maybelateron

2 hours ago, Mick Dempsey said:

Did a job yesterday clearing a river of trees and stuff, pissed down all morning.

By the time we’d finished I couldn’t get the Ranger out of the property (not a garden as such, a grassed area sloping down to the river bank) Had to get a tractor to pull me out.

Absolute bloody carnage on the ground.

I’ll have to go back with the digger in June to try and fix it.

I hadn't realised that France had been as badly affected by the extreme rainfall that we have had.

Morning all, 

Bloody boy band weather again Wet wet wet.

Office work, a site recce, and getting some pressure washer hoses made up for the mewp.

Two nuns were sharing the bath to save on water.

"Where's the soap?" say one.

"Yes it does, came the reply".

I wish more potential customers would ask to see copies of insurance certificates. I always attach mine to to the email I send the quote with. I live in hope it would root out some of the gypo/cowboy types. But then again, there are those punters who just want cheap cheap cheap, regardless of risk/liability.

Yep, if they won't pay what it is worth then away it goes by whatever means is most expedient for the current owner of the "waste".

Morning all,

Another fine day looming here, but rain tomorrow. Nice gentle day today cutting back neighbour's low hanging trees to stop me getting scalped when mowing.

Stay safe and have fun. 

Very belated good morning all,

Lazy start back to work. Have taken on elderly neighbour's mowing and shrub maintenance. Ideal rehab day on out front ride on, with steering wheel knob, so can use one handed. 

1 hour ago, Stubby said:

Off to have my other eye done ( catarct and replacement lens )  then I weil be 18 again !

Morning all,

Hope it goes as smoothly as the last one did Stubby. Can't wait till Monday to have my stitches out from second carpal tunnel op, then cabin fever can clear off. 

Morning all.

Morning all,

Dry at present but rain possible/likely. Maybe get the lawns mowed/maybe roll the top field before it gets too firm. Bottom field is already too dry for roller to make any difference. Hard to believe after all the rain, but true.

Yesterday my neighbour was using his BCS two wheel tractor, Honda engined. It stopped running while in use, not sure why. After it wouldn't start he decided that because the engine oil was black he would change this. It has an oil bath air filter on top of the carb (presumably for when rotavating in dry dusty conditions), so he decided to top this up generously. So generously in fact that oil ran into the cylinder.  He then found it would not turn over on the recoil start. So he takes the recoil cover off and uses a metal bar to try and turn it over. When it would not turn over he called me to help. No, I won't be lending him any of my machinery.

19 hours ago, scbk said:

I feel sorry for the hire machines. The average weekend warrior thinks wood chipper / green waste shredder / concrete crusher are 3 interchangeable words

Absolutely. And that sums up why these days I decline to provide a chipping service to people who have done the felling themselves, or had a "tree surgeon" in to do it. The former don't know the difference between barbed wire and a tree branch, and the latter don't give a monkeys.

My phone is the quietest it has been in years. We are 95+ per cent domestic. Still got the regular trims booked in, and fortunately not a problem as I'm getting older and not wanting/needing to work full time. Until now, I have always felt the domestic sector seemed pretty stable, in that we rarely work for younger customers in smaller properties, ie we work mainly for older customers in larger properties who are more financially secure.

Morning all,

Raining here. Think I'll sort all my tax return details for the accountant today.

2 hours ago, dan blocker said:

I’d go for the biggest every time, you’ve got the transport sorted so 500kg difference makes no difference. Get the 20.10, in 6 months you and those looking to hire in a platform will want a 23 or 30mt. 

When I proudly told a friendly local competitor I had ordered a new 18m spider mewp he wisely asked what I thought I would need soon after. Said I didn't know, and he replied a 21m mewp! When using a mewp for dismantles I think the outreach is at least as important, if not more so than max height. A few times I have managed to get the last few metres off the top of the tree, whilst out of "direct reach". I have fixed a pull rope with the AUS poles and hook, then got the ground crew to pull it away from me and the mewp base; obviously needs a favourable drop zone, and only done with sensibly sized and weighted bits of crown.

Good afternoon (12:02 now),

Dry here again, only gentle pottering this week for me. Looking forward to return to gentle duties next week once stitches removed from hand.

14 minutes ago, dumper said:

I feel a refund coming on

Absolutely agree. It takes a bit to make me dig my feet in in situations like this, in this situation I would argue my case all the way. The hire company cannot defend their lack of actions, ie blades utterly blunt and the all important setting of gap between flywheel blade and anvil has been completely neglected.

10 hours ago, Excels1or said:

Whitebeam?

Leaf shape would fit for that but the green is a bit too bright for Whitebeam I reckon. That said, if it has only just come into leaf they may pale down a bit?

Hand is pretty good thanks.

No chance of hosepipe ban (although we probably had the wrong size of raindrops all winter), as I will be pumping water up from the well under our front lawn.

Morning all,

Lovely day again here. Bit of one handed lawnmowing to do, then watering the recently seeded grass.

Morning all,

Fine day here too. Might be warm enough to sit outside with a book.

I rate it highly. Before I converted my 2511T to Panther I manage to bend the original bar more easily than I would expect. No problems since I changed over in Sept 2023. I carry a spare bar on the van. I have found it greatly improves the saw's performance. I find it very difficult to get a good result sharpening the really small chains, so I just fit a new one and recycle the old metal.

2 hours ago, Doug Tait said:

Hope Mr maybelateron's second surgery went well yesterday and restful nights are round the corner.

Thanks Doug, and morning all. Lovely blue sky here. Sitting outside and reading books mixed with doing VAT return today.

Morning all,

Off to get my second carpal tunnel decompression done this morning, under local anaesthetic. Looking forward to getting rid of waking (literally) every 1-2 hours and having to walk about to stop the tingling and burning it causes.

Have a good day all.

11 minutes ago, Mike Hill said:

Lower feed roller bearing came off.

Welded it back on.

Can't you just sort it in the morning before we go off to work boss?