Conor Wright

Yes, ended up buying it. Very happy so far.

You won't go far wrong with a baltrotor rotator. I've a gr55 under a 3 ton machine 5 years and it's still going strong. It leaks back to the weighted end a little under heavy loads but not so much as to be dangerous. I deliberately overspecced it, the gr55 is rated for a 5 ton machine. I'd suggest doing the same if weight allows, regardless of brand. Maybe worth considering a worm drive rotator if you're going for a 3 or 4 tooth grapple. They don't leak back under load. The farma brash grab I use is shit for rocks etc. A friend had a 3/4 intermercato grapple without rotator and it's OK for timber and great for almost everything else. Pics of the new toy when it's set up and working would be good, if you get a chance.

Thanks. Its a big step up from the old tb125. Not knocking it, that machine owed me nothing. The kx was 22.5k stg. picked it up in wales, turned out my transport guy knew the seller so I had a bit of extra reassurance. (Small world, i didnt know this until i went to give him directions and he started laughing!) Don't know if that's a bargain over your way but it's standing me 26400 eur sitting in my yard, all in. Saved at least 1500 on the nearest comparable machine I could find here and have a much cleaner example. Also didnt have to front the vat which makes life easier.New, that spec is 56k+ here. The second hand machine pool over here is very poor at the moment. mostly ex hire or well ragged stuff, anything with a bit of spec gets snapped up fast or marked up well. Would you (or anyone)consider the price good value? Open question, I'm curious now.

Having spent a lot of time shopping around for a mini I settled on a 2020 kubota 030-4. I was going to go new, but couldnt make up my mind! Then this turned up in the right spec at the right price. Very happy so far. Plenty of power, smooth and accurate and comfortable for its size. Credit to the previous owner. It has very little wear. 2k hours.

It shows too, no messing around. He was set up in minutes and minimal down time. It was no one thing, lack of hydraulics and setworks just made the job inaccurate and unproductive. Plus it seemed to have had a hard life before I bought it. There were a few issues with it and not having a woodmizer dealer in Ireland made getting parts slow. I still have it but its disassembled and stored out of the way. undecided if I'll sell it or not. I'd like a better mill but I've too many other things calling on somewhat limited finances. It is still a handy tool, especially if you're starting off with cants. Maybe some day I'm not busy (ha!) I'll get it up and going again.

Having fallen out with my lt 15 I got a hydraulic lt20 in for 2 days to mill some ash, beech and poplar. Some was milled to order but most of it is just stacked now for drying. Some really nice spalted beech for a local woodturner and some equally nice spalted ash. Great operator on the mizer, over 6k hours on the mill and he has it from new. It was a joy to watch him operating it. A mill really is nothing without a hydraulic bed, really takes the hard work out of it. Had him cut a few oversize spruce too, for another "small" project that's looming. I just canted the poplar as I'm not sure what people will want it for. Anyone have any ideas what pop is generally used for?!

Strimmer harness, no. Might be worth looking at the easi lift or gtm elephants trunk harnesses for a long reach trimmer. They are clunky and more of a nuisance in tight spots, but On the right job they are great at distributing the machines weight and taking the load off your wrists and shoulders.i probably use mine on 50% of hedge jobs. Makes a big difference come the weekend, less so if you're only doing your own hedges though.

Bit of a tangent, but I came across a good YouTube channel a while back called Mr hewes. They restore tanks and the occasional old bit of plant. not really my area of interest but the banter had me coming back for new videos, well funny at times with that "top gear" style of humour. Worth a watch if any of you haven't seen them already.

Is there one available that doesn't harm the mice? Asking for a friend.

Random selection from the last week. cauliflower is overwintered from last year's plant. This is the second full sized head and we expect it to come back again.

Thanks. I'll have a look. West of Ireland. I will admit all I did was a quick Google search, I haven't called any specialist nurseries here, although I did read that they've self seeded in parts of kerry and West Cork so there may be some free saplings out there.

Chilean myrtle. Luma apiculata. Wouldn't mind a few in the garden myself although I've drawn a blank finding any for sale here.

Kilmacurragh Gardens, once abandoned for over 40 years and now home to Irelands rhododendron collection, and some other gems. Still a work in progress, but it's good to see it improve as time goes on. Not a bad way to spend a morning.

Old fire damage or even a lightening strike? Or maybe a brutal battering with an excavator? The tree to the left of it seems to have similar damage and looks to have regrown after losing its leader or having its crown smashed out.

Been there. Its a depressing reality. It was a 1470 I had. Great machine, I just wore it out. It already had 4500 hrs on the clock when I got it. The clock stopped working reading 7900ish. it's still going. Bought by a painter, I wanted rid while it still had some value. It wasn't all plain sailing over the years and hinowa were worse than useless when it came to parts and knowledge. They just wanted to sell me a new one. All that said, I regret selling it, you could drive it without being beeped at and stick the basket up on top of a hedge without tripping the load sensor. The new ones are slower, less user friendly, more complicated, less reliable and Far more expensive. If there was a clean 1470 available I'd go again. Compared to what's out now they're a simple, reliable machine. Wouldn't touch the likes of older isoli, teupen, cte or anything that's all electric in the basket. Oil and steel, platform basket and hinowa for older, hydraulically controlled machines imo.

To be honest I'd have a hard look at the finances of buying new. The simple machines are all old now and most will suffer from some form of fatigue. The newer ones that are for sale have usually been worked hard to pay for themselves (hire fleets, machines constantly onsite and out in the rain, lack of grease etc) and are so full of electrics they just do give trouble. I looked into a few mewp brands after selling my old hinowa. In the end I decided to just hire in as needed as I don't need one all the time, probably average a week or less a month now. I nearly bought a platform basket, they seemed to be the least complex machines, the newer hinowas have a terrible reputation with both hire companies I'm now using and I've been stuck up in one of them twice in a week. If you have the money the leguan machines are well put together and are great on poor ground. Mad money though. I'm talking irish prices here so don't know if it's relevant to you but the platform basket 18mtr was 64k the 15.75 mtr hinowa was 56k the 19mtr leguan was 105k. All plus vat. I know they're not quite like for like but it's a guide. All summer 23 prices.

Thujas transplant fairly well and are often grown to large sizes in nurseries. Rootball season is just about over though. Expect to pay a premium for potted stock. A few pleached laurel could work too, if space is an issue. Castlewellan maybe If you want a bit of colour Then there's sitka spruce or leylandii if fast growth is more important than the look or type of tree. Pretty much everything else will be slow to get that much height.

Depends on the individual really. Self employed here and wouldn't have it any other way. Its not just financial, its more of a lifestyle choice to be honest, that's not to say I don't regularly complain about it though. It has it's downsides too.

Most days. I just don't tell people. Did it go where you wanted it in the end?

Shame to see productive trees getting ripped out. Is there anyone around you with a rootballer? If the roots were taken up a little more carefully and you planted them the same day along with a hard prune and plenty of water as required they may well be salvageable as garden trees that bear a few fruits, but never as fully productive orchards again.

It'll be worst for her. She is so attached to him. With good reason too, he was such a happy, curious bundle of joy and cheekiness. She's been working from home for years and they were inseparable. He literally lay across her shoulders or her lap every day. Even the German shepherds are pining for him. We'll get through it, just sucks how it went down.

Thanks. I can genuinely say ive never felt worse than this last few days. I've made the decision to put older dogs to sleep before and it's horrible but you understand why you're doing it. This time is different. Herself not being here or even contactable during it all added to it. To top it off, his last act was to bite me out of a mix of fear and pain.

Thanks Mick. It sucks. He used to love sitting on my lap with a paw on the wheel while I drove the farm lanes. Sometimes he'd accidentally hit the horn and startle himself! He had a great life yet had soo much more to give. Larchwood dogs on Instagram if you want to see what a spoiled dog looks like. Think there's a video of him "driving" the old hilux on there too. Lil dudes gonna leave a big hole. That's for sure.

Run free little beagle. Absolutely gutted, I ran over him on the lane up to the yard on Tuesday morning. Rushed him to the vet but he died in my arms on the way. What a dog. He absolutely stole my heart, beyond any dog before him. even though he belonged to my girlfriend before we met, he became our dog. He was only 7 too. He had years in him. I looked back on the security cameras and could see him running along just in front of the front wheel, in my blind spot. Never been so angry at myself. Had to bury him alone because my better half is on a sailing trip and uncontactable until she gets closer to land. That's gonna be a hard call to make. She loves him like a child. If you've got a dog near you while reading this, give them a scratch. We don't deserve them.