Conor Wright

A little hunger can be good for both. I won't be happy until I see the estate agents starve though!

Bit of a thread hijack here but I'll keep it fairly short. Actually OK to dig with, better than I thought it would be. It's pretty much a sunward. it won't be great in 3000 hours though. You'd have to either mind it like a baby or flip it fairly quick. Either way costs money. A mate of mine who does electronic repairs for a living popped off a couple of covers on it this afternoon, put them straight back on, looks at me dead in the eye and says "if you buy this,you're deleting my number" It's still tempting. It's a lot of machine for 18k. (140hrs done, still has almost 2 years warranty) Oh, cruel temptation... Just as well I'm not an idiot. Curiosity satisfied, it goes back Monday. Gonna have to put the head down and come up with a few more quid and aim higher... or older. Probably both. On a different note, there seems to be a huge push to sell stuff. Show any interest at all and viola, you have a machine at your disposal for 48 hours. If this keeps up I won't have to buy one at all.

Morning all, picked up a cheap chinese digger for a weekend demo last night, gonna poke around the yard for a couple of hours, see what i make of it. Will post a few pics on the arb digger thread later. The curiosity got the better of me. How shit are they? Are they shit at all? Maybe theyre actually ok. Only one way to know!

What a mind he had. I think I've either read or listened to everything he published by now. It makes for great background noise for mundane tasks like log splitting or hedge cutting. I'm currently on "the science of discworld; the globe" The combination of actual scientific research, total fantasy and how he integrated the two with humour and class is unparalleled in my opinion. (I know he had help with some of them) Such a shame he went the way he did.

Ive wondered before does the plated weight refer to the dry weight of the machine? Add a tank of fuel, a tank and hoses full of oil and possibly a battery on top and it's already over before you add buckets, grabs, breakers and 50 kgs of mud from the previous site! I do stand to be corrected on this, I've just never bothered to check the facts for myself. I was pulled overweight some years ago and fined. Empty 12x6 ifor tipper with a hiab fitted on the drawbar. I was within gross weight but the distribution was wrong. 160kgs over rear axle load. I was told I could adjust the weight and go on. I told them I could hardly grind the hiab off the trailer at the weighbridge so the bitch wrote the ticket there and then.

That's a tidy little unit. Would never pay to make one yourself at the price you got it.

Couple of boat rollers, or whatever theyre called might help. Off boat trailers. They dont have to be hydraulic driven but You will need a roller or 3 of some sort, speaking from past experience and wasted time. Hard to beat a proper log deck. I've the cheapo palax one. Does the job but the ones with the sorter and chains are a league ahead Check out the palax light log deck, it's basically box iron, a few rollers a handful of spikes and a hydraulic motor. It's as simple as they come and easily copied.

I've been looking at mini diggers the last while. Since the day I sold my old one to be honest! The loader I got in its place is a great tool but a man needs a digger, so i had some seat time in various machines through a combination of relentless rain, friends in the hire and machinery sales business, boredom and a bit of blagging in dealerships. I may as well stick my thoughts on here. My first idea was to get a new machine so I priced around and all the top brands were out of reach for me. Then I started looking into Chinese machines. I started at the bottom pricewise. Xiniu/rhinoceros xn28. light build, loud in the cab, cab is big but seat is poor. Bad layout. jerky, very low ground clearance. not good looking, very poorly routed hydraulics. Saw a video of the factory. Ive seen better cattle sheds. No. Sunward 25uf. Reasonably well built, could be better. Quick, maybe a bit jerky once hours clock up. Hard to say why, it just feels that way. the first pull back when grading always took a little correction. Not an operator thing, its in the geometry somewhere. A lot of cheap looking electrics. Hydraulic routing is poor. Digs well, hard to grade with. Well specced as standard. Value for money for a part time operator. Cab is tight getting in and out, also the window is clunky to put up, some of the switches are in awkward places. Maybe, but sell it as soon as warranty is up. Dgm et26 possibly an oddity, its a Chinese machine branded by a company over here in Ireland. Almost identical to the sunward but with mostly cosmetic changes. Not sure what to think regarding warranty etc. Machine is so similar to the sunward I'm going to chance saying it is from the same factory. Or the one next door. Lack of knowledge about how and where its actually made put me off but its well specced and full of cheap looking switches to twiddle. No. Or maybe? Probably not. Sany 26u. good build quality, under carriage and kingpost are a bit light. A lot of electrics. Very fast. Hydraulics are fairly well routed but still using cheap fittings. Very well specced as standard. If the warranty is as good as advertised its great. Plenty of power, quieter than the other Chinese machines. The best so far but a hard no for me due to the door being too narrow and the lack of head room with the window up. If you're less than six foot three and already fairly handy on a digger it's worth a look. If the 5 year warranty is true I'd keep it for the five years and maybe longer if I hadn't had any issues. Yanmar sv26 the only non Chinese machine I looked at new. I've also hired the same model machine a few times, so its the one in this list I'm most familiar with. Very similar build to the sany, quality wise. but the hydraulics feel a little better, softer might be a way of describing it. Basic machine price is on par with the full spec sany. Comfortable, fast but smooth, quiet, but a little shuddery when tracking. Digs well, grades well. Nice cab. Extra auxiliaries are expensive and factory fitting can take a while. I'd have one. But I'd trade it in once the warranty is out or soon after. I've had experience with yanmar for major parts before and they're expensive. Can't see them lasting beyond 10 years (what I consider the absolute minimum life of anything with an engine if I'm to be honest) without getting rather tired Wacker neuson ez26 year 2021 1500 hours. Sold as seen trade in, so not tidied up for sale. Has vds, made it feel a bit unsteady. OK hydraulics, felt underpowered when digging, didn't like the vds but can see its use in some places. I discounted it as I thought the vds wouldn't be of any use to me and a source of problems. Also didn't have twin aux. Not a bad machine, a hint of China off it though. It had a worn look for its age and hours. If I did only slope work or had one short leg or a permanent crick in my neck I'd consider one, but not for lifting trunks and big piles of brash. Not built for the long haul. Bobcat 27z 3000 hours year 2019. Tight for a second hand machine, has been through the workshop. quick but very smooth. Nicest cab and seating position so far. Quiet. Strange radio though, didn't like it. Lacked the necessary aux hydraulics on the machine I used, but they are optional, what I wanted (twin proportional plus case drain and hyd qh) is a factory fit only as its not worth retro fitting due to replacement of joysticks etc. Priced one new in the spec i wanted and it took me a moment to process. You could have two Chinese machines for the price.(two bad ones, but still) Overall good machine, but watch the specs, they add up. I'd have one. Probably a good buy new or secondhand. Could be a 10 year machine if the electrics hold up. Kubota u27-4 1800 hours year 2018 direct off site, hasnt been through a workshop. bit of play in the kingpin. By far the best machine all round, even allowing for wear, no unnecessary electrics, comfortable, fast, smooth, quiet, pulled a perfect grade first time. Balls of power, but it gives it gently, so that even fast repetitive movements remained smooth. Best "feel" of all the machines I tried. (For my operating style at least) Hydraulics are all tucked away, running through the boom so it's ideal for tree work, hedge cutting, flailing, brash handling etc. This one had every extra fitted, site ready, guards, all the plumbing. Very competitive price if comparing used but fresh kubota to new Chinese machines. I'd have a new one in the morning if i could afford it but they command a premium price. Even more so with arb digger specs. Maybe the above will be of use to someone, it's totally personal, ive tried to be as unbiased and honest as i can. others may disagree with what I've said, but so be it. Its just my own thoughts on the few machines I've sat in over the last number of weeks. If I had to pick one machine from the list new, and money wasn't a question. it would be the kubota every time, even though I only tried the secondhand one. Best spec for money has to go to the sunward. Its all there from the factory. Poor quality of the visible hydraulics made me think it may not be that well put together under the cab though. Best value for money overall. Sany. Spec, warranty (if they honour it) and build quality are up there. Spray it orange or a different shade of yellow and change the stickers and you could possibly fool me. Worst. rhinoceros/xiniu. it has a lot of extras but they're all a bit crap. OK for a one machine does all smallholder but not for commercial use. It also looks like whoever drew it sneezed a lot and their crayon kept slipping on the page. Yes, you've reached the end. Congratulations.

It's common name is firethorn, around here anyway. Some people have a reaction to it, especially people with rheumatoid arthritis. Causes swelling and a "hot" pain apparently. Not sure what it does as they're not considered toxic. I've sometimes wondered if that's why it's called firethorn or is it because of the vivid berry colour. All I've ever wondered when cutting it is "why did I agree to this?"

Bit of a tangent but I always pick up a cardboard box to throw my shopping into, almost all shops here have a trolley of empty veg boxes near the checkouts. It's been well over a decade since I bought fire lighters, just rip up the box and throw the shreds into the bottom of the log basket and that's the fire lighters for the week. Must have saved myself a fortune, I just don't know where it is...

I had to have dental surgery under iv sedation last year. They doped me up with midazolam. ( I think I have that spelled right) You are not safe to work for at least a day after it. Some stuff. Its no wonder vets and dentists etc.get hooked on these things! It's also part of the cocktail for lethal injection in the US. I can see why. Never been so chilled out in my life. 3 extractions including one wisdom tooth, 2 root canals a filling and two porcelain implants over 7 and a half hours split between two appointments. I pretty much half slept, half giggled my way through it. They just kept giving me little boosters of it. Apparently I kept coming around and asking the dentist to sell me his land cruiser 100 series amazon. Both times. Turns out redheads can have a higher tolerance for most painkillers. Its genetic. I wouldnt mind, im only 30% ginge at most. Anyway, I found this out on my first proper trip to the dentist as an eight year old. The local anaesthetic did next to nothing for me. It was agony. This kept me away from the dentist for a number of years, until it was unavoidable so I just went private and got it done right. All that said, if you're not ginger and haven't ignored the state of yer teeth for a decade or two you should be fit for light work after a couple of hours!

I think its Pyracantha. It'll do the same job as blackthorn in that it could pierce armour. Usually planted between neighbours who dislike each other. Has nice berries in season, usually either orange or yellow. Holds most of its leaves through winter. If you approach it, It'll stab you faster than a London youth on a stolen bike.

Jaysus, I like rustic, but that thing looks like stoned and broke met traffic accident between a caravan and a skip of building materials. No offence intended. I bet it smells of tired sandals and stale weed. Still, each to their own. I'm sure much fun was had putting it all together.

Nice. We did this with a fairly fresh mobile home a few years back. Added a room onto it one side and a covered deck the other. Still living in it. Love it. It's too comfortable really. We should have built a house by now!

Used a trilo mower vac before for sucking the clippings off turfgrass before lifting it for instant lawns, not a big one. 60 hp tractor was well able for it. Well built machines but very loud to be around for an extended time. The Schouten replaced it. Don't know how or why but its much quieter.

I ended up keeping the neomach x30 I had on demo. So far so good, thought I'd stick up a few photos of what it's been doing. Can't fault it really. Another 2 or 3 hp would be good but then I'd need a dpf so I'll say no more in that regard. The attachments make it. Have a few more I'd like to add as time goes on. Its proven itself to be a great labour saver, Especially on smaller jobs where the 3 ton digger was either a bit cumbersome or just too heavy on ground. 20231120_133153.mp4

There's a Dutch brand called Schouten, they make an in between size flail collector, designed like a forage harvester but with a flail or scarifying head. Well put together machines, but you'd need to have work for it. They're not cheap to buy. Here's a picture because I don't think I explained it too well.

Always ran mine on 1000. Speed is your friend here, keep the rotating mass rotating. On lighter stuff we'd reduce the revs but I could count on one hand how often it was used at 540. From memory 2200 rpm on the mog was 1000 pto, we often ran it between 1800 and 2000 rpm.

Nice, would make a great little yard office, did you make it? Any more detailed photos of around the windows?

I'll bite, assuming it's north of sligo, so a bit out of my normal area and assuming access is as good as you say and it can all be done with mewp, loader and chipper. 5k plus vat all in. Assuming all chip and wood remains onsite. Biggest cost (for me) would be moving machinery. I'd take it on alone too, maybe sub in a good climber for a day or two if necessary. If it was closer to home it'd be a bit cheaper, but not vastly.. Bear in mind I'm quoting from photos which I never usually do, but I think the wide angle photos make the trees look smaller than they are. If you do go at it yourself, I'm hiring a chipper and compact loader with or without operator if you're interested In making life easier for yourself. I'll await those who think it's either a 20k job or 500 quid and a cuppa at 11 and home by 3....

Could be worthwhile checking out the worx range, my missus got a 3 in 1 thingy a few years back, trimmer, grass trimmer and weeding attachment.. nifty little thing. I've borrowed it a couple of times and failed to break it, so it ain't that badly made. She has a good few worx bits for hobby work and gardening and so far so good. her drill outlasted my milwaukee one, something I'm regularly reminded of... https://www.amazon.co.uk/WORX-WG801E-91-Hedge-Trimmer-Black/dp/B084SC1KKL/ref=asc_df_B084SC1KKL/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=463045438068&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4699318828421951730&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007850&hvtargid=pla-949225281961&psc=1&mcid=d9c6fca32f533512ac77fb3fbfbb8ef0

That's a brave spot to put the six way valve!

4 years or more since I got a noco and it's only now starting to lose its oomph. Has started all manner of machine including the mog. Good little device, but I have noticed it's no longer up to starting larger engines. Wouldn't be without one all the same. Its proved useful during power cuts and when camping too. I usually keep it topped up from the 12v charger in the jeep, it might get a full mains charge twice a year, this may have had an effect on it.

Its not what you were looking for, but on lighter laurel and conifer jobs I use an iseki sxg 19 with collector. Similar machines would do the same job. It's not ideal but it sucks up more than you would think, providing you crawl along. Reduces the bulk a lot and you can tip straight into a trailer, saving most of the raking up. At a guess I'd say it removes 70% of the clippings, bit of blowing and a few minutes of raking is still required. But much reduced.