Baldbloke

Nice clean stems[emoji1303]

One on eBay for just under £375. HABEGGER HIT 32 Wire Rope Winch Steel Cable Puller 3200 Kgs - Includes Rope - WWW.EBAY.CO.UK Nothing else is required, a complete set. The original handle is not included. WLL: 3200 kg. Cable: 16.2 mm. Mine for £200 but you’d need to organise the collection. PM if interested.

I have a good one up in my workshop, but unsure of model. I’ll look later and get back to you, and if suitable be fair on price. You’d have to arrange for the courier though as I’m up in Moray. Apologies, not a Tirfor but a Swiss alternative. Mentions a figure of up to 4800kg Model HIT32. Plug key sitting on case to gauge an idea of size. Ie: heavy!

Absolutely. It’s where I buy it, as up here in Scotland the retailers try to rip you off. X2 4.5 ltr containers from eBay for the price of one in Moray. Although I’ve the tickets, I’ve never been asked for them on an internet purchase.

If they’re doing away with red entirely it seems odd that there’ll be a requirement for the new restrictions on construction and quarrying machinery not to either contain red diesel or have it available in the yards where those newly prohibited vehicles could access it. In the proposals it states that any vessel and supply lines previously holding Red would need to be flushed until no visible dye remained. If they were doing away with red entirely, there should be no so such requirement, as any remaining stock would obviously have had to have been purchased prior to the date of abolishing it and it couldn’t be proven to have been bought illegally after the new regs came into being in force.

When I was at school at Rannoch 45 odd years ago, we’d occasionally see a Pine Martin that was never much bigger than a big mink. The ones we see on our trail camera around our garden are now twice that size. My wife and I once saw one local to us leaving someone’s country garden and crossing a road in front of us in the daytime (where I suspect they’d been feeding the f*****) that reminded me of the size of mongoose I’d seen in the south of Spain. Such a creature would have no problem in dealing with something the size of a springer spaniel were it stupid enough to corner it. These things are a f****** menace and make Grey Squirrels look like something from a fairytale.

We’re infested with the f****** now. We’ve lost about 30 hens and the wildlife has suffered greatly. PineMartins aren’t too fussy about killing anything they can. Especially birds and the contents of their nests. Rabbits, leverets are no bother to theses creatures and they’re clever enough to prise or chew their way through doors and pen wood to access chickens. I work out of hours and regularly see them hopping along the roadside and even saw one in a local cottage hospital car park. I’d have the protection removed from the bastards and a bounty put on them[emoji1304]

If I know I’m not going to use something for an extended period (and it uses a wet cell battery) I usually fully charge it and then remove it and drain it. Then prior to reuse, refill with fresh acid and recharge. The dry layoff with a full charge supposedly stops degradation. Otherwise it’s a case of using a low amperage smart charger.

I’m certainly going to have to check out every connection as well as the wires themselves too. The switch is suspect as I’ve always had to disconnect the battery after use as it drains it otherwise. Also, I suspect it’s been mis- wired previously as the hour counter continues to count until the battery is disconnected.

That was cheap! I paid £500 for a 7.30am private MRI scan 20 odd years ago!

First time I got into difficulties with a bad back an osteopath sorted it with one wrench. Most impressive. He pointed out the visible issue to my wife before lifting, dropping and catching me in a certain way to use my body weight to put everything back into alignment. Continuing bad lifting techniques, partly due to broken knee ligaments unfortunately mean regular revisits. I later knackered a disc and even privately paid for an MRI scan which showed an impressive white rupture which I treated with co codamol, white wine and rest. It got better prior to a privately booked op that would have cost thousands. But If I overdo the chainsaw work it comes back to remind me by the evening. Visit an osteopath and follow his exercise advice to the letter[emoji1303]

Thanks for all the useful replies[emoji1303]. Think the switch may be my problem as battery terminals double checked as was connection to starter. Off working on the Out of Hours job today, but will return to it tomorrow and report back on (hopefully) successful conclusion.

I’m sure your on the right track, as any time I’ve had vehicles with mechanical starter issues the problem gets worse over time rather than suddenly going from good to zero. The 2 earth straps I’ve seen are in good order and their connections sound and un-corroded due to the general oiliness🤣

[emoji1303]Thanks for the reply. Battery voltage @12.7V Earth straps ( there’s one connecting the frame to the engine block immediately beside the starter motor) and connections at battery all checked and good. I’m assuming that the bigger positive feed to the starter will remain dead until the correct 12V signal from the fine wire that feeds the solenoid is activated, and then they work in conjunction? I can’t find a new 5 pole ignition original switch, but I can find plenty of 6 pole ones. I think I’ll order a new one anyway and once I’ve figured out how to wire it in leave one pole unused. Edit: I’ve just found a 5 pole one[emoji1303]

Any advice much appreciated here. Little digger’s been a faithful and reliable starter over the last 12 years but after an attempt at a hot start yesterday wouldn’t even try to engage the solenoid dog let alone operate starter. The starter is at the back of the block so very tricky access. Gave the side of the motor a couple of taps for no result. The wiring is strange as the low amp feed that you normally see going to the solenoid appears to enter the actual starter motor. I took a voltage reading off that feed wire where it enters the starter motor with ignition on and while on start position. 2.65V and zero while in crank position. Seems low but I’m an ignoramous on electrics. No power to the big thick lead that cranks/powers the actual motor. The wiring has multiple connections and some of it I cannot access. Since the motor was operating without fault until that moment am I right in thinking it’s perhaps the ignition switch that’s wanked out, or, could it be an issue with the feed wire that I suspect eventually leads to the solenoid in a convoluted way?

But that would be far too sensible and wouldn’t capture the pending massive tax grab from construction and quarrying having to use white more heavily taxed diesel after April 2022.....

True. Food costs were historically more expensive in taking the proportion of a wage needed then as against now. There again, I could visit the boozer each night 30 odd years ago, which would be an impossibility now off my present earnings. What people don’t realise is the damage we did to NZ agriculture by largely abandoning NZ butter and lamb when we joined the EEC prior to it becoming the f****** EU.

Believe that’s not the case nowadays. The sole difference is supposed to be the dye. After all, who’d put shitty fuel in their 80k new tractor.

[emoji1303]Farms becoming the new official forecourts sounds more stupid than the present arrangements. I don’t use a great deal but enough to ensure it makes it worthwhile to buy Diesel engined mowers/diggers and tractors for my small holding. I’m not vat registered or anything so if it came down to claiming back the extra i probably wouldn’t bother. Funnily enough I just bought an immaculate 1960s oil tank to hold another 1000 litres yesterday. Shame modern diesel fuel doesn’t store long term.[emoji849]

My three favourites

About £20 direct from my nearest distillery. Not peaty and my preference to their more matured stuff[emoji1303]

I’m hearing something about constraining the use of the red stuff by 2022. Presumably we’ll still be able to get access to it with agricultural numbers? Can anyone summarise what restrictions there’ll be over its use, and what requirement will need to be seen for ordering it?

Well worth the 4K and very handy if you’re not so keen on ladders[emoji6]