Conor Wright

Thanks to everyone who replied so far.

So, I took a trip to have a look at the machine and saw it running. It's a well built piece of kit.

 The current owner had a remote control unit fitted, very handy for loading it with the digger. I had a good look around it, put a log through it and he even lent me a spanner so I could remove the covers for closer inspection. There were a few small issues but nothing unexpected. Basic stuff  I can sort myself in a few evenings.

My only real issue is the remote. The way it was fitted overrides the machines original wiring. The anti stress still works but the original forward reverse has been disconnected. (Before you all freak out its a crane feed only machine, the module used to be wired into the tractor)

I guess my main question is if the remote itself were to be damaged or lost, how do you stop or start the rollers?

I'm sure you could wire both to work together, leaving the wired module as a backup in case of battery failure or loss of remote but this is beyond my capabilities. As is anything beyond a 7 pin trailer plug!

I spoke to a local auto electrician and he is willing to look at it but said an original wiring diagram would be a huge help. 

The old module is with the machine but there is no manual or diagram.

Does anyone have a manual or wiring diagram for a 431 out there?!

Or am I just asking for trouble here?

I know some would run a mile from this but aside from the remote issue it's an honest machine and the seller was open and honest about it too. 

Any information, advice or completely irrelevant nonsensical replies appreciated!

14 hours ago, Haironyourchest said:

Hard to tell but looks like the peeled the door or sommat?

Well spotted. I couldn't see past the paint.

11 hours ago, Conor Wright said:

"You've been had"? As in you have been robbed? Even if he hasn't had his tools stolen they're still filthy bastards for damaging the vehicle. That's gonna need a full respray. I'd lose the plot if that happened to me. 

Hadn't noticed the peeled panel when I posted that, so not only did they vandalise the van they robbed it too and after reading the article, if I'm not mistaken they then went on to target the shed or storage unit later that night? Brazen bastards. Laws need to change. It should be fully legal to put a bullet between the eyes of scum like that.

Simpler indeed, although I must admit that the lockdowns gave me a chance to get a few home projects off the ground, spend more time with the dogs and enjoy the countryside around where I live. It's amazing the things you see when walking that you never notice while driving.

I know some people's experiences will be different but overall I enjoyed it. Have friends who live in apartments who didn't but we all make our own choices in life. 

My missus took some convincing to move out of the city (albeit a couple of years before the madness) and give up all the convenience of that lifestyle to live in a caravan in a corner of an overgrown field. "Post covid" she has never been happier, has an acre of garden, log cabin, pets, chickens and a tunnel of veggies and now gets to wfh. You know what they say, happy wife, happy life!

33 minutes ago, difflock said:

How does your single Ph supply put enough juice forward to to drive a 30HP inverter?

I just bought a couple of 3Ph items and need to source a 3Ph supply, options being 3Ph mains(and still awaiting the no-doubt eye-watering NIE quote to install same), a diesel engined genny, or a PTO genny, or a rotary inverter limited to guessing 50A(since it is only a time limited 100A fuse) at 230V=11.5kW, and at single Ph electric prices, even that sounds eye-watering expensive to run!

 

Can't answer how they get sufficient "juice" but they work! I bought a 15kw rotary converter last week off a lad in kerry, he has another one. Decent fella and I saw both working. Can pass on his number if you're interested. Could be couriered up to you? It's a hucol and in good nick.

I had to upgrade from my 4kw Clarke converter when I got a bigger table saw, starting it was too much for the poor thing and it burnt out.

1 hour ago, Mick Dempsey said:

 

 

If you feel strongly about certain controversial aspects of it, read the signs, if your friend/workmate/ isn’t on your side or is uncomfortable with your view, desist from discussing it, don’t raise the subject.

 

Bit like the whole stihl/husqvarna thing then?!

2 minutes ago, Doug Tait said:

Any theories what "Bin hAD" refers to?

"You've been had"? As in you have been robbed? Even if he hasn't had his tools stolen they're still filthy bastards for damaging the vehicle. That's gonna need a full respray. I'd lose the plot if that happened to me. 

2 hours ago, Jon Patmaan said:

Hi. 
Yes I have done this already some time ago. No replies as of yet. Thanks though. 

May be worth calling a couple of tree surgeons in your local area, if you're not too far off the beaten track most small companies will drop off a load for beer tokens when they're working within a reasonable distance.

make it as easy as possible for them, ideally room to reverse a small lorry and tip, then drive away.

no one wants to be waiting at a locked gate or watching someone searching for their car keys at half 5 in the evening! 

4 hours ago, trigger_andy said:

 

 

I think that changes from generation to generation. Not sure if being an Emo is still considered hip these days.

 

 

No, I think they all cut themselves and died. 

I believe the hipsters are hip for now

1 hour ago, difflock said:

I was really surprised at how hard I was having to work the saw(and I will be fettling the chain, despite the my eye telling me the teeth were all  undamaged and the  ball of my thumb telling me the teeth were still plenty sharp) to make progress.

But in conscience I am used to cutting shitty Sitka Spruce.

P S.

What is the min dia/size of Ash to be worth milling?

And what thickness to mill at?

A pity some of the better bits were dropped in 4 and 5 foot lengths.

But since not for structural use, no real odds?

Cheers all,

Marcus

You'd be surprised how many uses a 4 or 5 ft board can have, table, shelf, island unit, bench etc.  You could knock a few smaller pieces like platters, clocks etc from it. I've found smaller pieces sell better, not many out there that have space for a 1.2x4.5 mtr table top! I've had people come for two or three handy pieces for their DIY projects that only had the boot of the car and a garden shed. They don't want or need huge slabs. Plenty of turners around looking square stock for bowls too.

Poplar vs macrocarpa?

But yeah, generally speaking you're right.

Now get them ash to the mill before they start to season! its much easier cut them wet ime. I left a couple of stems in the yard for about 3 years and they were a bastard to mill.

4 minutes ago, trigger_andy said:

3 IBC's an hour? Thats some going! When using the Estates Palax 35 Im lucky if I get 14m3 of straight softwood a day, but thats with me loading the logs onto the log deck and taking the full bags away and stacking them. Hardwood and I was down to 10 1m3 bags. 

 

Its only a wee Honda GX390 and as it has dual rams they're both quite under powered really, compared to the WP36 anyway which runs on the same engine. But seem to handle what they're designed for, which is skinny sticks below 10" quite happily. Although I seriously doubt that I could split 10" hardwood at the full 600mm length, we'll see though.  

 

Ive stalled it a couple of times yeh. If the logs fall wrong the engine just seems to labour. Getting the difference in the controls between the Palax and the Hakki into my muscle memory seems to be speeding things up and saving jams before they happen. 

I said I aim for three, not necessarily achieve it!

I've a log deck (of sorts) which takes enough for three ibcs easily and I line up all three crates then swing the outfeed conveyor from one to the other as they fill. With the right timber I can load, process and stack the full crates in an hour if everything goes perfect. 

It has taken over two when things don't. But we don't speak of those days!

Yeah,my stall was a combination of jammed chain and knotty log gone sideways. 

 I rarely do a full day as timber is usually an evening or "one load at a time" job for me. I have only done a few offsite jobs with the palax. The biggest was 224 ton bags of ash thinnings. A lot of it too small to split so it took a while!

59 minutes ago, Stere said:

Im sure the daffs come out earlier not actually kept a record though ....

 

Odd thing is some daffs now coming out before the snowdrops?

 

UK's spring flowers are blooming a month early due to climate change | New Scientist

WWW.NEWSCIENTIST.COM

---

The shift to early flowering in the UK is greater for smaller plants than trees and shrubs, and is related to warming...

 

My better half records stuff like this around our own garden.

She just informed me that our first daffs were three days later this year than last even though we had colder temps the same week last year. Our snowdrops almost two weeks earlier this year. Primulas later, buds forming on lilac for longer, gorse blossomed earlier, the chickens went off their eggs a few weeks earlier but came back sooner and the garden would look altogether better if I got off my hole and went out there instead of spending all my time working in everyone else's. I definitely sense some localised climate change, better grab the spade! Tulips are looking a bit later too.

Hadn't really considered the price! 

I occasionally mow a lawn for lady. she has an ego battery mower and about 800 sq mtrs of lawn.  It cuts it when it's barely clipping the tips on a single charge. Anything more than that and I get the call because it baulks at any volume of grass. Bear in mind this mower must be 5 or 6 years old and tech has come on a bit. I'd say there's a battery mower out there that would do the job now. 

9 minutes ago, Khriss said:

Looks a tidy bit of kit, i would say six grand. K

I would say it needs an air filter!

5 minutes ago, nepia said:

It's a bit eye level but I haven't poked one out yet 🙄

Different machine but I removed the two handle thingy and welded an old screwdriver to mine the day I bought it.  Many years later, long after forgetting it ever had two handed control I had someone splitting for me and he thought it would be a good idea to put his spare hand between the blade and the log. Could have been a lot worse but he has a nickname of "no nail" now.

It wasn't pretty.

I do all the splitting now.

Robot mower. sit back with a glass of wine watching it do the work for you.

The man I bought my ride on from replaced it with 3 husqvarna robots to free up his weekends and have more family time. 

He had three separate lawns and put a mower and charger on each.

32 minutes ago, trigger_andy said:

 

 

I did 2.5 IBC’s in an hour and a half, that’s about 5 dumpy bags worth I believe. I’ll pick up the pace a little more though as I get more used to it’s quirks. It spat a couple of chains so that did not help.

 

 

Not bad. I aim for 3 an hour but the size of the timber coming in is the biggest factor, there is a sweet spot where you get a nice 4 way split.

Yeah roughly 2 bags to a crate. My palax throws chains every now and then too, little brashy bits often the culprit, as is sprocket wear. 

I like the idea of a tow behind but often wondered if the little petrol engines were up to the job. Stalled it yet?!

I stalled a 35 hp tractor with mine before, although I was using it not much above tick over in 1000 pto to save fuel!

1 hour ago, trigger_andy said:

Having fun with my wee processor. On the skinny stuff if fair flies through the logs.

Tidy little machine, how long to fill the crate?

That was a hell of a trek to turn back from. Understandable you went through with it. That gut feeling on first sight is usually right.

 The clue to misery should have been there in the ad in fairness, presuming it said something like secondhand land rover for sale!

I had a 110 myself and I loved it for the first 15 mins, then it dawned on me that they were not built for my 6 ft 4 frame or motorways. Never again! Worst vehicle I ever owned and I've had a few poor motors over the years I will admit.

2 hours ago, Mick Dempsey said:

Make sure you are fully prepared to walk away if you don’t like it.

When you go a long way it’s easy just to buy it just because otherwise you’ve wasted a day!

Good advice. It has happened to me before and I was proper thick on the way home. More so at myself for thinking an almost "too good to be true" deal was genuine.

To be fair I'm not expecting an "as new" machine. It's a bit over 3 hours away so pretty much the day gone either way but I'll enjoy the drive if nothing else, you know, bring some meth, hit a few pubs, stop off at a whorehouse the usual road trip stuff! 

1 minute ago, william127 said:

Shouldn't be a problem,  I think they are still going. Like you say, you can always go straight to a general supplier if you need a part- I needed a sensor for the engine on mine, went straight to a local lombardini dealer, on the shelf, £20. Not that you'd have that bit obviously but same principle 👍👍

Not bad, anything for 20 quid these days is a bargain! To be honest main dealers are often my last resort due to their often extortionate markups. I do what I can myself when it comes to repairs and maintenance and have managed to build up some fairly good relationships with local parts suppliers.

How would you rate your machine in terms of chipping capability against a similar sized tw or gm?

I'm not overly worried about having to change out some bits and bobs, such is the nature of secondhand stuff, just don't want to land myself with something that will clog up on first sight of a wet leylandii or brashy spruce top!

2 hours ago, Andrew McEwan said:

solid, quality steel and welding on mine, if not too knackered I'd give it a go

Good to know. Which model do you have? From the pictures I've seen of it it looks fairly well used but not abused, then again there's no comparison to seeing it in person. Think I'll chance a trip up the road to see it.

42 minutes ago, s o c said:

They are well build chippers , similar to scheilsing.

think I read engineer left Schlesing and founded TS .

 

They look like a schliesing alright but I wasn't too sure about build quality. Seen one in the flesh?

7 minutes ago, Roy_F said:

Can anyone recommend a suitable chipper that isn't too expensive?

 

I have a small orchard with predominantly hard wood fruit trees (20+ apple trees, 10+ plum trees and a small woodland with some other random trees).

 

I rather naively rather using the Forest Master FM6DD but it didn't like the hardwood prunings and branches and keeps clogging up. I ended up spending more time cleaning the drum than feeding the machine.

 

Would be grateful for any advice.

Jansen, hyundai, gtm etc. Not an awful lot between the various brands really. I bought a gtm 1300 a few years back and have no complaints with it.