternoon.

Thanks adw, actually i was asking the question because it seems to vibrate quite a lot more than my 181 (188 now) so i wondered if i was missing something. It could just be that its running a bit rough and therefore not as smooth as the other saw. Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

Gents, I need a little help, ive pulled my 281 apart to replace the tank to carb fuel hose and to do this i have removed the tank/rear handle assembly. Im wanting to know if im missing av mounts for the front holes in this assembly? It looks like they should be there, but when i took it apart there were just a couple of bolts sticking into the space where i was expecting to find a rubber bush/mount. The ipl isnt great at showing this detail so would appreciate any guidance before i put it back together. Cheers, Tom. Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

Thanks Barry, i might have to take you up on that when funds allow, trouble is being an enthusiast doesn't pay for new toys. Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

Alright...heres a moan for you, ive heard and accepted how wonderful the stuff is[emoji7] and I'd like to buy a gallon to try, but my nearest place to buy is 25miles away and not open at the weekend. What i need is an online supplier who'll post just a gallon at a time. [emoji6] Cheers, Tom. Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

My thoughts too, i'll be using something less fleshlike than my delicate pinkies. Thanks for all the advice chaps, sounds like an investment in a bar dresser might be worthwhile. Since im thinking this bar might be a little past it, i best get that sugi on order and turn the oiler up a touch. Cheers Tom. Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

Thanks Miker, chains are kept sharp, I hand sharpen often between cuts and use a portek grinder for major resharpens, so i know my chains are good. Oil feed is fine too, ive not adjusted it since buying it, but am using 1 tank bar oil to 2 tanks fuel which should be fine for the sort of firewood work im doing. It also puts out a decent spray off the end of the bar on the cardboard test. Cheers, Tom. Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk