Dan Maynard

Ah that makes sense. Reckon Rich's weight idea could be why they stopped selling them though....

I think whatever you do the leylandii are going to be huge, no need to cut right back and cause more agro so I would stick to ladder and poles as suggested. The real answer is take them down completely of course, last place I did a back to boundary on leylandii the neighbours hadn't owned the house long so we got the job of taking them out to give back a third of the garden.

If you like to read about what and why to cut, and sometimes not cut, I think Ed Gilman is the most readable text book I found on pruning - but big. If you're less keen on reading then basically the same material is available as video lectures here Dr. Ed Gilman Teaching Series - Educated Climber.com WWW.EDUCATEDCLIMBER.COM photo courtesy of University of Florida, Institute of Food and...

I was recommended a local independent body shop recently, the job they did was fantastic for the money. Definitely earned more by giving it to them for a couple of days and going off to do other work I'm good at rather than faff about myself.

Have you found LS Engineers? You just need to register on the website (free) to see parts diagrams https://www.lsengineers.co.uk/stihl-ms260-chainsaw-spare-parts.html They are also pretty helpful on the phone, even if it's just small parts like Stubby said.

Fair enough, horses mouth, no stabiliser in ultra. I still have a load of saws running just fine on it, and notice no stability problems, so I don't want to change. I also tend to think there is something in the Stihl claims of lower carbon and lower wear with ultra. Your mileage may vary, as they say.

Also factor in what will happen to your other normal stream of work, is this going to make it difficult to keep up with your regular customers? At my last firm we had the chance for a couple of big contracts promising super profits, made for super size problems when they didn't go well including one customer that went bust.

I'm not sure how much store to put by JASO rating anyway, it isn't a chainsaw test. The lubricity rating is the same so it's not telling us that FB will mean less wear. Stihl tell us Ultra produces less carbon deposit, I'm inclined to believe them and carry on using it. I store my saws with full tanks to minimise evaporation, never had a problem starting saws which have sat for a few months so I don't see a problem with stabiliser either.

Put the bowed one at the back? It's not a fault, it's character!

Or I guess they make it easy for you to go with a Stihl helmet and more difficult to go with someone else's? It is a bit crazy though, there are so many Sordin compatible helmets in use already that must represent a good share of available people to sell to.

No, it was a new mk 2. I think the thing is compared to a 365 it feels like a gazillion rpm and no torque. If you were used to the 550 then maybe the 365 would feel like moving from nipping round on a motorbike to driving a bus. I keep looking at new saws but don't really need more.

I am guessing you tighten the nuts and it clamps up to stop the chain moving?

To be fair I don't own a 550 so shouldn't really have commented at all, it does seem perfectly reasonable choice. In the meantime I have thought of the last time we went down this route, nearly everyone says the 550 is great but @Gimlet who lays hedges didn't like the one he bought, but then different kind of user maybe? Not sure how to quote from one thread to another without just copy and paste.... """ But, though it's working ok now, I don't like this saw. It bogs down unless it's running at a million rpm and it's a PITA to start. It needs a decomp button and it takes ages to clear it's lungs. Hate this auto-tune crap. Give me a conventional carb so I can leave it warming up on half choke for a few moments so when I hit the trigger it's good to go without stuttering and stumbling. My 365 is a breeze. Two pulls on full choke, it fires. One pull half choke it starts. Leave a minute on high idle, knock the choke off and off you go, running clean as a whistle. No pissing about priming. I can start, restart and operate the choke without taking my gloves off, and it never bogs down ever, just rips through everything you put in front of it. I get the throwaway thing now. This saw was designed to be started from cold once a day, used full throttle and flat out until the tank runs dry, then refuel and repeat, all day every day for 18 months until it's knackered, then chuck it and buy a new one. That's not how I work. No use to me. """

Are they 3M then? Saw in the Stihl blurb they can fit to other 3M compatible helmets, and seems you can buy a visor for those from other safety suppliers (not bought anything from these people myself) https://www.thesafetysupplycompany.co.uk/p/9494311/3m-mesh-faceshield---standard-peak---stainless-steel---black---v4c---3m-7000108160.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwhLKUBhDiARIsAMaTLnGB_nopZ0BJnrClRAFbaA6n9Vd7ylQAsJGqZXj_rpm4z7PlBua8qi4aAnIyEALw_wcB

That's more like it, you can't just have a saw thread where everyone agrees. I think MS400 is a really good prospect for this job, but seem hard to get hold of just now. Also a whack more expensive.

Aphids yes, pretty common on sycamore IME and not usually much of a problem except the sticky dew they drop. The tree doesn't look too bad overall, maybe just drought?

This is a good point, back in my younger days when I was rowing we would do a warm-up run, then stretch, then row, then stretch. I reckon normally all the loading up, going to site and setting up is what we usually do as a warmup. A few years ago in the lull after Christmas I decided good time to prune my own trees, walked out the door and climbed straight up the tree, pulled a shoulder muscle.

It would be pretty unusual to kill an alder or a poplar by snapping the top, they would usually respond by sprouting even if you cut down to ground level. Difficult to say more without more evidence.

Wow not heard of those before.

I've only used synth plus except when subbing and use firms Rotatech. I know what you mean, the Rotatech is goopy and stringy by comparison but all I can say is my bars and chains last just fine on the synth plus so it does the job.

It's well reported in the press, to me not quite the same as well documented. As an engineer I look at this and want someone to have done tests which show results and also explain how changing ethanol content from 5% to 10% can affect engine performance that much. They're not replacing 5% of the petrol with water, which obviously would take away 5% of the energy content - it's replaced with ethanol which has 2/3 of the energy content of petrol. Put another way, going from 0% to 10% ethanol means you lose 1/3 of the energy of 10%, so about 3% overall. The latest change is half that. This is the official line in the US where they've been using more ethanol for longer: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) WWW.EIA.GOV

Looks like you need to get started on the second one, full already!

It's great for reductions, and I've done a fair bit of hedge work with mine. Anything heavier get the 36v one out.

... and all that valuable firewood of course!

And it's ironically at just the time Makita planned the stop on producing petrol saws, so not many of those around either.