Dan Maynard

That's as far as my ladders reach anyway.

It's true, talking to people in the engineering world the Chinese have made so much investment in everything from education to automation and factory infrastructure that they undoubtedly can make good stuff, or if we want it cheap they can make it cheap.

Don't buy 7hp whatever you do, you have to hold material back or put tiny bits in all the time. I was working with a mate on Friday who has a 13hp Jansen, had to ask him to stop cutting everything up so small, just stick it in the chipper. Mines 24hp, makes a hell of a difference to what it'll just chonk through without slowing down.

I'm still running that 461, what you're describing doesn't sound like yours is really running right. Maybe it hasn't done enough work to really wake up, but start with basics - air filter needs cleaning quite often, clean drum/clutch area. Maybe you've had oil leak around the pump so clutch slipping? Last thing would be carb but could need a tune. The 572 came out later but shouldn't embarrass a 461

I hired a 13/75, to be fair it was blunt but straight poplar not too bad to chip, Scots pine absolute pain. Getting everything down the square chute a real pain. My current chipper is M500, which has 20" blade width so you can get quite big Y pieces in especially with a bit of bend. I'd go drum for sure.

I've used a Jansen chipper. Chinese not German built.

It's a sinking feeling, isn't it? Went to tip this evening at the allotment, press button and absolutely nothing. Luckily just a wire out inside the plug so easily found and cludged back in using the wrong screwdriver from the van.

It looked as if that solid bar was a bit like the lower half of RRP? I am getting more tempted to take the plunge.

Long loop on a dead eye which is cow hitched pushes the splice back behind the first knot and so lowers the loading both shock and otherwise, maybe that's what people mean?

I'm in Haix Trekkers at the moment, been ok. Some of their more expensive models are listed as vibram sole, which is maybe where I'll go next.

All of which is about the rubbers, not the idle. My 2010 261 is manual carb, I don't know if a 2015 saw would be manual or mtronic?

I worried about this and bought carb kit for the 261 in preparation, but so far not needed anything on any saws. Hedge trimmer had the fuel tank gland harden and start leaking so I changed that gland and the pipes but carbs been fine. Stihl flip cap o-rings have also needed changing, but they were getting a bit old and hard before the switch to Motomix anyway. YMMV as they say.

I don't think there's been a normal fruiting weather year for about 5 years, it's a lottery.

I've switched to Motomix a little while ago, my finding is all the manual tune saws (Stihl 150, 261, 461, two Dolmars) needed a tweak up on the idle. The autotune saws haven't (Stihl 201, 400).

Spliced onto 3 strand?