Baldbloke

Funnily enough I've been looking on the 'Bay at these things this afternoon. Never knew they existed However the diameter trunks I'm collecting at the moment are large enough that they can be trapped by the bucket for logging prior to loading onto the trailer. I tend to log on site rather than creating saw chips at home. I also welded in a support to take a tow hitch to drag my logs.

Probably out of my price range, but looks good. My digger is a 25 year old 3k machine. Are the Compact loaders as able over wet clay slopes as a tracked machine?

Will do! Just joined so still navigating my way around the site. Will have to work out picture posting and include mine

Nowadays I'm just a homeowner getting firewood locally for a 60 kw biomass stove and cannot warrant purchasing all the toys I'd really like, like a forwarder. My machinery needs to multitask and earn its keep and even warrant it's secondhand purchase price. I do have a small 20 year old 25 hp 4WD Jap import tractor without a loader but find my 25 year old Yanmar 1.5 tonne mini digger is more versatile and proficient for log dragging up slippery woodland slopes to a trailer. Most of what I'm cutting is clean dry dead elm in thick woodland so the trunks are long and straight. They drag well. I can also use the digger to grade my dragline. I would love a grab (rather than just a bucket) and will maybe one day find one second hand. Plus I can log to size on site by picking up the trunks to a more comfortable height to save my back. I realise they're not the ideal machinery for the job, but does anyone else use mini diggers in woodland settings?

Which is exactly why I replaced Efco 147 with a MS 260 for regular use. Lighter and more maneuverable than my 365 XP

Just cut for our own use these days. Do about 30 - 40 cubes for a biomass heater. Unfortunately missed out on any subsidy payments as went in too early and was foiled by a retrospective consultation. Boiler supposedly being too large for domestic use and therefore payments........ Otherwise I would have had 15 saws rather than 3

Still have an Efco 147 45cc saw kept as a spare. Bought new for £270 about 10 years ago. Then about half the price of a Stihl. Still going strong but needed a plate repair to the plastic where the top handle goes underneath the saw towards the fuel tank. Did perhaps 90+ tons of firewood until I could afford a 70cc Husky and a smaller Stihl. One criticism is that the plastics are not the same quality as a Stihl/Husky, otherwise it has done extremely well for a smallish saw with a 16" bar. It even took down some 150 year old spruces that had stump rot, and were too near the house. They were a relatively cheap saw 10 years ago. Now they are nearly double that price and I think I'd now go for a new Husky or Stihl for the smaller difference in price.

Hi Guys, First post so please be kind. Hope post is in the most suitable forum? Main interest is chainsaws and tree felling for firewood these days, although in the past did a few years thinning and clearfell in Scotland. I have been lurking for a while and especially enjoy your chainsaw section. Just run a couple of saws at present, a 365XP and a MS260 as getting a bit long in the tooth and these seem to suit dropping and crosscutting dead elms for our biomass. Hope to be able to contribute some input even if its mainly in the joke section