drinksloe

Think I posted without finishing. Was going to say just how ruff/remote are the paths there walking? If not too severe common sense and many off the basic lone person working rules would do the job and not cost u fortunes. But it will all depend on just how likely they are to have an accident, how remote they are and chances of anyone else coming along wether it's worth spending money on satellite trackers or plbs If fairly local and not out the middle of nowhere simple things like leaving a note or texting which walk there doing time leaving and time they expect to be home and text when get home. If a bit ruffer ground or a long walk they do fairly often they could easy text in when they know they have a signal before they lose it, so if something happens in an area with no signal the time window is shorter and ud have a better idea where to start looking. Or more mibbee better still a quick phone call as in my area u never truly know if a text has got theou, not so bad now but with old phone contract they would ping theou 12 hrs or even days later Even 10 or 15 years ago PLBs were the norm in rural NZ, most outdoor types would own 1 and take it with them, or could be hired from rural petrol stations and shops for a few days or more for peanuts. I'm amazed not taken off more in this country

Some good advice above which pretty much covers it. U have the 1 time holy shit PLBs which are only used in extreme emergency, as linked directly to satellites and a monitoring centre and then to emergency services Just a 1 off buying fee which last for 7yrs Or Ur more adaptable satellite tracker systems which can tie in with smartphones to send texts etc, but a monthly fee. Just watch with spot the emergency contact must be contactable for it too work, wouldn't need to be 24/7 in Ur case but if ur mrs always goes a walk at 2 and Ur often in a meeting/up a tree with saw going the call centre won't/can't phone for help they need u to do that. Also I've heard some emergency contacts have ignored the phone call as either an American number or with held and justthick it's a sales call. Things to be aware off Depends on the distance there walking but the cheap 2 ways can be hit and miss, sometimes we can hear a shoot on the far side off alley could be 6 or 8 miles away other days lucky to get a few hundred ms esp if u throw in trees and steep gully's. The licensed 2 ways are really pretty good thou and very dependable, think 75 quid for a 5 year licence. A couple off things that might work/help for free 112 will sometimes work when 999 won't in bad signal areas. Also tell them to register there phone with 999 so u can send a text in an emergency situation, as a text may get out when a phone call won't.. I used to think w3w's would be handy for situations like that if things go wrong. But on a recent +F course the instructor really slated it for rescue situations, fine for getting deliveries to urdoor but that's about it. He's ex mountain rescue and advised never to use it in a rescue situation. He advised using a grid ref app instead, 6 figures gets u within 100m which is close enough and still keeps it nice and simple. How ruff is the

Have u had a right good pinch in a few different places? See how far it goes down. The soil/sub soil type will make all the difference, if silty i would imagine posts should go tight just driving them in and not sink any more, different story with peat depending how deep the peat is as often on top of silty ground. Id be buying UC4 treated timber or similar should be a decent guarantee 20+ years. If ur worried about the posts sinking u can nail rails/timber on at 90 degrees, ideally just below ground level on each post or run rails linking the 2 oppisate posts at ground level holding both up

Must admit after reading this thread the other night bought some skitter salts from the supermarket and had some the night as i got back to van. I definately felt better n drive home as on these really hot days i can be fcuked on drive home and do occasionally sop for a wee siesta. But it may just be a mental illusion, the other lad took a sachet too so will find out how he feels the morro. I might ask at chemist a wknd but might stat taking them 1 or 2 a day while sweating as much as i am, it makes sense ur losing salts etc I honestly have never drank as much water as i have done recently, or paid as much attention as i have to carry the bloody stuff all day. Fairly adds wirght to ur ruck sack with 6 or 7 litres in it. Think just shy of 10l so far today and just away to do a bit off concretteing, just seems a mental amount esp when u live in scotland. As someone said above there could be a big difference in being cooled by ice on ur skin too drinking a litre of ice cold water fairly quickly. Will have to ask more about overhydration, but if ur not pissing all day and sweating i cant see any other option but to keep drinking

How much is too much thou, roughly? I drank 6l today ( 4 to 5s more normal summer drinking) while at work plus possibly another 2 or 3 on way home and with tea. And a couple of ice lollies 😀😀 I can't remember having a p#ss all day either.. Not sure if that is very healthy Really not looking forward to tomorrow 1.5k uphill walk throu crappy forest site, fully loaded with gear, water fuel etc and no shade left. I bet the forestry office staff would complain and go on strike if had to work in that heat sitting on there bums. I used to love stickng some bottles in freezer night before, but have gave up recently as gets the inside of ur bag and all Ur gear all wet. 1 off lads was saying really not a good thing anyway in this extreme heat as could shock Ur body with such a difference in temps. Is that true??

No the 545 is brand new still n box unused or PDI, just sitting in the back of his store, he used to sell them. Just worried might be a touch under powered, and not really much lighter Aye my van is well kitted out for saws, with all sort s of spares and tools, usually has 6 or so saws in it most days, plus the other assorted crap i carry, smll winch, 2x bottle jacks, box of wedges etc. Even up the wood i generally carry a spare bar and chain with me most days Just new to this brush cutting carry on, done bits and bobs for others with there machines but never really paid much intreset in the models. I will fix my stihl up, i bought it at auction years ago, been an ex council or roads dept so will have done a bit by the look at it. Until mnow been fine for me, never really missed a beat, but wasnae being worked hard either I think it is a 460, althou i have to admit the number was always worn off on the starter, is there anywhere else on stihls where the serial number or model number? Aye the back pack saw looks ok, but also looks an experienced operator too, which always makes things look easier/better, bit of a 1 trick pony. With the strimeer u can still cut grass etc, as still need something at my own bit to strim with

Alright folks. I generally don't get involved in best saw type threads, as everyone has a different opinion. Been offered 12ha of scrub clearance on restock sites and my old strimmer, while big enough is old and not so realiable now. And the shaft finally gave way last week. Wot are the best models out there at the moment for fairly heavy work? I have to admit I know almost bugger all about them. A mate advised a husky 555, and got the chance of a new 545 for wot should be a good price ( as been sitting in the stores for a good while forgotten about) just worried not man enough for the job. Cheers for any advice.

Aye u don't often see many old oak strainers nowadays, et they are a serious age thou. An absolute nightmare to hammer steeples or nails in too thou, hard as nails

Are uc4 posts not a 25- 30yr guarantee and that Scottish timber treated n Scotland. Those posts were similar to ur octoposts and guaranteed for 30+ years. But I would say guarantee worthless as chances of that fencer or sawmill still being around in 30 years is tiny. Would anyone really expect a fencer to put a new strainer in n 30yrs time when wire rusted. Plus seemingly if u touch strainer at all even rounding/chaumferring the top or cutting post it nulls the guarantee, wouldn't surprise me if spike on most chappers might void guarantee. There is still 1 local sawmill to me that has a yard full of cut timber drying under tarps before treating. The old fashioned way I could still go to fences input up 25 ur ago still standing now both stock and garden with his timber. It's treating freshly cut timber is never going to work which most sawmills will be doing Not rocket science

I wouldn't say 8.50 a meter with telegraph poles is the cheapest price, but in the general range for in bye fencing. A mate had some done for 9.50m but that was top spec materials, all timber with 30 or 40 year guarantee and pair of double gates. U can't really compare that price to a ruff hill hand ball job with bad access,

CA 1st aid, Stewart Richardson, covers most of Scotland and n eng, usually has 1 around Lockerbie about every week or 2. Not that far if u have missed the Hexham course

Was jut thinking plain line wire migh be n easier way to go if many dips or gullies on fence line. Stock net doe not really like bending vertically, u always end up with a slack bit at either top or bottom. Even if a gentle hollow or rise takes a bit of experience knowing how tight to pull it to allow it flip up or pull down. Proper way would be2 strainer and pulling it separately but the ends wouldnae to be tied off takes time. Id probably would think a line wire fence be easier for a novice, weld up a wire spinner which doesn't nee to be anything fancy Definitely handles any rises or dips easier also hire handy below trees that are likely to either blow per or shed lambs, on Ake's a few new steeples to fix, oven knackers a net fence

Ur prob fixed up now but sure I see CA 1dt aid had date booked for hxham shortly. Decent courses and good trainer

Would a clipex type fence not only really save u steepling the fence to the posts? U still need to put strainers in to hold and u could strain a normal net with gripples ifu wanted. Never used clippex but do u not need the posts to be nice and plumb to clip the net on? Really the strainers and possibly the stays also are the key no matter wot style of fence u put up. Dunno if an old fahioned line wire fence tensioned with rads/butterflies would be any easier for an amateur? Some big hill fences still prefer plain wire to net, and use 4 or 5mm mild as last longer in the harsh weather. Bloody pain to work with thou

1of the other cutters somehow dropped a tree right throu the only 4m section where the underground fibre optic was raised over a bridge. I wasnae on that site that day, there was a bit of moaning and p**s taking but I never heard too much about it being really expensive to fix althou the boy from cottage was moaning as had no porn for 4 days.

Is that forwarder rear wheels just cage driven? Can u put band tracks on it ok with the cages?

I'm imagining the price is for hand ball? I often get a bell from the local company when he has a horrible ugly hill fence to do. Last 1 was 6k meter, might have got the tracked chappers to 500m or so the rest all hand dug and packed strainers ( my job, only 1 daft enough to do it without mumping) and all stabs melled in. We were lucky he hired a tracked Argo as well as his own Argo and Haag Lund we managed to get most of the materials fairly close to fence line. Not every fencing outfit has the experience or tackle to handle big rough hill jobs. Any 1 should be able to put up a half decent fence on softflat ground. No idea wot he charges but he gets a few jobs like that, some are a lot worse. 1 long deer fence he built a sledge and had to lower all materials down from the top of the hill ( hundreds of meters to fence line) and that section was almost 1km. Glad I wasnae there for that. Never seen job so not going to comment on price, but big difference doing a flat field laying materials straight out of the iffor trailer to wot this may be all materials loaded on quad and trailer, so multiple runs every day just to keep u in materials for that day, if a long run to pick up could almost be a man's full time job for a few days. If fencing is like up here even rubbish fencers are busy, so mibbee picking and choosing there jobs.. But access and ground conditions would have to be very bad to take 2 fencers 2 weeks for 400m

Not that I'm in ARB, but if u were on by hour as a freelancer if u knock work out early, which is often the case u would be losing half a day's pay quite often with very little chance of fitting in jobs off ur own as I'll never know wot is planned for u n advance. So impossible to line up any other jobs in advance In my area most forestry cutters are just on a day rate, if u speak to a new prospective employer they usually ask how much for the day and how long it usually is. Bit different with forestry hand cutting as usually plenty of work to fill ur day in, not that often u run out of trees. But it does happen, finish an edge/steep slope early and not worth walking to next trees, but most harvester drivers don't mind u leaving early occasionally just as u stay on to finish jobs some nights and never charge extra. Bloody hell I worked to 7.30 1 Fri nite and never charged any extra, swings and roundabouts. But in reality hour Vs day rate won't matter to much as ur day rate will just be ur usual day length multiplied by hour rate. If doing longer days ur day rate will be higher.

1 thing that's never been mentioned, wot did ur boys do after the mwep was stuck? tWas tthere other work they could do? If they adapted and found stuff to fill the day then I'd say u can charge, atleadt for the men Not that I've had much experience with mweps off road but the little I've had I could imagine them getting stuck fairly easy, and at 8t ur not going to waste much time trying to self rescue it without some decent hand winches. So really depends if men got it stuck than asked a day digging an putting brash under wheels

Argrmog made a lot of good and valid points in his post. Aye it's a funny place now the forestry sector record prices at roadside, some finished timber products u can hardly buy as so scarce and prices almost rising daily. Yet the contractors rate is lower than ever as machines and desiel prices get dearer and dearer. Not gong to get worse with many of the sawmills/timber buyers having there own timber haulage and harvesting divisions now Back on topic. While I agree with wot agrimog says, i do think the intentions are good and honest and for the good of cutters and bosses employing cutters. Can't be easy for bosses needing a new cutter, chance are all they will get is a phone conversation to assess if they can do the job, seen me working for companies and never meeting a boss for weeks/months/ever, just told to meet a harvester/forwarder driver. And let's face it with modern machnes and T winces etc there only getting u in for the real shitty step ground or big timber or both, which is just an accident waiting to happen if ur not thinking But I do think it would turn into just another money making sham, ( same happened with Deer Stalking Certificates 1 and 2, great idea in theory but just a cash cow for many) Cutting is a funny job now on commercial sites,, so many H&S rules actually make the job more dangerous and then on some jobs they actually expect u to pretty much ignore their own rules. 1 off my main gripes now is rarely ever getting lifts up jobs on forwarders, even just carrying ur gear up. The job been on most of this week was over 1km to top of hill and absolute murder of a walk due to brash matt's wet holes and steep rock faces. And I'm meant to walk up that fully ladened, on way out on Thurs had 5 litres of water, 30t bottle jack, sledge, wedges, spare bar/chain plus ur 5 litres of fuel and 3 ltd of oil + saw. It's a full on mission just getting ur rucksack on ur back. Bloody leg/angle break just waiting to happen esp on ur way out after a hard day on saw. The aspect of qualified cutters surveying a job at the pre commencement meeting before the harvesting starts and advising how to harvest the site, was the best idea in it. But no contractors going to pay u to walk a site. But as the older machine operators retire that started on a saw and know wot there talking about with saws. Massive difference cutting on a site harvested by ex cutters, just well thought out makes ur life easy. As more and more operators have never ran a saw only going to get worse. I mind throwing toys out of the pram 1 day with a harvester driver insisted I wedged trees over with a natural lean into a rare east gale force wind. Was torture and bloody dangerous an a complete waste of a rare strong east wind in summertime. Just madness, I now refuse to cut for that operator just an accident waiting to happen and it's always the cutter that ends up getting hurt if an accident, don't need to be near folk like that.

It seemed to go ok yest, put 3/4 a gallon throu it yest and never missed a beat 😀👍😀 Althou smelt like was working I a distillery with the burning peat I'll strip it down over wknd and get at it with air line.and bread here needed Aye I went over saw with a bucket of water and paint brush, amazing the amount of sludge came off it and th peat left Sheri emptied the buckets.

Well been out, had to drive to wood at bottom off road, for all I'm in the sticks still got some nieghbours, with young kids, so a bit late by time Igor it together. Aye well it's going, I'd say going well done half a fill with no problems. When pull g it with plug out u could fair feel and hear the peat scratching on the fly wheel. I'll probably take the clutch off on sat sold it be worth taking fly wheel off too? Or will the peat just dry out with the heat from working it and fall off? By hell for a 3 month old saw it looks bloody terrible now, got saws 4 and 5 year old that done a lot of work look tidier. Cheers again spud, top man

Cheers spud, completely the opposite of wot I planned to do. So cheers very much I'm jut away up to get it going. Hopefully will all go ok. Mibbee strip if down at wknd. Cheers again spud, top man 👍👍👍

Ur doing well ur 550 still running years later even without the swim. It might have helped it!! More office about the peaty slime as it's so fine just gets everywhere and act like a fine grinding paste. Had to pour a load of sludge out from behind starter. Just away up with a paint brush and water might be easier before it dries. Think I'll leave at home the morro too new a saw to damage and give it a right proper clean out over wknd. If anyone has any good ideas to clean. Must admit the saw looks old quick, that peaty water has coloured all the panels now, while I'm not too bothered how a saw looks as long as it runs but bloody hell it's looking ruff in the last 4 hours.

Not the best photos off saw, could hardly see phone screen for sun, and not in mood to f@nny about.