Hobby_Woodsman

All depends what you expect from it. It will squeeze into areas you can't get larger vehicles. (I used to haul theatrical lighting and sound equipment to my clients outlying classrooms along the student walkways. You'll be surprised how small a gap these little wagons will pass through.) Which if you work in town can be important. Lots of schools use them for on-site maintenance team transport for which they are ideal. IF you never go on road then Quad tyres can be eased under the arches...which will help off-road traction a little. It's no range-rover and a modest icy slope will stop an unladen pick-up. I had a Bedford Rascal van and pick-up and ran them for a total of 120K miles just tyres, part exhaust, a clutch and one battery were the running expenses over than mileage. Never bettered 36mpg and never drove faster than 45mph, peak torque revs in 5th. Look at the Jap import companies to find the best deals on 4x4 versions which transforms performance in iffy conditions. Yes impact survival is questionable, but then you could point that finger of doubt over quads and their ilk... You'd be better with the larger 750kg pick-ups as imported by some grey importers.

Little or no flow so purely a 'wick' action. The guidance notes I have seen is to thoroughly wet the bagged mix once wall is built. Nailing it together with some stainless re-bar seems a good move. I'd looked at a sleeper bridge but being in woodland the permanently damp atmosphere will see off sleepers in very short order. Not in itself an issue but why keep doing the same job every 5-10 years...

Domestic ride ons are slow and thirsty. A good walk behind is better and faster. Why the need to compact? Limited access width? Or too little space in the garage? Consider a 2-wheel tractor with flail or topper, plus water ballast in the tyres and wheel-weights. Two wheel tractor will with the extra attachments also rotovate, bury stones, power harrow ect. Not good at all work but will do more than a mower... Westwoods and their ILK, the traditional ride-on tractors can tow; so a self-powered topper or flail, as used behind quads is an option, you should be able to use the on-board deck to 'vacuum up' the arisings from the self powered unit after it has dried off. Westwoods don't like more than 8" growth and those older ones with 11-18hp will only deal with that when fairly dry. Even better arrange a separate blower fan in the suction line. If all else fails HIRE what you are thinking of, see how you get on and buy from second hand if you, like me, are using it on large domestic not making a business case.

If they attach, a couple of shots of the woods in question. I know a few of you have asked for a few pics. I've stitched together, badly, a couple of shots of the area to give an idea of my little project. One View point is the western end of the wood...the other view shows the eastern end which is fairly dominated by the standing water. Not sure how deep the water is; being an ex-sand pit it could be inches of water and feet of rotting leaf and silt. I'm not intending to find out. BUT may have a session with a large water pump at the end of the summer... I don't want to be responsible for stressing the trees that remain by taking the water level low at the start of the growing season. A brief draw down to clear out the fallen trees that cross the water and build a 'rustic' spill way is all I think I need to do. After all the recent rain I was expecting it to be considerably wetter. It's VERY soft under foot in many areas which has seen a good few of the over-stood silver birch suffer over the winter. There are another 6 or seven fallers and a couple of hung up birches in the branches of nearby trees. Which will pre-dispose them into becoming unstable in the wet ground.

I have now approached and spoken to my local wildlife trust. Who are broadly supportive, which is nice. They have also advised that there are a few grants still available to assist with improving my wildlife diversity... After all the recent rain the woodland is flooded so no work in it now for several months. First job will be to culvert a ditch to give access across to the largest dry area about 150' square. Then I will work to redirect the run off water into the permanent standing water rather than the boundary ditch. The ditch needs a LOT of work to clear it of 70years of silting. I don't want to disturb the all to thin boundary growth of Holly and hazel so hand digging will have to suffice. Last job this winter will be to make a 'clear sky' space above the 'pond' by clearing out a few over-stood silver birches. This should get some sunlight to the woodland floor so that the soil warms up and permits a little plant growth to get under-way. It may also attract other aquatic wildlife to deal with the mosquito/midge/biting insect population that make summer evenings in my garden a misery; the bites flare up into a 50p sized weal of itchy redness with a hard black core. It might also help retain the Mallards that currently seem more than happy to dabble about in the water, but never stay into the summer months. Hope to hear in the next few days that the land exchange has completed. I have a contractor starting next Monday to fell some leaning alders in my garden, not covered by the TPO, The timber from which will be used to make into access steps and handrails to provide pedestrian access over the Devon bank boundary there is one point where the drop from the bank into the woodland is measured in inches not feet. However it also coincides with the greatest difference in height between my property and the woodland 8', hence the split timber retaining walls, from the Alders with rammed earth treads. My contractor will, once the completion is registered, make an access from the nearest road into the woodland and install a suitable gate boundary gate. As well as providing a 'parking pad' across the softer areas of verge for delivery of materials. Does anyone have experience with making culvert facing walls from sandbags filled with dry 3:2:1 concrete. I have looked at concrete blocks and other materials but they will look raw and take an age to acquire a covering facing of moss and algae, even with yoghurt liberally daubed about. Hessian sacks will 'wick' any water and retain it, In the clean but moist atmosphere of the wood the Hessian will gain a layer of moss and ferns; much of my garden has naturally seeded ferns so I am very hopeful that the woodland will become a host to these interesting plants.

Thanks for the advice on what will grow in shade that will be most useful. Probably the least of my worries...for the moment

Have a flail mower in mind on a hire basis to clear an access and mow down 5 years of neglect. My home has a garden 100m long. Beside and below and beyond my land lies the woodland. The boundary is marked by a Devon bank up to 6' higher than my garden. The drop down to the woodland being about 10' at the end of my garden, this reduces to a 4' drop close to the house. Or it would do if there was not a Devon Bank constructed 5 years ago using modern methods namely stainless mesh and turf. Not impossible to broach and likely to be the only casualty of the uniting of spaces.

Only change is to improve the cross site drainage. The Council Officer's view is to establish an under-storey as currently there is no plant life on the woodland floor. This should help the general health of the established trees. Leaving the felled Birches in log piles situ along with much of the brash. His feeling was a modest modification to the on site drainage coupled with the removal of the majority of Birches would, over the next 10-15 years, let the the woodland floor come back to life to the general benefit of the flora and fauna. So I have to survey what is growing and then put together a basic plan of works. I do not intend to slash and burn for an instant change, more a little each Autumn and Winter.

Looked at one many years ago just because. Top speed was about 60kph (40mph) About the same size as a Bedford rascal 1/2 ton pick-up but rated at 1.5 tonnes hence the twin wheeled back axle. Available with four wheel drive. It was cheap less than a Landie in the days of the Iron Curtain. The the wall came down, VW bought the rights and prices rose to place it under the Unimog, IIRC it started at about 6-8K pre VW interest and £25K after... Meanwhile you can import a 4x4 version of the Honda/Suzuki 1/2 ton pick-up from Japan for a few hundred of your earth pounds or several thousand depending on age. These will need UK type approval but are probably the more affordable and can be had with automatic transmission. Probably less useful than a side by side but more comfortable as they have a proper cab which can be important. The Suzuki can tow but remember the Japanese versions come with a 660cc engine not the huge petrol guzzling 1300 cc units that drove UK spec micro vans. For those over 5'6 tall you'd need two one for each foot.... I owned a rascal pick-up as my first new vehicle and drove 14000miles in the first year before I purchased a rascal van and drove 98000 miles. Not fast or comfortable but they get the job done. The Multi is slightly better as it has more capacity but it has the same narrow space cab so no more comfortable than a micro truck. They find a lot of use as the base for street sweepers and are entertaining at 40mph. But a Landie SWB would probably be the better all rounder and only marginally less comfortable

Thank you for your thoughts. The land is the result of a settlement on a long dispute with a neighbour. I wanted to guarantee a buffer between my new neighbour and my home; the 'paddock' and the wood are that barrier/buffer. The woodland will be landlocked to any other purchaser, if it is not part of this settlement as my property will be the only place to gain access to it. The land was purchased by the current owner for £17k for a project, that project has failed and the land has a current value of about £6-8K. Whilst not worth anything of commercial significance and none with the TPO it will provide my extended family and I with a space of natural interest which we can manage in relatively low impact manner. I did ask about getting the TPO overturned, but I do not have the finances to fight the local council on the matter. If I failed I would be no further forward. So working inside the terms and understanding of what can be done will probably not be too much of a restriction. More so as the Council man is happy to control the silver birch. Most of what is felled will be left to recycle, being shady and Devon based, the felled trees will rot down fairly quickly. The only reason for taking out the hung up trees is to make it safer to enjoy the space without fear of a tree falling on me or other visitors. From the boundary of the wood I have clear views across to Dartmoor. There are no rides or other routes through or around the woodland, walking is a struggle due to the sheer number of weedy birches, so something more defined is needed. Then wheeled transport mountain bike/lawn tractor can get in and out, which will make the enjoyment of the space and the views more accessible. If we get some suitable weather in the next few days I'll try and get a few shots of the space for your delectation. Once I have learned how to upload...

My wife and I are about to take ownership, legal niceties permitting, of a hectare of unmanaged woodland with a strip of rough grass paddock. I have spoken to the local council's representative as the woodland is subject to a Tree Preservation Order. Slapped on by the council without thought or site visit when the original site was banded for change of use from school to office. The Council's man seemed very keen for us to remove all the Silver Birch and let the established but stifled Beech and Oak trees grow away. There are a few holly bushes but everything is quite thin and leggy. The Silver Birches have suffered and a fair number of them have been blown over, and are hung up, by the winter storms of recent years. We believe the majority of standing trees are about 70-90 years old. The woodland itself was a sand pit last in commercial use around the last war. It lies about 4-10' below the level of our garden. Being low lying it is not aided by being on the flood plain of the local river so it gathers and holds water with little difficulty. The soil is a mix of sand over ball(China) clay. We have to find a way of drying out part of the woods. Hopefully this may be a case of developing the existing natural drain-ways into proper drainage ditches and clearing a perimeter ditch of it's near total silting up. The main problem is that there is not access for even a tiny digger with which to make this work speedy and a shorter term occupation. The standing water in the summer makes an ideal place for mosquito and gnats to breed so drying things out or controlling the water table may reduce this natural nuisance. In the spring there are a few ducks on the largest area of standing water about the size of a large garden pond perhaps 400 to 500 square feet and it would be nice to improve this space to make it better suited to visiting wild fowl. Other wildlife consists of the usual small brown birds, a number of Thrushes, Great Tits, Long-tailed Tits, Buzzards and the odd Roe deer. At night we hear Brown and Tawny Owls calling. As for insects there are a few butterflies and in our main garden several wood-ant nests. Plus Hornet wasps and Bumble Bees make use of the Devon banks and Beech hedge boundary on the south side of our garden. We are talking to a couple of groundwork contractors about making a 'ride' to give access to smaller mechanical aids. I have read about the use of adapted Lawn Tractors/Ride-on mowers, with fixed axles and ATV tyres being the affordable way to get transport in and out what we can't carry. Plus a Tir-for winch and some snatch blocks to assist in getting the better of the many hung up trees, which just need a bit of a pull at the base to get them prone...famous last words. This seems an inexpensive way forward for our woodland and garden needs. A cheap Alpine tractor is outside our means; little Grey Fergies, Leyland 145's and their ilk are the preserve of collectors and enthusiasts. On the Eastern boundary of the woodland we will gain a 'paddock' of rough grass (approximately 15m x 50m) and we'd like to plant this with Sweet Chestnut and/or Hazel as a screen to the spike topped security fence of the neighbours property. But it is quite shady so this may not a feasible option. Although we doubt we will get the copsing material into more than it's first cut in 10-12 years time. The woodland and paddock are in a mostly East-West alignment. Currently we need some advise us on how best to get this grand plan into action in affordable stages over the next 10-15 years. We are open to suggestions and thoughts from those who have trod this path before.