Stumpy Grinder

Thank you for taking the time to write such a comprehensive reply Neil. The Fiskars Maul looks a bit of a brute and I found a UK supplier for you here: https://www.fruugo.co.uk/splitting-maul-900-mm-3900-g-fiskars-122150/p-10237139-21518467?gclid=CjwKCAjw47bLBRBkEiwABh-PkfS0QyhgfblHfAiS6o8TQVspa0NLk2g56AGdV_Zwbux4CihpYOgWzBoCJigQAvD_BwE I've not ordered one.........yet! Regards, SG:001_rolleyes: Looks like it might actually come from Germany - but in good time and for £7!

So, I just googled and found this: [ame] [/ame]Seems like a very simple idea that cost nothing and stops the axe hitting the splitting surface as well as logs flying off sideways! Loving that idea! SG

Some great replies there which I thank you for. Very consistent leader with the Fiskars X27 splitting Axe. Just ordered one for only £47! I also ordered a Fiskars X11 for smaller logs and kindling and a X5 to get the kids involved! The truncator is an interesting looking device, as is the oregan easy-cut, but both a bit too commercial for my needs. Ended up ordering a Roughneck Loggers Mate for £58. Not sure what length logs I can go up to as yet with a 5KW burner, so I need to keep them quite short . I may well make something in the future. All I need now is a chopping block! I'm pretty sure that the one we had on the farm in Devon where I grew up was made of Elm. Whatever it was, it was absolutely solid and the axe bounced off! It's probably still there! Large elms are sadly long gone, so I think a section of gnarly oak will probably be the best bet. Interesting to hear the height recommendations as I'd have probably gone a lot lower before reading the replies. The tyre on top has me slightly intrigued though? I'm guessing the log goes inside and it stops the split logs flying off too far? Thanks again guys, you've been most helpful. It may seem like a naïve question, but the tree and logs are normally long gone by the time I arrive to do the stumps! Cheers, SG

So, I've finally gained permission from the long haired domestic Commander to get a wood burner fitted and hope to get it in by Christmas. I therefore need to start getting some logs and kindling dried and ready to feed it with! Before I go and waste money on rubbish kit, I thought it best to ask the experienced and knowledgeable folk on here a few questions first: 1. What's the best type (and height?) of log to use to split other logs on? 2. What's the best splitting axe/maul I can buy? 3. What's the best kindling axe I can buy? 4. What's the best saw horse I can get to saw logs on? Any other tips or advice greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance! SG:001_smile:

I ground out a similar sized walnut tree stump where the rest of the tree had been cut up for firewood as there was only a 2' 6" gap to get it out! Criminal waste of spectacularly beautiful indigenous wood. Even the root wood was special, and I've since found out that the very best English walnut high grade gun stocks come from a decent root. Worth considering if you need to shift a large one? SG

Groton is worth a visit. Famous as an ancient coppiced wood with small-leaved-lime and wild cherry. I stalked there once when the cherry blossom had dropped and it looked like a carpet of snow! SG

Neither?

Both Arger Fen and Groton Wood (near Hadleigh) have some amazing Black Cherry trees. Both are Suffolk Wildlife Trust sites. I just so happen to manage the deer for SWT in all their woodlands which is a real privilege to work in such marvellous places. Raydon doesn't have any cherry like that so I'm guessing you'd be in Wolves wood? SG

[ 900 year old Yew tree. 19 foot girth!

OK, I don't use Aspen, but I do use Shell Motomix which must be the equivalent? It cost about £19/gallon which seems expensive, but is it? I have numerous 2-stroke tools from brush cutters to disc cutter to 5 chainsaws, most of which I use infrequently. I spend more time having to get rid of old fuel than is economically viable. Filling them with Motomix and knowing it will last, as well as the other environmental issues is a small price to pay. Decent fuel is cheaper than a new engine or a new pair of lungs. What price to you place on your engines and your health? MS

Happy days indeed! I always leave the handbrake in the 'OFF' position when stored or they can stick. SG

No drive whatsoever is likely to be the drive belt from the engine to the Hydrostatic gearbox either broken or too loose or the tensioner broken. Also check that the Hydrostatic disengagement lever is not stuck, or the button it pushes onto is not stuck in (this can be seen from above on the rear of the Hydrostatic gearbox). I'm not sure how the drive lever can have been reversed though? However' if the linkage has been changed, then the ground travel control lever needs to be adjusted to neutral so that the wheels and hub stop when the lever is central. Without looking at it, I can only assume something has been fitted 'back-to-front' to cause the change in lever direction? It does sound like your engineer is pretty useless though! Call Westcon Equipment and ask for Malcolm in the spares department. He is a font of knowledge and will probably be able to help. He will also be able to supply you with a Operation, Maintenance & Parts Manual which will help you to understand and be able to fix your machine yourself. I believe that to be able to run a stump grinder efficiently, you really need to be able to maintain and repair it yourself. Having an affinity with your machine, promotes mechanical sympathy, which in turn creates harmony between man and machine and will ultimately keep your costs down. SG

Chestnut pale fencing is another alternative but will cost about £6/m. Lasts for years though. SG

Labour will get smashed tomorrow. Corbyn will try to hold on to his job as he has done surprisingly for so long. But, enough is enough. I think the Labour party will be in a very sorry state after the vote. SG

Shooting them works as well mind! Not all of them, but as nature would have intended. Deer are a prey species and breed accordingly. Unfortunately, man, in his infinite wisdom, saw it best to kill all the natural predators! So it is now down to us to somehow correct this and control them. However, there are two sorts of people that shoot deer. First, we have the stalkers/trophy hunters that basically shoot deer for the good and benefit of themselves! Shooting male deer with big antlers in their prime during the rut is NOT what nature would have intended! It goes completely against the 'survival of the fittest' ethos of mother nature and will eventually force a species into regression. Then we have the true 'deer managers' that shoot deer for the good and benefit of the deer and the environment. They will cull deer to some sort of plan which generally involves shooting young and old deer as well as sick or poorer animals such as the ones that would have been naturally predated. The aim should be a healthy population of deer (preferably indigenous!) which are in balance with their local environment. Consideration should be given to reducing deer numbers if you are excluding them from specific areas. If you effectively fence off an area of woodland or hedge, you will reduce the deer impact in that area to zero, but in doing so, you may well increase the impact in the surrounding area if the numbers remain the same. Deer also have positive impacts to woodlands and it is a delicate balancing act to get it right. I have good connections throughout the whole of the UK with regards to proper deer management, so if anyone ever needs any help or advice with regard deer, please let me know. I am also a qualified deer impact assessor if anyone needs to know what effects they are having and I can formulate cull plans and management teams to suit for grant schemes etc if they ever return! Regards, SG

So you believe that religion has no connection to terrorism? Jihads have no connection to religion? Whatever! SG

What we Westerners/Christians/other religions etc cannot comprehend, is that many muslims are 'wired up' completely differently due to their beliefs of the afterlife, so much so, that they quite simply do not fear death a we do. In fact, many of them welcome it as it is viewed as a better life, especially if you enter it through martyrdom. Actually when you look at the restrictions and requirements of the religion as imposed by Sharia Law, I think I would rather be dead too, especially if I was a woman! When parents can strap their 16 year old daughter to a donkey laden with explosives to suicide bomb a checkpoint? Could we do that with religious or parental justification? Social services would have a field day with you over here! I've seen Muslim pilots that have come over to train with our military simply let go of the controls when it all got too difficult whilst saying Allah will look after me! Will he look after the non-muslim instructor too! I very much doubt he will look after either, as both will be dead and simply make their way back into the carbon cycle. I believe that as we become more educated, religion plays a lesser part of our lives. How many of us now go to church compared to our grandparents? Small villages which now have large populations have rarely used churches which would have contained the entire village every Sunday once. That said, some of the recent nutters that choose to end their lives as well as others are well educated and 'home grown'! So did they make their own interpretation of the Quran or were they influenced? I think they were very much influenced, and it is the source of influence that is the key to prevention! These are often educated young people that have been radicalised to a degree that we cannot comprehend. We are talking thousands which are influenced by the few. We know who the 'few' are, so deal with them in an appropriate manner! ASG

For a temporary fix for Roe, you could use a couple of strands of electric sheep wire run off a 12v battery with a solar panel charger. A lower strand will also deter rabbits and hares. SG

It's good though that Corbyn has identified a Million 'Good' jobs for when Labour get voted in. He should keep that list handy as he might need one himself by the end of the week. SG

Raining sideways here and lots of it! Did a couple of jobs earlier and a quote but got piss wet through and mate a lot of mess! Noticed the farmers are still irrigating the fields too which seems rather pointless! Tomorrow is another day and looks to be much better................ SG

So there's another 10,000 police officers on a start pay of about £19,000 (which will coincidentally have to go up to about £20,800 when the minimum wage rises to £10/hour!). Just another 208 Million pounds to find. Arborists should sleep well, safe in the knowledge, that should Labour some how get elected, there will be an awful lot of 'Money Trees' that need cutting down to harvest the cash! Hopefully there will be a pot of gold under every stump too! SG

There's plenty of them over at Great Yarmouth! I went there last year and parked a couple of streets back from the sea front. It was like being amongst a Jeremy Kyle show gathering! Awful place! It all kicked off too when we were going along the sea front. A man & woman started having a massive shouting match and were arguing over a baby. This was in front of a load of kids as well. The woman then slapped the man around the head and they started to fight. A policeman showed up but instead of trying to calm it down he started to hit the man with his baton! Then the guy wrestled the baton off the policeman, and started to hit the policeman and his wife! Then a crocodile came and stole all the sausages! Madness! SG

This is nothing new really and more a case of history repeating itself. Where will it end? Well, history has a habit of repeating itself doesn't it? Have a look at what the Christian Crusades were all about and you may understand what this is all about a bit more. The Real History of the Crusades | Christianity Today SG

Yes mate, bad choice of wording by me! I wouldn't give it away out of choice! It's rubbish though really. I paid tax on all my earnings to accrue said pension, and then get hit for 40% when they give it back! There are worse problems to have though for sure. SG

I'm an easy target on PAYE so I don't get to take much home! I even give 40% of my Army pension away so that others may have a comfortable existence. SG:biggrin: