Conor Wright

These bad boys. Well used as can be seen! Will have them four years soon and they're holding up very well. In almost daily use (unless herself is away and theres no one to enforce the no shoes inside rule!)

On gravel or mulch I do use tarps but on grass tarmac or concrete I just rake up the big stuff and blow the leftovers into a pile, or under the hedge if I can get away with it! I much prefer taking 2 foot off a bulky laurel than a light trim on a dense conifer.

North face slippers! My missus got me a pair three or four years back, still like new, often leave them on when going down to lock the gates in the evenings or feeding the chickens in the morning, going out for firewood etc. They're great! Will take a pic when I'm in for lunch, they're machine washable too.

50% upfront, then give a local agri contractor with a flail half of that to butcher it and off you ride into the sunset!

I'm far from a savvy climber if I'm to be honest. And far from 15 an hour too, thankfully! Luckily I enjoy hedge cutting, well I enjoy seeing the results of a good job. No way I'd ever get the same money as a "big day out" with all the kit but that means less expenses too. I use the mewp whenever I can, even on lower hedges, just so I'm not moving ladders all afternoon. It's the raking up that gets me.

My local stihl dealer (galway, Ireland) had a gtm one on the shelf about a month ago, same concept as the easylift. Often looked at them, even bought the stihl one a few years back but didnt get on with it so now it's a shed ornament. Hedge trimming is hard on the body but I enjoy it, pity it doesn't pay so well!

I'd say minimum 12hp, I've a gtm 1300 gravity fed chipper, handy little tool but it needs every bit of of the 13hp it has, even with sharp blades.

Glad to hear you got sorted, did you find someone to look at it or did you figure it out yourself? What was at fault?

The missus uses it around the veggie garden. I was a little sceptical at first but it does work well, would need multiple applications to permanently kill off nettles of any decent size though. We use epsom salts, 20% acetic acid a squirt of washing up liquid and stir well in warm water. The vinegar eats the seals in the sprayer though, learned that the hard way! It acts fast too. Stuff is usually shrivelled up the next morning.

Makes about as much sense as any other astrology I've ever heard. Just for the record, virgo is wrong. I've checked, even had the groundie double check. now he's talking about a change of career again. Typical.

Grazon pro if you're worried about surrounding grassland being affected, if you're not, just use a strong solution of glyphosate as already recommended.

Was it heavily reduced recently? Power lines behind, might not have helped it.

I like the old school look of it. Not sure I'd like using it for a day though.

Nice work. A friend of mine who carves uses a 4 inch battery grinder with a disc fitted with chainsaw chain, great for final detailing. Apart from that, I'd also say try chainsawbars.co.uk Rob knows his stuff and has an excellent website.

Works though!

Have been keeping an eye out locally for some comfrey that we could transplant for this exact purpose. Doubt it could smell much worse than the nettle potion!

My good lady makes a similar "potion" by collecting fresh, young nettle leaves. Makes a great high n fertiliser with a good balance of micro nutrients. The smell of it though.....

Had lunch with this fella on friday. Never managed to get so close to a swan for so long. Genuinely spent half an hour sitting on a stone while he preened himself about a meter away.

Hard to charge for a day where the client can see no progress. Even harder to see 650 gone on top of it. If there was no option but to go where the mewp went and no way a climber could go up there I'd still charge for the day but suck up the recovery cost. If it was an obvious wet patch, hollow etc and one of your staff just ploughed in and bogged the mewp I'd be having words with them, apologising to the client and repairing the damage. If it was under direct instruction from the client, Let him foot the bill but I'd expect to lose them as a client after. There isnt really any good outcome from this from a monetary or client relationship point of view. But I guess you're aware of that.

I'm self employed and Irish. So you're about as good at making assumptions as you are at picking the right machine. Best of luck with your new chipper, whatever colour it happens to be.

Tool. "Hungry post brexit brits" You bought a small petrol chipper with a b and s engine when even the house cat knew they had been making shyte for the past number of years, never mind their financial situation. Product research isnt just about cubes chipped per hour or nearest dealer. company stability, third party product warranty etc are just as important. You're condescending tone and constant bitching is relentless, you bought a nail. Be a man and suck it up, now go buy a bandit, vermeer, tp, tw, schliesing, farmi or whatever and shut up about it. Ps, chippers are constantly under major stress. It's a credit to those companies which produce sub 750kg machines that can munch a six inch oak branch without exploding, never mind doing it for years, day in day out. Its daft emission regulation which has hurt reliability, so maybe cut the companies some slack and see it from their point of view, if you can't, and if it bothers you that much, restore an older machine.

Zee german invasion!

Understood, had assumed it was over a stream/gully etc. Dangerous things, assumptions!

How long is the bridge? Two sections of hollowcore would make a 2.4 mtr wide crossing for less than a grand, day for a digger and a few concrete "Lego blocks" either side for it to sit on.. ?

I dont know the newer mogs too well so cant comment on them other than they're still expensive! If you're hauling chip long distances you'll need a long wheel base to carry enough volume to make it viable. the weight of a 10+inch pto chipper will push you to more than the payload of a six stud axle so either a 1250/1650 with uprated axles (and springs) or bigger on a 10 stud axle. For parts you're best off going straight to zee germans/dutch/Austrians for secondhand bits. UK prices are well off the mark. Ac price are good for merc bits new. Mogs are a bit more maintenance heavy than "conventional" tractors of their time but if kept on top of they are reliable. I wouldnt like to be using one full time on a farm if I had to constantly change implements. Visibility is poor unless you have the rear body completely removed. Mercedes own front linkage is shite, so dont pay extra for one with that. Do pay extra for one with all pto and hydraulic gubbins present, these bits are hard to come by second hand and command very strong prices. Check under the cab with a screwdriver. They rot. Don't let a fresh coat of paint fool you. Cabs are expensive. There are so many variations on mogs it's almost impossible to say a is good, b is bad, but I'd forget any of the older machines ie 404 406 900etc, just not up to the job. U1000 upwards are capable machines depending on the size you're looking for. U90s with the sprinter engine are under powered and look crap too. As regards winning work, yes. I can get in anywhere a transit will go and many places one couldn't, can chip faster and keep up with the trucks on the road. No worries of being over 3.5 ton. Ag diesel makes it cheaper per km than a jeep. They are a good advertising tool, but they do draw the ire of some of the woke brigade, then again what doesn't. Mine does sit around not doing a lot some weeks but so be it, they're not depreciating, not decent ones any way. It always starts first tip of the key and is a simple, mechanical device which can be fixed with spanners. If you're into fixing stuff theres a crashed one available in meegan salvage in co. Louth ireland at the moment. Lovely machine, just needs a cab and dash. My other half wont let me buy it."one is enough"