Dan Maynard

... and yes, compared to prussic it makes everything a lot easier. There is always another more expensive gadget so you have to draw the line somewhere but I think the hitchclimber is really good value for the benefit it gives.

When you say red hot after 15 minutes, is that hard work or just idle? If it boils up at idle then doesn't seem like blocked water or cleaning as cooling system shouldn't be working anywhere near capacity. Warped head was my other idea, skim may sort that.

WD40 makes a really good cutting lubricant for aluminium, helps stop it sticking and scuffing.

With luck like that you shouldn't be felling trees.

A wise man once said to me problems that go away by themselves can come back by themselves. I'd want to know why it locked if at all possible.

Is that £1000 in Scheppach chainsaw vouchers? If so then I'll keep the answer to myself.

Like you I've done desk time so I think I get that. Other thing I might add is spend £100 on books about trees, pruning, plant physiology. The NPTC courses tell you how to cut but there is a hell of a lot to learn about trees to be deciding what to cut and why. I've been doing this as well as getting hands on experience, my take is if you find this stuff fascinating it's another sign arb is for you. You also have to pick connie bits off a gravel drive in February with rain soaking through to your pants. Go for it!

I like my JoBeau which pushes itself, especially at the end of the day onto the trailer when I'm tired (with an f). Can't do steps at all though, without a couple of planks. Swivel chute is really useful, yes. Shrubs fly through, have to be a bit careful not to let too much in at once as can block.

APF is where I bought mine, Jonsies had a whole row hanging up which you can just hang in to try out. Really worthwhile.

This sounds a bit like the question about employers liability insurance, when two self employed people get together do you need EL? In that case the person responsible for the contract with the customer is held to be an employer even if some of the people on the job are self employed.

I was going to say stick a new plug in anyway, for a couple of quid worth a try. Our mower once wouldn't run at speed, missus first said what about the plug of course I checked everything else first but finally changed plug which made it work... Is it possible that cable was damaged before? Maybe you just uncovered the root cause of weak spark?

I'm intrigued what the 5th chap said - reduce heavily and hope for the best? Can't see it surviving long term but could be a way to keep some shade while you establish replacements nearby?

I don't think we answered all your questions 1. The tree surgeons on the AA site are all vetted and will be fine. It is also true that lots of very good local tree surgeons are not AA listed, next best thing is a personal recommendation - once you have found somebody ask them what qualifications they have and to see a copy of their insurance as any good firm will be happy with that. Either friends Facebook or neighbourhood websites are places to ask as well. 2. Removal - any time as long as there is no bird nest. Autumn is also much busier for tree surgeons, if you go for it now you might just be in front of the rush. 3. The stump is likely to resprout unless you have it ground out (separate extra cost). Lots of people don't have the stump ground, just cut back the regrowth each year for a few years and it will die off. You can plant in the area, my guess 1m will be tricky but 2m should be OK - don't skimp on the hole though. 4. Apple is always good, a good tree nursery (rather than garden centre) is worth finding for advice because you might as well get one with apples you are going to enjoy eating. Lots of other trees are available on dwarf stock, ornamental for blossom or with interesting foliage. 5. I leave a lot of timber for logs in 'manageable pieces' (ie lumps I can move it around) as most people getting free wood for a burner will cut and split it into logs themselves. Personally I don't charge extra for that, but if you wanted it logged right down then I would. Best of luck Dan

Best results if you prune about 3 inches above the ground.

re your earlier question, can't really see port and climbing being good combination however big the tree. Sensible suggestions though would be buy 3m friction cord, 3m climbing line and one biner asap, so you can keep practicing the knots otherwise in a few weeks you forget. Other really good advice on my course was go to the APF show in September and spend some time hanging in all the different harnesses before buying one, they set up small scaffolds for this purpose.

I have done an amount of electrical cad work for years, using various AutoCAD based systems. Last few years I've moved over to a system based on Microsoft Visio, it is much less clunky, easier to learn, easier to print. There's an opportunity here, maybe we can get Steve Bullman working on it?

I think the 365 is the only way to get a pro saw running 20" for that money. It looks like you might have just missed the deal, I bought one recently and the 4 free chains were 18" only so I would check first - worth a phone call even if not showing on site and see if you can blag it, there might be just one left... Thing is the pro answer to 3' beech trees would probably be several saws...

Yeah, well done. The only way is up!

I was thinking this the other day, you never seem to get people recommending the MS362 in the same way as the 560. Not one of the classics? Seem to me the other consideration is how much walking you have to do to get to your felling site, lighter may be better?

... and hitting the log as you go down and it's coming up, and the rope slipping as you take it off and then the log coming down on you. All filmed in black and white and played at 1.5x speed. You can have the film rights for free.

The critical question is whether you are climbing, I think if so you need tree surgeon insurance and if not there is a lot more choice.

I was reminded of this article. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2532015/Middle-class-poverty-poignant-tale-woman-cut-beloved-cherry-tree.html At the time couldn't work out how a tree firm could dismantle a tree to provide logs cheaper than just selling her some logs, which she could burn straight away. Still, if it's in the Mail must be true.

I've seen that in the instructions and wondered why. Never got round to trying it obviously.

I think there are 4 main types of insurance you could have 1. Public liability - in case you break something or someone else 2. Employee liability - legal requirement if you are employing anyone, even if they are self-employed but it's your job 3. Tools and plant if it gets nicked 4. Personal injury, see other threads, some have it and some don't. Your customer probably means number 1, personally I was recommended to Trust Insurance and after discussing what I do including turnover qualifications, climbing limits etc I took out 1 2 and 3. Kit value adds up real fast when you list it all out. There are other insurance companies, I guess normal recommendation to shop around applies.

I believe that CS32 only requires you to have 15" guide bar so MS261 would be fine, I'm a little bit intrigued with your choice of course though as I don't think it's all that common to hold CS32 for domestic work - if you get a bigger stem just use a saw with longer bar. Not that you shouldn't go for the course if you want to, I have it down for one of these days ... Personally I would think 60cc will be a bit big for garden work on hedges or smaller trees, but as you already have a MS251 maybe keep that and so go for 60cc pro saw. There's no right answer to the eternal saw brand debate, Echo cs620 is definitely a proper saw as is Dolmar PS-6100 (have been making saws in Germany almost as long as Stihl) Husqvarna 562 or Stihl MS362. I think the Echo and Dolmar are less electronic, some would say this makes them a better bet in the long run.