lux

Climbed and dismantled this rotten old stick this morning. Part of a series of fair sized trees to take out for a regular site. Fair bit of rot in this old bugger

You may not necessarily have to register immediately. You are allowed certain fluctuations in your accounts around vat registration. Your book keeper will be able to explain it to you You only need the accountant if you are ltd / vat registered etc.
Say the last 3 or so years have been u see the vat threshold and this year your only say 15 k over it you can have some wiggle room if you don’t want to register.
But if you think your business is now growing and you will continue to be over the threshold just get the accountant to register.
You can go back 4 years in your expenses claiming things for your vat registration.
First time I filed in the paperwork I got a £10k rebate so that was quite nice.
I use Xero for all my paperwork. And a very simple scanning app on my phone for all my receipts. Ping em off and legally you don’t even need to keep the paper copy like you used to. Although I still file them away. Scanning those in keeps the processing time down for the book keeper too so that reduces that bill.

Danequip 27hp.
Used them for years. So simple and easy to use. Hard to go wrong with one.
Just over 6 grand I think.

Anyone else got opinions on the Echo 501? 
 
Im looking for a 261 replacement, been impressed with the little echo 2511 so wondering if the Echo would cut it against the stihl, or would i be dissapointed?
 
The Echo promo video is one of the worst i've seen! 
 
 

One of my plans for if I ever run my own firm is to have a tow behind vacuum/blower on the back of the chip truck so I can suck chip out of gardens and blow it into hedgerows on the way home. The lads would love standing on the back and shooting the chip canon like they’re Rambo. Don’t pretend it’s not a good idea.
 
 

I think it,d be better to batter em with it

100 yards from the tip captured on camera (left), dumped on the same day.  And last Saturday's tip, less than a mile away.  So A) it's not a one-off; and B) it's not suitable as firewood.
As a wild stab in the dark I say it could be the same individual. So inaction generates repeat behaviour until they no longer get away with it.

 
No worries, I appreciate it's not everyone's cup of tea - Some of the youtube videos don't quite do it justice. 
 
The rated lift of the Giant is 350kg and the microbull is 200kg - But the attachments for the Giant are a bit heavier 
 
We demoed it earlier this summer with a chap who already owned a Ditchwitch (a much bigger unit) and he said it was shifting similar sized lumps to the Ditchwitch which surprised me alot, If you've got to get a lump of wood through a garden gate there is only so big you can cut it! 
 
Where abouts are you based?
 

We've recently started importing the microBull compact loader - there is a separate thread on here at the moment with more pictures/questions & answers - We are also dealers for Giant and have owned 3 separate Sk251's/252's and had them as hire units for the last 3 years
 
Both units are well made and simple in there operation,
 
The Giant is built like a tank and handles yard work without fault - in wet conditions on soft ground it doesn't fair quite so well but still takes a lot to get stuck, wheeled machines will always turn nicer on hard ground and will be slightly more comfortable to ride, however when loaded heavily the weight is on the front wheels - We've never had any faults with these machines - save for the exhaust mounting on the first models - which they have now rectified - We wouldn't be without ours now - If we loose out to another wheeled unit when quoting - it is usually on a price basis rather than build quality or operation
 
The microBull is lighter and smaller - at only 750mm wide it's about the narrowest on the market - which is what first attracted us to it - My argument is why have a loader if you can't get it to the majority of jobs because of access? - It also weighs in at around 700kg - meaning it can easily be transported on a trailer in conjunction with tracked chippers/grinders - It's short enough it can be parked sideways comfortably  on a 10x5 - with no attachment on the front its only just bigger than a euro pallet (lengthways)
With tracks the unit is more stable with weight on the front end, especially when lifting at height - Comes as standard with x2 double acting aux functions, flail circuit and work light - Optional extras on most machines. There are machines that will lift more but few that will get where these will - for most wheeled machines to get anywhere close to 750mm you need to run with the skinny wheels - usually at a compromise to traction/ground pressure 
 
Either way I think in the majority of situations you'll need to be running track matts, unless the ground is solid in the depths of summer
 
Every machine has it's limitations and restrictions, My main advice is to try before you buy, get a demo, or better to hire for a week and see how it fits you as a company - we always offer to refund up to a weeks hire if a purchase is made as we'd much rather sell a machine to someone who is confident it's what they want
 
Also be aware of some manufacturers quoting a "tipping load" This is essentially meaningless as its the point at which the machine tipps over - don't assume that the machine will 'almost' lift this weight, that is not normally the case - Always ask for a working load
 
If anyone has any questions regarding either of these units feel free to pm or email me
 
 
 

Personally from a production point of view I think it’s mentally ill to use old saws... as well as being worse on emissions that damage your health and the anti vibrations being less efficient which again damage your health especially so on a worn saw or ones with non factory cheap parts fitted they are in no way as productive... buy a new saw if you have a lot of felling and replace it after a year if it’s your livelihood and keep the other for spares that are readily available ! If your really tight then sell the old one as used saws seem to make stupid money !! but I’d rather have the spares to keep a saw going in an emergency.. if you can’t do this your not charging enough.
On another note I’ve not had much of any auto tune saws go wrong apart from the usual wear and they are still easy enough to change cylinders and pistons on if they do go.

I must be getting old,still using the old Elwel[emoji106]

Police and Council not interested [emoji20]
This happened in May, the council took until last week to decide they weren't going to pursue it.
Another very similar fly-tip last night less than a mile away from this one, which prompted us to post.  This time it's right on the edge of the highway so the council's responsibility.

I just took a look on YouTube. To be fair for the £300 quid they cost they look pretty good. Obviously I wouldn’t expect it to last like a stihl ( well it might run there new stuff close [emoji23]) but at £300 quid as a spare / backup or a farmers saw I’d say it looks fair.

Recently needed a big saw but waiting for the new 395 replacement to be released so tried one of these farmertec 660 clone saws as it was cheap so far so good has anyone tried one 

Then look hard at the tracked cormidi c85 try before you buy. the skidsteers can make quite a mess, you will need a supply of mats for protection of grass and paving but they do the work of a man and work out cheaper than employing 

Don’t forget the kanga  they all Suffer from poor lift height avant has the best but is unstable if arms are extended,try before you buy. I did then bought an avant pivot steer so much better

I liked the look of the Giant, but ended up with a Multione.
 
Plenty of threads on here about them if you use the search facility.

I run a giant 204 so the next step up from that, which is the same width ane articulate and lifts more. 
Get one on demo and you will see how good they are, Kirkland machinery in Kent are importers. 

Any of you running something like one of these. Looking for recommendations and general feed back on them as thinking of buying one.

There are several on the market from the likes of

Giant

Cast

Toro

Looked at the Sherpa on line but doesn’t look great.

The one in the library image is the Giant 25D

I would run it with a grab 90 percent of the time I suspect. They seem quite reasonable price wise.

Cheers all

I’d love a new one of these.

[emoji106]

Making use of the last of the light today. Was dark all day then quite nice as the sun was disappearing for the day.

Just use a wood owl. Doesn’t matter what the drill is you will cream through it. Unbelievable kit.
Why put threaded bar into a tree though. ??

All dead wood is far less forgiving to fell or cut, being hollow with rot exaggerates this no end. Learn a little about the different types of rot and how they affect the structure of the timber. That might help you with how you go about cutting.
As previously mention use mechanical advantage to help. A portable winch or just setting up a double / triple purchase can really help.
A lot of it will come down to simply how it feels as you begin making cuts. Watch the crown as well as the cut , it will tell you a lot about what’s happening as you are cutting.
I don’t think there is a real problem solving answer for you. Just keep safety top of the list when dealing with these sorts of trees and if it goes wrong at least you shouldn’t get hurt [emoji106]

I've owned a Husqvarna 353 with a 15 inch bar from new and used it very lightly. It's recently been serviced. I'm keen to upgrade it. Also what's it worth?
Thanks
JCS

Oh yea 100%. I've never had a ticket of any sort in my life, all depends on attitude like you say and knowing when to just take an earful and let it go.
Makes me think that I would probably have the unit plugged in or on a small switch tucked away. Get pulled over and say it's broken if needed. I have a dash cam and people have said "I don't know why on earth you would do that, it might incriminate you" but if I had a collision and I was at fault I would throw the micro SD card in the hedge. In all honesty if I was to keep running overloaded (which everyone else seems to do [emoji849]) I would still rather have one so I could shift a load round if it's unbalanced or know that I am under 20% over or whatever. I would rather have a properly balanced load that's a little over and get a slap on the wrist than an unbalanced load that's a tonne over and have a nasty crash when I lose steering.